The first of many questions ...

I

I_am_a_cucumber

Well-Known Member
Joined
29 April 2008
Messages
2,186
Location
In a veg patch near you.
Visit site
Hmmm. I'm quite reluctant to post this because I fear I have committed one of the worst HHO sins. So please don't shout at me. Or at least, don't shout at me all at once. Ok, here goes: We have 'acquired' (long story...) a pony without really knowing enough about horsey matters. Yes, we are pretty much novices. (You're wondering why I have been on HHO for so long? That's a long story too, but there is - sort of - a horsey connection.) And this pony is not really an easy pony, described as 'mare-ish' and a bit Jekyll and Hyde by previous owner. A bit skittish, prone to rearing up and doesn't like men. (Easy to catch and box though!) She's a 19 yo section A. We're taking things very slowly. Anyway ... I will be posting lots of numpty questions in the next few weeks...

First question - previous owner suggested that her behaviour might be due to hormonal problems, as she is worse some times than others. What would you, the HHO wise ones, suggest we try? And how do we best give it to her? (At the moment she is out 24 hours, on grass, no supplemental feeds.)

And please, don't shout too loudly...


Here she is:

IMG_0725-1.jpg
 
Dearest Cucumber, you are indeed barking mad :D

Lots of ground work, get her listening to you and doing what you want rather than what she wants (slow and steady). Lunging, if she will and if you can get someone to show you how :). Wear a hat and glooves :D

Good luck!
 
If her moods are seasonal then i would speal to a vet and try and get something like regumate to regulate her hormones.

Also your grass looks quite long in that picture i would be worried about lami with a little native on grass like that so just keep an eye for warning signs.

Good luck with her, everyone has to start somewhere
 
MrsMozart said:
Dearest Cucumber, you are indeed barking mad :D
Click to expand...
Nothing new there! :D

Lots of ground work, get her listening to you and doing what you want rather than what she wants (slow and steady). Lunging, if she will and if you can get someone to show you how :). Wear a hat and glooves :D

Good luck!
Click to expand...

That's what we were planning to do - after she has had a chance to settle in. Luckily we are surrounded by very experienced people. :) Eek, it's all a bit daunting!

(A hat? I assume a baseball cap will do? ;) )
 
Ginger_Nut said:
If her moods are seasonal then i would speal to a vet and try and get something like regumate to regulate her hormones.

Also your grass looks quite long in that picture i would be worried about lami with a little native on grass like that so just keep an eye for warning signs.

Good luck with her, everyone has to start somewhere
Click to expand...

Yes, I'll speak to a vet asap. We will keep our eye on laminitis signs - previous owner said she has never had any problems though. Apparently she moves about quite a bit (doesn't like midges/flies), which seems to help. But we will keep an eye on it.


(Phew, no shouting so far...)
 
Nope no shouting, were a nice bunch on here really and you are being sensible about it, asking for help for on and from others around by the looks of it. like i said above, good luck your in for a fun summer and hopefully lots of happy years ahead of you
 
Hope you enjoy and have a lovely time together :D

If you can stop bouncing long enough, have a hot choccy on me (with chocolate swirls :D).

Hm. Baseball cap.... I'll get the piccy of m'brain out again! lol, No m'duck (or in your case, m'cucumber), a riding hat if there is any chance at all of the wee ned waving her feet up around your ears!
 
No shouting from me:), but i will whisper, please don't wait for the signs of laminitis, if you can, get her on some rougher grass, as soon as you can, i am no fan off strip grazing, but, sometimes it is the onley way.
Have fun:)playing:)
 
I haven't read all of the replies so i apologise if I repeat anyone. :)

First of all you need to think about what you are going to feed the pony. Keep an eye on her weight and do not let her graze on rich pastures as ponies like yours can be prone to Laminitis. As her grazing will most likely have to be restricted in some way, I would suggest you feed her a Balancer to make sure she is getting all of the correct vitamins and minerals. 1 cup of Bailey's Lo-Cal per day should be fine! (This is what we feed our old Welsh mare) And as she is hormonal, a supplement such as 'Moody Mare' should help.

I would spend a lot of time to start with just giving her plenty of attention, grooming her, leading her in hand, picking her feet up, etc to get her to trust you and this should make her less jumpy. She may just be unsettled because she is in a new place. Is she turned out alone?
 
Go and buy a real riding hat, you naughty salad ingredient:mad: Nobody likes a squished cucumber!:p Also proper boots, none of this trainers malarkey, you need something to protect your toes (roots?).

The rougher the grazing the better really, section a's are designed to live in the Welsh hills off pretty much fresh air. Keep an eye on her weight and condition, if it comes to it you can put a grazing muzzle on her to slow her munching down. Also, if the flies are bothering her, look out for her itching and rubbing her coat and mane and tail, you might want to fly spray her - if she doesn't like the spray, then squirt it onto a cloth or your hands and rub her down with the stuff instead:)
 
Fii said:
No shouting from me:), but i will whisper, please don't wait for the signs of laminitis, if you can, get her on some rougher grass, as soon as you can, i am no fan off strip grazing, but, sometimes it is the onley way.
Have fun:)playing:)
Click to expand...

We've fenced off a relatively small part of the field for her at the moment, but will look at other possibilities. Would cutting the grass help?

(Thank you for whispering. :))


(I think I'll have to give up on the green - too much hassle. :()
 
SJ_Superstars said:
I haven't read all of the replies so i apologise if I repeat anyone. :)

First of all you need to think about what you are going to feed the pony. Keep an eye on her weight and do not let her graze on rich pastures as ponies like yours can be prone to Laminitis. As her grazing will most likely have to be restricted in some way, I would suggest you feed her a Balancer to make sure she is getting all of the correct vitamins and minerals. 1 cup of Bailey's Lo-Cal per day should be fine! (This is what we feed our old Welsh mare) And as she is hormonal, a supplement such as 'Moody Mare' should help.

I would spend a lot of time to start with just giving her plenty of attention, grooming her, leading her in hand, picking her feet up, etc to get her to trust you and this should make her less jumpy. She may just be unsettled because she is in a new place. Is she turned out alone?
Click to expand...

Thanks for the feed advice - will look into that! (Moody Mare certainly sounds very appropriate...) The previous owner has had her on grass all year round (with some hay in winter), which she seemed fine on - however, better safe than sorry!

We have groomed her a couple of days ago, which went well. Daughter even managed to pick her front feet up without any problems. Leading her in hand is next on our list. :) There are normally two other horses in the same field, but they are away at the moment, so unfortunately she is on her own right now.
 
I_am_a_cucumber said:
We've fenced off a relatively small part of the field for her at the moment, but will look at other possibilities. Would cutting the grass help?

(Thank you for whispering. :))


(I think I'll have to give up on the green - too much hassle. :()
Click to expand...

Short grass can have really high sugar levels I think. Have a look here http://www.laminitis.org/ they have some useful info:)

Don't give up on the green!
 
Spudlet said:
Go and buy a real riding hat, you naughty salad ingredient:mad: Nobody likes a squished cucumber!:p Also proper boots, none of this trainers malarkey, you need something to protect your toes (roots?).
Click to expand...

No baseball hat? Awww. :( But a riding hat will ruin my hair style! (No, hold on - I don't have a hair style. :D) Don't worry, we're sorted for hats. :)

The rougher the grazing the better really, section a's are designed to live in the Welsh hills off pretty much fresh air. Keep an eye on her weight and condition, if it comes to it you can put a grazing muzzle on her to slow her munching down. Also, if the flies are bothering her, look out for her itching and rubbing her coat and mane and tail, you might want to fly spray her - if she doesn't like the spray, then squirt it onto a cloth or your hands and rub her down with the stuff instead:)
Click to expand...

Yes, I was wondering about a grazing muzzle. Will look into that as well. The previous owner said she is quite sensible when eating, not at all greedy - so maybe that helped keeping laminitis at bay in the past?

She has a tendency to rub when flies are bothering her, so we have already mixed a fly spray (thanks to HHO for recipes!) and managed to spray it on her without any problems.

Right, I might go and see her again now. Better find my straw hat and flip flops... :D
 
Cucumbers are not meant to be hairy - I think you are a genetically modifed cucumber:eek::p:D

Have you decided if you're going to do anything with her, or is she going to be a pet pony only?:)
 
Ditto all the previous replies and welcome to the world of no sleep, strange smells, random trot-ups, head-scratching, blood, sweat, tears and laughter.
Please feel free to PM any questions - I am the previous owner of a mare part-bred with Satan, and the current owner of a laminitic!
Wishing you well in your equine venture and may it be a long and happy partnership.
x
 
Congratulations on the new arrival!! Any more photos?

It's a steap learning curve but in a year's time you'll be amazed at how much you know that you didn't before (if that makes any sense).

Regarding the laminitis, it's best to restrict her grazing which should also help with weight issues (it's always a nightmare to get the weight off, so if you can keep her from putting it on in the first place that would be ideal). I was always told that long grass is safer as they are less likely to eat it and it does not contain as much energy and protein as newly mowed grass which is trying to grow again.

What are your plans for her? Is she going to be ridden?
 
Apologies for the, ummm, 'slight' delay in responding to posts - I do really appreciate all the replies!

A quick update: I am still alive, the beastly one has not kicked or bitten me yet. :D She is acutally very sweet most of the time. We've been leading her up to our house (about 1/4 mile down a lane), grooming her, even put a saddle and bridle on her without any problems. Apart from last week, when we discovered the effect being in season can have on some mares... She turned into 'The Beast', no doubt related to Shilasdair's big boss. Now she is as sweet as pie again. :)

Spudlet said:
Cucumbers are not meant to be hairy - I think you are a genetically modifed cucumber:eek::p:D
Click to expand...
Ah, you've discovered my secret. :( Yes, I am a genetically modified cucumber - hairy and with fingers. How could I type otherwise! Please don't tell anybody.

Have you decided if you're going to do anything with her, or is she going to be a pet pony only?:)
Click to expand...

Not sure yet, we'll just have to see how it goes. We are hoping that at some point we (or rather the kids) will be able to ride her. If not, that's ok too. We got her on the understanding that she might end up being a 'paddock ornament'. :)
 
Flicker said:
Ditto all the previous replies and welcome to the world of no sleep, strange smells, random trot-ups, head-scratching, blood, sweat, tears and laughter.
Please feel free to PM any questions - I am the previous owner of a mare part-bred with Satan, and the current owner of a laminitic!
Wishing you well in your equine venture and may it be a long and happy partnership.
x
Click to expand...

Thank you! :) When in season, she is definitely showing some satanic characteristics... Hmm, maybe Shilasdair has got something to do with it.
 
Booboos said:
Congratulations on the new arrival!! Any more photos?

It's a steap learning curve but in a year's time you'll be amazed at how much you know that you didn't before (if that makes any sense).

Regarding the laminitis, it's best to restrict her grazing which should also help with weight issues (it's always a nightmare to get the weight off, so if you can keep her from putting it on in the first place that would be ideal). I was always told that long grass is safer as they are less likely to eat it and it does not contain as much energy and protein as newly mowed grass which is trying to grow again.

What are your plans for her? Is she going to be ridden?
Click to expand...


Her grazing is quite restricted at the moment. That's very interesting about long / mown grass - makes sense.

As regards plans, we're not sure yet. If she can be ridden, great. If not, that's fine too. :)
 
as a fellow novice owner of a very bolshy cob my one piece of advice to you would be to find a very good, caring local riding instructor - not only to teach you to ride but to advise in all horse care matters. Mine is brill - she checks his tack, his feet when i was worried - advised on general care - i have her number and know if ever im stuck i could ring and ask her advice.
i just feel better knowing she visits weekly and would tell me of any concerns i may not notice - good luck xxxx
 
Regumate might be worth it, but wait and see how bad she is as it's quite expensive and tricky to handle.
If not rasberry leaves and chaste berry (agnus castus) are good :)
 
also - similar to above but i keep my horse ona fairly busy livery yard - i make no secrets about the fact that ima novice so would appreciate any advice from teh other liveries or my yard owner. i know if anything was wrong with my horse and i didnt notice someone would tell me - in fact i more or less asked my yo to keep an eye on my horse - i was worried he lost weight over winter and my yo assured me he was fine, was overweight when i got him - i am happy knowing many people are keepign an eye on both of us xxxx
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top