First and Foremost, I want to thank every single person that had a hand in saving Willie's life. Without the incredible village we have, I truly don't think this miracle would have been possible. I am so incredibly grateful to each and every one of you.

Thursday Morning on August 14th I woke up to missed calls and a text message from Leah Taylor at our ranch. It was the message that every horse owner hates to receive: your horse is not well and is probably trying to colic. I was devastated and rushed Lincoln to my mom and dad's to head to the ranch. By the time I got there Willie was already out of his stall with his second mom Shelly and she was keeping him from laying down. For those that don't know this, lying down is very detrimental for a colicing horse. She continued walking him around the property while I desperately called every vet I could to get help for Jim. Sarah at the ranch administered banamine while I called and waited for anyone to call back. Christina was there and offered any help she could give and Jessie came ready to trailer him to the hospital should be need it. He was in rough shape, had thrashed all night long and was really beat up. He was also struggling to stay upright. Liskey came and inserted a gastric tube to try to relieve what he could but let me know he needed a hospital and he wouldn't recommend surgery.

We were able to sedate him and get him in the trailer and Jess drove him all the way to Somis. I kept driving on the side to make sure I could still see he was upright in the trailer. We made it safely and Dr. Melissa went to work quickly explaining everything she was doing and what she was looking for. Every test came back with what we were not hoping for. She said she was 50% sure that this was a surgical case and that he would not be a good candidate for surgery. She suspected a strangulating lipoma and his mass was the size of a basketball. I realized that I was going to say good bye to my best friend that day. She was willing to sedate him a few more time and give him a shot to see if he could pass in case his intestines were not twisted like she thought since we had already made the trip.

The next few hours I cried the entire time. Jessie stayed with me until the vet said I should get something to eat and let him rest. I ran down the street and came back right away and when I walked up I expected a horse that was laying down and would never get up again. What I found was Willie standing and snickering at me asking " Where the Hell have I been?". I couldn't believe it. The vet came to talk to me shortly after that and said she had not given any more sedation and that she was cautiously optimisitic. She also said she sent me to get food because she thought she was going to tell me to eutanize when I got back and wanted me to have something in my system before not eating for a while. I hung out with him and Chelsea joined me and brought snacks and tried to keep me as optimistic as she could. Visiting hours were over but they let me stay past before I had to head home for the day with a promise that they would only call me if it was time to say goodbye. No updates would be given. Then came the longest night of not sleeping, checking my phone repetitively, thinking they had my number wrong.

They finally called me back just before 9am Friday morning and let me know that he survived the night, no sedation, and we finally had poop which meant that there may have been no twist. Again I cried while Lincoln informed me that he thought that was a good thing and asked why I was still crying. God Bless little boys. I went back to visit him and his stall was empty. My heart sank and I asked one of the workers where he was and he said the ICU. I quickly turned around and he was in the saddest jail cell ive ever seen. He was in isolation just in case he had anything contagious so I wasn't able to have any contact with him at all (or a chair for the outside) so I just stood and talked to him for hours. Vet gave me the update that if he continued to be comfortable he could go home the next day.

Next morning, I got the call and he was able to come home so Jess hitched up the trailer and headed to Somis. He has never been more excited for a trailer ride than that day. He also was in quite a hurry to get out when we got home. Once he was home it was around the clock checks for poop, water levels, and general changes in mood. Everyone pitched in to provide updates and well wishes. Many friends came to see him and give him loves.

For now, the goal is just to keep making sure he is doing well. He's much more himself now but walking gingerly. He has two new sores in his "armpits" so excercise is on the back burner until we can get those healed a little more. He's got new feed and supplements and is luckily eating very well and tolerating his new menu. Next few months will be focused on gaining as much weight as we can. The doctor says when he's feeling up to it the kids can even ride him again soon.

Obviously anytime we have an unexpected vet bill, it is stressful and luckily I have deliberately not used care credit to save for this exact situation. I was able to qualify but what I didn't realize is that the full amount must be paid in 6 months or you tack on the accrued interest and that rate is ~32%. The monthly payment would be $687.21 in order to not accrue the penalty. With everything that has come with this emergency comes other new expenses like new food, extra supplements to keep the weight gain, and general spoiling of the old man as well to keep him happy. I also won't have income from his lessons because he can't be used until he's better. With that, I ask for any help to ease this burden as we come to the most expensive time of year. Lincoln is now in school full time so luckily I am able to add days and hustle until this debt is paid off but the downside is that I'll be so busy working to pay this off that I won't get to spend any time with my horse whose life was just saved. If you are able to share any stories with him or how you know him with your shares that would be appreciated. If you are able to say hello to him and send me pictures and updates of my boy that would be amazing as well. Just make sure to sign a release form if you've never been.