My experience is they won’t lie down until they feel safe. My trainer got an OTTB who we do not thing lay down for months (no evidence anyway). He came in stressed and gradually settled. The first day he took a nap, the barn manager texted my trainer a picture and said “Should we call the vet?” He now lies down regularly
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Remember, horses are prey animals. When they lie down and when they sleep soundly, they’re vulnerable to attack. In the wild, a few sleep while the others stand guard. So, it’s really a “feeling safe” issue. Of course, other factors may apply.
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Poor horse, I am so glad you have her now!
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If you have some cardboard you can flatten out, you could zip tie it to your mesh gate at the bottom. That way, you can add shavings without them coming out all over.
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Congratulations on your new horse! Sounds like you are getting great advice and doing so very well for her. Her lucky day to find you.
For the loose stool, check with your vet but I’ve had good luck with Florestor saccharomyces boulardii (over the counter at the drugstore) and your favorite psyllium supplement (mine refused Metamucil which was recommended but loved SandClear) for the loose stool. I had a vet recommend it for a horse with a loose stool after I spent a whole lot of money with other treatments recommended by a different vet.
Have you had your farrier out yet for her?
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Not yet, money isn’t ‘tight’ persay, but my pony is due in a couple weeks, and I have that radius rasp tool that I use on him every other week in between trims, so I will probably give her a quick edging this evening when I treat that split sulcus that she has going on. Then when pony is due they both will get trims, honestly her hooves are the last of my worries with her right now, I know that sounds awful and I don’t mean it that way, but of all her issues, her feet can be taken care of once she makes it thru the next couple weeks and is a little more stable, and a little stronger to hold her feet up and move her legs around for the trimming stand.
Her poop is firming up a little more over the past couple days. We did have one evening with actual apples, but we are at the firm but still somewhat sloppy mark. Probably give it another day or two, I wonder if it could be the change in water type? I have no idea if their horses were getting water from a creek/well/city hose…?
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I thought about using another gate tarp/ cover thing on the other side of her gate to block shavings. I always worry about things being chewed, like cardboard, or, mice… they’re insufferable in my barn and my outdoor cat will kill everything on the house side of the fence, but refuses to go near the barn, dang cat.
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@Maythehorsebewithme @ShenanAnna, went home at lunch an hr ago, one side of her cooler had shavings on it!!! More near the butt than anything, so I’m not sure hoowww far/much she laid down, but she definitely did! No signs of rolling/distress either in her bedding, just the typical half firm poops n one pee. I’m calling it progress!!! She also got her stall cleaned and two more bags of shavings put down, maybe she will have shavings on her coat when I get home from work, the cooler came off at lunch so hoping she will want to scratch around and enjoy having it off for a bit!
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Yay for her laying down! That’s wonderful!
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Can I ask why she can’t use her attached lot at will? Is it too large or is she that weak?
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Also keep in mind that it may be quite a while before she looks heavier. She’s going to add internal fat around her organs, first.
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Because that lot is where she can touch noses with pony and she is still in quarantine for now. So I have to make sure he is either in his stall or turned out with his mask on if she is out, plus there is still grass in that lot where it’s just been pony at my place all summer. Vet doesn’t want her eating grass much at all still November. That lot is only about 30x50, but she is doing well staying in her stall, containing calories and just eating and chilling out. I do live across the street from a paintball place too, so staying safe in the stall and not having the chance to freak out/jump around/ try to ‘escape’ which I don’t see her doing but still, is better for her right now.
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Oh for sure, the fact that she is still functioning as far as output and intake of food is my main concern right now, she can gain it however she wants, as long as she gains!
Unlike what I tell my body… apparently my hips and thighs have their own ideas on where food should go…lols… and ugh!
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I was just going to suggest the FloraStor as well - it’s a relatively inexpensive way to get the gut back on track.
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How much or how often do you give it?
I actually don’t remember - I know some people here have done this recently, so maybe they can weigh in. It’s been years since I last had to do it.
My horse was 1000 lbs so it was 5 pills assuming 1 pill per 200 lb.
It was 2X a day. I had a large syringe with the end whittled out just a bit. Mixed it with a little warm water into a paste and used the syringe to put it in the back of her mouth. She liked it, it’s yeasty, so that was pretty easy. Plus, sandclear which seems to firm up/clabber up the liquid projectile poo. It was for a very old horse I had for a very very long time. She had an impaction colic which cleared but turned into liquid. It’s amazing how much you can spend on a horse and not even have surgery. When the attending vet ran out of stuff to try I decided to take her home. The clinic owner vet helped me load her and told me about the Florastor and psyllium though he recommended Metamucil. She hated Metamucil and liked sandclear so I used sandclear tossed in her feed bucket as well. It worked in 5 days then and whenever it returned though once it took 10 days. I used it on the dog after a kennel stay (60ish lb dog 1 pill 2X a day for 5 days).
Please clear it with your veterinarian. A veterinarian told me about it but I am not a veterinarian. I am a long time horse owner who has helped support many veterinarians over the years and some of my horses have been magnets for weird stuff though I think maybe they all seem to be magnets for weird stuff. I love what you are doing with this mare.
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Thanks for the ideas! I will check with my vet. She is getting a scoop of probios with a teensie bit of dry senior on top of her soaked feed. I dump it on it right before feeding and right in the middle so its one of the first bites she takes. I am tentatively optimistic, her poop has firmed up a little bit more today, maybe it will just be a day by day process till we have actual apples coming out?
She had no actual hay till now, and since it had to be alfalfa, I am hoping it is just her body’s way of learning to digest the protein in it. I will ask the vet about metamucil or any other otc people meds for her too.
Still waiting to hear if the lab was able to pull a fecal from what the vet was able to get from her stall yesterday. That could be a cause as well, everything is still pretty much wait and see with her till all the vet labs and fecals come back. Good thing I am the MOST patient person in the world… (insert heavy sarcasm!!)
I am just trying to do what I can for her, my friends went insanely above and beyond to help me with my senior mare, just trying to pay it forward 
!
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If I were closer, I would have to come give you a hug (and an extra hand if needed). What you are doing for this mare touches my heart. Thank you for giving her a chance and for being the very special person that you are! Much love to you, your husband and this very lucky mare. 
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Awwww ty! If you are ever in East Tennessee let me know! I always wanted to open a horse B&B where people can leave their horses while they are at a hotel for the night or something like that haha!
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