Lard Butt

Sheesh. I think I need to lighten things up a bit. This past few weeks, all of my posts have been so serious. I know I am pretty hard on myself, and I do have high expectations, but taking oneself too seriously can lead to a whole mess of trouble. If there is one thing that I don't need, it's more trouble. With that, my vet thinks Izzy has a fat butt.

The thing with doing a fall show is that it requires a second round of USEF's required vaccinations. With a shorter show season, I could get away with just spring shots, but with the every six month rule, Izzy (or Speedy) always needs that second shot in the fall so that we can go to an October show. In mid-summer, I mapped out the rest of my 2021 show schedule and planned for a mid-October trip to the vet. The problem was that with school being back in session and me being so busy, I woke up on Saturday and realized that we were past mid-October and Izzy still hadn't seen the vet.

After my lesson on Saturday morning, I called Bakersfield Large Animal Hospital and asked if there was any way I could get in that morning. As great as the staff there is, they can't conjure up an appointment time if all spots are accounted for. I took the next option that would work for me, Monday at 4:30. It made for a long day - I get to work at 6:00 a.m., but it was necessary.

Since Dr. Gonzalez hadn't returned from his field call, I hung out for a bit with the ladies in the office. They're a hilarious bunch, so I never mind waiting for one of the doctors to be finished. Once Dr. G was ready to see us, I met him over at the scale to see how Izzy's weight was holding. While Izzy will ultimately do what I ask, it took a few tugs on the lead rope to get him to step up on the scale. Once he had settled into place, Dr. G called out Izzy's weight: 1,360 pounds, ten pounds more than in the spring.

He's got a huge butt.

When I asked Izzy to step off the scale, he cocked a hip and sighed. Nope. Feeling pretty good right here, thanks. I tugged. I pulled him sideways. I tugged harder. Finally, Dr. G asked if he could just vaccinate Izzy while on the scale. Yep. He's obviously not going anywhere. Dr. G poked Izzy in the thigh. No reaction. We all rolled our eyes. When Dr. G had finished with the injection, I gave Izzy another tug, and this time, I really leaned into it. 

GET. OFF. THE. SCALE.

Nope, no thanks, don't bother, I am good.

I am not exaggerating. Izzy simply wouldn't get off the scale. He didn't act nervous, he wasn't stressed, he just wanted to take in the moment and look around. Finally, after I really started to insist, he stepped off with both front legs, but he left his hind end behind. Dr. G walked back over to the scale and read aloud in amazement, "His hind end weighs 580 pounds!"

That's a pretty big butt!