A Time Portal: USPC and Beyond: Annie O

Yesterday I took our dog to the vet's.  I do love a trip to our vet.  She is a young, small- and large- animal vet whom I have known since she was an undergrad at K-State.  She was in Pony Club with our kids back in the day.  She got a vet diploma, got married, has three gorgeous kids, and now she is our vet.  Our vet for dinky little kittens to right up to those 1500-lb horses.  She shares a lot of my animal-ownership opinions (some of which are more farm-mentality and less "save-this-creature-at-all-cost").

Our vet has a title: Dr.

I don't call her Dr. *** unless other people are within earshot.  I call her the shortened name we had for her back in Pony Club days, when there were too many "Annes" to discern which we were talking to or about.  Annie O is what I have in my phone's speed dial.  That Spouse o' Mine, and our kids, could all look in my phone and know who to call for any animal malady: Annie O.

This is sort about Annie O., but it is also about the cute pony that arrived in a trailer just as I pulled up with our dog.  This cute pony was a leopard Appaloosa, (Google it!), looked to be large pony-size, 13hh.  It had a companion horse in the trailer - I am not sure why.  This cute pony was under condition - failing to thrive.  Certainly not neglected - I eavesdropped on the vet/client conversation as he was unloading both horses from the trailer.  The owner happens to live a short ten miles from us - we are neighbors!

Our vet began asking all the requisite questions that one might hear from any vet, but also from anyone in USPC Pony Club and beyond.  I loved it - it was like being back at a Pony Club rally, and the horse managers were being drilled on the care of their mounts.

How old is the horse?
When were his teeth floated/rasped?
What is he fed?
Round bale or squares?
How many in herd?
Is he low on the pecking order?
Worming?

And it went on.  The first order of business was to look at the pony's teeth.  Bring in the equine dental specula...

At this point, my appointment with our dog was over: she is good to go to the boarding kennel next week.  (Sob!)

So I missed the last.  But what a fun window of time - here was my vet, a former USPC Pony Clubber, doing what she no doubt knows the best about.

I sure would take our horses to her.

Wait! We so did, back in that equine chapter of our lives.