The Harvster falls down

It's true, he did fall, while GRAZING of all things. 

How'd that happen?

It was fifty degrees Saturday, and sunny. I took him out to the "back forty" of the barn property, where the summer grass was never mowed -- long, tall fallen over, I thought he'd love it. It turns out he had trouble with the long stems, and I turned him back toward the barn. There are shallow ruts where the tractor comes by, and he stumbled into one and fell completely to his side, legs in the air, like a big bug. It knocked the breath out of him, and he made that awful 'falling horse' sound--you know, like a dinosaur? 

Is he okay?

Fortunately, the surrounding ground was soft and grass-covered. It was, as Bob said, an old man's fall. He got right back up, looking momentarily alarmed, but well, there was grass around, ya know, and soon he was munching again.

One of the reasons I retired Harv is that he seemed a tad unsteady on his feet. He still gets a head of steam and charges around, and he always seemed fine under saddle--but just walking out in the pasture, down the aisle, etc., he'd start to trip and catch himself.  Seeing that fall Saturday, I do think I made the right decision.  I've done some of those neuro tests on him, the tail pull, etc., but he reacts normally to those.

Here he is continuing his grazing tour. Looks pretty good for a horse that can't eat hay, don't ya think?

Finding a source of local chopped hay has been a godsend.