Around 11am I got the call every horse person dreads. The call that makes your heart sink to your stomach at the sight of the barn manager’s phone number popping up on your cell phone screen.  This time it was the college girl doing choree for the week while Caitlin is on a well deserved beach vacation.  Joey was next to me getting baby JJ ready to go out for our Labor Day family brunch and he could hear Victoria through the phone speaker.  “Hey Sarah! I feel really bad calling you about this but when I brought Silas up for breakfast he was barely putting any weight on his leg. I think Whatnot kicked him…” Joey huffed in annoyance at our plans being ruined on his day off.  My mind jumped into injured horse mode…. Call Caitlin, call vet, which vet? Should we have vet come out on a holiday? Should I rush to the barn now or wait on the vet to come out? What if Victoria is overreacting? What if she’s underreacting? Is his leg broken? Thank God I have insurance. Will insurance cut me off after this one?…. Given previous experiences I decide to not ruin brunch and we go anyway.  I’m not sure if I made that decision to be nice to my family or to avoid what’s coming.  I’ve had too many bad things happen to take a call like this lightly but I also have spent days and hours waiting on vets and in leg injuries a couple hours doesn’t usually change the outcome.
So here I am at 1:03pm. We had to stop on the way out to the barn to get the oil changed.  Victoria has texted me and said he’s hot and hosed him to cool him off.  Its about 80 degrees, so that’s not the best sign. I heard Joey tell his mom on the phone we are going to “spray Silas’s leg off.” I guess I’m too good at looking relaxed because its crossed my mind multiple times that Silas may not make it through tomorrow. 
Now I’m probably overreacting. We’ll find out fairly soon.
Look forward to some updates.

Book cover for the short story, Three Horses and a Wedding
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