"Ribs"

Ophie's mom wrote this post. Since I'm still waiting to hear from the vet, and thought I'd save my crazy dream for a later time I figured now was good enough time as any to post it!

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Last week I nearly lost my shit in the barn aisle at the place where I
board my mare, Ophie. Why? Because some one asked me a deceptively
simple question:

“Why is your horse so thin?”

First off, let’s be clear. She’s not a rack of bones: she’s got a
nice fat pad over her ass, her flank, her haunches, poochy little bits
on her chest. But, you can see her ribs.

There, alright, I said it. You can see my horse’s ribs. I could see
her ribs when I first got her two years ago, and yes, you can still
see them now. At no point – summer, winter, spring, in work or out -
have you ever been able to not see them. And it’s not something I’m
fully at ease with – which is why when some one asked me, “Why is your
horse so thin?” I heard:

“Why are you such a shitty horse owner?”

Why is she so thin? Because her metabolism is the love child of a
greyhound and Kate Moss. She eats (minimum): 5 flakes of hay, 4lbs of
beet pulp, 3lbs of low-carb, high-fat grain, 2 cups of oil, and a
vitamin/mineral supplement. I would feed her a partridge in a pear
tree too if I thought it would make a difference. Yes, I realize this
diet would make some horses feet fall off, but for her, this is just
for maintenance – god forbid if we actually wanted to build condition.

I know some of you out there are itching to share your weight and
condition building success stories. You’ve probably a favorite
supplement, but here is why I’m not going to add it to her diet:

Because I’m pretty sure she’s fine as is. And even though in a
perfect world I wouldn’t be able to see ribs, I’m prepared to live
with it. Because she’s shiny, happy, and energetic. Because she gets
her teeth done regularly, has no parasite load, and doesn’t have to
compete for food. Because she has beautiful, springy, well-digested
manure. Because her vet is happy with her condition. And okay,
yeah, our trainer critiques her musculature but she is a crazy
perfectionist and thinks Totilas “has room for improvement” too.

But, um, I didn’t say anything. And not just because I live in fear
of starting/being involved in barn drama. But because I also
volunteer at a horse rescue, and I’ve learned there that the horse
world is largely self-policing, and that there are a lot of people out
there who through ignorance let their horses get into all kinds of
shitty shape. Sometimes a horse is thin, or his feet are overgrown
not because of malice, but because his owner genuinely does not know
how to take care of him. Am I saying ignorance should excuse poor
treatment or abuse? Absolutely not. What I am saying is sometimes it
is a good idea to ask.

Hey, I notice your horse is losing weight pretty fast this winter –
are you worried?

Do you need a farrier recommendation?

Are you sure you want to put him up wet?


Could the girl at my barn have phrased it a little better – sure. But
ultimately, I’m glad I’m surrounded by people who are a little too
nosy rather that not nosy enough. Lord knows I made ridiculous, huge
mistakes when I first got my horse. And mostly, it’s been through the
guidance of my peers that I’ve become a better horse owner. So, I
guess I’m glad she asked me why my horse was so thin.

And come to think of it, if you have had really good luck with a
particular condition-building supplement, I guess I would like to hear
about that too.

Now What?

So a few days before Denali was suppose to be put down I cancelled her Smartpak. I cancelled everything that involved her. EVERYTHING. I knew I wouldn't be able to deal with it, so I decided to be pro-active.

Ugh.

I'm glad, don't get me wrong. I'm really glad.

Here's my question: Do I keep her on supplements? I'm nervous about buying them in buckets, so I'd probably stick with the Smartpak since I can just donate those if something happens to her. I don't want to have 56 days of supplements on my hands.

Denali's SmartPak was as follows:

TractGard 1 scoop(s)
BioFlax 20 1 scoop(s)
SmartCalm Ultra Pellets 1 scoop(s)
Absorbine Flex + Max 1 scoop(s)
Vitamin E 1 scoop(s)

With her Nero Disease (or whatever it is) I still feel strongly about having her on a high source of Vitamin E, but Pia's Mom introduced me to a different source of Vitamin E that's liquid and I'm going to use that instead.

I don't know what to put her on. I want to help her joints and connective tissue.

Ideas?? Anyone??

As for Ms. Denali I won't see her or hear about her until at least Wednesday. That's the one thing I don't like. At her old barn I could text her or call the barn manager anytime day or night and she could walk out to Denali if I had a specific question.

I have the Vet's personal phone number, but I don't want to bother her right now. We'll be going back to Pennsylvania at the end of December and I'll save my anal texts until then. It's also twice as far to Denali's "new" barn. It's 44 miles one way. The amount of money that we're "saving" is worth it. The peace of mind that Denali is already at the Vet's barn is worth it. Downside there isn't anyone there all the time like at our "old" barn, so I do worry that she'll fall or get hurt and no one will find her until morning or the night time. I guess I need to stop worrying. Easier said than done, after coming SO CLOSE (4 inches of snow to be exact) to losing her, and then getting to keep her has still wracked my nerves. It is one of the greatest gifts I've received.

One more question. Have any of you ever heard of this?? It was suggested on an EPM list serve (I'm still going with the EPM diagnosis until we figure something else out.)

Demo Pony

With the hubby out of town, I don't feel so compeled to go home and hang out by myself. I went to the barn yesterday with Ophie's mom and Ophie's mom's boyfriend. The arena was harrowed Sunday night and looks a million times better. I can't wait for the new footing next month.

I was standing talking with the barn owner and the trainer (two different people) when we heard a loud "snap" I assumed it was Denail, because she did see me when we pulled in and usually if I don't go get her right away she starts kicking things. I went over to her paddock and found her chewing away on the board. She had snapped it in two. Naughty Pony. She knows too. As soon as she saw me she ran away with that look of "busted" on her face. I don't know what to do about that. That Quit stuff you paint on doesn't deter her. She'll eat anything.

Took the demolition horse to the barn owner and told him a new board would be coming out of her treat budget. She seemed surprised. He laughed at me and said not to worry. That's good. I don't want thrown out. He's a great guy, and really likes the way his property looks. I'm glad that didn't bother him.

Took her to the round pen, and let her graze around the edges while I ran and got some stuff from the barn. Her hair is SO SMOOTH. Everyone touches it now and is always commenting on her bunny rabbit fur. Thanks Cocosoya Oil! One thing I did find out is that someone is possibly stealing my oil. There is a woman who takes care of the barn owners horses and when my trainer went over to their barn (which is on the opposite side of the arena from our barn) she noticed a container with the feed. Guess what it was? She has no way to prove that she took it, but again the only way you can get it is from ordering it. SO she (my trainer) set up a "trap" with my oil. She hid the bottle she's using to give to Denali and left out the other one with a line on the back. We'll see. I'll be pissed. Not cheap at all. Well, it would be cheaper if I didn't need to pay for shipping.

On other pony related news, I got a new bridle. I won it on e-bay and it's the same people who made my pretty brow band. I sent in my measurments yesterday so it will be getting made soon and shipped my way. So much cheaper than other bridles I looked at. It's not a "fancy" name, but it's really nice craftmanship. I hope that the bridle holds up to the standard that I have set in my head for it!

What my new bridle will look like! Mine is going to be black, this picture looks like it's brown.

The bridle that I have now, my Kiefer Natasha also has a crank, but I never used the bridle. It was just too big for Denali's head. It's for a warmblood, so it's for sale. Once I sell it (asking $100.00 if anyone is interested) I will have broken even on the bridle department. I hope D doesn't mind the crank on her face (I won't be using the flash any time soon.)

Other random question. Does anyone know where I would look up online what a horse should be recieving in their diet? I stole (borrowed?) the feed tag from the grain my trainer uses. Now, Denali doesn't get a ton of grain (about a pound and a half) most of her diet is hay (orchard/timothy.) I'm still curious. We're going to start to give her Rice Bran on days she gets worked so hopefully those extra calories will be turned into muscle. (Her lessee is buying it, have I mentioned that I love her?)