Jesse Doe's This Sweet September
JesseJesse just sauntered in to drink some water. Watching her delights my heart. She has such a lovely bounce to her step and moves so free and easy in her body. There have been times when I just didn’t know that she’d ever feel that again – or that I’d ever be able to stop in my day and just enjoy watching her pleasure in being alive. But we are here now and I am so very grateful.I was right when I wrote at the end of my first Jesse Doe story that she will always require special care. She was born with the genetic pattern for EMS as was her half sister Day Lily. Their sire was “put down” early in his life for founder. So both of them as well as Day Lily’s son, Willow, require careful attention to their diet and all are on daily maintenance dosages of EMS.
Our pastures are heavy in fescue and cool season grasses. Lining these pastures are beautiful old Osage Orange trees that drop mountains of large green fruit in the Fall that the horses dearly love. None of this is good for them. The cool season grasses are too sweet – as is the fruit. Several years ago, Jesse got into a stand of these trees after the fruit had fallen and partly decayed After she was running free with the herd for so long, it stunned me to find her standing alone in the pasture. She could hardly move from the pain in her feet. Yet I had to walk her ever so slowly, a short distance, to her stall. That was such a long walk. She didn’t want to move – I didn’t want to insist but we both had to do it. Once again I was so grateful to the herbs as I was able to start her on MMP Stop immediately. I’m sure it’s clear to you all that I love the herbs and I know and trust how well they work, but this time the results stunned even me. By the next morning, she walked out of her stall. No – she didn’t walk out as though she didn’t have an episode but she simply walked out on her own. If you’ve ever had a horse go into an acute episode of laminitis, you will know how truly incredible this is. Within days, she was back out with her herd. Of course there was some damage done and its taken time and lots of good work on the part of our barefoot trimmer, Crystal Mavel, but she’s recovered completely.
Although she has never regained her position as lead mare in the herd, she is now with them all the time and always good for a run. When the herd is up and moving she kicks in and outruns them all.
Crystal Leaman © 2008
