Happy pony

Last fall, before Vienna was crippled by laminitis, J. was watching her as she ran around the pasture, occasionally pausing to leap about, then go back to running. He watched her for a long time as she did her joyful dance. It was not much longer after that when we realized she was walking very tenderly and we began our very bad winter of over six weeks wondering if we were going to lose her. 

She gradually improved and both vet and farrier were more than pleased with her progress. She had been walking fine and her feet looked good, but I wondered if we would ever see the truly joyfully exuberant pony again. 

This evening as I walked up to the barn, I happened to see more movement then usual in the ponies' dry lot. Sometimes that means Buddy is being a bully, but this would be an unusual time for him to behave that way. And then I noticed it wasn't Buddy moving them both around, it was Vienna. She was leaping and running and doing her joyful pony dance for the first time in nearly a year. Buddy was just trying to stay out of her way. 

I cannot tell you how thankful and happy it makes me to see Vienna completely back to her old self. I'm hoping for a very snowy winter because then both ponies can be turned out in the big pastured with the horses. You can bet I'll be ready with a camera before I open that gate.