I got a horse, now what? update 1-22-11

[twentynine]

Thanks guys for the kind words concerning Cody's appearance. He is rather photogenic ain't he!

Farrier apt fell through for today. Got another 12hr day shift today. Ain't that how it always is--- a steady job gets in the way of havin fun!

I agree Cody is not skinny thin, but he could use a few pounds to improve his over all health.

Question--- regarding posture (the way he stands)-- he is in the habit of always holding his right rear leg slightly off the ground. I have raised the leg and to the limit of my ability can detect no faults in the leg or hoof. Are horses like people in this respect-- getting in the habit of sitting and standing in a certain manner? Evidently at some point he has had his hoofs worked on, when I grabbed his leg , he raised it for me. I also raised the other three legs, each time as soon as my hand closed on his leg he brought it up. Regular as an automatic door opener.

 

[Kelly G]

Horses will often rest one leg at a time (usually it's one of the back legs) and they will stand like this:

You should notice him doing it with both legs. When your farrier comes out he can assess the hoof to see if there are any problems, and you vet can assess everything else. It is likely that he's just resting, but have the people you know and trust check it out to be sure.

If you can post a video of him walking & trotting some of us could tell you if he is obviously lame (subtle lameness can be difficult to detect - but then that may not be a problem for a pleasure horse!)

Thanks for the updates...it's interesting

 

[geebs]

Regarding stance. I can't see his feet, however, I have found that when ppl can't feed a horse then they are less likely to provide hoofcare. The importance of hoofcare is so often overlooked. It is not uncommon for a horse to hold a leg up in response to pain in the back... If his toes are long... then he would possibly be shifting his wieght around to compensate for the incorrect angles. Hoofcare is a big deal...No hoof, no horse.


He seems heavily muscled on the front end which makes me think that he is 1 appaloosa or 2 suffering from LOF disease (Lack Of Farrier)....in case of the latter and he is having this stance... A barefoot trimmer can make him comfortable and then he will stand better. I would recommend the barefoot trim over shoes since he is young and still growing...and because he is already showing signs of pain by wieght shifting. This can be a sign of back pain associated with poor angles in the front feet... yep...I said back pain due to angles on the fronts... Send me a pic if you want...

 

[geebs]

Note: The picture of the black horse. His front legs are slightly behind the vertical angles...This is the stance a horse will take with heel pain... i e too long of heel or underslug heels... They balance their weight forward and that creates muscling on the should giving them a heavier on the front end appearance. I am glad someone posted this pic... His legs are not set on square as they should be for a sound animal. This picture give a great example... Bottom line.. Your horse is 3 so he just may need some attention in that area... Get his feet done by a qualified individual when it is possible...that very well may cure that stand...Oh and good eye!!!

 

[hunterjumper999]

just a reminder for those of you saying to offer warm water ( and I do it too) but if you offer warm water in the freezing cold weather you need to KEEP offering it because some horses wont transition back to the cold well and will colic due to lack of water ( impaction collic) at least thats what my vet said,.

 

[geebs]

After a little looking I found this website... You may want to take a look and see if any of it applies to your horse.

Geebs



http://www.hoofcure.com/english/pain.htm

 

[twentynine]

Okay! In regards to stance he raises his rear leg, unlike the black horse that has his leg raised toward the front. Cody raises his leg with hoof to rear and the front edge of the hoof barely touching the ground. His rear hoofs seem to my untrained eye to be in better shape than fronts. The fronts look to be to long. With the front edge of the hoof appearing similar to an over grown finger nail. Alomg with some chunks knocked out and a few superficial cracks.

Farrier visit is/will be sheduled.

In comparrison to the black horse Cody is for sure underweight.

Got to add here. I would like to post more pics and maybe a vid---- but because of the extreme cold weather we are having down here I am working 12 hour day shifts since last Friday. 0430 in the morning to 1630 in the afternoon. I get home just in time to throw some feed at the chickens, pick up eggs. Then pass out some hay and pellets to Cody. Sun goes down as I get finished with those chores.

 

[geebs]

Do your best... And as far as the wieght goes.. He looks better than most I have brought in to the rescue. You are doing fine...

I am sending you good vibes..

 

[Bunnylady]

Quote:
Do Cody a favor, don't compare his weight to the black horse's. Most horses that are at a healthy weight are slimmer than the black horse! If Cody weighed what the black horse does, we'd be nagging at you about obesity, founder, and all that stuff. I'm guessing that the black is either a Freisian, or a draft cross (there's a Percheron/Andalusian I know that looks just like the black). It's supposed to be heavy, but looks like it is packing an extra pound or two as well. Cody is a bit thin, but not shockingly so.

What you've described Cody doing with his feet still sounds like the normal resting posture. Resting one side a bit more than the other could be just a habit, but to do one side exclusively does suggest that there may be something more going on.

Feet that don't see a farrier wind up doing a self-trim, which always looks nasty. Cracks and chunks missing is par for the course, unless the horse is on hard enough terrain that the feet get "filed" by gravel and rocks. It's good to hear that Cody is used to having his feet handled; otherwise, you'd need to give him a crash course! This isn't a lesson for the farrier to teach, the horse needs to know about picking his feet up long before the farrier gets there. I have a pony whose previous owner didn't know this, and the pony is still paying the price. She has farrier-itis.

Cody looks like a genetic Gray to me. Handsome fella!

 

[texasgal]

I'd love to see better pics of the guy. He looks like an appaloosa with some varnishing on his face .. ?? I know you said paint .. and the pic isn't at a good angle. He's very cute.