Rain and more rain has made riding challenging. I was able to fit in good rides on Pie and Sovey last week between raindrops. The footing is terrible and my grass paths in the field are almost gone because they've grown back. Our tree seedlings are very happy, though. Some sunshine on Saturday and Sunday and nice trotting work with Pie.
Pie has been bossy in the pastures to sweet Foggy and Sovey, shoving them off by light hock biting as soon as they get down to relaxed grazing. I take this as a cue that I am not working him nearly enough. He is easily my fattest, happiest boy with tons of boredom and naughty ideas. His extra energy is my responsibility, so we went on a long adventure to the church across the street on Saturday and then trotted our paths in the hayfield on Saturday and Sunday.
Foggy is still struggling to gain weight. He is not thriving like I want. I am up at night with worry. You can't force a horse to eat. His teeth are great. He is worm-free. I gave him a course of U-Gard. We have gorgeous, leafy alfalfa mix hay. I am supplementing him with a little grain. He has nice pastures. My staccato sentences illustrate my frustration. Insert my signature foot stamping here. Other than moving him into my house (I would love that but Brian is not buying) I can only pray and be patient. So I wait and groom and graze the little guy. I think he wants to go riding like the big boys, so I will keep up with our light walking. He just seems sad to me. Sovey did too when he came and it took some time for him to prosper. Pie has prospered enough for the whole lot of them. He is so full of himself, I wish he would share just a little of that joie de vivre with the sweet brothers.
We use Empower Boost in our weight-gaining plan for Harley. That, plus Triple Crown 30% balancer worked wonders over the winter. He's got a nice glossy coat, and filled out in the hips, buttocks, and withers.
ReplyDeleteHm..beet pulp soaked may prove good for Foggy. But also time...
ReplyDeletePie reminds me of Sawyer. I often think if Sawyer is bored too and if he was worked if he would leave my Laz alone!
It can take minimum 2 months for horses bodies to detox from any previous things they were on (IE- stuff from the racetrack). My proven and time tested weight gain would be brewers yeast. Make sure its brewers. Really cheap, put 2 tablespoons in the grain to start they gobble it up. I guess they have commercial brewers yeast for horses on the market now I've always bought the stuff from the bulk food store it's cheap and helps regulate their gut.
ReplyDeletePoor Foggy. I hope he is looking happier soon. He's got such a great family to live with, I'm sure he is just trying to get used to changes and living like a real horse. I too think soaked beet pulp pellets might be helpful with weight gain.
ReplyDeleteI am sorry that you are filled with worry! Foggy will thrive! He is getting all he needs and he has you rooting for him and doing all the brainy thinking for him. I too would want to move him in the house, and I bet my husband wouldn't go for it either! Hah! And then there's Pie! Oh he can be a stinker! But a cute stinker, don't you think?
ReplyDeleteJuliette,
ReplyDeleteI'm glad you are doing well keeping Pie busy! He needs his work, I guess. I don't know what to say about Foggy being a little thinner than you would like. Perhaps you can add a bit more calories. Several commenters suggested various types of additional food/supplements. I was at a Thoroughbred racing stable for over a year (taking riding lessons, and then buying Buckshot and boarded him there for a while) and I would say that many Thoroughbreds - racing or preparing to race- are a bit thinner than pleasure horses. Seems to be fairly normal. So it may take Foggy longer to transition to your environment. But you are giving him a wonderful home - perhaps when his "work" begins (riding) he'll feel even better.
Hopefully Foggy is fine, maybe he just needs more time to really come down from track life. More time to figure out that he really is home for good :)
ReplyDeleteHi Julie! Try not to worry too much about Foggy. When I adopted Hazel last April, she was 25% underweight and it took AGES for her body to sort itself out. Honestly, it took close to a year before I could get her at a comfortable weight and have her gut stabilized so she wasn't getting sick everytime she ate. His whole lifestyle has changed, so it will take time for him to acclimate. You guys are doing such a great job with him. So glad he has you all now. =)
ReplyDeleteI've seen stories where folks have moved elephants, rhinos, and buffalos into their homes as pets. I think maybe you are on the right track with that thought....
ReplyDelete;)
Horse in the house!!!
ReplyDeleteVal gets a beet pulp/bran mash every night. Three to one ratio, beet pulp to bran to keep the calcium/phosphorus ratio correct. :)