Doh, I should have added to my post that a horse in pain won’t put on weight, that also a mare in foal needs extra nutrition.
I have heard of a saying.
16K calories for light work, 32K for lactating.
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Assuming Honey is a maiden, I would not expect to see much change at 6 months of gestation other than dropping condition if she is not receiving adequate nutrition.
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I so very much MISS being able to follow Honey.
I don’t blame her owner though, it can get rough on here.
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It never got rough on the Bo, Henry, or Matilda threads. Those owners either knew what they were doing, or were willing to listen to help offered, or both.
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I think it’s possible that people expected Honey’s owner to be the same as the other 3 – experienced. And I think they have also all been around for a while. I do hope to see Honey and her owner again. I always root for the underdogs.
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Or maybe you were kinder there.
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Nah, you’re imagining things.
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I’d forgotten how cute the handyman horse is…
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They also had their horses at home. Honey is in a boarding barn which may have set limits on how many flakes of hay per feeding and so on. Honey has so much potential. I hope the OP is able to get the support she needs to give Honey the best life possible and return with a positive update. I like a good Cinderella story.
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I have to agree @BrownDerby that boarding can sometimes make the issue of weight gain just more hard. Hopefully the new boarding barn is more proactive and helps the OP with Honey’s weight.
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Particularly if she is pregnant.
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How does the milk vein work?
Does it only happen if the mare is currently pregnant?
What if she had a foal before, can it show well then?
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The superficial epigastric vein is venous drainage from the udder. Since blood flow to the udder is increased during lactation, venous drainage is also increased. Thus the vein may appear more prominent.
I wouldn’t expect it to be particularly prominent in a normal pregnancy until close to parturition.
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Again, please take the bickering off the public thread, or better yet, drop it altogether.
We’ve removed some posts and responses to them.
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Woof. Hi! I see you’ve all kept the party going without me. 
I glanced through some things. I’m moving today and waiting for the movers, so I thought I’d at least try to address some things, and provide updates.
-ppid—I’ll definitely look into that. I know literally nothing of it.
- I’ve honestly wondered if she’s pregnant… eep. I’ll keep you posted on that bc what I did see here has me even more curious. I do think she’s putting weight on, but she was bought from a farm with stallions, and she does seem to mostly gain in the belly. Her booty is coming along, and her neck, but not her shoulders.
-vet took rads. No founder! She needs some help with angles, and her right foot is a little clubbed, but nothing scary. A bit of arthritis starting, but again nothing to be concerned about at 14
-someone mentioned maybe her age is off. Nope! She is registered so the age is proven.
-some folks asked about the PPE. And lemme tell ya—it was the most podunk, half assed ppe I’ve ever seen. But I loved her and took the leap. So it’s highly likely things were missed.
-I really don’t think I was shady about feed. Honey moved to her new pasture board barn on Saturday. So, at her old boarding barn she got 3 flakes at breakfast with 1qt of showtorque and 1qt alfalfa pellets. Lunch hay( I don’t know the amount. I think they just threw some out. A large part of why I left) and they fed dinner at 3:30(ridiculous to me) where she got the same as breakfast. Then I’d give her an appropriate dinner around 6pm of 1qt showtorque, 1 qt beet pulp, 1 qt alfalfa pellets, wet down with about a tablespoon of molasses, with farriers formula and fat cat (proportioned smartpak) and 8+ flakes of hay because I didn’t feel she was getting enough.
With the new barn, she’s on grass. They always have multiple hay bags in front of them, and it gets topped off all day. We’ve upped her to 2qts showtorque at breakfast and dinner to help through the winter and bc she’s moving around. Plus her supplements and the yummy soup as just an extra treat. I really hope that clears up the confusion.
-my life’s been pure chaos. We’ve mostly grazed, tried to get some long and low trot on the lunge, and done ground work. In addition to everything, my dog who was the love of my life, passed suddenly 2 weeks ago from a cancerous growth on his spleen that ruptured.
-honey seems to LOVE her new farm. And I get so much more support there. Win win!
-I did implement the weight tape you guys suggested. She’s somewhere around 1086 lbs.
That’s all I can think of to address right now. Moving in a few.
Here’s some pics and updates. And please— I know she isn’t perfect. But I’m trying my best, she is happy, and things are going well.
IMG_3200
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She’s sweet and beautiful as always! Thank you for popping back in at such a crazy hectic time in your life, I have been thinking about you and Honey! Hang in there with everything going on and I’m so so sorry about your dog, that had to be terrible at such a crazy time. I hope with all the changes things just get better and better!
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Lol oops didn’t mean to send a phone screenshot but she’s cute!
Also, editing that supplements are with breakfast. The way I wrote it sounded like a treat.
Also the black marks are from the trailer. Just some smudges.
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Keep on grinding away at your life changes. Schedule a 30 minute “sit on the couch and do nothing” so you don’t forget. Burn out is inevitable here, so be ready. Always remember - getting SOMEthing done is better than nothing, so even if something seems insurmountable, just get started on it.
I hope Honey is a great reprieve for you in this trying time.
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I lost my best beloved dog that way. Fine the evening before, playing with the kittens, couldn’t walk the next morning and rushed her to the vet. A tumor on her spleen had ruptured and she could not be saved.
Devastating.
I tried to comfort myself with the thought that she had had a wonderful life, every day of her life, until the last one.
Hope Honey gives you comfort as you navigate all the other stressors in your life.
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