A Horsewoman in the Making

The day after we arrived here on the ranch, our new home, my husband grabbed the girls and took them out to feed the horses. It was April 2, 2011 and the ranch was not yet open for the season. The majority of our herd were still out to pasture. Out on the flats by the swamp preserve. But there were a few horses in the barnyard who were new.

The girls fed them some fresh sweet grass they had picked. And then gave them their dinner. Hay from the barn.

It was cold out and they came home soon.

That was when we saw it. Beans eyes where swelling shut. She had been on an allergy shot treatment for an allergy to grass, but she had never had a reaction like that!

We gave her a big dose of Benadryl. Adventure Man is a Wilderness First Responder EMT and he took her to the ER, a 25 mile drive down a mountain road. It takes about 40 minutes when driving the speed limit. It was longer then, they have since resurfaced it, Thank Heavens!

Bean was fine, she didn't need any treatments, although I now carry an epipen with me. She wasn't having a hard time breathing but she did give us a good scare. We made an appointment with an allergist right away. Still, we had to wait a few months to get in.

As it turns out, it wasn't the grass at all. She is also allergic to horses! Even though we were living on a guest ranch before we moved here, our old allergist never tested her for horses. We weren't in as close contact with them at the old resort. But here, our house is right in the middle of the ranch. The horses are right here, and during the summer season we have over 30 of them.

Plus we want the girls to learn how to ride. They want to ride! Who wouldn't?



So Bean gets shots. At first it was twice a week. Two shots twice a week. Then once a week.  They hurt and she cried and screamed. It broke my heart to take her!

Then one week, Adventure Man took her to do it. This man is the best! He came up with something that changes all that! No Scream For Ice Cream! If she dosent' scream, we all get to go out to ice cream! 

Bye Bye Skinny Jeans!

 Plus she gets to ride her dear old Dan each week with out a reaction! She has her own pair of gloves she wears and we have found that using her own helmet helps too, so it doesn't get touched by too many people who have touched the horses or set it on a bail of hay. 

Now after a year of treatments, she only needs her shots once a month. She is such a brave little thing. 

She's my hero!