Okay, here’s one. I’d say maybe a month ago I found the first “bean” ever in my gelding (he’s 15 and I’ve had him his entire life, so…). I’d inspected several times…no beans. Weenie is out a lot and, I’ll admit, I do some informal scab peeling and a quick swipe for beans often. Horse has no issue with this. So, when I found that first bean I was like, Wow! A bean! I’ve read about them. I found one in one of my older geldings once. I never had much luck with other geldings letting me get up close and personal, but Milton is very secure and trusts his mother. LOL.
Fast-forward to yesterday and I was anticipating a nice forward ride because after several days in the mid-80’s (ugh, not yet!) we had a storm and it was cold (well…almost 60) and windy. Just Milton’s kind of weather. He should live in Alaska.
But…he was a total slug. Just no pep at all…not that he’s Mr. Energy ever, but…c’mon dude. He was sucked back and while still polite as ever, I could tell he just wasn’t into it. I decided he probably needed Adequan, which I’d been hanging onto until I felt like he was really in need.
Gave him his first shot today, obviously that’s not going to do anything. Rode again and it was still nice and crisp (a touch warmer…64 I think) and sunny and a light breeze. Perfect riding weather. But horse was still sluggish, almost like he had the emergency brake on the whole time. I would press on the gas (leg then spur) and nothing. He just went slow, flat, and…meh. I kind of got afer him with my spurs once and he pinned his ears and reluctantly moved on a little. He wasn’t “lame” necessarily, but he just felt like he’d rather not.
So, I figure, okay well, everyone has times they don’t feel good. Seasons are changing, grass is popping up, he’s been a little gassy lately because I’ve hand grazed him out on some nice grass near the pond. Who knows? He’s otherwise fine…eating well, happy enough. He does seem a little “crotchety” though when just being a horse out in the pasture/shelter area.
Then, as luck would have it, he had his business dropped while eating hay thie evening and so I was peeling some junk off and decided to check for a bean and lo and behold…another one. This one was even bigger than the last one! It wasn’t huge or anything, I’ve seen bigger (in pictures), but it was big enough that it could have definitely bothered him. I pulled it out and he turned around and looked at me immediately like “What did you do???” I showed it to him (LOL) and after he almost ATE it (because he would eat a rock if I handed it to him) he just stood there looking at me. I tossed it in the trash and he just stood there staring at me the whole time, ears up and I SWEAR when I walked back out to him his eyes were all sleepy and he just looked like he was in ecstasy. It was the goofiest thing I’ve ever seen. He was practically smiling!
This entire saga to ask, could the BEAN have been causing him to be so sucked back and sluggish the past two rides? OH, OH, and I almost forgot! I heard the “urp urp urp” gelding/sheath noise when riding today too. He NEVER makes that noise! EVER.
Am I crazy? Did I make his day this evening by ridding him of the bean?
Thank you to anyone who read this insanity.
