Careless horse owner

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Hollylee1989

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I've been embarrassed to write this post, but I need to vent. My sister has a lovely Arab mare, who is 28 and been with us since a 5 year old. October she weighed 420kg as I keep a check on her and my own horses weights. Come Jan I took her rug off to do our usual weighing, and I burst into tears as she looked like a rescue case. 392kg on the weight tape... shocking. Feeding her no breakfast and her hay was chucked on the floor with shavings mixed in, water drinker was full of slime and had little worms swimming in the bottom. She was getting stiffer and it came to light she hadn't been consistent with her danilon daily that she was told by our vet she needs to be. So after a huge argument and telling her exactly what she needed to hear, I've brought 60 sachets of danilon, work count, conditioning feed, treated her back feet as full of thrush.. again not being picked out as she was 'too stiff to lift her legs up'. Drinker cleaned out and fresh hay given everyday along with breakfast, dinner and constant pain relief. The pounds are slowly starting to go back on and no longer looking uncomfortable in her hinds. People like that make my blood boil.. this is all down to a new partner coming on the scene and she's acting like a silly teen, she's mid 40s.. I've offered to take poor whisper but this was declined as she 'loves her', still yet to prove it. Rant over!
 
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Ratface

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I commend you for your restraint in speaking to your sister. I wouldn't have been able to be so polite.
I have an 29yr old 16hh Arabian gelding who is on full livery with the lady who bred him.
He and his 4 relatives - oldest 31, youngest 16 - are kept very carefully by the above lady, who has dedicated her life to their comfort and welfare. She has a demanding side job, but her priority is and always has been their comfort and welfare.
They're all in excellent condition for their ages, are turned out every day in their fields, have regular scheduled appointments with the farrier, equine dentist and equine veterinarian.
I weigh-tape mine every week, discuss any queries or concerns that I may have. Fortunately, we agree in keeping our horses in as plain a fashion as possible. Plenty of daily turn-out, deep straw beds, mucked out daily and skipped before last stables, plain feed, (chop, grass nuts, veteran balancer, linseed twice a day) and huge haynets full of our own hay.
They're all in excellent condition, roar round their fields in the morning and bounce back to their stables at night. They're checked by eye and hand every day. When their lives end, they are buried in the far field, with their relatives who have gone before them.
This costs me almost all my money, but I wouldn't have it any different. He's given me so much pleasure over the many years that I have owned him, I wouldn't have it any different.
 
Tarragon

Tarragon

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Meant to add that rugs can hide a multitude of issues. I remember being horrified when I saw a horse that belonged to someone else and that I had just glanced at and thought it looked OK, had its rug taken off. It suddenly became apparent it was emaciated and in a very poor way. When all you see is the head and top of the neck, and the four legs, it is easy to be fooled.
 
PinkvSantaboots

PinkvSantaboots

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Tarragon said:
Meant to add that rugs can hide a multitude of issues. I remember being horrified when I saw a horse that belonged to someone else and that I had just glanced at and thought it looked OK, had its rug taken off. It suddenly became apparent it was emaciated and in a very poor way. When all you see is the head and top of the neck, and the four legs, it is easy to be fooled.
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Someone on a yard I was on used to keep turnout rugs on her horses in the summer because they were so thin, eventually the yo kicked her out but its disgusting the way some people treat there horses.
 
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Hollylee1989

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Ratface said:
I commend you for your restraint in speaking to your sister. I wouldn't have been able to be so polite.
I have an 29yr old 16hh Arabian gelding who is on full livery with the lady who bred him.
He and his 4 relatives - oldest 31, youngest 16 - are kept very carefully by the above lady, who has dedicated her life to their comfort and welfare. She has a demanding side job, but her priority is and always has been their comfort and welfare.
They're all in excellent condition for their ages, are turned out every day in their fields, have regular scheduled appointments with the farrier, equine dentist and equine veterinarian.
I weigh-tape mine every week, discuss any queries or concerns that I may have. Fortunately, we agree in keeping our horses in as plain a fashion as possible. Plenty of daily turn-out, deep straw beds, mucked out daily and skipped before last stables, plain feed, (chop, grass nuts, veteran balancer, linseed twice a day) and huge haynets full of our own hay.
They're all in excellent condition, roar round their fields in the morning and bounce back to their stables at night. They're checked by eye and hand every day. When their lives end, they are buried in the far field, with their relatives who have gone before them.
This costs me almost all my money, but I wouldn't have it any different. He's given me so much pleasure over the many years that I have owned him, I wouldn't have it any different.
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I've got a 22 and 21 year old myself, it is hard but we do everything to meet their basic needs. And winter is tough on everyone, no excuse to allow your horse to wilt away.
 
Tiddlypom

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Well done for stepping in.

Not sure about the weight loss, though, is that on a weigh tape? Last week my PPID mare weighed in at the vets at 25kg below her ideal weight - I was mortified (though it was me who requested that she be weighed). She was there for her hock jabs. She's a little lean, for sure, but not so much as to be unhealthy, and I have since upped her daily forage intake to ad lib, which has pleased her immensely.

The other issues that you are picking up are due to neglect, not being careless. Your thread title is unduly charitable.
 
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Hollylee1989

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sunleychops said:
This is horrific.

If the horse has only lost 28kgs though, surely it would have looked a welfare case before? Mine tends to go from 550 in the summer to around 500 in the winter and this isnt a drastic enough reduction for me to think he looks a welfare
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sunleychops said:
This is horrific.

If the horse has only lost 28kgs though, surely it would have looked a welfare case before? Mine tends to go from 550 in the summer to around 500 in the winter and this isnt a drastic enough reduction for me to think he looks a welfare case
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She was 420 in October, with her age and not being in work granted that will be muscle wastage, which I won't get back. Taking her rug off in jan to do our 3rd monthly weigh was a massive shock to me. I see her everyday, but at the moment she has rugs on obviously. She looks terrible
 
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Hollylee1989

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Tiddlypom said:
Well done for stepping in.

Not sure about the weight loss, though, is that on a weigh tape? Last week my PPID mare weighed in at the vets at 25kg below her ideal weight - I was mortified (though it was me who requested that she be weighed). She was there for her hock jabs. She's a little lean, for sure, but not so much as to be unhealthy, and I have since upped her daily forage intake to ad lib, which has pleased her immensely.

The other issues that you are picking up are due to neglect, not being careless. Your thread title is unduly charitable.
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It was on a tape yes
 
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Peglo

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Well done you for stepping in. I occasionally get rattled with my cousin and her poor keeping and as we keep them together I feel like they are also my responsibility but I really can’t afford them too, time wise or money. They have both had laminitis and every year I have to sort their spring grazing or it wouldn’t get done and she never helps to take the electric fencing back down in winter. ( a few examples)

I totally understand how a rant helps and then you can deal with everything for a while. Just carry on keeping an eye on the mare and hopefully the new relationship will settle.
 
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Hollylee1989

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Peglo said:
Well done you for stepping in. I occasionally get rattled with my cousin and her poor keeping and as we keep them together I feel like they are also my responsibility but I really can’t afford them too, time wise or money. They have both had laminitis and every year I have to sort their spring grazing or it wouldn’t get done and she never helps to take the electric fencing back down in winter. ( a few examples)

I totally understand how a rant helps and then you can deal with everything for a while. Just carry on keeping an eye on the mare and hopefully the new relationship will settle.
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Unfortunately I'm more annoyed and upset as she let this happen with her other mare. I can't sit back and watch it happen all over again
 
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Hollylee1989

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Peglo said:
goodness, she’s done this before!? I do hope then that this is her last horse. Good on you to have the argument for the benefit of the horse.
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She's said it's her last horse, and for once I agree on that decision. She's such a sweet loving mare, and gave our whole family so much fun and joy. Breaks my heart
 
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Kaylum

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You need to show her the body condition chart. Is she on a livery yard? Losing interest is no reason to keep an animal in that condition. Well done for pointing it out.
 
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