thoughts/advice/opinions (long sorry)

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clairefeekerry1

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i have a 29yr old pony who i've had for 15yrs. she's done alot, JA level showjumper most of her life but always been pretty healthy/sound etc. retired at 24 to live out her days with me.
i moved from my prev yard in march after keeping her there for bout 9 yrs, it was a tough decision but decided to move as new livery yard had fab massive fields, well cared for grazing,post and rail and plenty of shelter. i moved my two other horses as well.
since i've moved her condition has nose dived, she lost alot of weight recently and looks really weird, sunken eyes etc. one of the major problems is (and always has been!) is catching her during summer months, its near impossible, so she can't be fed up etc, have to organise for all the other liveries to meet me and remove their horses first, so she gen only comes in in the summer for feet and teeth. teeth are in fab condition so its not them, what else could it be?? her liver?
i worship this pony, she's my horse of a lifetime and would be distraught if she's suffering, have the vet coming out, will she just continue to waste away to nothing?
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To be honest she is probably jusy worrying and unsettled being older and having been at her last yard for so long, can you not get her in and keep her in to feed her up. How many horses does she share a field with could you put a vit and mineral lick out for her. Have her field companions changed could she be being bullied? When they lose weight at that age it is so much harder to get it back on.

Good luck hope it all works out x
 
I think maybe you should have her blood tested by the vet, if she is eating good grass at this time of year she shouldn't be losing weight.

Silly question but is her woming up to date? maybe a worm count?

I expect only your vet could tell you what is wrong - good luck, hope she is ok.
 
yes they are all on strict worming programe, she's out with 5 other mares who are all similar type/height/age and seem to get on very well. one of the mares is also mine and has been her companion for 6 yrs and they still stay close. none of the other horses come in much during summer months as there all retired/broke etc and there field is designed as a retirement field for the summer. i.e 10 acres with tonnes of natural shelter and plenty of things to look at/play with. i thought she'd thrive here. i've noticed recently she stands and sleeps/rests when all the others are grazing
 
I would get the vet out to take a look at her and perhaps get some advice and blood tests from them, see what comes back, having owned my mare, also my horse of a lifetime 17yrs i can understand how attached you are to her and how worrying it is when things like this happen.
I would get the vet to give her a good check over and take bloods and go from there x
 
Are you sure its to do with the move and not just because shes getting on and not thriving as she would have in her younger days?
 
your right, it may and possibly is just her getting on in life,concerned how quickly she's gone down hill, maybe this is the beginning of the end
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Has she always been out with that many horses or has she previously been kept in a smaller herd or just with your others? Was she at the other yard for a long time?

It could be that she is not coping with being in such a big and new herd. being older she'll probably be a low ranking member of the herd hierarchy and the pair bond she had with your other mare will have become strained as the others are around. This may be causing her to stress and worry as she's not as well equipped to assert herself as a younger horse would.

I had a similar experience with my teenaged mare when I moved her from a small DIY yard where she had been turned out with the same couple of mares for 5 years to a full livery/ competition yard where she was out with about 7 other horses. she went from being the leader to the bottom of the pecking order and just didn't cope - looked awful, never put weight on and was colicky. She's a different horse now I've moved her and she goes out with 2 friends.

Could you move her into a smaller group to give her an easier time?
 
My mare started to lose weight last year when she was 29, her liver function was decreasing, one blood test later and I put her on Milk Thistle powder to help the liver. She's now put the weight back on and is fit and healthy again.

It's definitely worth getting a blood test done, fingers crossed you can sort your mare out as easily as mine was
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