This is why I cannot take a vacation

Murphy's Law (as it applies to horses): if it has any astronomical chance of happening, it will, and will do so when you have the least amount of time/money/know how to deal with it.

Case and Point: Yesterday night.

Scene: the Co-op Barn.

Time: approx. 6:30PM

Scenario: Abbie walks into the barn, feeds dinner (late, yes, bad mom...) Stella east with enthusiasm as usual. Abbie walks into Stella's stall to throw her hay, and lo' and behold...

SYMMETRICAL, GIANT, PALM-SIZED LUMPS (2, to be exact) ON BOTH SIDES OF STELLA'S GIRTH AREA.

*brief loss of verbal and cognative functions functions*

W.T.F.

I've seen some nasty hives from bug bites. Ernie used to have the most awful hives if he wasn't fly sprayed enough or turned out with a fly sheet. But I have never, ever in my life seen something like this. 2 identical, perfectly symmetrical lumps each the size of my palm right where the girth would sit on both sides of her trunk. And they were hard. Not in the least bit squishy, soft or oozy. They have palpable edges and almost felt like layers of tissue. Stella didn't seem to be in pain, but she did suck back a little and flinch when I went poking.

Naturally, I called Will (AKA my vet). I didn't think he'd need to come out, but I wanted to double check this, just in case. I'd gone home Wednesday night, and this had somehow occurred within the 24 hours since my departure. After a chat, the instructions were to administer some Banamine, just in case, cold-hose for 25 minutes or so, and he'd come by in the morning.

After a look-see earlier today (they didn't get any better, in fact one of them got bigger), we're thinking weird, totally-random-yucky-summer-weather-related-bacterial infection. Yes, that was actually the diagnosis. It happens more than people think, but humidity (such as what we've been having for the last, oh, 6 days in VT) causes an eruption of bacterial growth, those that only survive and breed at such high moisture concentrations. There doesn't need to be a cut, scrape, no opening in the skin is needed for them to get through the horse's outer epidermal barrier and infect the subcutaneous tissue. The thought is that, since I rode her on Wednesday, the girth was enough irritation (not much, mind you) to push the bacteria close to the already sweat-covered skin.

I would have such luck. Fortunately, this is neither deadly nor really that terribly awfully bad. A few days of SMZ's, some cold-hosing and a close eye is all that's really required. The shitty part is that I can't ride, train or really do anything I've been doing until they go away. In the meantime, I think I may put her through a little refresher course of some in-hand work and maybe work with desensitizing to the clippers more. She's gotten over having her bridle path clipped, will half-tolerate her facial whiskers being clipped, but will not hear anything (no pun intended) of having her ears clipped.

I have pictures...I took them on my phone, but now I don't know how to get them off....