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COUNTRY LIFE DIARY
Three Years in the Life of a Horse Farm
by Josh Pons
This diary originally appeared in The Blood-Horse magazine from 1989 through 1991, and was published in book form in 1992, with illustrations by Ellen Pons. The diary was awarded the 1992 Eclipse Award for journalism.
"Animals are the first inhabitants of the mind's eye. I thought about the animals in my young son's life, the mares he stares at, silouetted at sunset... The boy keeps looking out the window, watching the mares graze. He is transfixed. There is more here than meets the eye. "
Today is Wednesday, May 14, 2008
But, on this date in the Country Life Diary:|
Monday, May 14: We've been monitoring a colt we call Hector for several weeks now. He has a
chronic respiratory problem antibiotics haven't cured. Yesterday, he exploded with a fever of
one hundred and five degrees. Between putting the nurse mare on, we dealt with Hector. Peyton
hooked a transpirator onto the colt's head. He looked like a cart horse with the feed bag tied
on. But he understood it would help him breathe. His temperature this morning was down to 101.8.
"The transpirator system delivers temperature-controlled water vapor to his airways," Peyton explained. "We use it on racehorses all the time. The warm vapors thin the mucous in his lungs and promote resolution of respiratory disease." Why didn't we think of this two weeks ago? It's as simple as having a vaporizer in your room. Of course, this colt has the personality to accept the headgear. Most foals will resign themselves to unusual therapy once they feel their natural defenses are exhausted. From Country Life Diary, Year Two (1990) |
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Would you like to purchase a copy of Country Life Diary, with a personal inscription by the author? Click Here for Information |
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