Which is when most of us would start to consider looking deeper, seeking a specialist or university hospital referral… simple blood work to confirm we’re not missing an easy fix, etc.
Indeed, case in point, haul to Purdue.
🤦
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That’s why I haul to Purdue.
Next.
Does the OP haul to Purdue too?
The point is, there are lots of vets in the world that are no better than the vets near you that you think are not qualified.
So I am confused why here you are insisting that every ignore the photos that are shared which show no improvement and just believe the vet has it all under control.
You don’t like any of the vets near you, that quality of vet is just as likely what the OP has available to them.
You really can not have it both ways.
I personally think Honey looks like a lovely and very kind horse. I do hope the OP gets some further, in real life, hands on, help with her weight and condition issues. There should be a very noticeable improvement at this point if what they are doing is working, and there is not any improvement. Time to try something new, test for things, try a different feed, try more feed, check for ulcers…something.
I also think it is great that the OP took Honey to the show to look around and see life and be support for her friend.
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I’m not entirely disagreeing with needing to try a little of this and a little of that.
But I stand firm that walking this horse under saddle for short rides is NOT hurting her.
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Id argue that her mounting block aversion says otherwise.
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This horse will never, ever, ever look like a beefcake QH or TWH. It’s funny, there was just a post on the vets only FB group about this exact thing, amd that was the common theme. Stop trying to make your saddlebred look like a QH.
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Which has since been resolved, if you read the thread. She’s fine at the block now.
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Or she’s tolerating it because she likes OP. Id bet more money on that. Someone may have just swung up from the ground in the past and REALLY torqued on that back. The mounting block may be less discomfort for her, but I wouldn’t considered it fully resolved with all other current considerations.
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OP
Your mare is indeed a Honey.
A couple of things to consider.
Your mare might have dropped some pounds during the heat wave you had to endure.
On a horse at a good weight it probably wouldn’t be noticeable, but on a horse who still needs to gain some more weight it may standout.
I apologize if I didn’t see it, but have you had her teeth floated?
Teen horses especially need to have their teeth checked.
You may want to, if you haven’t already, had her checked for Cushings or other metabolic disorders. Muscle wasting can be a sign.
( I do not know if SB are prone to Cushings, but you can ask your vet.)
Not to scare you, or throw too much at you, but older horses can be difficult to put weight on correctly and safely .
testing can save you a lot of money and anxiety by pin-pointing what the real problem may be.
You are getting some good advice here. But I think you may be a bit overwhelmed by so many voices that are sometimes contradictory. How does one know who is right?
I am also going to invoke the name of @JB who is a most respected and knowledgeable person about feeding and horse nutrition.
I hope JB will chime in.
Good luck with your sweet mare.
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You think an inexperienced handler resolved PAIN related mounting block issues, because the horse LIKES HER?
I swear to gad, I couldn’t make this stuff up.
Another figment of the imagination. Now the horse is going better under saddle because of luff and cookies, even though she’s in pain. Good grief!!
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Just like her back is a fluffy cloud of comfort?
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Just like a horse will not walk calmly if the saddle is sitting on their spine.
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I see you have never met any stoic horses. Noted.
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I have not met any horses who go from rearing when the rider sits forward to walking calmly because they “like their rider”.
You’re flat making stuff up that suits the agenda. Noted.
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I don’t see where anyone is saying Honey should look like a QH or TWH or a beefcake. We are saying that Honey should have put on more pounds at this juncture, which she hasn’t
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You don’t know what Honey’s experience was before OP, just as I don’t or anyone else on this thread. I have seen many cases where people twist, torque and climb onto a horses back despite the horse showing clear signs it hurts. IF that might have been something in the past…on a malnourished horse no less, it’s not that far fetched to think that someone who is building trust with this horse and treating her more gently might get a different reaction from her. That doesn’t mean she is n the greatest of shape to be under saddle.
Talk about agendas.
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I spy withy one good eye that this whole thread has now turned into a popcorn and box of wine, or would that be a bag of carrots and a bucket of quench, type of entertainment.
How sad for the OP and her thin horse.
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Right. What an agenda I might have, thinking 15 minutes of under saddle walking isn’t going to hurt a horse who is a 4 on the condition scale. A horse who will never be big and bulky. A horse who will always have a proportionally thin neck.
They compete endurance horses thinner than this, and it’s spelled out in their rule book. Just sayin’.
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Goodness gracious folks. I’m not going to say “STOP” because this is a public forum and of course threads will take twists and turns and we are all free to say what we want. But maybe before getting so deeply entrenched in all this back and forth tit for tat nonsense, there’s a few regularly posting here that should maybe take a deep breath and keep the fingers off the keyboard for a minute.
Honey’s mom is actively going through a divorce, early stages it sounds like. I have been there, and it was beyond hell. The OP probably would really appreciate some support here, as opposed to whatever this thread has become. I certainly don’t blame the OP for disengaging with the way the thread has developed, which is a shame.
Sure, I agree the horse is thin and needs some serious topline development. I personally believe Honey does not need to be ridden, based on the pictures. That said, I think we can graciously and tactfully share thoughts and opinions and advice, and then let it be. The OP has heard us, and what she chooses to do with this information is out of our hands. I think it’s also safe for some of us to agree to disagree, instead of continuing on and on and on.
OP, if you’re still reading, hang in there. Go hug your Honey mare. You will figure this out.
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