That is a brilliant idea. Heck, I could even have the local feed store deliver it to her door. Brilliant idea thank you SonnysMom.
11 Likes
Agree
1 Like
From your update above, OP, it sounds like you had wonderful success in opening the ownerâs eyes to the fact that the mare isnât doing so well, and that per her follow up note to you, she has taken every single one of your suggestions: a veterinary appointment, an immediate feed improvement, and fly protection. Do you think sheâs lying to you? If no, how do you think having your suggestions delivered to her doorstep when sheâs already implemented them will be received? Perhaps Iâm overly sensitive, but I would be incredibly insulted if I were in her shoes. If you do think sheâs lying to you, what benefit does direct delivery have?
The owner put on her big girl pants, listened open-mindedly to your diplomatic suggestions, and then implemented them all. Take that as a positive sign until she gives you a reason to believe otherwise. Having the food delivered directly to her door is a solution to a different problem than the one all the current evidence suggests youâre having. Just my $0.02. 
10 Likes
I agree.
1 Like
True. That is another way to look at it. I donât think sheâs lying, she sent me a photo with the fly gear on, and she told me how she dived into the grain. So, for now, perhaps I will just sit back, and make sure I have a good excuse to go over and visit once a week.
4 Likes
Maybe the feed delivery could be useful after you move if the new owner requested help?
OP - Just a question - you mentioned in the first post about a back issue, hunters bump that has gotten worse and that the mare was in pain. If that is true and nothing is being done on that, isnât it possible she wont improve? Not picking here by any means but it seems like you covered everything else.
5 Likes
Agree with this. I have one with sweet itch⊠For several years after he came to me, it was literally a daily battle to keep him comfortable. It was heartbreaking to watch him itch and rub. With management changes, he is in so much better shape and truly a happy camper. I few things I would suggest (beyond the head to tail w/ belly wrap fly sheet); first, improved nutrition as you have already noted - add ground flax to the diet. It really improved the quality of his hair coat and his skin. Also MSM (which is quite cheap) and aloe vera pellets. Both help control the inflammation and as a result the itching & rubbing too.
Keep her inside during the gants most active times - dawn & dusk. It has meant mine has about 2 hours less turnout time than he originally had, but the trade-off is totally worth it.
Uckele has several excellent products in their Zephyrâs Garden line that have worked very well for us - their natural citronella fly spray (I used the âplusâ formulation) and the anti itch salve on any hot spots. They are both non-chemical, so that might appeal to your friend and encourage her to use them too.
As suggested above, these are all items you could order and have sent directly to your friend. Good luck. It is good of you to have such ongoing concern for the mare.
2 Likes
What will do when you move in a few months? You will be too far away to physically check on the horse.
Luckily I have a couple of people at the boarding barn like a half mile from her house. However, getting them there may be an issue, as I stated above, she is pretty introverted. But, without permission to take the mare back, there is really nothing I can do legally. So, I am doing my best with what I can.
5 Likes
OP, youâre doing all the right things to allow the owner to feel comfortable coming to you for advice if she continues to have problems. Your continued empathetic ear, thoughtful approach, and respect of the owner are the best way to have her volunteer information to you if somethingâs not going well and she wants to bounce ideas off of someone. You have also succeeded on another incredibly important point - youâve gotten her to involve her vet, so she now has a professional in the mix. I hope this all is of great comfort to you. Youâve been a good friend to both the owner and the mare.
2 Likes
Well a turn of events over the weekend. Got another call Saturday from my friend, apparently one of the people who had raised concerns, is a neighbor. She said she has seen zero hay in the pasture for her (its all dirt) except for 1 day she threw her a tiny pile, and that she is going to call animal control today. I am trying to lie low over the next couple of days to see what happens, I want the mareâs owner to reach out to me if she needs help or determines after the visit from animal control that she is in over her head. I certainly donât want her thinking I myself called animal control, as I have honestly been trying to help remedy the situation without the involvement of animal control. However, it is now out of my hands and I feel I need to stay out of it for the next few days and see if she comes to me after animal control visits her property. The lady is also reaching out to the BLM, but I do know BLM will not legally get involved, as she is titled and no longer owned by the government, and they will defer to local animal control.
I did have my friend pass along all of the info on what the mareâs owner is doing to remedy the shape the mare is in, I wanted her to be aware that the mareâs owner is taking steps to try to get weight on her, and about the impending vet visit. It is good to find out that one of the people involved is a close neighbor. That does mean someone is keeping their eye on the mare other than just myself. I can get over there about once a week but anything more is difficult with my schedule currently.
1 Like
I can say that if my neighbors looked in on my horses sometimes they would say I do not give them any hay either.
If I put a full small square (40ish pounds) in a small hole hay net out, for two horses, the one horse will stand there eating all morning until it is gone. By early afternoon there is no hay left. (There will be lots and lots and lots of manure to go along with the lots of hay consumption.)
This is just my way of saying, unless someone is standing there all the time it is hard to know how much hay is really given.
5 Likes
I agree. I feed mine out of slow feed hay nets and they get nets refilled 3x a day. However, there are a couple hour stretches where it would appear I donât hay at all. Mine are chunky monkeys so they have to stay limited, but also, mine are in good, ahem, very round, condition. Unfortunately my hands are tied, this person was bound and determined to call AC today, so Iâm just sitting here on standby should the mareâs owner need me. Who knows, they may not even show up, a lot of time they donât out hereâŠeven when it is EXTREMELY OBVIOUS that horses need to be confiscated to survive. I tried by giving my friend the information that steps are being taken to get the mare in better shape to pass along to her, but apparently she did call AC today (my friend texted me to tell me she placed the call).
If her ribs/ spine are clearly visible then she should have hay available to the mare 24/7. Just adding feed and not increasing the hay isnât going to accomplish anything. Did you see hay when you were there? Does the mare have to compete with her other 2 horses for the hay she does put out?
Honestly , if she is this clueless I would try and get the mare back.
3 Likes
Funny thing is, she isnât clueless. She has had horses for at least 15 years. Her other horses always looked fine, other than some occasional mild skin allergies in the summer, or she would have never been an option for my mare. I did see hay there, but not out in the pasture. She usually has a round bale out in the pasture, but I didnât see one the last time I was out, nor the time before. She does feed soaked alfalfa cubes on top of the coastal round bale she usually has out. She does feed grain separately in stalls. She has plenty of ways for this mare to be hayed separately as well, between the stalls and 3 different paddocks she has.
At this point, there is no way I will pry this mare back from her. I have repeatedly offered, my only other option is to demand and well, thatâs not going to work with her. When I offered the other day when I came out and saw her condition, she said I would have to pry her from her cold, dead hands because she loves her and she is going nowhere. I really have no legal recourse. I do not believe she ever changed her title to her name, but I did give her the title and she has since lost it. I do not have possession of her current coggins nor her title. There is no bill of sale because it was between friends, and I gave her her title and coggins as proof of ownership.
Can anyone see any loopholes here where I can do more?
Steal it back? That wonât work though as the owner of record you could apply for new title as lost I think if she doesnât have it either. If the horse were a car possession is unimportant, sheâd have to convince the DMV that there is a chain of title with possession of your title, usually signed off, or a bill of sale. Of course then it becomes stolen with all that unpleasantness if I you canât convince her to give the car or in this case the horse back. Has she been keeping him current on a Coggins or are you the last recorded owner?
I think the neighbor has overstepped, not necessarily by calling you the first time though you seemed terribly distressed, but by not waiting a month or letting you help your friend handle it. I used to drag a bale down for the two of mine in the AM and it would be cleaned up quick. Otherwise you donât know And neither does neighbor if sheâs shorting the hay or one of them is gobbling it. That being said AC is likely to be nothing more than a nuisance that will accept a letter from your friend that she and you And the vet, have an ongoing plan for a horse with pre existing conditions.
This is kind of a sticky wicket for you, especially since you are moving.
Can you relay it to her that there is a neighbor concerned and calling AC? And that youâre just trying to give her a heads up? Then you can also tell her to put a round bale out in the field just so if and when AC does show up, it doesnât give them anything to complain about. And maybe give her the name and number of someone who will deciliter a round bale to her field?
Also, IMO if this horse sounds like it needs HAY first before you add grain. If the horse has hay 24/7 and is still skinny then you go ahead and add grain to the diet but grain is not a replacement for forage.
What a strange attitude! She loves a horse, but wonât feed her enough. Budding hoarder?
11 Likes
I am with ML Oaks here. People can be really weird sometimes. I would not give her a heads up about animal control. This is a mustang and they are easy keepers so adequate half way decent hay should keep her in good flesh. I donât have a mustang but my horses are really fat just on grass hay and a little pasture. They do get a little ration balancer but I could drop that and they would still be overweight.
I have known horses with sweet itch - they rubbed themselves till they looked like crap but none of them lost weight from it. I donât know what you can do really since you no longer own the mare. And that sucks too. Maybe if she gets enough feedback from different people she will change how she is caring for the horse. I hope so!
2 Likes
