Just when I thought this day couldn't get any worse...

Surprise surprise. I got to wake up today to news about the shooting in Isla Vista, the college town by UCSB that I lived in during my entire undergrad last year. I had just been in IV last weekend. That could have been me, or my friends. The BMW even crashed just a few houses down from my oceanside apartment...it's so hard to explain to anyone what a small, tight knit community that is, and how this so deeply affects every one of us. Today sucked. So much. My heart goes out to all the families and friends who have had to endure this tragedy, there aren't really words right now.

I thought I'd drop by the barn since I was feeling so crummy, only to realize that Spartan is once again off (i.e short) on his infamous left hind, the fracture/arthritis leg. Great. Awesome. He's been sound for 3 months and now that we're finally 2 weeks away from being back in full work, this happens.

Even worse is that there is something wrong with his hind end. Tracking left the shortness of his trouble leg is obvious, but tracking right he has a different issue entirely. He resists trotting in that direction, losing his hind end and moving in a shallow stabbing motion with his hind legs. If I push him to give me a regular, reachy trot he breaks into a canter. This is a horse who tracks up like nobody's business at every single gait and makes dressage people swoon. Not good.

I'm freaking out a little bit. I keep thinking EPM, and I'm not sure I can handle infectious disease, lameness, and ulcers in one fell swoop. I think the stubby hind end issue has been going on since Tues, now that I think about it, and I want to facepalm for writing it off as soreness until now when it's gotten worse. I'll check him out again on Monday, but it looks like it may be time yet again for the vet to come visit. I guess I should be pleased that this 2 months is the longest he's ever gone without killing himself--small victories, right? 

:/