Worried about horse...

[hoho]

horse can drool from eating black cherry bark and leaves.check fence line for chew marks and stripped trees.it can make horse sick.

 

[tallyho8]

We feed our horses 4 coffee cans of good feed a day, 2 in the am and 2 in the pm plus a flake of hay and they are on pasture during the day.
We worm them every 2 to 3 months and at 20 years old they are in prime condition. We had a 34 year old mare that looked and acted like a 10 year old.

Our neighbor rented a pasture to a man who had a very skinny horse. The animal shelter determined that the horse was not cared for properly and took the horse and the owner was given $4000 in fines. When he did not pay the property owner's property had a lien put on it and he had to eventually pay the $4000 fine.

 

[TNhobbyfarmer]

This post is over the top for this situation.

Agree

 

[Kentuckyfarmer]

horse can drool from eating black cherry bark and leaves.check fence line for chew marks and stripped trees.it can make horse sick.

Horses can drool, slobber is what we called it like a garden hose was running out their mouth from pastures with lots of clover and other stuff. People get horses because they move to the country and think they have to have one for Sally and jeff to ride and know nothing about the animals. Of course after the newness wears off then they are just pasture queens. My family from when I was a wee lad in Minnesota back in the fifties always had horses. Back in them day they were used for work. We had a team (draft horses) that weighed approx 24 to 26 hundred a piece. When they were worked during the crop season like plowing, disking,pulling heavy wagons we feed them a five gallon bucket of grain a piece twice a day and a bale of hay a piece twice a day. They needed it the keep their body up and burned lots of energy working. Same goes for these pleasure horses. If they are pasture queens they need little grain and a little hay to keep their body up other wise you run the risk of foundering. If your riding them every day like running cattle or trail rides and their getting exercised then it's ok to feed them more. Horses are really a dumb animal when it comes to eating. They will eat as long as you are pouring it in the bucket for them. They are a lot of trouble taking care of the right way and are acceptable to lots of different problems. Just think of the range horses out west in the desert areas running wild. They don't get grain and prime hay to eat. They nibble on what ever they can find and do fine. Worse thing and something also inhuman is to over feed a horse. Just as bad as not feeding them enough. Seen to many horses with hoofs as long as skies and so stiff they couldnt walk out of the barn all because they were feed to much.

 

[aczlan]

Horses can drool, slobber is what we called it like a garden hose was running out their mouth from pastures with lots of clover and other stuff. People get horses because they move to the country and think they have to have one for Sally and jeff to ride and know nothing about the animals. Of course after the newness wears off then they are just pasture queens. My family from when I was a wee lad in Minnesota back in the fifties always had horses. Back in them day they were used for work. We had a team (draft horses) that weighed approx 24 to 26 hundred a piece. When they were worked during the crop season like plowing, disking,pulling heavy wagons we feed them a five gallon bucket of grain a piece twice a day and a bale of hay a piece twice a day. They needed it the keep their body up and burned lots of energy working. Same goes for these pleasure horses. If they are pasture queens they need little grain and a little hay to keep their body up other wise you run the risk of foundering. If your riding them every day like running cattle or trail rides and their getting exercised then it's ok to feed them more. Horses are really a dumb animal when it comes to eating. They will eat as long as you are pouring it in the bucket for them. They are a lot of trouble taking care of the right way and are acceptable to lots of different problems. Just think of the range horses out west in the desert areas running wild. They don't get grain and prime hay to eat. They nibble on what ever they can find and do fine. Worse thing and something also inhuman is to over feed a horse. Just as bad as not feeding them enough. Seen to many horses with hoofs as long as skies and so stiff they couldnt walk out of the barn all because they were feed to much.

And how much feed they need depends on the horse. We had a Thoroughbred that came with the house (long story) and he would drop dangerous amounts of weight in the winter if he didn't get a #10 can of grain twice a day (along with free choice 1st and 2nd cutting hay, about 1/2 bale/day between 2 horses). In the past we had another horse (a quarter horse IIRC) that would gain weight with just hay (or grass in the summer), no grain needed.

Aaron Z

 

[breadtrk]

Not over the top at all. It will be HIS face in the cameras when the ASPCA shows up with the production crew and cameras. It will be HIM in court.

Get the animal in full time vet care or put it down.

 

[MF283]

Not over the top at all. It will be HIS face in the cameras when the ASPCA shows up with the production crew and cameras. It will be HIM in court.

Get the animal in full time vet care or put it down.

That's my thoughts as well, even though they seem to be trying to take care of the horse. A Vet needs to be called, with all the nosey "do gooders" this day & time along with the news media, a situation like this could get ugly fast.

Ronnie

 

[NorTracNY]

WOW! What a thread. I'm glad that the OP is expressing concern and looking to help if he can.

20 is certainly not old for a horse, but it does seem that horses can start to get expensive to take care of as they get older.

I can't believe that people deworm so much. We are facing a crisis in terms of resistance. How many people are checking worm count before giving dewormers? We check and have never dewormed more than once a year. If managed properly, I can't understand why the need to deworm so often? Maybe it's just different in different parts of the country?

Yes, teeth problems certainly can be an issue, but many other factors can come in. As mentioned, if the problem is identified, the prospects of putting weight back on is doable.

We received an old horse that was not taken care of properly. Sadly, there are a lot of crazy horse people. The first thing our farrier did was document the condition of our horse and that it just arrived at our place. He knew of the crazies that believe other peoples animals are their business. We were able to get the horse back into condition and it lived for about 7 more years.

We knew a guy that transports horses. He told us of how a farm near a major highway had all of the horses removed. The farm was old and run down, but the animals were having their basic needs met. But too many complaints came in from people driving by. The horses were removed and he was brought in to take them to other places. He said that he was often taking them to places worse than were they where!

 

[Wagtail]

WOW! What a thread. I'm glad that the OP is expressing concern and looking to help if he can.

20 is certainly not old for a horse, but it does seem that horses can start to get expensive to take care of as they get older.

I can't believe that people deworm so much. We are facing a crisis in terms of resistance. How many people are checking worm count before giving dewormers? We check and have never dewormed more than once a year. If managed properly, I can't understand why the need to deworm so often? Maybe it's just different in different parts of the country?

Yes, teeth problems certainly can be an issue, but many other factors can come in. As mentioned, if the problem is identified, the prospects of putting weight back on is doable.

We received an old horse that was not taken care of properly. Sadly, there are a lot of crazy horse people. The first thing our farrier did was document the condition of our horse and that it just arrived at our place. He knew of the crazies that believe other peoples animals are their business. We were able to get the horse back into condition and it lived for about 7 more years.

I have a couple of ex-racing TBs who are lovingly attended to. I also did the 3 monthly worming paste as a matter of routine... until a conversation with an equine vet (at an Endurance Race where I was time keeping). He said that, as long as the horses are not in contact with 'other' horses and that their paddocks are managed for droppings, there is no need to "drench". I have 6 dedicated paddocks that the horses are rotated through every 12 to 14 days, the used paddock is then chain-harrowed (sometimes mulched with the lawn-tractor) which, according to the vet, kills off the potential worms due to exposure.

I have not had to worm my horses in over 18 months... and I've watched them, and their droppings, like a hawk for any sign of parasite. If I take one out on a ride with other horses, then I will drench if he's eaten in close proximity to them.

As to teeth, I have them seen to every other year (or as required). The oldest one (23+yo) is a special case as he has the most extreme case of "Parrot Mouth" a vet has ever seen! 'Jack's' lower jaw is 2-3 inches shorter than his upper. A special gag is required to float his teeth and it's rare to find an equine dentist who has one. Suffice it to say that if I see 'Jack' losing weight, I need to get a specialist dentist in.

Lastly, "Roadside Do-Gooders"... I've had the RSPCA anonymously called on me once. The short story is that the TB breed, like a greyhound, show their ribs when they're out-of-work. The RSPCA inspector looked them over, said I was doing a good job, recommended a mineral supplement and was on her way. I haven't been re-visited as she made a note for any future calls.

 

[setxjeff]

As for the frequent worming, here on the gulf coast (we are about 7 miles from the saltwater line)it only got below freezing two times this year so the parasite problem is year round. Plus ours are off site among 40 to 50 other horses every month or so. Last two parasite check was 0 parasite load.