A lovely Photo of Guinness chatting to Amy!

 

As you know, 12 weeks ago I lost my amazing Monty in a freak accident in the field.  His stable mate Guinness and I have been working together to 'get over' his loss as well as we can.

 

Last night, as I was settling down to watch 'The Great British Bake Off' and my friend Corrine arrived with news that Guinness didn't look well at all.  She suspected colic and as she filled me in, I donned wellies, a coat, grabbed my car keys and drove to the yard with thoughts of what I could do when I get there.  I kept my mind focused on taking the right action and kept my energy calm and grounded.

When I arrived, Guinness certainly was showing signs of colic and the vet was called.

 

Two intraveneous injections and a rectal examination later (for Guinness not me of course) and he is doing well.  He did not flinch with any of the vet's interventions testimony to his Stoic personality and his trust in us all.

 

The rest of the evening was spent in the outdoors, with Guinness, me and Roz chatting away, keeping him and each other company. Talking about Colic and how it manifests in different forms.  Exploring what could have led to this and planning what to do to manage Guinness so that he is as relaxed and happy as possible.

 

I stayed over at Roz's, taking custody of her spare room with a big window onto the fields.

 

A final late night check to see that all was well and a late night conversation with the vet to reassure me that he can now go out with the other horses.  Nervous, yet trusting, I listened and responded to the vet's guidance.

 

At 1.30, I got to bed, at 3.30am I got up to check all was well with Guinness, at 6.30 I was awoken by Roz with a cuppa and although completely catatonic at that stage I gave myself 10 minutes before sitting up and sipping my tea!  Bliss.  

 

Guinness was fine this morning, forgive me for saying this so crudely but I've never been so relieved to see him raise his tail and expel a trumpetting sound in my life!!  All is working well.

 

Did you know that horses cannot burp or be sick?  If they get 'wind' it needs to come out of the rear end!  If they get a blockage in their digestive system, it can be fatal.  So colic is to be taken very seriously indeed!

 

I work occasionally with people who experience Emetophobia (which is fear of vomitting) and one of the things I share with them, as a way of exploring flexibility of thinking and reframing, is the wondrous benefit our bodies have of being able to expel things through both ends of the body.  This ability means that we don't have to go through the life threatening experience that Guinness was going through. Isn't the body amazing?! 

 

This morning, I am now back home with my lovely Guinness relaxed and 'trumpetting' away!  I'm taking the opportunity to reflect on how things can change so quickly, how suddenly in the blink of an eye we can be in full scale 'action' mode. 

 

I am reflecting upon the trust that exists between me and my horse, my vet, my friends Corrine and Roz.  I'm so thankful that I have flexible friends.  Roz ended a dinner date early to get back to be supportive and do what she could to help.  I'm so grateful to Corrine for seeing the signs and driving to my home to tell me my horse is need of help, (because I hadn't heard my mobile phone ring). I recognised the power of Rob being around and offering his big coat to keep me warm.  

 

I'm so fortunate to have friends that will stay till late because they care so much about Guinness even though they haven't eaten since breakfast!

 

What can I say, Hero's are everywhere you look, always happy to support in whichever way is best (great coaching going on all through the night last night).

 

So, this unexpected emergency has reminded me how fortunate I am, and here are just some of the reasons:

 

I have friends who share a common interest, not just in horses but in their management too

I have friends who are sensorily aware and caught the early signs of colic 

I have friends who are flexible, who will change their plans at a moments notice to support me and Guinness

I have trust in Holly the vet who attended to Guinness and her 'manner' was perfect, totally appropriate for the situation

Guinness has trust in me, Roz and Corrine and therefore trust in the vet.  Our 'state' speaks volumes and Guinness hear that all would be well. I talked him through everything that was going to happen and he didn't flinch once, throughout the treatment!!

 

The coaching skill set is visible everywhere in this emergency and my own personal key focus is one of gratitude. I am so grateful to have people in my life that I trust and care about and they reciprocate.  Doing what I can has always been something that is important to me and when that is received it's magical.  

 

Thank you to my amazing friends and the skills of a great vet who have brought a great outcome to a life threatening emergency.

 

Louise xx