new horse question :)

[AshlyMommaWard]

Ginger, who let me brush her mane out, but not her tail is a solid dread on only the lower 1.5 feet or so of her very long tail, I'm just going to trim that bit off. I kinda like the hogged mane look, and am probably going to do the big guy's (Domino) as he is huge 17hh, and still very bossy and doesn't put up with long grooming tasks (yes I'm working on it) his tail is also a wickid dread. but I don't want them looking so terrible for the ferrier's visitand when they swish that dread tail at a fly, it hurts if it hits ya! I have some good conditioner for them, that's how I got the sweetheart(Faith) done, and Ginger's mane
Faith, quarter horse, on left. Ginger, fox trotter in middle. And Domino, MustangX Appaloosa in back right (he's got a moustache!

 

[Ol Grey Mare]

What cuties! Is Domino's neck cresty? It almost looks like it might be but with his particular crossing that could just be a fairly extreme expression of the thick neck that can be found fairly commonly in both breeds. Definitely get the tails freed up from the nasties - not only does it hurt when they hit you, but it makes it fairly ineffective (and sometimes a bit painful) for them too when it comes to dealing with flies. I, too, like the look of a roached/hogged mane on certain horses.

 

[AshlyMommaWard]

He is cresty, and faith is getting there too. I've been visiting and fawning over them for 2 years (we rented a house from previous owners until we bought our farm) and this is the first time Domino has gotten a weight problem (on only pasture) he does have a thick neck, but is a bit over weight too. Trying to come up with a decent exercise program for them since I can't ride them yet has been difficult (I've just had a baby and am not in great shape either! I get worn out before them! Haha) they're on only pasture here too, but have a much steeper grade down to the bottom of the pasture/wood line, so hopefully going up that a few times a day helps :S any suggestions to help with their weight?

just for fun, here's my cuties!

 

[Ol Grey Mare]

Your children are BEAUTIFUL!!!!! I don't know how you get anything else done in the course of a day than to just sit and look at their adorableness.

While having good pasture is great, sometimes it can be a downfall too. I would wait until they are vetted to see what other issues may be contributing to the crestiness than just feed consumption and go from there. IF that shows an all clear and it's just a matter of being piggy you could try grazing muzzles to limit intake or even fence a small section, sacrifice it and make it a dry lot where you can feed hay and have even more control over the feed intake that way. My little mare is the type that can get/stay fat on air, nevermind actual feed - which works out well since our pasture is, at this point, a dry lot - so she is a "hay only" horse. The fun part is balancing that with my daughter's horse, a harder keeping TB mare (she has finally hit the age/stage where her body has shifted into an easier to maintain state - should have seen her as a fresh off the track 3 yo, OY!) - SHE would do wonderfully on good pasture. So, fatty gets controlled access to the round bale and just a little ration balancer and Aero gets 24/7 access plus a nice ration of the grain we have found to work for her.

 

[AshlyMommaWard]

First of all thank you, I find them exceptionally gorgeous myself and to be honest, a lot of days I don't get much done! But I'm blessed with an amazing husband who takes over most evenings and weekends so I can get stuff done. <3
That's a thought! I'll feel a lot better about all of it once the vet has seen them and hopefully gives them an all clear. You know what's sad? I don't even own a saddle yet! I'm also still waiting to hear back from their daughter to get exact ages on the, as they couldn't remember faith is definitely oldest, and ginger youngest >12 don't know exact with Dom in the middle. Urg!

 

[AshlyMommaWard]

Update. Had the ferrier yesterday. The big boy sprained his leg the day before so we had to be gentle and couldn't do the rear leg opposite it. One of the girls went so ballistic we couldn't get her done and the lip twitch did nothing. They each have mild thrush and Dom, the bug guy has seedy toe which we've begun treatment for. The farrier was amazed by Hus size and muscle conformation (turns out he's not cresty, just built to work) we see him again in 2 weeks. The girl we did get done is turned in a bit, so were correcting her slowly. Faith, who wouldn't stand at all for him may have to be drugged next time. She stands perfectly for me, but goes nuts with him. Any ideas?

 

[Bunnylady]

Question is your vet a man, or a woman? You have the vet visit later this week; I'm kinda curious how that will go.

Understand, I ain't dissin' men, but as a group, they are more inclined to use their muscles rather than their brains when things aren't cooperating. I know horses that are perfectly fine with women, but are decidedly "man-shy." It may be strangers in general, it may be specifically men, it may be farriers and vets, but this horse has a trust issue, and it may take a while to work her through it. Do you have anyone else that can "play" with her feet with you?

 

[AshlyMommaWard]

The vet is a woman. They were a young lady's horses so I can see why she'd be partial. The farrier was rough with her which concerned me, but he was matching her intensity. He comes highly recommended in my rural area and has agreed to teach me to do my own trims, which has always been my goal.
My husband could help me, if we can get both littles to nap at the same time (few and far between)
I actually intended for her to be his horse when I got in touch with the daughter and found out that she's a pretty nervous horse ("about everything but people") my husband has a very calm and assertive energy that animals (and I) gravitate to. As opposed to my anxious energy. I will definitely update with details after vets visit. But I'm worried she may freak with this too. We did Gin first and she was very ornery til he put the lip twitch on her (don't know how y'all feel about that. But it sure worked for her!) And I think watching that may have made her more unstable. I'm thinking doing them in a different order may help?

 

[Laurel Meadows]

Usually the order they are trimmed in makes little difference to the horses. Typically, the most difficult horse goes last because they take longer to trim. I used to have a rescue gelding that was very difficult to trim. In his case, he had to be sedated for trims, trailering, and was really a handful. Your mare may also need sedation with your Vet's approval. It can become dangerous very quickly for handlers and farriers with a frightened horse. Sedation can prevent you and the horse from getting hurt. Don't hesitate to use a twitch (used correctly and for short periods of time) to keep a horse still for a necessary procedure. Vets use twitches regularly and safely all the time.

 

[Bunnylady]

Gin being difficult for her trim may have factored into this. Even though the farrier may not have meant to, he may have had his "battle armor" on when he approached Faith, and her nervous temperament went straight into "fight or flight" mode. Equines "read" us so well, it's uncanny (I swear, my mini mule is psychic).

A twitch can be a very effective tool for restraining horses. Used properly, it can mean the difference between getting the job done, or getting hurt trying to get the job done, but it doesn't always work. The best answer is to re-train, so restraint isn't necessary.

I'm more concerned with the fact that the farrier was rough with a "bad" horse. A toddler may act up because he missed his nap and just doesn't feel happy, but a horse is usually more situation-specific than that. A horse that is blowing up about hoof work may be reacting to pain, or fear. If the problem is pain, it shouldn't make a difference whose hand the hoofpick is in - pain is pain. If the other horses have thrush, Faith may have it, too, and it can be painful, but if she is fine with you and not him, that probably means that it isn't current pain that is worrying her. The problem most likely is, at some point in her past, a farrier hurt or scared her, so when she is with one now, she expects to get hurt or at least scared. And guess what? She does! So every time she blows up and the farrier roughs her up, this idea that trims are an unpleasant experience gets reinforced in her mind.

Obviously, you can't ignore a horse that is acting up, but how you respond should depend on what the horse is doing. To go back to the image of a small child - if your child hits you or worse yet, bites you, it is perfectly acceptable to tell him sternly, "no biting!" You don't care if he's just tired, or frustrated, or whatever; that kind of behavior is unacceptable, and he needs to know it. The same goes with a horse - he is not allowed get pushy and violate your person or personal space, no matter how cranky he feels. But if your child is crying because he's scared or hurt, would you yell, "no crying!" at him? Most likely not, and I don't think it would help the situation, even if you did. I'm thinking he would just cry harder.

The same is true for high-strung, intelligent horses. If the horse is acting up because he is scared, then getting after him for being scared will just make him worse. Meeting fearful resistance with force is a good way to get things broken and get people hurt, IME. Horses are big, strong animals, and sometimes, they behave so well, people forget that we can do what we do with them because they LET us do it. Horses that are terrified past the point of reason have injured and even killed themselves fighting restraint.

The trick in a situation like this, is not to "feed" it. When a horse is all set to fight, you don't want to reflect that energy back at them, or give them your own negative energy. The best horsemen manage to stay neutral, absorbing the energy rather than contributing to it. By remaining calm themselves, they communicate to the horse that there is nothing to fear. By rewarding the horse when it exhibits calm behavior, the good horseman reinforces in the horse's mind that the situation is not scary or dangerous. I usually tell the horse, "When you are done being silly, we'll get on with this," and I let whatever it is take as long as it takes. Obviously, the farrier or the vet do have other things they need to be getting to after their time with you, but working with the animal when they aren't there can pay off when they are.