|
|
  Damn Yankee
Posts: 12390
   
Location: Somewhere between raising hell and Amazing Grace | A horse that went off his feed for a few days?
Background, leased this horse out early last year to friends. They don't live terribly far away, and we were over there often for dinner and to help with stuff. The horse, Speedy, was doing great. Turned out on 40 acres of pasture, had two minis as buddies, and was happier then being stuck in a dry lot here.
Fast foward to two months ago. I got so overwhelmed with dealing with my own health issues and a sick horse here, and a few other things that really are not a good excuse, that I did not go see him for a little over two months, probably about ten weeks. Right before then the folks let someone bring 8 horses over and throw them out in the field. Just before I went in for my surgery they called to say he had gone off his feed two days prior. I just went that day and picked him up because something didn't feel right.
Now obviously this isn't a horse that only went off his feed a couple days. So a few good thoughts and prayers for everything to go well for him to recover. When we brought him home he was so lethargic I was afraid to feed him.
He's now back to normal, pawing and nickering for grain. Spent the last three weeks just feeding him, hay 24/7. Finally felt comfortable deworming him today and started him on alfalfa today. I know he will be just fine but I wanted to share......
And if anyone has anything derogatory to say about me not going to check on him more often you are only preaching to the choir so keep it to yourself please.
Edited by missroselee 2014-05-07 6:13 PM
 (speedy1.jpg)
 (speedy2.jpg)
 (speedy3.jpg)
 (speedy4.jpg)
 (speedy5.jpg)
Attachments
----------------
 speedy1.jpg (36KB - 309 downloads)
speedy2.jpg (42KB - 214 downloads)
speedy3.jpg (44KB - 228 downloads)
speedy4.jpg (31KB - 203 downloads)
speedy5.jpg (35KB - 217 downloads)
|
|
| |
|
Expert
Posts: 1314
Location: North Central Iowa Land of white frozen grass | I think you have got some work cut out for you. A little blame on both sides. But that is water over the dam.Need to worry about him first. Use it as a learning experience. I wish the best luck to both of you. |
|
| |
|
The Advice Guru
Posts: 6419
| You needed to take care of yourself give yourself a break, things happen and now I know you will never let that happen again.
Only suggestion and you may already be doing it is with my skinny horses I bought I added canola oil and flax to their grain as well as red cell. I gradually introduced it and increased the amount till I got 1/2 cup of oil 1 cup of flax and the recommended serving of red cell. |
|
| |
|
 A Somebody to Everybody
Posts: 41354
Location: Under The Big Sky Of Texas | Holy cow  , so glad that you went with your gut feeling and picked him up. Poor baby  |
|
| |
|
Damn Yankee
Posts: 12390
Location: Somewhere between raising hell and Amazing Grace | cheryl makofka - 2014-03-20 7:01 PM You needed to take care of yourself give yourself a break, things happen and now I know you will never let that happen again. Only suggestion and you may already be doing it is with my skinny horses I bought I added canola oil and flax to their grain as well as red cell. I gradually introduced it and increased the amount till I got 1/2 cup of oil 1 cup of flax and the recommended serving of red cell.
He's getting flax with his grain. |
|
| |
|
Damn Yankee
Posts: 12390
Location: Somewhere between raising hell and Amazing Grace | BS Hauler - 2014-03-20 7:00 PM I think you have got some work cut out for you. A little blame on both sides. But that is water over the dam.Need to worry about him first. Use it as a learning experience. I wish the best luck to both of you.
You think I don't know I am to blame just as much for the situation? Not my first time around the block in the horse world. |
|
| |
|
 Balance Beam and more...
Posts: 11511
Location: 31 lengths farms | Looks like the low man on the totem pole on an over grazed pasture to me...glad you went with your gut and picked him up.
Hope you are feeling better soon also. |
|
| |
|
 Own It and Move On
Location: The edge of no where | I'm so sorry..... at least now you're working to get him fixed up.
It doesn't seem like much time for a horse to get in that bad of shape, does he have some other health issues going on? |
|
| |
|
Damn Yankee
Posts: 12390
Location: Somewhere between raising hell and Amazing Grace | MS2011 - 2014-03-20 7:07 PM I'm so sorry..... at least now you're working to get him fixed up. It doesn't seem like much time for a horse to get in that bad of shape, does he have some other health issues going on?
Not that came up in any blood work. He's never been a "fat" horse. He's 16.3 hands and just a pasture ornament (for us at least). Was raced until he was 6 then I brought him home. I think this harsh winter played a role a little bit. He went straight from the racetrack to mild winters in GA. This was his first really cold winter.
I would have never thought a horse could get like this in 12 weeks. The only thing I can figure is no hay/grain at all. Pastures either dead or covered in snow. They had plenty of hay but I don't think they put enough out for all the horses to share it. |
|
| |
|
 A Barrel Of Monkeys
Posts: 12972
Location: Texas | Poor guy.
And don't be so hard on yourself.
He'll come out of it.
At this point, I think you are suffering a lot more than he is!
|
|
| |
|
A Somebody to Everybody
Posts: 41354
Location: Under The Big Sky Of Texas | missroselee - 2014-03-20 6:05 PM BS Hauler - 2014-03-20 7:00 PM I think you have got some work cut out for you. A little blame on both sides. But that is water over the dam.Need to worry about him first. Use it as a learning experience. I wish the best luck to both of you. You think I don't know I am to blame just as much for the situation? Not my first time around the block in the horse world.
Most of the time we have so much trust in friends that we dont think that this would ever happen to one of our horses that we loan to them, it happens it has to me. And then we beat ourselfs up over it. But now hes home and going to get the best care.. |
|
| |
|
Damn Yankee
Posts: 12390
Location: Somewhere between raising hell and Amazing Grace | This is home the day after coming home from the racetrack. 16 hour drive from PA to SC (he didn't get to GA until the next summer).
 (speedy6.jpg)
Attachments
----------------
speedy6.jpg (61KB - 238 downloads)
|
|
| |
|
Blessed 
Location: Here | First and FOREMOST! DO not beat yourself up! it happens. It happens to every horse owner at least once in our lives. If he is back eating and happy then just watch him. Take pictures every week. Sometimes our eye doesn't see the changes but when we see the pictures we see the changes. You have him back home so now you can take care of him I don't know how old this horse is but older horses can crash and burn quicker than young ones but you already know that |
|
| |
|
Damn Yankee
Posts: 12390
Location: Somewhere between raising hell and Amazing Grace | And this was home right before he left here for the place that he was at.
 (speedy7.jpg)
Attachments
----------------
speedy7.jpg (39KB - 237 downloads)
|
|
| |
|
Damn Yankee
Posts: 12390
Location: Somewhere between raising hell and Amazing Grace | SG. - 2014-03-20 7:14 PM First and FOREMOST! DO not beat yourself up! it happens. It happens to every horse owner at least once in our lives. If he is back eating and happy then just watch him. Take pictures every week. Sometimes our eye doesn't see the changes but when we see the pictures we see the changes. You have him back home so now you can take care of him I don't know how old this horse is but older horses can crash and burn quicker than young ones but you already know that
Thank you....
I would have to go look at his papers but he's not very old. I think he's only 10 or 11. He's never been an easy keeper and always eats way more then my other horses. But there is a history between us. There were only two thoroughbreds in the history of my riding career that could plant my rear end in the dirt with little effort. He was one of them. And I was the only rider he ever did well for. Won races for. When I quit riding, he just quit running. And two years later the owner/trainer got ahold of me and asked if I wanted him. I drove back to PA that very night to get him. |
|
| |
|
 Firecracker Dog Lover
Posts: 3175
| Don't beat yourself up over it. Glad you got him home now and he will get better. Sounds like the people you leased him to should be embarrassed. You had your own issues and he left your place in good faith. And he's home now. |
|
| |
|
Damn Yankee
Posts: 12390
Location: Somewhere between raising hell and Amazing Grace | And one of my favorites of him. The folks in this picture leased him for over a year in Georgia. We only brought him back because we moved to Missouri. It was definitely one of the successful lease stories. I wish I could find another place like these folks.....
 (speedy8.jpg)
Attachments
----------------
speedy8.jpg (59KB - 209 downloads)
|
|
| |
|
Blessed
Location: Here | Winters can be harsh Sometimes horsers mish their humans and don't thrive... Glad he is back with you... TB can be tough to keep weight on |
|
| |
|
 Shelter Dog Lover
Posts: 10277
| Glad he is back with you. You can help each other :). Hugs. |
|
| |
|
A Somebody to Everybody
Posts: 41354
Location: Under The Big Sky Of Texas | SG. - 2014-03-20 6:26 PM Winters can be harsh Sometimes horsers mish their humans and don't thrive... Glad he is back with you... TB can be tough to keep weight on
Most of the TB's that I know dont do well being on only pasture. |
|
| |
Folks on-line