LM Phase 2 | New Identity

SIX MONTHS AGO

“Vinny! The vet’s here! Go get your horse.”

An almost childlike groan was heard in response. Vinny was sitting in the tack room, chewing gum and scrolling through social media. He wanted nothing to do with the vet being here. He wished he’d kept his mother’s name on the horse’s paperwork so he wouldn’t have to be there at all.

The manager, Barb, peeks her head into the tackroom. “Don’t give me that, I ain’t your mother. It’s your horse, our problem. Go get him.”

“But you know it’s stupid,” Vinny whined, shoving his phone into his pocket and standing up. He walked towards the door, giving Barb barely enough time to get out of the way. “The horse is just lazy. He needs more work. No abuse or neglect is going on here, just a horse that literally won’t pull his fucking weight.”

Barb scoffed. “Look, I don’t care what the horse is or isn’t. I don’t care if it was an empty threat about calling animal cruelty or not from that visitor. Quit your whining and go get that animal!” She watched as the lanky man stormed off, releasing a heavy sigh. If Vinny wasn’t happy, he was insufferable for most people involved. Her attention turned towards the corridor from which the vet, Josh, came in.

Josh smiled brightly, having barely missed the altercation. “Hello! Are you Barb?”

Any stress that was on Barb’s face vanished in a moment. She was incredibly talented at masking. How else could she have made all of her money? “That would be me! And you must be Josh.” She strode towards him, hand outstretched for a shake. “It’s a pleasure to meet you.”

“The pleasure’s mine,” Josh replied. He pulls out his phone, opening his email and some documents. “No use with small talk, I know you’re a busy woman, so I’ll cut to the chase. The horse I’m seeing today, you say, has been displaying some signs of weakness and trouble walking?”

“Thank you, I appreciate it.” She waved her hand, urging Josh to follow her deeper into the barn. “Yes, this horse hasn’t been very sound lately. We’ve already done your usual check-ups, but there are no visible wounds anywhere. We’re not sure where it came from either. He was flying over Oxers like no one’s business, and now he can barely trot without stumbling.”

“Hmm,” Josh hummed in thought. “A horse declining that quickly isn’t commonly heard of. And how old is he?”

“Only six.” Barb shook her head. “That’s why I’m not entirely convinced it’s something major. We take fantastic care of our animals here, and there have been no accidents or mishaps between horses. There’s no reason for him to suddenly drop in quality like this.”

Josh remained quiet, but made a mental note. Although Barb seemed to be proud and, from an outside perspective, an honest person, something about her wording there didn’t feel right. Drop in quality? Quality of life, maybe, but that’s not what she seemed to be hinting at.

Just as they arrived at the crossties by the entryway into the connected indoor arena, the sound of hooves clicking across the barn floor could be heard. Josh peered into the aisleway, watching as Vinny practically dragged this horse forward. Although the horse was (mostly) keeping up, he was quick to notice that the placement of the horse’s front legs wasn’t consistent.

“Hello,” Vinny greeted, his voice slightly strained. Yet, still he had a big, cheeky grin. It was painfully obvious he was trying too hard already. He brought the horse to a stop in front of Josh, and Barb helped clip the horse to the crossties. The horse lurched forward a bit, but caught himself and stood tall once more. “Here’s my problem child.”

Josh smiled and nodded his head in greeting to Vinny. “Pleasure to meet you.” He stepped forward towards the horse, who automatically reached his nose out to say hello. “Awe, this doesn’t seem like a problem child at all.” He held his hand up for the horse to smell, then reached forward for petting. “Very friendly!”

“Tsk.” Vinny leaned against the wall, his arms crossed over his chest. “Friendly and problematic. Living up to his name for sure.”

“Oh? What’s the name?”

“Demon.”

Thankfully, Josh’s back was turned to Vinny. He couldn’t hide the expression on his face. “Demon… That’s a first for me!”

Vinny’s friendly demeanor left as quickly as it came. “Of course it is!” he grumbled. “I want my horses to stand out. I don’t want any soft or normie names.”

Josh’s eyes closed for a moment. Normie? Wasn’t this guy in his mid-20s? Mentally, he prayed that this was out of pure irony, although he had his doubts. He didn’t respond as he went to work examining… Demon.

Demon, despite his name, was an angel throughout the entire examination. He was hesitant at times, but Josh was gentle. At one point, he ran out to his truck, returning with a tablet to scribble down notes. Taking a glance at Demon, you’d think he was a perfectly healthy Loshenka. Upon closer inspection, it was evident that something more serious was going on. One side of the horse was noticeably thinner than the other. The muscles felt weaker. This didn’t make sense for a horse with a strict exercise regimen and diet. There weren’t any other explicit signs of illness or injury.

The real test was when Vinny was asked to move him around the indoor arena. The young man was becoming more impatient the longer this examination took, and Josh could sense that Barb was becoming antsy. Everyone watched as Demon tried his best and struggled. His feet weren’t as in sync as they’re meant to be. When coming to a stop, he needed to catch himself. The worst scene was asking Demon to back up, where he almost lost his footing completely. Josh could’ve sworn he heard Vinny spit profanities towards the animal, but he couldn’t make it out over Barb quickly talking over it. It was making him increasingly uncertain.

After a long examination, Josh stood by Demon’s stall, scratching his head as he reviewed his notes. “Horse got ya stumped?” Barb chided, walking over with Demon’s grain. It was feeding time already. The man stepped out of the way, making way for Demon to get his dinner.

“I wouldn’t say stumped,” he replied, scrolling down his screen. “I have a few ideas of what could be going on here, but to make an official diagnosis, I’m going to need to run a few tests.”

“Ugh, really?” Vinny’s voice could be heard from across the barn. He waddled out of the grain room, armed with buckets and food for other horses. “You don’t think that horse is just being lazy and trying to get out of work? Putting on a show?”

Concern flashed across Josh’s face. Vinny’s intentions with this animal were becoming clearer each time he opened his mouth. “No… I don’t think Demon is doing that at all. I can see the determination in his face. He’s not happy with whatever’s going on with him, and I would like to see if, with your permission, we can sort out what it is. His symptoms could be linked to some more serious illnesses or diseases.”

“Yeah, well,” Vinny rolled his eyes. “I think this horse is putting on a damn show. And it’s the kind of show that takes money, not makes it.”

Does this guy only think about the monetary reward of owning horses? What about horsemanship? Josh thought to himself. He let it slide. Fighting with Vinny was no use. Mules would have a run for their money in terms of stubbornness to this guy.

“Let’s just do the damn testing,” Barb said, looking into Demon’s stall to watch him eat. “I’ll cover the fees if it’s a problem. I need to know whatever it is so I can ensure the other horses are safe from it too.”

A sense of relief flooded the vet. “That’s great. When you can, meet me by my truck and we’ll sort it all out. Take your time, I know you've got feeding to do.” The planning could’ve very well taken place there, but he wanted to get away from Vinny at his earliest convenience.

Barb nodded and walked down the barn aisle. Josh took another glance at Demon. The horse had no problem eating from his hanging bucket, thankfully. He could cross another item off his mental checklist of things to look out for. As he left the barn, he passed the grain room, taking a glance as he strode past. It was a little dusty, and there was some grain on the ground, but nothing to think too much of. It was feeding time after all. It could’ve been a fresh spill.

A few weeks had passed since Josh’s initial visit with Demon. Labs were done, and results had come in. Normally, he would make a phone call to deliver the news, but something this serious he felt needed to be mentioned in person. Besides, he wanted to sneak another look at the grain room when it wasn’t feeding time.

Josh stepped out of his truck and went towards the stables. “Good afternoon, Vinny.”

Vinny was standing at the main entryway. He didn’t even try with formalities. “This better be good, for it not to be a phone call. I was supposed to be in the city today.”

“I think a ‘Hello’ would have sufficed,” Josh mumbled to himself. He stopped in front of Vinny, tucking his hands into his pockets. “This news about your horse is important, and I feel it’s best provided in person.” He watched as Vinny’s body language appeared more tense.

“Okay, yeah, whatever. Let’s hurry this up so I can try to catch the next bus.” Vinny turned on his heel and entered the barn. Josh took a deep breath and followed slowly behind.

A glance into the grain room as they walked solidified one of the concerns that Josh had. Even during the day, fresh after the barn had been cleaned, the grain room remained dusty with spilled food scattered over the ground. There were many different totes and bags of food, but one specifically stood out. Its lid wasn’t closed properly.

Josh followed Vinny through the barn out to the back where the pastures were. He hadn’t seen the state of the pastures the last time he visited, and he wished he had. They weren’t the worst he’d seen, but they still weren’t good. Everything was muddy. In some of the paddocks, you couldn’t tell apart mud from the stool. Things were adding up enough to make a confirmation.

The two paused at the paddock where Demon resided. He raised his head from the pile of hay he was eating from, happy to see humans. He nickered and started to walk over, very slowly. Josh couldn’t tell if his stumbling had worsened or if it was just the horrendous state of the paddock. As the man watched him, he heard a familiar voice coming from behind.

“Hello, Doc,” Barb greeted. “Ah, I see our friendly Demon has come to say hello. He wants to know what’s wrong with him the most out of all of us, I think.” Josh smirked, nodding in agreement. “But as you know, I’m a busy lady, so let’s cut to it. What’s going on?”

His shoulders sank a bit. He hated having to give such a harsh diagnosis, but it was part of the job he signed up for. “Well, there’s good and bad news. The good news is that most of his test results came back normal-”

“I knew he was just being dramatic,” Vinny whispered. Barb elbowed him square in the gut, but no one paid any mind to that.

“... As I was saying,” Josh continued, his voice firm, “Most of his test results came back normal. We were able to rule out a lot of things with that. However, his blood test showed that he’s had exposure to an antibody called S. neurona. Demon could have a neurological condition called EPM, which stands for Equine protozoal myeloencephalitis.” He paused for a moment, allowing Barb a moment to think. “He might have come into contact with feces from an infected opossum. I still can’t officially diagnose him as it is a very complicated disease to pinpoint, and his symptoms are very mild. I would need to run further testing-”

For the second time today, Vinny cut Josh off. “You. Have GOT. To be kidding me.”

The vet’s brow raised. “Excuse me?”

“You can’t be serious right now.” He stepped back, starting to laugh a bit. It was almost eerie. Seeing someone laugh in frustration or anger is unsettling. “I have a horse that has a neurological condition? My horse?”

Josh put his hand up. “I didn’t confirm it, but it is a possibility. I would need to run further test-”

“Oh fuck off with the testing, I’m done with this horse. Let someone else deal with it.” Vinny threw his arms in the air, causing Demon to flinch and back up. He stumbled, but caught himself.

Barb turned to face Vinny. “What the hell are you saying? You’re not dumping this horse on me just because you can’t make a quick buck off of him.”

“Like hell I am!” exclaimed Vinny. “This is my horse, my dream, my future. And this is the shit that happens? Please, I’m done. I was looking at other horses already anyway, I can message the sellers right now to schedule test rides.”

Barb let out an exasperated sigh. “You really are a spoiled brat. And it is incredibly insolent of you to act like this. After everything your mother and I have done for you.”

“Whatever, Barb! I’m tired of this shit. I’m getting this horse out of my name right now.” Vinny started to storm off towards the barn.

The vet felt a whirlwind of emotion sweep over him. This horse was a complete sweetheart, and yet, his owner was rich trash. He didn’t even get the chance to talk about how this horse could be treated and still be a fantastic partner, but it was clear that partnership was never the intention of Vinny. 

The barn manager leaned against the fence, shaking her head. “I knew getting this horse for him was a bad idea.”

Josh’s gaze fell to the ground, his head racing. He had a last-ditch-effort idea that had crossed his mind days ago, but he didn’t think he’d actually have to use it. There was still a chance he wouldn’t have to. He looked back up at Barb. “What are you planning to do with Demon?”

Barb let out a single laugh. “Fuck if I know. I don’t want him, and I don’t know anyone who will willingly buy a horse so young with a neurological problem. I’ll probably have to make some phone calls. I know Mr. Adult-Toddler over there won’t do anything about it.”

Well, that chance came and left like a leaf in the wind. A long, quiet fell between the two, both lost in thought.

A few minutes passed before Josh finally broke the silence. “Well, I do know a rescue that would happily take him off your hands. They might be full right now, but… I’m intrigued by this horse.” He stared out to the paddock, watching Demon as he waddled back over towards the hay. “He’s so young. He may not have the potential to be a show horse anymore, but he can still live a fulfilling, happy life. If the rescue is full, I am happy to take him off your hands for the time being. I can assure you he’ll go to the rescue.”

Barb’s face lit up, a little too quickly, at that idea. “Really? You’ll do that? Wow, I’d really appreciate that. Let’s head back to the barn. I can help get things organized so we can set this through.” She pulled herself away from the fence and started towards the barn.

Josh stayed for a moment and watched as the Loshenka happily ate his hay. He wasn’t going to let such a young, bright life lose its light so early. He smiled to himself and followed Barb up the path.

Present-Day

“Wait… are you serious? That’s awful…”

Mabel stood in front of her horse’s stall with Josh. Three months ago, she had adopted a horse, now named Dreamer, from a nearby rescue. Although she couldn’t be a vet to her horse, she wanted to have a horse that she could care for and love while also getting some hands-on experience for long-term care of more life-altering conditions.

Josh shifted his weight to one leg as he looked at the currently empty stall. The door leading out to a small pasture was open, and all that could be seen of Dreamer was his beautiful tail. “Oh yeah, it was a mess. So you can imagine that when I found out from the rescue that a fellow veterinarian had adopted him, I was ecstatic.”

“Absolutely!” Mabel’s face lit up. “And as expected with a horse being brought to a rescue by a vet, you were spot-on with the notes. He’s a sweetie! A bit of an airhead at times, but he’s certainly got more heart than he does brain.”

The two shared a laugh. “That’s for sure. Well, I can’t curb my curiosity. How is he? What kind of care process do you have?”

Mabel smiled. “I’m glad you asked!” Hanging on his stall was a crocheted decoration. It looked like it was just for show at first, but once Mabel grabbed it, it was revealed to be a folder holder. In the folder were laminated and protected copies of paperwork, medication doses, schedules, etc. Of course, she had the hard copies in her apartment, but she kept the protected ones in his stall for quick access to the stable hands.

For the past three months, Dreamer had called Royal Vale home. He had access to one of the large maternity stalls, giving him plenty of space to move around and catch himself if needed. The bedding was thick enough to cushion, but rested atop a material with a bit more grip for Dreamer’s hooves. The door in the back of his stall was open to a small pasture that he had to himself, with flat terrain.

Dreamer was on a strict rotation of medication and vitamins. Mabel even brought Josh to the grain room to show the mix of bins and tubs she had for his food. His meals were clean, organized, and definitely nutritious. If Dreamer had no problem eating at his old home, he certainly wouldn’t have had a problem here.

The two vets were going to return to the stall, but Dreamer was happily staying outside, soaking up the sun. It was a beautiful summer day, after all. He was so cozy, his head hung low, and his lip started to droop. What a wonderful time for an afternoon nap…

“Oh, Dreamer~” Mabel chimed. Dreamer’s ear flicked towards her direction. “I’m sorry, I know you want nappies. But it’s time for walkies!”

Dreamer wasn’t paying much attention, until his nose picked up a familiar smell. His ears perked up as he searched for the source, and when he found it, he woke right up. He remembered Josh! It took him a moment to kick into gear, but Dreamer walked over to the fence to greet his old friend.

“Awe, bud,” Josh smiled. “You do remember me- oof!” Dreamer was so excited, he nudged Josh a little too hard in the chest.

Mabel shook her head. “Dreamer! You keep forgetting how big you are. Come on, let’s show Josh how much better you’re doing!”

The redhead slipped through the panels of the fencing to lead Dreamer into the stable. She grabbed his halter, lead, and lunge line, and met her friend outside once more. The three walked to the nearby outdoor arena. Although the round pen was closer, the size of the outdoor pen was preferable for Dreamer.

For about half an hour, the pair worked together. Mabel focused on the horse’s movements, giving him breaks when he needed them and being forgiving when simple mistakes were made. Dreamer’s ears were pointing back slightly, but out of focus. Perhaps a little bit of annoyance as well.

Dreamer definitely still had some progress to be made, but he was recovering well! His feet were much more coordinated in placement, except his right hind leg was still causing some problems.

“Wow,” Josh cooed in genuine awe. “You’ve done amazing work with him, Mabel.”

She hoped she was far enough away for him not to see her blush. “Awe, thank you! I’ve really enjoyed putting my all into him. He’s got so much life to live and determination to have a normal life.”

As their daily work came to an end, Mabel called Dreamer in closer. She swapped out the lunge for his lead and walked towards the gate. Just as they were about to exit, she received a text message from the lab about Dreamer’s updated tests. Her face broke into a huge grin. “Oh my gosh!”

The man looked concerned for a moment, but he couldn’t see Mabel’s face under her hair. “What is it? Did something happen?”

“Only something great!” She turned her phone to show Josh. “Dreamer’s antibody levels are dropping! We can change his meds accordingly. He really is recovering!”

Happiness filled Josh’s chest. He looked up at the horse, reaching his hand out to pat its neck. “Of course he is! You’re doing a fantastic job, both of you.” Dreamer nickered, trying to put his head to Josh’s chest again. “Wait- no, hold on a minute, you’re big!” He narrowly avoided another accidental headbutt from Dreamer.

Mabel laughed. “Dreamy! That’s not how we hug! We talked about this.” She poked his nose, to which he lifted his lip in response. “Look at that smile!”

For a moment, Mabel seemed to forget that she had company. She got lost in baby-talking her horse and giving him affection. Josh could feel his throat tighten. Being a vet, it was rare to see such a life-changing diagnosis have any sort of happiness on the road to recovery. He had never been more thankful for making the decision he had to rescue this wonderful horse.