Day 10: I left Junior out overnight last night and he was very much displeased with that decision. I thought maybe the mares would let him eat with them. Nope. I would rather not have to stall him every night but I don't see any other option. I just wish that as it's only November, that we wouldn't be dealing with full fledged winter already.
We did have Erin from Head Heart Hooves (http://www.headhearthooves.com/) donate Junior a blanket. I picked it up Tuesday night but haven't had a chance to see which one will work best for Junior. I know I'll sleep easier now that he has a blanket to call his own. It's November and we are dealing with January temperatures. Who knows what type of temperatures we'll have in January!
I still need to schedule the farrier to come out and pull Junior's shoes. But it's been so blasted cold that my farrier doesn't want to pull shoes and do a trim when it's in the single digits with below zero wind chills. I'm hoping that we can get a short snap of warm weather soon.
We have now had Junior at the Sanctuary for a full week and a couple days. It's crazy to see what a fixture he already is at the Sanctuary.
The other night I had put him in his stall to eat. He was finished with his grain and eating his alfalfa when he hung his head over the stall door. I rubbed on his head and ear and in that instant, he reminded me of my very first horse, Tiny Dictator. Dictator was an old ranch horse that came from Colorado. He'd never been an affectionate horse being that he was never loved on until I got him (I was his third owner and last owner). Junior has had the pleasure of being loved on but I do get the impression that he was at one point a ranch horse (at least the brands make me think that he was once a ranch horse).
I never really know the entire life history of horses that come to the Sanctuary. It's their past and we look towards the future. But it is interesting to hear about what they've done. I'm debating on whether I want to try and track down the brands and see if I can't find a previous owner. The brand on his cheek is hidden now with his winter coat but his brand on his shoulder is still discernible. I'm just not sure if it would be easier to take better pictures in the summer or the winter and then start asking. It doesn't really matter, Junior is here for the rest of his life. It's just fun to hear about his past.
Junior is getting braver. He's starting snatch a few bites of hay from the hay feeder when the mares are only a few feet away. I'm hoping that he'll start feeling more comfortable with the mares and actually hold his ground, but I don't think that will ever be his personality. He still hangs on the fence watching my every move. I've never had that with a horse. Oh sure, some will come and check out what I'm doing but none will stay and watch. I feel bad that he doesn't have a friend. Everyone else at the Sanctuary is buddied up with another horse and he's the odd man out. I'd like to fix that and we were asked to take in a mare but without the funds for that mare's winter supply of hay, I haven't even mentioned bringing her in.
I still have Junior on sweet feed, senior grain, and calf manna. I haven't started beet pulp but I want to wait for a little bit longer and see if this concoction works for putting weight on before I add to the mix. Unfortunately, putting weight on a horse is so much harder than getting it off (sure wish that were the same for me!) I expect that it'll be a full month before we can see if there's any improvement in weight with this grain mixture and feeding method. Fingers crossed that we are on the right path.
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