14 pounds gained in a week, baby!!! Ok, I know it's not earth shattering, but I'm SOOOO relieved to see that tape move in the right direction:) I measured him many, many times, from both sides, and got the same result~phew. I'm so, so happy to know he's probably not sick, and just needed more food, AND is gaining weight thanks to his new regiment.
Of course, this is no time to relax and let up, as I'd like to see another, oh, 86 pounds or so on him; no big whoop! I hope this isn't a fluke, though next Saturday will tell us for sure.
It has been another ridiculously humid and hot string of days here in Mid-Michigan, so I don't know if I would have been riding much even if he was at a healthier weight. I'd like to take him out for a short hack this week though...I've sure missed it. Honestly, I think Miles has too-I know it's crazy but he really seems to enjoy having a job to do, and certainly having an outlet for his TB energy, even as he's not had an abundance of it under saddle (I'm talking about silly energy-he was plenty forward on our last ride). It has been kinda cool bringing him in every day though, with no expectations on either of us, enjoying each others' company while he eats and I groom and babble at him.
Brief product review and rave-I've been treating Miles' hoof soles with Tuff Stuff, hoof conditioner and hardener, which I grabbed on impulse at the store a couple weeks ago. This stuff does what it says...Miles' soles are MUCH tougher, no flaking, and he is much more comfortable walking on gravel and over stones. No rocks lodged in his feet either, hooray! Great for barefoot horses who may be a bit sensitive on tougher ground. Also-CHEAP! The first week I treated his soles about 3 times, every two days or so. Then I gave it a week and treated them again today. His soles were still nice and healthy, and fairly hard although we've had a TON of rain the last 2 days. I hate to think how soft his soles would have been without it. Anyway, two very enthusiastic thumbs up!
That's all the equine news for now~Miles couldn't have picked a better time to ease my mind, as it looks like our old dog Mojo, matriarch of our herd at home, needs to go to the vet on Monday to have herself checked out. Hopefully it's nothing, but her neck (lymph nodes?) feels very swollen and hard to me, and she's been making these weird guttural noises. Anyway, one animal at a time...Mojo is a tough old broad and I hope this is no big deal. We will see.
Enjoy your weekend everyone!! Thanks to each and every one of you that reads and comments, or of course just reads. It's cool to know I'm not just typing to see my own words:)
Yay for 14 pounds! It's a step in the right direction. If you do decide to ride, my saddler recommends putting a folded no-bow wrap over the withers to help pad the wither and make the saddle fit better. Just put it between the saddle pad and the saddle. I have to do this with Spider when he gets out of shape, his topline is always the first thing to go.
ReplyDeleteGood luck with Mojo. I hope it's nothing!
Congrats! What regiment did you decide on?
ReplyDeleteI'll pick up a bottle of that stuff. Sounds like it's perfect.
Great news - sounds like his weight's moving in the right direction!
ReplyDeleteThanks everyone!
ReplyDeleteShannon, that's a great idea to help protect his shark withers in the meantime. I usually use a sheepskin/fleece halfpad, but if that's not enough I do have some cotton wraps laying around somewhere. I hope Mojo is ok too...she's acting normal and fine, though she seems to be cleaning herself more...lots of licking and chewing? Ugh, these animals. Vet tomorrow, thank goodness.
His regiment right now is a scoop of SafeChoice grain am and pm, with a scoop to a scoop and a half beet pulp in the afternoon. He gets about a half scoop alfalfa cubes as well, though they're not his favorite. Lots and lots of hay.
For supplements, he's on a scoop of FatCat weight/muscle gainer am and pm, a little bit of CocoSoya oil (it's running low, and I don't think it's done much for his weight anyway, although it's fairly inexpensive and I'll probably pick up some more soon), and 2 tablespoons of Maalox am and pm. He also gets 10,000 mg each of MSM and pure glucosamine, which have helped his arthritis tremendously, and he's been 100 percent sound for awhile now.
I know, it's a lot, right? :) I have a very understanding barn owner, thank goodness. I try to take care of as much of that when I go down to the barn as well.
Yay, I'm happy to hear the Miles gained some weight!! Did you get a chance to ride yesterday afternoon (Sunday)? The weather was just about perfect :).
ReplyDeleteNo riding yet, though yesterday was gorgeous...we had our big maple tree in our back yard split in two and fall down go boom! No damage but lots of cleanup ahead. I hope to hop on him Wednesday if the weather cooperates.
ReplyDeleteThoroughbreds LOVE having a job to do. Some people would say that's weird, since it's work, but my TB would always get moody and cranky when I had to go a few days without riding. When he got an abscess (I was out of town for a while and my horse sitter conveniently forgot to pick his hooves, leaving me with the lovely surprise of a lame horse when I returned home) I had to make up things for him to do to tire him out without putting much pressure on his hoof. Before that, he began eating the barn and pretending to bite passerby.
ReplyDeleteAlso, loved the Tuff Stuff review- I'm looking to event barefoot, and this sounds like a good product. I'll have to pick some up.