She has lost body mass. She isn't skinny, just lean, and it isn't just because she is fit. Here are some comparison photos,the first one was the year I sold her over 4 years ago.
This next photo is now:
With these photos it isn't as obvious as it is in person.
Secondly, look at her lips in that first photo, and then these close ups of her now:
Thanks to my friend Tara for figuring this out- this is vitiligo, and after researching it in horses this is what I found; that it is nutritionally related. I know they were feeding her alfalfa, as I saw it at her pen when I picked her up- and I expressly told the guy who bought her to not feed alfalfa as she was allergic to it. I think she must have been eating it for a long time which would explain the depigmentation and partially explain her body issues- which brings me to the third thing:
Her teeth were done the year I sold her and I am pretty certain, looking at this, that they were not done since. She was boarded at a training.horsemanship barn, how could they not have noticed? I have a call in to the fellow whose care she was in, I sure have a lot of questions for him. This issue probably has contributed to her body condition.
I have checked her for ulcers using the Depaolo method and fortunately that doesn't seem to be an issue.
Then we get onto the last thing..... and there is no excuse for this.
When I picked her up I noticed she had big snowballs on her feet, so I picked them and saw that her heels were about an inch high, and she had bar growing all around her frog, and what looks like false sole around her toe. I asked when she was done last and he said 3 weeks ago.
I trimmed her fronts yesterday afternoon, and right away there was a lot of licking and chewing as soon as I lowered the heels, and even more as I worked on her bars. She was pretty fidgety, so I think she was super uncomfortable as she adjusted- at one point she was lifting the untrimmed foot as if she didn't want to stand on it any more. Poor girl. I will touch up my trim before I post photos of it, as we had both had enough before I had it completed.
This is the dull look she had the first couple of days... I am going to bring back the life into her eyes as soon as I can.
10 comments:
Weren't they using her in some way? Or, using her and not taking her health into consideration?
The skin issue, I know this as "Arabian fading syndrome" that also occurs in Andalusians. Nutritionally related, I believe it is from low copper, but I wish I knew more. Will read your link now. It's a great fear of mine, because my horse has more grey skin than black, and looks lavender or pink when he is wet. I rode a purebred Arabian stallion who I thought was an Appaloosa from this. It freaks me out.
I think Gussie looks race-fit in the first photo, and endurance-fit in the second, but you said in real life she looks worse. From my endurance past, I think she looks great, but in Winter, not being used, I'd worry.
The thing that I'm most curious about is her temperament. How is she?
Lytha, she is a bit on edge. When I separate her from the other horses she gets worried, this was true when I picked her up too, and she had a nervous sweat for the first half of the trip home. I think once she settles in she will mellow out again. I think when I ride, if I pony Mesa it will help. May even try ponying Belle, but would do that within the confines of the pasture to start with.
Yeesh :-/. You'll get her back!
Be careful when you are trimming feet that bad. I did a horse about 5 years ago that was unstable, and she came over on me that gave me a severe compression ( L4/L5) that required surgery and pinning to stabilize my back. FWIW
Thanks Ian. I did get the fronts trimmed, she is going to be okay. She used to let me kneel down beside her and hold her foot on my lap to trim; this time I used the stand and made sure I was safe, but she was good, just fidgety.
Definitely issues that would have me a bit concerned considering she should have been in a good place. BUT also stuff you can deal with. She'll have the shine back in her eyes soon enough :)
Poor Gussie, doesn't it just tick you off. I know you will have her looking good soon and eating without dropping food out of her mouth...how could they not have noticed that?
I bet in a couple of months she will be looking better:)
Awww, that's just sad. Amazing that "horse" people can't keep a horse properly. I can't wait to see her after you have been working on her for a while! You are such a conscientious owner!
There is a big change in what she looked like then versus now. And yeah, a lot of food dropping out of the mouth. Feet are so important—the most important thing really. You’ll have her back to peak condition in no time! Can’t wait to see the transformation.
You'll get her fixed up in no time!!
Post a Comment