Horse not drinking?

[Rare Feathers Farm]

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Well, what we're thinking is that since he's the low-man on the totem pole...he's the last to drink...and since everyone else has drank their fill, they walk away--leaving him & he panics. He must be getting some water or he would have perished by now...but he's sunken-in, so he doesn't look good. My hubby brought him home last night...but we'd like to move him back....

Here are some pics of our place, taken about this time, last year.

This is the road that runs from one end of property to the other. To the left of it--if you're driving on it the way this picture looks is the creek.

 

[Rare Feathers Farm]

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Yeah....I've dropped his price down to where I'm losing more than $5k on him, already. Right now I'm just asking enough for him so that I'll have my hay paid for my other horses.

He's 100% sound...and the stream runs the length (well, about 150 acres of it) through the acreage....so there are lots of banks to chose from to drink from. It is pretty steep for most of it, though....

 

[Rare Feathers Farm]

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Yeah, I've tried to walk him up to it, but the banks are kind of steep...so then you run into the situation where he'll take a flying leap right up your back.

We decided it was best for him to just learn from the other horses which seem to have no problems....

We're going to move him back over there tonight...so we'll see...

 

[Rare Feathers Farm]

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Well, he has a selenium block (50#) so he's got free-choice access to salt...I've never heard of packing their lip, LOL I can just imagine that. LOL Although it wouldn't even be a challenge because his bottom lip is always flopping in the wind!

I just bought him some electrolytes last night & gave him some although with some Probios. He seems indifferent to being home or not....

 

[chickbea]

Quote:
Perhaps in his previous home he only had a steep-banked stream or muddy pond to drink out of. If his feet were really bad, and the water had a steep slope to get to it, he may have fallen (perhaps several times) and maybe he is a little gun-shy about negotiating around running water.

 

[Rare Feathers Farm]

Nope, he lived his first year of life in an 8 x 8 pen filled with poop up to his hocks. So that's not a possibility.

 

[texasreb]

I don't understand why you don't want to work with him?? Don't you work or at least groom your horses everyday? What's so wrong with taking him some water when you are already out there? I don't get it. It sounds like he needs rescued again...

 

[Rare Feathers Farm]

I added another salt block over there & he seems to be getting it figured out.

Furthermore, what? Don't judge me. I work 50+ hours per week at a desk job, 20 miles from home. I get home at 6pm. I then feed/water all of the animals and then I cook dinner and then I usually have two hours of college class work per night to do. The horses are a few miles away and out on 5500 acres. So no. I do not groom them everyday as much as I'd like to, I just simply do not have time to do that. I do drive by them twice per day. And my husband drives up every afternoon to check on them. They get flysprayed every couple of days, as well. I've owned horses for over 20 years, I majored in equine science in college and my horses are like my children (since I have none).

So please don't tell me that because my horse was not drinking (which by the way if you read any of my other posts, you'd see that he was brought home for a couple of days and that I bought him electrolytes & Probios just in case) before being turned back out that he needs to be rescued again.

Oh and the last time I "worked" with this horse, I ended up with three broken ribs....which are still healing.

Oh and if you'd like to "rescue" him his price is $5,000.00 COD. I can arrange shipping.

Thanks,

~Heather

 

[Rare Feathers Farm]

BTW....here are some photos of him when I first brought him home & a few months later.

Oh and here is another horse I rescued, that I still own:
Before

After

Oh and another one (before)...

After

One more:

 

[Rare Feathers Farm]

So as you can see...I do a lot of rescues. I do not do it for the money...because there is no money in rescues. I do it because I love horses. So please don't be upset if I sounded harsh in my last responses. I do take it personally when I feel like I'm being wrongfully attacked.