Thank you for your reply, Inca, and I’m encouraged to know that your mare did not have another episode. Yesterday while brushing out my mare’s mane, I found a knot/bump just a little behind her ear, at the top left hand side of her neck - which is the side she fell on. I don’t know if it was there before, or is a result of the fall, but I’ll be watching it closely. She seemed to enjoy having it massaged, so at least it wasn’t sore. And her badly cut lip (it hurt me just to look at it for the first few days) is actually healing quite nicely and looks pretty good. Now, I just find myself hyper-aware of her body posture at all times, half expecting her to fall and flail again at the slightest provocation. I guess that will diminish over time. I honestly don’t know if I can ever bring myself to throw a leg over her again though, and I’m really sad that this may be the proverbial nail in the coffin and that she is officially retired. Maybe I could just sit on her bareback and hang out, not ask her to do anything but stand there and let me love her.
Yes, I was super paranoid about my mare for several months after. Vet cautioned me not to tie her. I watched her like a hawk when she got her feet done, etc. But as time passed and she didn’t have another episode, that worry and dread gradually faded. I hope this is a one time episode for your mare too. But definitely be careful around her, at least for a while.
