Chronicles of Junior

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.

Chronicles of Junior

Day Six:  So Junior has been at the Sanctuary for just shy of a week. I introduced him to the mares and to the geldings over the fence. Junior has no interest in being with the horses when I'm around. He desperately tries to hang out with the mares but Rabbit will have none of that.

When Junior sees me, it's almost like the world stops. I've never had a horse watch me so closely. Bo will watch but not with such hawk like precision. I am guessing it's because I grain Junior. I have no idea if he ever received any grain on a daily basis.

I was told that he was hard to catch. Last night I was late in getting out to do chores and when I went to get Junior, he put his nose into the halter. The only reason he backed away was because the mares came into his space. He has a very large bubble. I can enter that bubble now that I grain him, but no one else is allowed in.

Junior is not a demanding horse (unlike some where they whinny and paw at the stalls). Junior will simply reach his full height and keep his head over the corral panels/fence waiting and watching me. When he's in his stall (and he's eaten all of his grain), he'll follow my everywhere I go.

I do believe that if Junior had thumbs, he'd put his halter on himself and walk right into his stall. I'm not yet ready to trust him to simply open the gate without a halter and lead rope to get him into his stall. But I expect within a month, I'll simply put his mash into his stall and open the stall door and then open the gate to the pen to let him out. I think the way to his heart is through his stomach.

I don't like how thin he is but is what the owner said is his  normal weight. I want to see if graining him will help and keeping him stalled away from all other horses so there's absolutely no competition will change the weight issue.

For grain, Junior is receiving one scoop of Nutrena Senior, one scoop Nutrena Stock and Stable (sweet feed), and a half a scoop of Calf Manna. I haven't introduced beet pulp yet but am waiting until we are in the midst of winter (although I think we are there). I am also throwing him a sliver of alfalfa each night (a sliver from a small square bale). I also feed him a half a sliver of dairy quality hay from a 3x3 hay bale.  I have not weight any of his feed but the normal herd receives a half a sliver of hay (from the 3x3 bale of hay) and they maintain their weight. With the colder temps, I've been throwing Junior and the rest of the herd alfalfa. The herd of 10 receives one bale of alfalfa (one small sliver each) and the mares and Junior receive a sliver each of alfalfa. The ponies do not get alfalfa (and never will unless they discover where the alfalfa is stashed).

I have not seen any improvements in weight on Junior but I didn't expect to see any, especially when he came right at the beginning of this horrible cold snap (and there's added stress of moving and routines). If we are to see any weight gain, it'll be another month from now. With the winter hair, it might be impossible to know.

I did refrain from throwing a blanket or a sheet on him Saturday. He has a very thick winter coat and the sheet I had, I didn't think he would benefit from it. I also didn't want to rush him (and I'd be putting the sheet on in the dark). I am unsure how Junior will handle a blanket/sheet, especially when I have to touch the left rear leg. No one is allowed to touch the left rear leg (says Junior...with a kick).

But I expect we will be blanketing Junior once we find a heavier blanket than the no fill blanket/sheet.

But in the week that we've had Junior, he's already picked up the routine and enjoys his grain mash. It's a little unnerving to have a horse watch me so close, but I guess that means he's happy. I'm starting to get the impression that he thinks he's died and gone to heaven. I can only hope that we can keep him happy!

Help, My Old Horse is Losing Weight

Some horses are blessed with a rotund figure (i.e., easy keepers) all their lives while others have to work on keeping those curves in the right locations (i.e. hard keepers). Of all the horses that have come through the Sanctuary that we've said goodbye, each one reached a point in their life when they became a hard keeper.

There's no specific age when each horse reached that stage. I've had horses anywhere from 16 years old all the way up to 31 years old who were easy keepers until they hit that stage. Then the decline is dramatic. Usually I was able to stave off the inevitable for a little while (years or months) but there was a decline in their rotund bodies without additional supplements to their hay diet.

I am frequently asked how to put weight on a hard keeper. The shelves are lined with every variety of supplement at a wide variety of cost. I have tried a few with little success. What I have found are two options. Keep in mind that these two options have worked for me on the past Sanctuary horses but it's not a guarantee to add weight to your horse.

• Beet pulp
• Calf manna

Beet pulp is the cheaper of the two options at around $15 per bag (without tax). Calf manna is the second option, albeit a much more expensive option at $30 per bag (without tax).

Beet pulp is an acquired taste so don't be surprised that your horse turns up his/her nose at it for the first few feedings. I have a few horses that will refuse to eat their beet pulp plus grain ration. Once he/she"steals" the beet pulp from another horse, they are all for their nightly meal.

Calf manna puts the weight on more quickly but I have experienced ulcers with an old easily stressed Belgian gelding (side note: He's the horse in the top cover. He came to us that thin and we were able to get him back to proper weight using beet pulp and calf manna). The cost is double that of beet pulp so I use it sparingly and only on the hardest of hard keepers.

In 2011 we opened the Sanctuary up to a total of five emaciated horses. Of those five, one was a 28 year old Percheron that was passed the point of any supplement helping to maintain his body. We subsequently opted to euthanize him before the harsh winter months hit. The other four we were able to help them return to their rotund figures with beet pulp and calf manna before the terrible South Dakota winter hit.

The amount and number of feedings is not a science. In all honesty, it was trial and error for those months of recovery and each horse had a different amount they required to gain back their bodies.

As we quickly proceed to fall and then winter, if you have a horse that is turning into a hard keeper, try either beet pulp or calf manna (after checking to make sure your horse's teeth are ok). The outcome won't be a quick result but with consistency, your horse will at the very least stop losing and maintain the weight he currently has.

If you start feeding your horse beet pulp or calf manna, let me know how he/she is progressing. I'd love to hear how you care for your hard keeper and what you give him/her to keep them at a steady and healthy weight.