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  Discussion on Old brown mare just aint what she used to be...
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New Member:
cynth

Posted on Thursday, Mar 4, 2010 - 3:09 am:

Thank you for reading this long post if you do. My mother passed away abruptly and violently at the end of January. With her death I have inherited her horse, her goat, and her 10 acres which are about an hour and a half drive from where I live in rural Mississippi. I have someone feeding her daily, and I visit usually twice a week for the whole day to get in grooming time and affection.

The horse (a tennessee walking horse named shadow)was in VERY bad shape when I first found my mother. You could count her ribs see her spine QUITE clearly, BAD. I am not exactly sure what the decline in health was caused from, but I know that the horse had not eaten for several days probably 3. Also I think that my mothers car was broken and the only feed that the horse had access to was feed, and no hay... again, not sure how long this had been going on. When I visited in August 09, the horse looked fine... In any case I have a myriad of questions, but let me explain what I have done, and what her progress has been so far.

For the first week I fed her only hay, and gave it to her at will. She had diaharria very bad and it was clear that she needed fiber. Then I wormed her and started her on strategy feed.

The pasture she was in was eaten down, and did not have a shelter, so once she started looking better I moved her to an area that used to shelter a herd of goats. The area was overgrown so I have been working on that, and it is now pretty good considering. It has a three sided shelter covered in tin. We added a light to it since there was a worry about coyotes. The vet said that it was better than most people in the area have for a horse, but was concerned about it being tin. So that is another project. I had a vet and a ferrier come out to access her, and the vet said she is sound but needs to gain, them we can work on teeth and vaccines. the ferrier said her feet were in good shape and gave them a bit of a trim.
The vet said that there was no nutritional value for the horse in the pasture I moved her to, and told me that the horse is probably in her teens. He said that I need to feed her senior feed, and after consulting the local feed store they had recommended 20/20 enhanced as a supplement to the senior feed since i am trying to put weight on her. Yesterday I went to the feed store, and they were out of the senior feed, so I grabbed a sack of oats and the 20/20 to mix together until they receive their shipment in.

Usually when I go there (every 3 or 4 days depending) I bring bag of carrots and an apple to split between her and the goat. Yesterday I brought sugar cubes and carrots, and I had a friend with me (you like me knows nothing about horse). Well, she was giving me the stink eye, and finally asked me, isn't sugar bad for a horse? To which I responded that I had seen on quite a few videos that sugar cubes were given. the weird thing is that she took the sugar cube from me and did this weird thing swishing it across her teeth, then she spit it out... I tried it about 15 times, sometimes she wouldn't try it, sometimes she would try it, but spit it out, and then others she would try it swish it then spit it...
Question 1...What's up with this?
Question 2...Am i treating her too much? I feel bad for her, want her to fatten, and since she is a little spooky, I am trying to get her to like me... sad I know, but i figure bribery works... am I wrong?
Question 3... It snowed just a couple of days ago but the horse has been shedding something FIERCE! I read somewhere that introducing artificial light can make prevent a horse from getting it's winter coat for show purposes... Am I causing her to lose her coat by introducing the light in the shelter? It doesn't seem like she should be losing it yet as it's still cold there. Since she still has weight to gain, I worry about her ability to withstand the cold losing so much hair...
Question 4... any suggestions? Any topic? Any help is appreciated.

Thanks again for reading this WAY long post.

PS. I can barely see her ribs now, and her spine is not protruding nearly as much as it was. Her hips still protrude a great deal though, but I know she is feeling better, since sometimes she will run a short distance when I approach, but before, she couldn't muster the energy.
New Member:
cynth

Posted on Thursday, Mar 4, 2010 - 3:21 am:

followup question... Am I spending enough time with the horse to be fair to her? I know that horses are social creatures, and want to make sure that she receives the level of interaction that she neeeds for emotional health. she has the goat 24/7 and stsyss turned out with the option of her shelter. The person who feeds her says that he pets her a bit when he feeds her twice a day. And I go up there every 3-4 days and spend the day grooming etc. Thanks again
Member:
frances

Posted on Thursday, Mar 4, 2010 - 6:44 am:

First of all, my deepest condolences to you on the loss of your mother under what sounds like terrible circumstances. And kudos to you for taking on her animals and really committing yourself to helping them in their time of SERIOUS need.

It might be a good idea if you could possibly take some photos of the mare's present condition and post them here.
Member:
ajudson1

Posted on Thursday, Mar 4, 2010 - 7:14 am:

My condolences also, and good job on taking on the animals.

I actually found this web site years ago when we got a starved filly. Following the guidelines on here will bring this horse back to health in no time.

As far as sugar cubes go, not all of my horses like them either. Horses like people have their own ideas about what is good and what isn't so tasty.

Instead of feeding hand treats, you could just hang out by her grain bucket at feeding time and let her associate that with you. As long as she if fine with company while eating.

I'd love to see pictures also.
Member:
canter

Posted on Thursday, Mar 4, 2010 - 7:27 am:

I too am very sorry about the loss of your mother and congratulate you on making sure these animals are well cared for.

A couple of answers to your questions:
*Regarding the sugar - horses, like people have taste preferences. The mare may never had a sugar cube before and simply didn't like it. You are right in that it is not uncommon for people to treat/reward a horse with sugar. While sugar has no nutritional value, if the mare will take it, it will cause no harm. Carrots, apples, sweet potatoes and pre-made treats you can buy from the store are all great treats. Just be careful - some horses will become pushy if hand fed treats on a regular basis. And no treats will replace a good balanced diet. DrO has a lot of great info on feeding horses on this site.
*Regarding the shedding - it's that time of year. With the longer days, horses are starting to shed their winter coats. While it looks like tons of hair is coming out all at once, mother nature has designed them to shed out slowly over days and weeks and she should be OK as long as she has shelter. That said, if you get a stretch of unusually cold late winter/early spring weather, you may want to have a water proof turnout sheet on hand, just in case, particularly if she is still a bit underweight.
*The mare has a goat for a companion so should be OK. I assume they have been friends for a while. If the mare was truly distressed at not being part of a larger herd, you would know it - she would be agitated and calling all the time. Many horses do just fine alone or with a non-equine friend. That said, if you truly want to create a bond with her, you will need to spend more time and work with her on training. Lots of good info on this site about that too.

It sounds as if you have done a great job bringing this horse back to health. This site is an amazing resource. I recommend you study it, print articles out and don't hesitate to ask questions. Along with DrO's info, there is a wealth of experience from all the members, who are always happy to help.

Keep us posted!
New Member:
cynth

Posted on Thursday, Mar 4, 2010 - 10:00 am:

Thanks everyone for the feedback! I have to say that if it weren't for this site's wealth of information, Shadow would not have done as well as she has so far. That said I still have plenty of reading to do!

I am visiting again today and will take some pics for you guys to see her current condition. I'll post back later.

Regarding the goat, my mom had them separated... I don't know her reason, but after reading up on it i decided to try to put them together since they are both herd animals and goats are 'apporoved' companions for horses. Things seem fine between them and i often wonder how a stiff wind in the trees will make her show the whites of her eyes, but the crazy goat running around and making suddden movements doesn't... That's a mystery! PS, the goat was in good shape when I found her.
Member:
vickiann

Posted on Thursday, Mar 4, 2010 - 5:16 pm:

I am sorry to hear of your loss.

I'm sure that your Mother would appreciate that you have taken the time and effort to care for her animals.

Hopefully you will enjoy this positive experience too.

If not accustomed to a particular treat, some horses will refuse just about anything, including sugar cubes. Quite a few horses that I have encountered will spit those out.

This site contains a wealth of information, and lots of helpful folks and Dr. O are available to give suggestions and encouragement.

Be careful about switching from one food source to another as abrupt grain or forage changes are a major cause of colic in horses and should be made gradually.

It sounds as though you have made a lot of progress.
Moderator:
DrO

Posted on Friday, Mar 5, 2010 - 7:14 pm:

Condolences on your recent loss Cynthesize and Welcome to Horseadvice.com. The advice and points above our sound but taking your questions in order to reemphasize:
1) I don't consider it significant if the horses appetite is good otherwise.

2) I see no evidence of over treatment in your post but am uncertain what 20/20 is.

3) Yes, putting a horse under artificial light in the evening will cause shedding. The twice yearly shedding drive is primarily caused by the brains perceived length of daylight. If the hair loss becomes excessive consider a blanket for cold, wet, windy days.

4) For starters check out the topic Horse Management on the front page. It presents the core articles in Horseadvice in an order that is meant to educate about horses starting at the beginning. So begin with the first Topic and work your way down.

Follow Up Question) If the horse is getting a good "look at" every day, I would consider the care adequate.
DrO
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