12.22.09
Posted in Horses for the horse crazy at 8:22 pm by petArtist Cmoses
Fran writes (Nov. 25):
Scooby and Jackie are doing well. We had a tough time last weekend. Scooby came down with a case of colic and I was very stressed. I was told by several that it might have been the weather change. I’ve not changed any of his feed…
Well, my plans were to start with weaning on Thanksgiving Day as I would be home for several days to watch he and Mom… But when he got sick over the weekend, he was disinterested in nursing and we were working with him making sure he walked plenty and taking care of him. We went ahead and separated them. Jackie (Mom) seemed relieved and this morning would be the third day she has not nursed him. She is already drying up and seems very relaxed and happy.
Scooby on the other hand is a bit irritated at times but overall is adjusting pretty well. I sat down with the Vet and asked a lot of questions about his colic and the timing with the weaning because I was unsure if that would be a good idea because of stress. He said that since Scooby is a good size and is eating and drinking water well that he was plenty independent enough for the separation but to just watch him and make sure he is doing ok. So far so good. He has a good appetite and is drinking plenty. He doesn’t appear to be losing any weight and the colic issue has not come back up. I am very thankful for that!
Connie’s Reply:
Sorry to hear Scooby was ill and I hope he’s fine now. Colic is one of those things it’s often hard to pinpoint, and I’m happy to say has never been an issue for our boys (knock on wood!) It’s my belief that plenty of exercise and fiber and NOT getting rich feed is helpful in warding off colic. By plenty of exercise, I mean 24-hour turnout, which is what our horses have. We are lucky we can give them that; they are able to be munching most of time, so their guts are always active. Even though they are getting hardly any grass now and we feed them hay twice daily, still they are munching on the stubble and eating acorns and are moving around almost continually– As horses are designed to do.
During weaning is a good time to form a closer bond with the young horse– at least our boys were very receptive to human attention and company when they were separated from mom. It would be nice to perhaps begin new training, especially reward-based training such as clicker training. Any kind of training will occupy his mind and build a stronger relationship with people. I hope he is leading well now, and moving away from pressure and respecting your space.
How old is he now? As he matures and gets closer to gelding age, it is possible he may become feisty and less tractable. One of our guys I just didn’t do much with around 8-10 months old (I THINK that was the age) because he was such a smart ass. When he was gelded he turned very quickly into a pussycat and was fun to work with again. THe second brother never went thru that smartass stage, he was such a gentleman and so sweet I briefly considered not even gelding him, but then I came to my senses. I think he was just about a year old before his gelding. His personality got even nicer then.
Keep on with all the time you can give him!! Awaiting your pix…
See previous posts on A foal named Scooby…
Find more foal posts on Penny, an orphaned foal.
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12.16.09
Posted in Horses for the horse crazy at 11:58 pm by petArtist Cmoses
This is followup to a much earlier post, Foaling Part 1: The birth of a baby horse.
Foal’s first behavior:
He may act a little sleepy (shocked?) at first, or he may start trying to hop around as soon as his front legs are out. His eyes will likely be closed a lot. He will struggle to rise and fall down a lot, with his legs going every which way. His mouth will work in a mouthing/nursing reflex. His tongue may lick a lot. He will be attracted to and nuzzle dark warm areas as he seeks mommy’s food. Eventually he’ll find the right spot for long enough to figure it out. It took our babies 4-5 hours to get nursing properly.
Mare’s normal reactions:
She might lie still a few minutes after delivery; don’t cause her to stand early, let the umbilical cord break by itself. She’ll lick the foal, let her do this and lick him dry, as it’s part of the bonding process. Don’t intervene unless the foal is shivering for an extended time, then you might want to towel or blanket him or cover him with straw to warm him.
Momma mare discovers her first newborn Gilford, 10 minutes old
Often people will break the sac if it doesn’t tear by itself, and clear it away from the foal’s head and neck. The sac will remain hanging from the mare until the afterbirth/placenta is delivered, which should happen within 2-3 hours. Tie the sac up using a plastic bag tied to her tail with baling twine to keep her from stepping on it, because the vet will want to examine it. When she delivers it all you can put it in a bucket to hold for the vet.
Maternal Bond, 5 hours old fine art print
Mare possible negative reactions:
The first-time or “maiden” mare will have to learn how to “BE” nursed and it may be uncomfortable for her at the very start. She might not stand still for the foal; we had that problem and had to restrain momma Willy a couple of times for her first baby Gilford’s nursing. With the next foal (Glendale) she knew the drill.
Gilford nursing, his first day
Glendale nurses, a few hours old
The very first milk to flow is called “colostrum” and is critical to the foal’s health, because it contains antibodies and beneficial nutrients he needs in his first few hours. You want to observe the foal until he begins nursing in earnest to be sure he gets the first milk; if it takes too long, the colostrum may start dripping out, if so you’ll need to collect it somehow because it is vital.
On rare occasions a mare might reject her new foal and refuse to let him nurse; your vet will advise you if that happens. It may be possible to find a substitute “nurse” mare or to hand-feed a foal to eventual full health, although this is very difficult.
Foal issues:
Glendale for his first few days dripped some milk out of his nostrils right when he first started nursing. The vet thought he had an incompletely-formed soft palette so there was an opening between his throat and his nasal cavity; when he first began to nurse each time, the milk was likely gushing out with some force and volume and overflowing into his nose. This gradually went away as the opening grew closed (we assume) within a few days.
FjordNewbies’ foal Thor was born with “Golden Slippers” which she describes as a soft yellowish covering over the tips of his hooves. See her comment after Fjord Tales 6 - The birth of Thor.
A foal’s hooves are soft at birth — also Its ankles can be very weak-appearing and over-flexed the first few days; it may actually be walking almost on its fetlocks (joints just above the foot.) It should be expected that his foot structure, tendons and ligaments will quickly strengthen so that he will be walking on his hoof shortly.
Gilford running with momma mare, Day 2
INTERNAL WORKINGS:
Shortly after birth, the foal should have his first bowel movement where he passes “meconium,” which is a dark tarry-looking substance. You should watch for this to happen, as it is cause for alarm if it does not happen shortly. Notify your vet if the meconium is not passed within a couple of hours.
Also watch for his first few urinations, which should not appear to be painful or be bloody. Observe the naval stump during urination, being sure no fluid is expressed from the stump. If this happens, call your vet.
The newborn is often afflicted with a butt rash, called “scours,” when he first starts digesting his mare’s milk. What he passes becomes runny and messy and might cause irritation under his tail for a few days. The best you can do is clean him off as needed with a wet cloth, warm if possible, and hope for his system to settle down soon. Vaseline or diaper rash ointment applied to (clean) skin under his tail can help reduce the irritation.
Foal running with Arabian mare, fine art print
Discovering the world, second day of life (Glendale)
A foal should sleep, eat, and play in that order, with a LOT of nursing and sleeping. Any change in behavior is cause for concern and reason to consult the vet. Monitor the mare’s udder to be sure the foal is nursing healthily; he should keep it drained. If her udder ever becomes full and tight, hot, or dripping, call your vet immediately.
Baby Glendale runs with mare, Day 3
Gilford napping while WIlly stands guard
Glen snoozes, a couple of days old
Related posts:
Foaling Part 1: The birth of a baby horse
Equine Reproduction From Conception to Birth
Horse Foal Behavior: Birth - Day 1
Foal behavior: First weeks of life
Foal early handling: Restraint and leading
Foal management: Care, Feeding and Weaning, 0-6 months
Foal early handling: Ponying as Self-training
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Posted in Horses for the horse crazy at 10:00 pm by petArtist Cmoses
IMO, the concept of slowing down the speed at which your horse can eat is a very good idea. Especially for stalled and low-turnout horses, which often suffer from boredom and tend to bolt down their feed when it comes. Recently I have noticed several models of feeders coming out which are designed to do just that. These feeders parcel out both hay and grain through a baffling device, or even a timed release, which forces the horse to nibble instead of gulp– thereby providing a more healthful and natural way to eat (graze) PLUS offering entertainment, or at least a lengthy diversion, at the same time.
I believe that horses should eat with their heads lowered, as they were designed to do, so bear that in mind. A horse’s long nasal passages and throat drain when its head is down. In particular, horses who are prone to getting heaves or other respiratory problems associated with hay dust should always eat their hay at ground level, rather than from a hay net or wall feeder. (The exception would be when the horse is being trailered.)
FYI, as a deterrent to bolting grain, we have always kept one or two salt brick halves IN our horses’ feed buckets (which are at chest height) and this serves 2 purposes: the chunks of salt slow down the horses from gulping their grain, plus insures that they always ingest some salt, which is healthy for them and also makes them drink more water!
SOME SLOW-FEEDING PRODUCTS:
slowdownhayfeeder.com
Busy horse feeders
paddock paradise (has one of my videos here!)
The ultimate horse feeder
small mesh hay net, at Miller Harness Co.
continuous slow feeding nets, large volume
Of course, don’t feel like you have to spend money to purchase a commercial slow feeder. Witness FjordNewbies’ own homemade hay feeder which entertains her herd of four Fjords…
Looks like a fairly inexpensive slow feeder job to me, AND quite successful!! (See post about Fjord backyard horses at Fjord tales 8– Fjord Paddock Paradise
See all FjordNewbies’ previous posts on her Fjords and the birth of her newest one.
More tips found on Naturalhorsetrim newsfeed (yahoo.com), posted by Leslie D.:
Slowing down the cut grass hay consumption rate… helps prevent impaction colic. Using a slow feeder method works well… If you can’t build one, there are some good haynets out there. For flakes I like the nibble net and the busy net… I personally use the Nibble nets…they last forever and are so easy to use! I think it is www.nibblenet.com
As far as I know, I make the only haynet for round bales in the U.S. www.txhaynet.com
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12.05.09
Posted in Other interesting stuff at 10:52 pm by petArtist Cmoses
Cool blog, really cool photographs! (OK, I’m a sunset lover…)
Mt. Washington blog by Brian Clark, weather observer, from atop the crown jewel of New Hampshire!
Much more pleasant IMO to visit this summit, “home of the world’s worst weather,” by looking at Mr. Clark’s photos than by actually being there, at least in the wintertime. Search around his entries and you’ll find some incredible sunrise and sunset photos and see the OCEAN 65 miles away, New York state 130 miles away, plus tons of cloud shots and, of course, SNOW, which has been on the summit since October…
Sunrise 10/27/09, photo by Brian Clark. OMG after seeing Brian’s pix, I’m thinking it might be worth it to be up there after all!!! Visit his blog to see his TIME-LAPSE videos of clouds “flowing” over the mountain tops below him!
[FYI, take note of the webcam at the Mt. Washington observatory, linked here on my WEBCAMS IN NEW ENGLAND page.]
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Posted in Horses for the horse crazy at 4:22 pm by petArtist Cmoses
Found this little review of a Buck Brannaman clinic in California last August, discussing Buck’s training style (if you let the horse push you around, you are teaching the horse to push you around!)– it is on Ride Magazine. Buck is a renowned cowboy “natural horsemanship” trainer/horse whisperer a la Ray Hunt. This reminds me that Tom Curtin also followed Ray Hunt, who himself was a student of Tom Dorrance. Ray Hunt sadly passed away this past year (March 12, 2009). Pat Parelli has said he also was influenced by Tom Dorrance.
Ride Magazine’s most popular video is Cowboy Dressage. Lots of interesting horse and training info on this site (see their Clinicians section), including RideTV.
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