Went to see Talo after over a month of us being apart. He is at the new stables, being cared for by one of the riding instructors (for pay, of course).
I am not walking properly yet, I need to use crutches, and since I can’t put weight on my right leg, I can’t drive, either, so I need to rely on my father to take me places.
We went to the stables yesterday and today. At the first visit, Talo was in the walker. I am not too crazy about this apparatus, but since I am not there to walk and ride him, that gives him some form of exercise, which is OK. He looked very bored, walking in circles in there. Can’t say that I blame him. He didn’t seem too excited to see me. I didn’t expect much, to be honest. Talo was never an affectionate horse, so it wasn’t very surprising that he was more interested in the bag of carrots my father carried.
I couldn’t lift his legs to see how are his hoofs, but he generally looked OK. Not amazing, but what can you do. I am well aware of the fact no one will care for him like I do. His mane looked dreadful, and it generally looked like they weren’t grooming him, but settling for washing – the lazy equestrian’s choice. That, too, will change when I get back on my feet.
Today we went back with some supplement refills for Talo. He was in his stall and seemed more excited to see me. We pampered him with fruit, and I vigorously brushed his filthy face. So much hair came out! Cleaned his eyes, too. Then I gave his lovely mane the brushing it so dearly needed. I know Talo gives zero fucks about being brushed and groomed, but it made ME feel so much better. Gave his fly mask a much needed shake, too. It was filthy.
It’s going to be about a month till I can walk properly walk again. Maybe slightly less. Till then, I hope I can visit him again and maybe find a way to give him a proper grooming. We’ll see.
I did get a lot of kisses, which I suspect were more related to the bag of fruit we brought along, but it was still kind of fun. He was his usual sassy self, honestly, so I feel like he’s pretty much OK with the situation.
I don’t want him to miss me, really. It’s good that he’s fine without me. This way, I don’t have to worry about his mental state and concentrate on healing. We’ll deal with getting him back to shape when *I* get back to shape. One step at a time. At least his face is clean today 🙂