Critique on Belle?

Good news- Belle is coming home much sooner than we thought! I am being considered for a job at the vet in town (I was laid off about six months ago), and might even get a discount on Belle's vet care since I will be employed there.

Mliponoga, thanks for your input. I love her owners like family, so I'm reluctant to be bashing how they care for their animals... But I also consider Belle a rescue. She needs better care. I intend on (gradually) switching her to an alfalfa grass mix once I get her moved, which should help with her weight, but what do you think would also help? I heard dumping about a half cup of vegetable oil into some grain and feeding it to her would do wonders, but I haven't talked to anybody who has tried that.

We feed corn oil to our horses on top of their grain. 1/2 cup morning and night.

I'm sorry... She used to be a blue roan? How did she change her coat color? Crayola?

Haha! No idea. That's what the owners told me is all. Perhaps some bleach did the trick? ;)

Ick. My mother's friend used to own horses, and thinks of herself rather highly on the topic. I was driving with her tonight, and she decided to share her 'educated' opinion on Belle (whom she kept calling Bella, but that's a minor detail).
She said that I should not get Belle. That Belle was much too old to be moved that far, and in such a change of environment. Her hair was not going to grow in thick enough for the winter (Oh, hell. I've been in the desert at night, in a camper no farther than fifteen feet from Belle's pen. It was cold as, if not colder, than our winters in the mountains.) because she was already accustomed to the desert. She said that we could find me a better horse locally.
I told her I had already found a better horse in Belle, and I was going to get her home. She still insisted that Belle was going to colic and probably die.

What are your opinions on this? Is there logic to her reasoning? Am I angry for no reason, or is this feeling justified? Am I just getting defensive? I have a feeling that I am, but I don't know.

But, good news came out of this. My aunt was angry to hear about this, and has offered to tow Belle home for me with her awesome heavy duty truck, since I lack a car. (Shes mostly doing this to spite the friend of my mother, because that's just the kind of... interesting person my aunt is, ;)) Her boyfriend is offering to come help me train Belle to the trailer, since he used to own horses of his own and has gone through the same issue.

That's my update for the day. :)

They might have thought she was a blue roan because greys grey out slowly?

She looks like such a sweetie. She is certainly in need of some better groceries but that may be all that is wrong with her. Her eyes look clear and alert. I will be very glad to see you get her home. It isn't so unbelievable that they may have said she was a blue roan when she was younger. They probably don't know much about horse colors LOL. I have seen quite a few gray horses that are virtually indistinguishable from blue roan until they really start to gray out on their head and legs. One thing that you will need to watch out with on her though is melanoma. Most gray horses will end up with them and sometimes they can be quite severe. She is such a little cutie. I love 'stangs.

She's too thin. She needs some weight put on her and muscle..but focus on her just gaining weight and then work on exercise. Some good grass hay and rice bran should do the trick :)

She might need her teeth floated.
A vet check would probably be wise.