Poor Barnaby

Oh dear!  Disaster has struck.  I went out to get Barnaby in to ride him on Monday and noticed immediately that something was wrong.  When I looked closely I could see blood on his fetlock.  I brought him in to the stable (thereby noticing he wasn't particularly lame, thank goodness) and examined the whole area.  He's got a gash that runs in a ring around the fetlock, and it's very bad at the back.  It's obviously very tender to the touch but he let me wash it, and put cream on it.  I have a feeling he's been caught in the electric fence and cut himself open trying to free himself.  It's one of those wounds that's borderline on getting a vet out, but once I'd cleaned it up it looked a lot better.
I've taken the line of electric fencing down, but it surrounds the apple tree.  He'd jumped over it once last week and was a bit stressed as he wasn't sure how to get out and now it looks as though he's had another go and got caught up in it somewhere.
I tried to stay very calm, and he'd been calm too, but I noticed how, after I'd given him lots of sympathy, he went out slightly lamer than he'd come in, obviously milking it for all it's worth!  (That was worth a couple of mints at least!)
But the downside is, I can't take him to Ashover Show, which is today.  After all that hard work and schooling, what a waste of time.  I am so cross.  But now it's raining anyway and I have to go all the way down to say I'm withdrawing him.  Better take a camera and make the most of it, then.
George, the cockerel, has been unwell this week, too.  I went out on Monday morning to find him floundering on the floor.  At first I thought he was having a dustbath, but it soon became apparent that he couldn't get up if he wanted to.  We put him in isolation and sprayed him with the red-mite spray, and I'm pleased to report that he's much better.  He doesn't look his best at the moment, as he's moulting anyway, but I can't bear for him to be ill.  He's gone back with his girls this morning, which has cheered him up considerably.  The girls are gutted thrilled!
Pongo and Missis came back from their holiday in Cornwall early, on Sunday instead of yesterday.  They've been greeted by a letter that says planning permission for the roof has been denied.  They wanted to have a square roof instead of the sloped one, in order to have an attic and a higher roof on the ensuite bathroom, which is tiny.  It is for the children, but adults can't stand upright in it.  I am disappointed, too, as we'd have gained an extra bedroom, which I would immediately have turned into a craft room! 
And crafting I am, as the weather is bad and I'm not going to get on Barnaby until the weekend, and see how he is.  I need to clip the hair off his legs (not a good look for the show today anyway) but there's no way he's going to let me while his leg hurts.  My poor baby.
So I'm off out, to have a look at other people's horses, cows and chickens, while mine stay quietly at home.
Have a great day everyone,
Mrs O.