Tuesday, May 26, 2009

Good News, Bad News............


The good news is that Jeremiah was out today to trim the girls and all the care I've been giving to Kola has payed off as far as the hoof supplements and cephaparin earlier on and her hoof crack has healed. He says it looks good. Yay!


It does look much better............


The bad news is that Kola is extremely overweight! I think I didn't cut her back in the spring soon enough as I usually do. And Stephen calls her a "bloody cart horse". I have seriously cut back her food, I mean seriously and now she is a raging "BITCH", so I know she is hungry. The only thing is she is taking it out on poor Misty and now that I know she's good to go, she will start her mornings with a 15 minute lunge line routine, which will piss her off even more, I plan on starting that Thursday as we are due to rain all day tomorrow and this morning was taken up by other pressing things. I have tried the grazing muzzle and that as turned out disastrous as she gets even more pissed and bashes herself against posts, trying to dislodge it. She has a rub mark down to her skin on her shoulder and Lord knows what she did to her poll as she has a small bump and scab there, all from one half a day in the muzzle. Also, Stephen pointed out to me that I've run out of the U-Guard that I was giving them and since then her behavior has worsened, so I re-ordered that. The sooner it gets here the better. I think she may get locked in with a half of flake of hay and Misty allowed to be turned out, that will go over like a turd in a punch bowl, I'm sure.

11 comments:

Grey Horse Matters said...

Sounds like she's not going to be your best friend for a while if you take her food away. It's too bad we can't explain to them why they have to cut back on their eating. But then again it's been explained to me and I still get grumpy when my food is taken away by dieting.
Hope it all works out for you and her.

kdwhorses said...

Glad her foot is better!

Maybe she'll chill after she gets used to it!

Mrs. Mom said...

Hey Callie, just a thought here.... your hay. What type are you feeding the girls? Could you find / switch to a lower protein, more coarse hay? I ask because A) Cutting back hay. grazing time does aggravate ulcers. B) Not having enough for the stomach to work on also will create more ulcers in horses.

The U-Guard is good stuff. If anything, I'd give her supplements in beet pulp (No grain,) and let her eat a lower nutrient level hay. Adding in exercise is always good ;)

Just a passing thought!!

Ya know, looking at that saddle, I have to wonder if something like that wounldn't fit the Back of the Bunz..... Oh well...lol

Callie said...

I'm just at a cunundrum with how to feed her. the Vet is due out on the tenth. I'll ask advice then. Beet pulp, I'll check into that. Yeah, I'm not dure what to do, other than start exercising her. She gets pasture time, I actually just mowed it a bit. The saddle is is nice for the price. Wish it did fit her.

Jean said...

Alfalfa should help the ulcers too. Can you get the cubes? They take longer to eat and might keep your girl happy longer as she will have to work harder to get the food into her.

The Mane Point said...

Gee - all our horses seem plumper in the spring. lol


Linda

HOBBY HORSE ROBBED

John and Regina Zdravich said...

Amazing how one problem replaces another! It's good that the hoof crack has healed.....but the weight problem....not easy. I know they get really cranky if they feel they are not getting enough to eat. It is not easy to put an animal on a diet!! Perhaps the 15 minute workout each morning will help enough to where you don't have to ration her food as much..

Tracey said...

Glad her foot is better!

I'm done with alfalfa cubes, personally. I hadn't wanted to feed them to begin with but had a friend ranting and raving over how wonderful they were. One of the yearlings choked, however, and she wasn't even bolting. But it's not just the choke issue...cubes are the dirty, short bits that can't be baled; some of it is pretty low quality.

That said...I'd probably go with Mrs. Mom's idea of a low quality grass hay that can be left with her, or maybe look into a slow feeder that prolongs her eating.

Easy keepers sure can be difficult, can't they?

Callie said...

Yeah, Tracey, I did some reading on the alfalfa cubes and not interested, I know Kola will try and gulp and choke, also read about beet pulp and it contradicts itself, low sugar, low carb , but good for weight gain, What? She colics with a grassier hay, What I did learn at a Vet forum is that horses on more alfalfa, chew=saliva do not have the ulcer issue. I gave grassier hay all winter & had more issues with belly aches than I normally do , so I went back to a 50/50 mix. I'll sort something, plus starting her exercise should help.

Laughing Orca Ranch said...

How overweight? She doesn't look it to me....she looks gorgeous!
I sure do know about this pissy mares....and mine's not even on a diet. lol!

"Turd in a punchbowl" LOL! You're funny!

~Lisa

Midlife Mom said...

I have several easy keepers and get left fat notes by my farrier. :o( Right now I am trying to up the exercise and cut down on the grain plus I mow some of my pastures. I also use Horse 10 which is lower in carbs and fat. Seems to help. If I were a horse I would be called an easy keeper, I get grumpy when my food is cut down too! lol! Good luck!