Henry this morning

PennywithHenry

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I just thought I'd say thanks for the replies re; my grazing and livery problems yesterday and let you know about his first night at home.

Hens settled so well it was as though he's lived here forever. He seems a lot happier by himself too.... This morning he had a little walk out in hand before being turned out and absolutely loved it! He puffed out his chest and walked out so proudly in his new light rug! I turned him out afterwards and he had a mad 5 minutes and a roll!! If I go out and call him he whinnies and canters over, he just can't believe he's out, whenever he wants to be!

The dogs had left their football in the paddock and he kept sniffing, squealing and half rearing at it, you wouldn't think he was 17!

He's just had his lunch, which he absolutely loves, as he's now on Winergy Sure Grow (thanks MerryMaker) and he really tucks in, and also ate about a slice of hay and a couple of generous handfuls of hayage overnight, which is a huge feat in itself, as when he came he wouldn't eat forage. Almost all of his forage replacement mix was gone overnight too!! I even snuck a small handful of readigrass in there.

I think his not eating forage such as hay/haylage stems from expecting pain when he chews, as his teeth were quite bad the dentist said, and he eats more if it's put through the old chaff cutter and chopped....He permanently has some chopped up in a recycling box in his stable and pops his nose in. Incidently he'll only eat feeds if they're soaked and warm and I have to keep the chill off his water too by popping out every now and then with a boiled kettle-talk about a high mintenance gee gee!!

So all in all he's an incredibly happy boy, which I think will be half the battle to getting his weight on. He has the vet out for a general check up tomorrow, just to see if he's improving really.....and has the farrier this afternoon.....
 
I can post some pics this evening of his weight if you'd like, when I get the camera out of hubbys car and transfer them, though he's only a score 1, hence me not having posted any yet, as he made my mum cry. I did think about taking a weekly pic and posting it, to show any changes in his weight and general condition coat wise etc....According to the weight tape we have an approx 7kg increase, I'm not sure how accurate they are but it gave morale a boost if nothing else!

I'm still shocked everytime I remove his rugs, even after 3 weeks, and he's still shocked everytime I appear with his bucket, despite having 4 feeds a day! He kind of looks at it in awe as if to say "all for me? Really?" I expected him to be quite greedy with feed, being deprived for so long, but he's so slow eating! He has a tiny mouthful, chews really slowly then has to lick all around the edge of the bucket before getting another! It's maybe best he's alone, if I had to stand with him whilst he ate I'd never get anything done!!

I know he's poor but I'm shocked at how quiet he is, especially whilst on feed.....we met a tractor and trailer out on our walk, a dog came running at us and a pheasant flew out the dyke and he was fine, if anything made him jump he just squatted a little. Aside from my old mare who I owned for years before she passed I don't think I've ever bonded with a horse like I have him, he's amazing, quite wary of 'strangers' and won't go to other people unless I'm there, but then I suppose that's a good thing in the long run.
 
PennywithHenry

I meant to reply to your previous post but was just wondering whereabouts in the country are you?

I know where I am we could offer you summer grazing with other horses (I am in Cambrigeshire) and I'm sure other people here may also be able to offer you the same.

He really sounds to have landed on his feet and I too can't believe the attitude you received at the livery yard.
 
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