Well, one small mystery solved

Yesterday was an eventful day in the barn. In the morning as G. and I were feeding, turning out horses, and doing stalls, I tied up Java to pick her feet just like every day. I turned to get something and realizing she is going berserk behind me. I get to her quickly and calm her down, having no idea what set her off. Even after she is somewhat calm again, I notice that she is doing something extremely odd with her mouth. At first I thought it was just Java being Java, as she is prone to doing odd things with her mouth, but then I looked more closely. She has a tendency to throw her head about, and must have caught her nostril on a nearby hook, ripping a good section of skin at the same time. It was definitely time to call the vet (again) and have Java stitched up (again), this time on her front end, rather than her back.

While the vet was stitching Java up, we were chatting about the goofy horse. I mentioned that she always has had difficulty knowing where her head is and is often running it into things... or people. The vet kind of mutters huh, and goes back to her stitching. After she tied off the last stitch, she takes a moment to get a good look at Java's eyes. It turns out that Java has the beginnings of a cataract in her left eye and a pretty significant cataract in her right. She's just not seeing all that well.

This explains a lot. It explains why she has a tendency to run into things every now and then. It explains why she is so desperate when Bristol is not next to her. It explains why she has always seemed the most fearful of the three horses and why she needs an extra dose of patience when working with her. Poor thing.

So Java is stitched up; we're hoping she doesn't lose that little bit of her nostril. She is on another round of antibiotics, which I happily still had enough left from the last time she needed stitches. She is happy enough and still enjoys trail rides with Bristol. It does make me a little bit nervous for her future, though. For the time being, we'll just make sure that there is nothing she could accidentally knock into because she can't see it and give her an extra dose of love and patience.

So you can remember which one is Java. That's a fly mask she is wearing, in case you were wondering. It helps keep the flies out of her eyes.