Sick to death!!

MrsNorris

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Of worrying about my EMS horse.... He is now covered in muzzle sores to add to everything else, I'm just sick and tired of worrying about him..He's come in today with raised pulses and a bit footy again, so back to being stabled with just a few hours out, and no riding. He has 3 different muzzles, all of which rub him somewhere, and he's now quite sore and very resentful :( I can't help thinking it's not much of a life for him...
Selfishly maybe, but I also want to do stuff, it's all happening around me and I'm unable to commit to anything because I just don't know whether he'll be sound or not from one day to the next.
Everyone else's horse is out happily munching away and they're planning loads of trips and riding everyday, whilst I'm endlessly mucking out and worrying, and spending a fortune on various supplements, bedding and low sugar haylage, just doesn't seem fair!
Bit of a pointless post, just feeling a bit defeated today, I hate this time of year....
 

OWLIE185

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It all depends on his 'Quality of Life' and maybe it is worthwhile considering if 'is it time to let him go'?
You know your horse best and you must be able to stand by your decision.
 

Merlod

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Not a solution but I have a lami prone shet. I also have three muzzles to rotate between (easy breathe, dinkyrugs and shires fleece) but I always go up a size (he wears pony size) so that the bucket is loose, I've found this is the best way to prevent rubs (oh and I cut off those awful waffle pads that come with the shires, they are the worst for rubbing!)

How is he other times of the year? I find this is the worst time for lami, so much sun and rain and growth. At least in the heat of the summer the grass gets a bit crispy but the winter is really "his time" and I do more driving and stuff with him whilst my ridden horse takes it a little easier after doing a lot through the summer :)
 

atropa

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I feel your pain, this is the second summer in a row I've had two different horses in on boxrest...everyone elses is out pooing in the field, eating the lovely free grass, showing every weekend and I'm breaking my back mucking out twice daily and trying to control a very bored, very restless warmblood with no turnout and no riding..only 3 more months to go :(
At least I have an end in sight (fingers crossed and touch wood), it must be awful dealing with EMS. Hugs
 

lottiepony

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My old girl got EMS in her later years and at times was a constant worry. However once you've cracked the management stage then everything will become easier as you don't have to worry quite as much. I managed to have her out 24/7 all year round - mainly as I had no other option lol but it can be done! Are you on a livery yard? as appreciate its not so easy to do as there are rules and routines etc but usually there can be a way to manage it. I've had to swap my pony's routine drastically this year as he came very close to a laminitis attack but now we're in the routine all is well again. Stay positive I'm sure your horse will come right, you're doing the best by him which is the most important thing!
 

supsup

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Any option to arrange (or move to another yard that has) completely grass-free turnout and feed hay or haylage year-round? It might make life much easier if you can work with a consistent setup day in, day out, and don't have to deal with the daily "grass lottery".
 

_HP_

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In would also look at moving yards or asking about something to suit your horse. Sometimes grass free is the best option with these sensitive ones.
Is he overweight? I would make sure to get him to around a condition score of 2. That's how I keep my laminitics....I like to see ribs
 
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SusieT

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shoe him to enjoy the summer
or use mains electric fencing to fence off an area and use it into no grass area/ turn out in an arena
 

Goldenstar

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I agree with above if he's unshod shoe and get him into daily work the EMS will be much more manageable when you can work him consistently and harder .
I also think you need a bare small electric fenced area so you can turn out unmuzzled .
Or use boots work the horse more and see if that helps .
 
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Clodagh

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I ended up having my son's EMS pony PTS. One blade of grass and she was off her feet, I didn't want her to live like that. If I managed her to keep her sound she had an awful life that no horse would vwant to live.
 

brighteyes

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My commiserations. It's a horrible condition and their lives are pretty miserable while it's adversely affecting them. Are you medicating for it?

Horrible. An absolute nightmare and PITA. I wouldn't battle it again.
 

MrsNorris

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Thanks everyone for your thoughts, moving yards might be a solution, but there's very little choice round here, this one is one of the best, he's just become so hard to manage as he's got older.
Not sure any yard round here could accommodate him now, really need my own land so I could go grass-free, but that's never going to happen :(

He's ok at other times of the year, it's just April to July/August really, just when you want to do stuff!!

Seems like it's all work and no play at the moment, and tbh, I slightly resent spending this much of my hard earned cash just to be miserable!

But then again, I love this horse to bits, had him 10 years, and will carry on doing my best for him.

I'm just on a bit of a downer at the moment, think I need a good kick up the backside and a reminder of how lucky I am to have him.
 

MrsNorris

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I agree with above if he's unshod shoe and get him into daily work the EMS will be much more manageable when you can work him consistently and harder .
I also think you need a bare small electric fenced area so you can turn out unmuzzled .
Or use boots work the horse more and see if that helps .

He's shod in front, but when he's footsore I don't work him as I don't want to risk further inflaming already inflamed laminae.
He has been kept in a little electric fence pen for years up till now, but YM won't allow us to use electric fencing any more.

We do have a small fenced off area at the yard, but it has knee high, seeding grass in it, and I can't strim it down because of my recent shoulder surgery. I've tried to get other liveries to pop their horses in for a day or 2 to eat it off, but nobody's willing :(
 

be positive

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He's shod in front, but when he's footsore I don't work him as I don't want to risk further inflaming already inflamed laminae.
He has been kept in a little electric fence pen for years up till now, but YM won't allow us to use electric fencing any more.

We do have a small fenced off area at the yard, but it has knee high, seeding grass in it, and I can't strim it down because of my recent shoulder surgery. I've tried to get other liveries to pop their horses in for a day or 2 to eat it off, but nobody's willing :(

I don't understand YO,s who will not run their yards with the interests of the resident horses as a priority, so many are now overweight, struggling with metabolic issues yet they bring in rules to stop owners from being able to manage them in a sensible way, I know it is nice to see lovely green fields full of lush fertilised grass but this is not what is required by most horses and is potentially fatal for some.
I don't like to see muzzled horses surrounded by grass, yes it may be essential at times to muzzle but most would be far happier turned out on a bare lot, or even better on a track, with hay just a little grass to nibble on, the term Yard Manager should really be Equine Manager with the equines being managed correctly with their individual needs being met.

I would look to move if you can find somewhere that meets his needs, being muzzled yet still getting some rich grass is probably still too much for him to deal with, keeping him in almost 24/7 is not fair but in this yard may be your only real option.
 

Echo Bravo

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My welsh sec a has ems, and it's taken a year to get her weight down. she's on metformin 4 tablets a day she goes out during the day but in at night with a little timothy haylage and touch wood doing ok, am hoping to strip graze her on another paddock as the one she's in needs to be rested as a winter paddock, one thing we haven't done this year is put fertiliser on as we no longer make our own hay and she goes out from 10am-4pm
 

chaps89

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My ems pony has been off the grass completely for 3 weeks now- I've been lucky, I've been able to fence a strip off that is not quite as wide as a menage but longer and it's a mud/weed patch (put companion on it to graze it down first) and she's on soaked hay and straw chaff now. Yesterday she jumped into the main field and gorged, I'm heartbroken :( up until now tho this did wonders and her figure slimmed down quickly and her feet improved tenfold. My issue is she has soundness problems which makes keeping her in enough work for keeping weight down. I'm also questioning quality of life. She's only 7 :( so I feel your pain.
Could you move yards that could accomodate turnout but not grazing if your yard can't help at all?
 

Echo Bravo

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Timothy haylage has less sugar than soaked hay and my mare enjoys eating it, my vet said she was allowed 41/2kg of haylage but the more she grazed the less haylage at night and it does seem to work she's gone from 305kg to 230kg + she has winergy low energy and healthy hooves sugarless for her tablets but no carrots/apples/parsnips in her feed at all.
 

chaps89

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Oh, I can't edit my last post but have you tried him on metformin? There seems to be mixed results/opinions but it's about £22 for a tub of 300 so not expensive to try.
 

_HP_

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I'm having to move my grass sensitive ponies onto knee deep grass next month...I'm doing a strip along the fence line and am covering it with stable mats. Is that something you can do?
 

brighteyes

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You'd think a YO would have the welfare of horses on their premises to heart. I'm shocked, I really am, at the peevishness. The muzzle-rubs should heal quickly - I adapted my (bog-standard) Shires ones with sheepskin/fur fabric and they never make marks now.

I know electric fencing can look messy but if it's a life-saver...
 

Echo Bravo

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Metformin you start off with high dosage + blood tests and as the blood test get better the dosage goes down mine from 20 tabs per day she's down to 4 blood test twice a year £40 for 500 but it does work for my mare. Makes you wonder just how many fat ponies and cobs out there have ems as my little mare I did give not much feed when I bought her and she stayed fat wasn't till she went down with laminitis on frozen ground in Feb last year and not responding to ordinary laminitis care like on bute she didn't come right for over 12 weeks stabled 24/7
 

MrsNorris

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It's a nightmare for lots of us isn't it.. My vet is against metformin, he says it's not well absorbed by horses and there's only anecdotal evidence that it actually does anything, so he doesn't recommend, tho I'd be happy to give it a go. My horse is late teens now and we've had years and years of worrying over this, it wears you down..
 

{97702}

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Only me that is wondering why a known troll with an account that was accessed by several HHO users is posting again then.......
 

Puppy

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Lévrier;13294241 said:
Only me that is wondering why a known troll with an account that was accessed by several HHO users is posting again then.......

No. Not just you ;)
 

Damnation

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She hasn't trolled since bringing this account back after a lengthy break so I am willing to let it slide if I'm honest, especially since she has posted genuinely worrying about her horse..
 

{97702}

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She hasn't trolled since bringing this account back after a lengthy break so I am willing to let it slide if I'm honest, especially since she has posted genuinely worrying about her horse..

We don't even know which user is accessing the account again??
 

MrsNorris

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Are you talking about me? Think you must have confused me with someone else? Please explain who you think I am? I can assure everyone that this is a completely genuine post and that I have never trolled or had other users accessing my account, very confused now :confused:
 
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