*******If you think this blog is funny, read an excerpt of my book here "Horsewomen in Foal and Other Equestrian Adventures" -- this comes with my exclusive Laugh Until You Pee Guarantee (certain exclusions apply: guarantee only good for women who have had at least two children)
Some horsewomen measure success by ribbons or championships. Some horsewomen measure success, at least at the start of a journey with a particular horse, by a lack of diarrhea. Ever the rider on a tight budget, I have always purchased bargain horses and so I fall into the second group. At present I am nursing an OTTB back to health.
"Chance" has made a lot of progress since last July, when he hobbled onto my trailer out of the field where he had been abandoned in South Carolina. After ten months I had eliminated his crippling thrush and I began riding him. Still, hoof troubles persisted. I couldn't get a good farrier out so when a movie production rented our farm last week (think military 20-somethings working as extras running around firing blanks) I decided to send Chance to my friend Linda Hoover.
Linda is a stellar horse trainer, but more than that she can look at the whole horse and pinpoint problems and their probable causes. For several months I had been adding probiotic powder to Chance's feed, hoping it would help with his moderate diarrhea, but nothing had changed. Linda reminded me that most horses, especially those that have been stressed, have ulcers. She started him on Marshmallow Root for his digestive woes and called her farrier to help with his feet.
Long story short, both Linda and the farrier helped tremendously, and now Chance is back home. The diarrhea is much better, and I will continue with gut support supplements. Chance's feet are also more balanced now. We just MIGHT be on our way... until of course the next problem rears its head.
No comments:
Post a Comment
Share your thoughts with other horsepeople! No manure please.