Blargh.

I hate seeing him like this.
When I got there he was weaving. I've never seen him do that before.
Weaving and miserable. He paces around the paddock, leaning against the pipe panels, testing them. He wants out. He wants his pasture. He wants his herd. He's in pain and he doesn't understand why I try to make him eat nasty-flavored things.
I got maybe half of his bute in him.I tried hiding it in a carrot, which he spat out into his grain pan. I mixed the carrot with peppermint and senior feed. He tasted it, and got mad, and dragged the grain pan around, and shoved it with his nose, and stomped on the ground and complained. I took the pan out of his stall, and he stuck his head and neck through the paddock bars and nickered at me until I put it back in. Then he dragged it around some more.
A boarder gave me some applesauce, which I added in. He nosed at it and then snorted and complained. Eventually he got bored enough to eat about half of it, bite by bite.
I mixed it bare-handed. Had cuts on my knuckles that I didn't notice until later. Felt weird, slightly stoned and sleepy. Oops.
The ointment turned out to not be a problem. I put his halter on him and he held still while I rubbed it on with my finger. Hands aren't a problem around his face. Objects are.
I walked over to the place where he broke through the fence. There were some skid marks in the mud. I think he really did slip. Didn't see it so I can't be sure. Sigh. Solomon was thinking he was a 2 year old again I think, out there in the rainstorm. And now he can't be with his herd and he can't run around.
I took him out and walked him just to the end of his barn and back. He tried to drag me around and steal food. I was just patient with him, made him go slow. He was losing his mind and a little walking is okay. It's less than the walk to where he got stitched up and back was, and he walks in circles in his paddock anyway. It did seem to help, though he didn't want to go back into his paddock.
I managed to pick his back feet a little bit. Of course he walked in a pile of poop right afterwards. Ah well. When he stood and cocked one foot I'd sneak in with the pick. He let me do it though, didn't complain. He actually cocks the non-injured leg as much as the injured one, which is a good sign I think.

He tried to steal my book a couple of times. Stuck his head over the rails a lot, and held stock still for throatlatch rubs, which he seems to really enjoy. He also got brushed.
I feel like I should make a toy for him. Maybe a hanging milk jug with some rocks in it. Something to occupy his mind. He's so bored.
I'm making friends with the guys who work at the barn. Very sweet people. We're working past the language barrier. When I investigated the pasture, I ended up getting a ride back to the barn on the feed cart. Wow, it's a much faster trip, heh.
The birds are used to me, too. I looked up from my book to find myself surrounded by wild turkeys, crows, and a couple of ravens. A bunch of the turkeys were drinking water. Then bend over and their tails fan in the air. They're rather cute.
After I mixed up his morning meds for the barn owner, I started to leave. Found that I didn't have my keys. Went back to the stall to find the three big tom turkeys pecking at them. D'oh.
Everyone at the barn has been very kind, very supportive. On the way up the drive to Sol's barn I saw a boarder along the side of the rode and slowed way down. Realized what I was doing and told her "heh, I just caught myself slowing down so I wouldn't spook you." She laughed and patted my arm.
Solomon is already rubbing his eyelid on the bars. Argh. I'll just have to clean it and ointment it often. But I think... I think he's going to be okay. I'll make it happen, somehow. And he's a tough old guy who has a good life now.