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The little black colt

10K views 115 replies 20 participants last post by  jaydee 
#1 ·
So today, I picked up a yearling black colt.

He was bought from a kill pen a couple of months ago. The woman who bought him hired a transporter to ship him. Halfway through shipping, she realized she had nowhere to quarantine him, called the transporter and told her "I don't want him, take him back". The transporter, not wanting to send a baby back to slaughter, took him home. There, her stud horse wouldn't tolerate the colt, so he was sent to live with a carrier, who kept him by himself in a small pen.

I found his ad on craigslist, and just couldn't get him out of my head. So I got in contact with his owner, and she gave me a deal. $50 for him if I could pick him up ASAP. So I hooked up my trailer, and drove 250 miles to go get him.

He's extremely underweight. Showing bone everywhere. He's got a big worm belly. But his legs are good, even if he is a little cow hocked. And his feet are good.

And he's super sweet. Even loading into the scary trailer, he never offered to kick. He's curious, but scared of people. He jumps when you first touch him, but you can touch him all over. He leads alright, but wants to get ahead of you. He picks up his feet when you touch his legs.

Tomorrow we start his new feeding regiment. He's already getting all the hay he can eat. But he'll be on Purina strategy healthy edge, rice bran, omega horseshine, and grow colt.

He needs a name.


This will be his journal.
 

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#2 ·
So glad you saved this little guy. I know others have disagreed, but I do see some friesian in him. He has qualities that remind me of my mare. :)

I think he will be beautiful once he's back healthy again. Congrats on your new baby!
 
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#5 ·
So I took the little guy out for a walk this morning. He lead alright, stops and blows when he's unsure of something. We did some desensitizing to the lead rope, so now he'll let you rub it over his back and haunches now, but he spooks when you swing it. He'll get there. I tried picking up his feet. Got both fronts, and with a little convincing his rear left. But you can't even tough his rear right. Kicked the snot out of my hand. So we'll be working on that and the rope for the next couple of days.

I just Sat with him while he ate his breakfast this morning. He eats slow, doesn't wolf his food down like it'd expect from a horse so thin. He's very polite. When he was done he sniffed my boots, my jacket...He's curious, but cautious. I think he'll come around quick.
 

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#6 ·
So the little man is tucked in for the night. Hubby worked with him while I was at therapy, just grooming him with a curry comb, which apparently he loved. Then when I got home hubby took him out and lead him around abd worked done more with the rope while I mucked his stall. He's already getting happier about being around us. Still flinches when you move too fast around him.

We measured him with a stick this morning abd right now he stands at 12.2. But I did a height test on him tonight, the one where you measure from the middle of the knee to the cornet band, and he measured at 15.3... So I'm guessing his growth so far had really been stunted. He's butt high right now, so we'll see where he's at in a few months.

He ate his dinner, licked the bucket clean even with his supplements in it. I'm sure he'll be feeling better in no time.
 
#8 ·
Our first success!!

After yesterday working with the crop to touch his right rear leg, I went out early this morning and did a little more with that. After a couple of minutes, he let me rub my hand over his leg. I did that a couple of times, then gave him his breakfast. But going from kicking when your hand got close to his leg, to standing while it's rubbed is awesome for just two days with him!!

I'm going to take him out and lead him around a bit when my daughter goes down for her nap, and work on being on his right side (he's nervous of people being on his right, I think the only work he's had done with him has been on his left) and touching his legs.
 
#9 ·
More success!!

I took him out and worked on leading from his right side. It was very stop and go, but we made it up the driveway, back to the pasture, then back to the barn. We played with a tarp a little bit, just letting him sniff it, then asking him to put both front feet on it. He did great! Then we went to the barn, and spent some time grooming. I oiled and brushed his mane and tail and he only fidgeted a little bit.

The big success though.... He lifted all four feet for me!! The fronts he let me kind of pick at with my fingers...the backs I just settled for holding them up for a three count, but I did each leg twice and he never once tried to wriggle out or kick.


It makes me wonder if he didn't have some training when he was very small...because he's picking all of this up very quickly. I wonder if he wasn't taught these things when he was a few months old...before he ended up in a kill pen...then through his journey just lost his trust in people...
 
#10 ·
Well, he cleaned up his bucket again tonight. Politely, but with vigor. Then hubby took him out abd walked him around. Touched his legs, picked up his fronts. He's coming along nicely. He's skittish around my husband, but he moves fast abd doesn't understand how to position his body to get the best response out of the little horse. It's a work in progress.

I think we've finally decided on a name. Ove.

Aw-vi.

So here's ove with his daddy tonight.
 

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#11 ·
Little ove thinks the big world is a scary place. The park bench was a horse eating monster, until mom Sat on the floor by it, then it was okay to walk past it. Then the Comcast truck was going to eat him. So we walked past out a few times, abd learned that it wasn't so scary after all. Abd today, he got to go out in the little paddock. I sat out there with him for a little while, he would explore, then come up for a cookie, then explore some more... But it's bath day...time to start battling the fungus. And lift his feet some more. But the funny thing...I don't think he knows that he can eat grass....
 

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#15 ·
Ove let me pick out all four feet all the way today!!! His bars are so overgrown, he had so much dead sole just crumbling out of his feet under all the dirt, but he stood quietly while I worked with them abd didn't even flinch!!

He also got a bath today, with special attention paid to letting me hose down his manly bits in anticipation of his upcoming castration. He wiggled a little, but didn't seem to mind too much.

He's also getting much better about walking through gates/doorways. Before, he would firmly plant his feet and lean back, and it took a lot of convincing to get him to walk through. Today, it just took a tug and a cluck when he thought about stopping, abd out he came!

I'm so proud of this little guy.

Big problem though.... He's got a nasty case of worms. Worse than I thought. The vet will be out Wednesday to geld him, so I'm going to get his opinion on what to do about the worms then. Poor little guy...no wonder he's so thin.
 
#16 ·
I didn't realize how small he was until the picture of your husband by him! Something about Ove seems likable. I think that you will do great.

If you can't wait to worm him only give him a half dose the first time, wait thirty days and then give him a full one. If they are bad you are not supposed to kill all the worms at once from what I understand.
 
#17 ·
So I finally reached under ove to see off he was in fact, intact. He's already been gelded!! The woman who sold him to me told me he wasn't, so I just went with what she said when I made me vet appointment, but hubby abd I both checked and he has no cohones!! Still getting the vet out because of the worms and a new coggins...but whew! Saving me a couple hundred bucks!
 
#19 ·
Well, today was a difficult day. We started by taking a walk. But something spooked him abd he took off, dragged me for a bit, then I let go before I ate dirt abd he ran to his stall. So we walked back to the scary spot abd spent some time there until he was alright.

Then we went out abd I figured we'd walk over a few poles. He did fine with the ones just layed out on the ground, but anything with standards in either side was a no go.

Then I picked his feet. He was fidgety abd didn't want to stand for it, but we got all four done. He was glad to go back to his stall today.

In other news, I think his worm belly is going down. But you can really see how thin he is now.
 

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#21 ·
Little ove is still a scary cat. Something at the front of the property scares him, so the first time we walk past it, then turn our backs to it, he gets jumpy, rears up abd takes off. I always go get him abd walk him up there again until he calms down abd walks past nicely.

But he's doing great standing tied, abd with me picking his feet. He stands to be groomed without much wriggling.

I just sat in his paddock with him for a little bit after our walk today, and he wasn't too interested in visiting with me, but he wasn't bothered by me being there either. I need to find a treat he likes better than the ones I have, maybe it'll peak his interest.
 

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#22 ·
So big surprise after oves vet visit today... He's only 8-9 months old! I can't believe it!

His family jewels haven't dropped yet, which is why hubby abd I thought he was gelded when we felt him.

Everything else is good with him though. Our worm schedule is good, our feed schedule is good... Vet says he's very lucky to have found a good home. Says he could be a pmu baby...
 
#23 ·
Took ove for his walk...no spooking today!! Yay!! We walked to the front of the property, then all the way back. He jumped once when a cat ran out of a Bush, but stayed right with me. Such a brave boy!
Then he stood nicely to be groomed abd have his feet picked. He gets better about it every day.

Then I Sat in his paddock for a little bit abd he stayed right near me. Was very interested in visiting and chatting with me today. He's so sweet.

Toby of course was jealous of the attention he was getting. So I had to take a couple of pictures of my old man.
 

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#26 ·
Not much to report today. We took a walk around the issue pasture, played with a barrel which was scary at first, then when he realized we could.chase it, it became a fun game.

He stood well to be groomed and have his feet picked. He gets braver every day.

We have started taking his halter off while he's in his stall, and leaving the lead rope off while he's turned out. He's enjoying his new freedom.
 
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