Mom + Injured Horse = ?

A while back I wrote a post about the challenges faced by a working mom with a horse. You can read it here if interested.

The whole working mom + horse thing has worked out for me because Gem is on full care/pasture board at her barn. I don't have to go out to care for her or see her on a daily basis. The fact that I generally only see her 2-3 times a week, and to be honest sometimes only once a week, probably wouldn't sit well with a lot of fellow bloggers who take a much more active role in the horse's lives. In an ideal world she would be in my back yard, but she isn't. This scenario works well for me and Gem has done just fine pre injury with this set up.

 But she is now post injury and everything has changed and I am way beyond stressed out with it all.

Gem needs care twice a day. She needs her doxycycline powder mixed in applesauce and then grain added to that to make a nice gooey delicious mash that she gobbles down greedily. She was getting Ace twice a day, then only at night when the horses all left the barn and now isn't getting any and she is doing just fine. Her leg needs wrapped above the cast daily. Thankfully she has not stocked up at all so her other 3 legs have been able to be bare.

The BO offered to do it, but with so much at stake I feel the need to take 100% ownership of her care. If this all goes wrong I need to know she had the best care possible and that it was just bum luck. So that means I have to go out twice a day. Plus he thinks she needs an 8 quart bucket filled to the brim of grain twice daily and my 900lb mare doesn't need that much food. Not even at the height of her conditioning. That's a ton of food.

So....my dynamics have shifted tremendously and it is taking its toll big time. Ready to listen to me whine?

I haven't been able to take Wyatt to school all week. Instead I go to the barn at 7 am before work while Dusty takes him to school. Thank god for supportive spouses.

I haven't been able to pick Wyatt up from school all week. Instead I go to the barn at 6 pm after work while Dusty picks him up. Picking him up from school is one of my all time favorite parts of the day. He sees me and screams "Mommy!" as loud as he can and comes running over to tackle me in a big toddler hug. It makes being away from him all better. I haven't gotten this all week.

I have missed bed time 3 times this week. I never miss bed time.

It sucks. A lot.

I know it is hopefully short lived and her cast comes off on Monday afternoon, but being a full time working mom and having Gem is a delicate balancing act as it is. Trying to make sure I have my "me time" with her while not giving up too much "Wyatt time" is difficult even in the best of circumstances. Now the scales have shifted so much and I am burning out big time. I love Gem and I will do all I can to take care of her and if that means twice daily dressing changes for the next year, then I will make it work somehow, but for right now 7 days into it I can tell you I am stressed. I am burnt out. I am tired. And I miss my son.

So I guess my advice on how to make being a working mom work out is to not let your horse ever get injured to the point where their care will throw everything out of balance. If they do, well..I don't know.