Phase 2

Valerie’s POV

Marcy had officially been at Malachite for a handful of weeks now and life for her was getting considerably easier. Her coat began to shine and regrow parts it lost, her tail also started to fill in and become full like it was intended to be in the first place. We had also moved her away from the exotics barn and to the foaling barn across the property. While she wasn’t expecting any foals, this area was quiet and had far less activity compared to the rest of the property. Her stall stayed clean and had a spacious, but secure turnout pen attached to it where she was allowed to freely go between except on days with high UV rays or any sort of intense weather. This kept her life peaceful as she began to blend in with life here. 

The source of her problems luckily came to light about a week and a half ago when our vet was able to visit her. This visit was an all-day event as we had to constantly calm Marcy, distract her, or somehow as whole tried to keep her attention away from the vet who ran tests on her ears. It was confirmed our little mare suffered from partial deafness due to an infection. This infection had already managed to rid one ear of hearing, that would never be recovered but there was still hope for the ear that remained.. her left ear, and that ear is what we began to fight thick and thin to fight for. She was given an oral antibiotic and a special wash and treatment we had to give her a few times daily.. and that was a struggle. Alicia or whoever was able to help and I cleaned her up throughout the day and surely, we noticed Marcy slowly stop showing signs of pain. 

Now, don’t get me wrong, she was still sensitive to her ears, all her halters were set up to be fastened by her crown and never, ever slid over her ears. She was also still spooky, but Alicia and I specifically took her on walks around the facility or did certain tasks with her and all her problems started to look up.

Marcy’s POV

I flicked my ears around in a useless attempt to determine where the footsteps were approaching from, pausing my happy munching to look around. There i saw.. Alicia? The black-haired girl practically skipping my direction. I couldn’t help but tilt my head, she must’ve been coming for me. …… I was right. I snorted at her, backing up some. She smiled at me and i tilted my head again. She lifted up a soft purple halter.. my halter. Awe hell naw she was about to take me to scary places again, so i moved my head away from her and turned.. but then i remembered i get treats, neck scratches, a good brushing and yummy grass every time. So i weighed my options carefully before looking back at her with a soft sigh. I suppose this would do. 

Alicia laughed, and it eased me. It reminded me of where i came from, and how my ears didn’t ring as much. In relief, i lowered my head and allowed the girl to fasten the halter over my head. She led me away and through the well-lit barn and into a tying station thing. I learned to love and hate this place; i knew if I had one handler I’d be okay.. however, if i had more than that they were going to try and clean my ears. 

Yet, she spent time grooming me and I could’ve sworn I fell asleep a time or two. Between the brushes massaging my skin and the breeze from the fan above me (that freaked me out for a few consecutive days) I almost forgot the place I came from; but I couldn’t. I knew Madaline would come back for me some day. 

Alicia’s POV 

Working with Marcy has been a lot, but I’m glad Ms Valerie was able to trust me help her with this project. It was clear that Marcy was barely started under saddle, so desensitizing her was something else we were tackling aswell to help her both adapt to her disability and help her form some sort of job at Malachite to keep her stimulated and happy. Generally, she was brave but she had days where nothing really settled right with her… and I hoped today was a calmer day for us. 

“12:22pm…” I muttered to myself, it was about time for a cleaning on her ears.. I wonder if I could do it myself. I grabbed her wash from a nearby medic box and a damp cloth, putting some of the wash on it before stepping to her. She snorted at me and I lowered from frame same, stepping to her left side and putting a hand to her face and rubbing her. She seemed to fall into my hand some and I took the moment to attempt to wash the inside of her ear out gently. Marcy threw her head back some in retaliation, making me jump a little. 

“Oh Marcy… this will help you.” Her ears perked up at her own name, allowing her to settle back into my hands. I continued to shush her and rub her gently and hesitantly, but surely, she let me clean the inside of both ears with little to no fight. This was a huge achievement for us, and I smiled big trying hard to not overreact. I hugged her around the neck, making her flinch some. Apologizing immensely, I realized maybe contact with her to celebrate wouldn’t be the move. So, I grabbed my phone and pulled up Snapchat, immediately clicking on a contact I knew well but on the other side of the world. 

ME| omg omg omg guess what!

AIDAN| huh, what t

ME| marcy FINALLY let me do her ear wash 

AIDAN| all by urself? 

ME| ALL BY MYSELF !!!  

AIDAN| WOOOOO LESGO MARCs 

It was beyond difficult to keep myself from celebrating as I set my phone down, but I didn’t want to spook Marcy anymore than I already had but this was a leap from where we started. It showed she began to hurt less, and that alone healed my heart some. I had one more difficult task for her and that was boots! She has had them on before but today’s whole goal was walking around freely without the overwhelming sensation of something touching her legs consistently. 

I picked her up a pair of soft brushing boots for our training as I thought they would be lightweight and easy to work with and they had soft purple straps to match her halter. I slipped them on her with ease, starting from the left and making my way around, being sure to stay in her sight and constantly touching her so she knew where I was. When she was all fitted and pretty, I stepped back to snap a quick picture to send to the farm’s group chat later on. Then, I gently untied her and urged her forward behind me and…. Dead weight. Marcy was unwilling to move with such immobility devices on her legs. I sighed dramatically.. this mare. I tugged a little more and with a huff she gave in, stepping high with her boots like an over dramatic dressage horse on ice. I couldn’t help but laugh.. but she was cute. Eventually settling down as we walked out of the barn and onto our stroll. 

Valerie’s POV

i had just finished up with a lesson before a familiar voice came humming up behind me. 

“Ms Vallllll~” I could tell it was Alicia turning turning up the rear. I turn around with a familiar face striding behind her and peeking at everything as she goes. I spot a set of boots on her legs and smile, then look to Alicia as we now walk together. 

“Hello Cowen~ How’s your walk going today?” I giggled 

“Co-,” she paused, looking at me then shaking her head. “Wonderfully! She spooked at some horses and some noises in the main barn. But! I managed to wash her ears out without any major reaction!” 

“Now that’s fantastic news, A step in the right direction. We just need to keep that up” I smiled and rubbed Marcy on the neck as we walked. Alicia and I continued to walk and talk, while also working on some stuff with Marcy to make her even more brave in her skin and new prescription.. it was crazy how much different some time and love will make on a horse.