PPE

Things are zooming right along.  I'm thankful that I seem to have made good long lists early, because at this point the purchase process is picking up speed and feels a bit like a whirlwind.

Yesterday I got a call that a vet I trust (and is a rock star at PPE's) was down near BBM's barn and could squeeze in an exam for me.  I intended to hold the pre-purchase off for a few days, as I wanted to be there - but I'd rather have a vet I trust to be thorough, than have me there with someone I don't know.


We did pretty extensive PPE (complete with extended neuro exam).  I'm thrilled to say that BBM passed her physical with flying colors, no soreness anywhere, no restrictions on her range of motion, nothing unusual anywhere.  Her teeth are good (but need a float in 6 months), eyes are great, skin good, feet fabulous, muscle tone, etc. etc....

But more than being in good general health, BBM deserves a god damn crown for passing her flexions with flying colors:

LF: 0
RF: 0
LH: 0
RH: 0

Love zeros on a flexion.  LOVE THEM.
Then we went to imaging -  x-rays of both hocks to compare with older films and also to have as a baseline going forward.  We also got a snapshot of her LF, where she had the infected splinter thing.  Everything looks clean as a whistle, but I am having them reviewed by my vet as a double check.
Just to be over the top conservative, I opted to do an ultrasound on the LF to make super sure that there was no indication of any weird suspensory issues from the splinter that were somehow not apparent in the x-rays.  Ultrasound also looked clear, so I'm feeling pretty comfortable about that.


As scary as it is to say it type it "out loud,"  it looks like we might actually get this horse. Also scary? the seller "really wants" to wrap this up by year end.. which is... uh 72 hours away.  It's totally doable and not that far off what I was initially thinking, but it does accelerate the "holy crap what size of EVERYTHING does this beast wear" conversation.

I'm just guessing, but I'd wager a pretty good dollar that there's no way in hell BBM's giant head will fit any of my P sized bridles.  I'd also wager that BBM's big German back would make P's wardrobe look like doll clothes.

The tack-whore in me is literally quivering with the thought of a "justified" shopping spree...

Other thoughts that are worth thinking about include "where does BBM go?" and "have you even found a new place to bring P home to yet?"

Fortunately I have GREAT answers for both questions.

First - BBM stays where she is for the next two months.  I really like the trainer she is with (aside from ANOTHER 3 hour drive which isn't in the same direction as P...).  The real kicker though, is that full board and full training is $850 a month.  That's nothing to sneeze at, but it's cheaper than P's summer camp, and it's only about $100 more than I was paying for board only before..  That, my friends, is what I can consider a good deal.

As for when we are back from Africa? Well, I finally found a barn that I'm excited about.  It's close (20 min), it's got great turnout (20 acres of large pastures + dry paddocks) and it's cheap (relatively), at only $450 a month for full care.  There is one teeeny catch, which is that the farm lacks an indoor (a veritable requirement for wet northwest weather), but there are big lovely indoors just 2 properties down that charge a modest ring fee for usage.

I am thrilled about the turnout and the idea of having both mares at the same facility for less than P's summer camp tuition. Also, there are tons of trails and it's cheap enough that I won't feel guilty if one of the girls gets a month off from working here or there. 

So, that's my Wednesday Short-Term-Plan.  Aside from making my visa card nervous I feel pretty good about it and fairly organized.  Or, as organized as I can feel with a pending pony purchase and a wedding in 17 days.

Ok fine. I feel crazy, but it's a good crazy derived from wonderful, exciting things.