Visit with the Vet and a Coyote-Wolf Hybrid Encounter

Update on Delphi's strained fetlock: Dr. Davis, Delphi's dentist and regular veterinarian, looked at it today. Upon palpation and physical exam, Dr. Davis could feel slight heat and of course swelling, but Delphi is not tender about it at all and remains sound. Dr. Davis suggested following up with ultrasound (at Waller Equine) if I truly want to get to the bottom of the pathology. He said there's clearly a pathology present, but what it is and how it should be treated would require further diagnostic testing. Meanwhile he said it is okay to ride her at the walk, and indeed after thirty minutes of brisk walking under saddle the filling had subsided almost completely and the heat was less.

Which brings us to what happened during our brisk march today; witness 15 well-spent seconds of my life hacking 'round the old turf race track at Blue Fox Farm:


Teri is trying to figure out the best way to rid her farm of this potential hazard, a coyote/wolf hybrid that presumably someone had as a pet and then released back into the wild. We saw him earlier this week and again today. Witness:

Horse's eye view:

A little closer:

Closer still:

He's a bit of a phantom; he's not afraid of the horse and certainly not of me, and he's openly aggressive toward Prissy. I insist Prissy stay right next to me now when we hack around out there; safety in numbers and my best guess is that he won't approach a threesome of a healthy adult horse, human, and dog as long as we're not separated.