I have greatly enjoyed the daily letters of support and encouragement from readers of the blog. Thank you all for following along on this little adventure, and for your kind words.

Blue walking

Exotic Blue is slowly regaining condition.

I’ve got to admit, I’ve been overwhelmed by readers’ interest not only in Jo’s Magic and Hermione, but also in Exotic Blue. Someone called her the "evil villain of the story" (and I still grin when I read those words), but many have wanted reassurance that the mare is recovering, and they’ve asked what the future holds for her.

Well, that’s a good question. As for her recovery, she’s well past the point of any lingering concern. Blue spent the first few days post-separation under close observation. She lived in her stall for a week, hand-walked a couple of times each day, to keep her from overexerting herself and worsening the uterine tear that could easily have become a serious condition.

Following that initial period of observation and containment, Blue was granted a little more freedom each day until she was back to full-time pasture living. For a while–during the dregs of winter’s cold and snow–Blue shared a field with my riding horse–a grey/roan off-the-track Thoroughbred gelding named Dumbledore who, at 17 hands, is the only horse on the farm bigger than Blue.

Several days ago, as the worst of