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Neglected horse

3K views 7 replies 6 participants last post by  WSArabians 
#1 ·
I just got 2 horses given to my facility and i took the prject of one of them on and my friend took the other. Mine is a 17 year old buckskin AQHA and These people didnt have the money to take care of them so they left them in a pasture together for over 2 years and never having any human contact no brushing, no trimming, no riding, no just getting out to walk around, (their tails were one big dread lock as hard as a baseball bat, literally). They would throw hay over the fence for them and that was it. So as you could tell from any horse that has had nothing done with them in so long especially elderly their feet were so long he got a club foot and their feet are so long. The mare my friend got shed out her winter coat already no fur. My gelding on the other hand His fur is as long as it was in the middle of winter. Also Like all the other elderly horses we own it is very very rough and coarse. its almost like he has something wrong with him. what do i do?
 
#2 ·
I kinda have a hard time following your post. It would be easier with more sentence breaks, but in a nutshell -- health must come first... get a farrier out that KNOWS HIS STUFF and a vet. Proper diet, lots of water, lots of turnout, regular farrier and lots of attention. Once a neglected horse starts to feel more like a horse again and he is interested in his surroundings you need to be there so he sees YOU as his savior. IMO, ask very little of a neglected horse. If he is polite and heeds your space, you have a positive.

For the coat, ask your vet. A friend of mine had that happen and put her horse on a hoof supplement that helped tremendously with his coat and weight! I had a horse with ulcers that wouldn't shed out properly at all... I put him on a new diet regimen and he improved within 3 weeks. Not 100%, but definitely the coat was coming better and so was the weight.

Good luck
 
#3 ·
Has he had a vet check? If not, I'd recommend it since he probably hasn't seen one in at least two years.

Like Northern said, get the farrier out there as fast as possible to fix his feet, poor guy.

Is he skiddish with you, or does he do pretty well? Does he let you halter, brush, and generally do groundwork around him? If he's able to do that, it's just a matter of getting him used to humans again. Sit outside his stall and spend time with him. Read to him, talk to him, or sing to him. Get him used to your voice and your presence.

One other question...is his coat curly looking? This could be a totally unfounded concern, but not shedding and a curly coat are signs of Cushings....
 
#4 ·
Nobody can give you any better advice than a vet, so I would definately arrange for a physical for him.

More than likey he is probably wormy, which is why he's holding onto his winter coat.

Even if you don't want to pay for a vet to come out, I'd call and get some suggestions over the phone as to what sort of diet and care you should be given him.

Best of luck, and keep us updated!
 
#5 ·
I did worm him the minute i got him, and the farrier comes out next week. His fur is pretty curly and he doesn't like me to touch his tail at all. Hes very shy about haltering; i just go slow and corner him for a little while then he'll let me catch him. he does fine in a round pen. i havent done much with him because ime just working on the introducing myself first.
 
#6 ·
northernmama said:
I kinda have a hard time following your post. It would be easier with more sentence breaks, but in a nutshell -- health must come first... get a farrier out that KNOWS HIS STUFF and a vet. Proper diet, lots of water, lots of turnout, regular farrier and lots of attention. Once a neglected horse starts to feel more like a horse again and he is interested in his surroundings you need to be there so he sees YOU as his savior. IMO, ask very little of a neglected horse. If he is polite and heeds your space, you have a positive.

For the coat, ask your vet. A friend of mine had that happen and put her horse on a hoof supplement that helped tremendously with his coat and weight! I had a horse with ulcers that wouldn't shed out properly at all... I put him on a new diet regimen and he improved within 3 weeks. Not 100%, but definitely the coat was coming better and so was the weight.

Good luck
I agree....at least they threw hay to them and didn't let them starve to death.
 
#7 ·
Call a vet.

Get a full clean bill of health before you start working with them. If they have been out for that long with no handling or care, who knows what kind of illnesses or diseases they might have caught especially with them being seasoned horses-health issues come up with that alone.
 
#8 ·
browneyedcowgirl13 said:
I did worm him the minute i got him, and the farrier comes out next week. His fur is pretty curly and he doesn't like me to touch his tail at all. Hes very shy about haltering; i just go slow and corner him for a little while then he'll let me catch him. he does fine in a round pen. i havent done much with him because ime just working on the introducing myself first.
With horses like that, I've found the best technique for getting them to come around is to ignore them.
Grab a book or something, and just sit out in the pen with him.
Eventually his curiousty will get the better of him, and he'll come up to you. And when it's his idea the whole process goes so much faster.
 
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