“John…can you come and help with Dillon? He’s down in his stall and can’t get up!”
This plea came to me from one of the school staff and in a voice that showed concern. Dillon, a 1,000 pound behemoth, would have to be the one unable to get up. Having said that, no horse is really light so I suppose the actual weight doesn’t matter too much.
When I arrived at the stall, two farm hands were trying to loop ropes around Dillon’s legs. He was on his side, but too close to the stall wall to push himself over and from there, stand up. They needed muscle. I had the most…which wasn’t saying a lot.
We tried several times, but met with failure as his large hooves searched for a hold, but struck thunderously hard against the thick boards of his stall instead. The deadly power in those thrusts were painfully evident to all involved and it made me think about the damage they could inflict for a horse in the wild when dealing with a predator. We had managed to move him away from the wall and with a final try, moved him enough for him to roll, find his footing and stand again. My heart was racing and hands bloody from the rope pulling through them on several failed attempts. He was healthy and happy and I was relieved.
I came home and did a ride on the trainer for an hour. After a much needed shower, I decided on dinner plans. I’d picked up my Panini bread, which makes French toast that rocks, and decided to go with that for dinner. I’ve been reading the story of the Bondurant family, bootleggers in Franklin County, Virginia during the prohibition years, and tuned in the movie based on the book, ‘Lawless’, to watch while eating. It is a fascinating, true story and the movie is as good as, or better than, the book.
Bike duration: 60 minutes.
Training Heart Rate: 135 bpm.
Calories Burned: 750.
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