Conference noted::equitation

    We bought a horse a few years ago, mostly because we felt so bad
    as to her circumstance.  Malnourished, back feet so worn she had
    barely no frog!!!  Although she was not starving, she did look
    pathetic..she also (and it was late August) had a full winter coat.
     Upon an Aunt's advice, we had the vet come out and worm her and
    she did recover from the "winter coat syndrome".  Now I'm not sure,
    if it was just the vet worming, the vitamins or the healthy diet,
    but by the next summer you wouldn't have known it was the same mare.
     We bought her as a registered appaloose with no spots, and she
    turned out to be a lovely snowflake.  
    
    Good luck...

    I once bought just such a horse ( no, make that twice ) in order to
    resuce the poor things from bad conditions.  With the fist one, the vet
    told me that the horse's skin would be in somewhat poor shape for as
    long as a year, even after the horse gained weight.  And he was right. 
    When this horse finally shed his coat, gobs of old dead skin came with
    it.  After that he glowed like a penny!
    
    Another mare I rescued was so thin you could see each vertebra in her
    spine, and her neck looked like a limp piece of thick rope!  Took a
    while for her coat to come back, too.  I think maybe the extra hair
    keeps them warm in the absence of a layer of fat, and so maybe that
    takes a while to go.
                                              
    I found that I was really surprised at how these horses can come
    back, but it does take some time if they've been neglected for more
    than a little while.  But they do.  And they really seem to know that
    you rescued them.  The mare that I rescued was so fearful that she used to 
    actually attack people who entered her stall.  Now she's like a puppy!
    She just loves attention.
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
      The mare I
    got was so mean when I first got her, that she would attack people who
    entered her stall.  Now she's like a puppy.

  I agree with .1

  Tube worming tends to be more effective than just the paste.  You'll need
  to suggest that they get the vet out to do this ASAP.  It will do wonders.

  Simone

    It takes a long time to recover from neglect (a good year) and in the 
    meantime her immune system will probably be weak.  The fact that she 
    hasn't shed out shows how poor her condition is.  They should probably 
    not work her hard (or, preferably, at all) and just give her time to 
    rest and build up slowly.  I strongly recommend that they have her 
    vetted...she may need to go on supplements as well.
    
    T-breds are frequently very generous horses...I've seen them give until
    their hearts literally give out.  It is up to the owners to have a
    some self-discipline and concern for the horse and to put that ahead of
    their desire to ride right away.  Especially if they are planning to do
    dressage with her, in which case they are in for the long haul.
    
    Mary

    Well, I went on a trail ride with this horse/girl this past weekend,
    and tactfully suggested that perhaps a follow-up with the vet would
    be a good idea. She didn't seem to take much interest in the
    suggestion, unfortuneatly. She did say she's planning to go to a
    dressage schooling show in a few weeks, hopefully the judge will make
    some comments on the horse's condition and she'll take more notice.
    She frequently asks me to ride with her on weekends, because it's
    the only way she can get the horse more than a mile or so from the
    house without her turning and bolting for home. She knows I do
    10-12 miles on the weekends, and  doesn't seem to realize that's not
    in her horses best interest...so I did tell her yesterday that because
    of the horse's lack of conditioning I would not do more than a few
    miles with her, turning back when the horse begins to show wear. She
    took that quite well, saying how last weekend the horse DID seem a bit
    tired......at least if I can't convince them to have a vet by I feel
    I can help the horse somewhat by refusing to help her rider overdo it.
    It's really a sad situation, the owners are very nice people, just very
    uninformed and blind to that fact. Fortunate too, I guess, that the
    horse simply bolts for home if she's taken out alone, that probably
    takes her out of the "willing, generous TB" catagory, but thankfully
    seems to put her into the "self-preserving" group...thanks everyone,
    it's good to know I wasn't just being overly concerned!
    

    Blue seal had developed a new product called `Demand'.  It is for 
    recovering horses and performance horses who need to recover quickly.
    
    Recalling from memory, it has soy bean meal in it, which helps
    shedding (In a conversation w/ someone, they had mentioned that 
    they feed this stuff to their horses during the shedding season
    and they shed out quick.....who knows how true....)
    
    Anyway, if this person is not interested in a vet follow up, maybe you
    can suggest she try Demand (It costs a few dollars more per 100lbs
    than strider or trotter).  
    
    For the life of me, I can't find the fact sheet on the product.  I'll
    look in the barn tonite.
    
    Michele
    
    p.s.
    
    I have tried it, I like the results, however, I'm not to sure if it's 
    a gimick for the horse owner, or really helping.  The green grass is
    reallying coming out now, which may help keep weight on.

    We have a colt who when taken off the farm was abit undernourished.
    He was turned out with other more agressive horses and should of been
    brought into a stall for grain.

    Anyway Tufts ended up recommending a 50/50 mix of Blue Seal Demand
    + Blue Seal Stampede, 10 quarts a day with a selinum mineral at noon
    and bran added at night.

    He was a different horse after 3 months.  He be at a different farm
    at least another 3 before training (harness) continues.

    RE: .4
    
    Horses can show dramatic improvement quickly. However, to bring one *all*
    the way back can take a year or two, even longer (older ones have taken 
    longer in my experience).
    
    My neglected child had a winter coat in AUGUST!!!. He's made great
    strides since last summer, but if you observe closely, he's still not
    quite there yet (i got him last AUGUST, 400lbs ago).
    
    Unfortunately it sounds as if this girl is going to learn the hard way,
    at the expense of her horse.

    I've noticed that older horses who are not in prime condition any
    longer hold their winter coats for a very long time.  A
    young and healthy animal will shed out very quickly and early (my four
    year old started to shed in February!).  It's due to their body's
    ability to keep warm because they still have healthy functions.
    
    If this horse is only 7, it should be shed out completely by May...  If
    it's taking this long, there is undoubtedly something wrong.  I would
    guess, and I'm no vet, that her body is so deprived of necessary
    vitamins and minerals that she does not have enough in reserve to
    create a new summer coat.  And an old winter coat is better than no
    coat at all!  Have you noticed that horses do not grow very much hoof
    in the late fall and early winter?  Their bodies are so busy creating
    a new thick coat of hair that they can't waste the effort on hooves. 
    The same theory holds true for this poor mare, I believe.  Run it by
    your vet, and see what he/she says.  Then you will be armed with some
    hard and fast facts from a professional.  And maybe you can suggest two
    food supplements:  Clovite and Source.  I swear by them, as do many
    people that I know who have horses.  They add so much to the vitality
    of the animal...expensive, but very worthwhile!
    
    Good luck!  laurel.
    
    
    And you are not alone in being overly concerned about animals.  I'm one
    of those types too!!

    
    
    	I have noticed when girls or boys who join clubs (4H or dressage 
    	clubs) they get alot of pressure from peers to clean up there
    	horse and advise that would normally be shut out becomes important.
    
    	Also, growing up in a riding stable I saw alot of horses that
    	were in bad shape.. 
    
    	Most of the time they would not shed because they didn't have the
    	strength to lose there fur.. In this case we helped them out..
    	we shaved them.. gave them a good bath and kept them clean and
    	blanked and feed them alot of grain with no work...   It takes a 
    	long time for a horse to come back.  Young ones come back 
    	quick .. Older ones it takes time. 
    	
        My few cents.
    	

    Well, the latest on this mare is that she is now lame, from a bad crack
    in the hoof, I'm told (I havent' seen it). The farrier is supposedly
    coming later this week. Sad as it is to say, I do hope she is laid up
    for a while, so she can rest and hopefully gain some strength. Like
    I said, she is fed daily, gets all the hay she wants (I'm told anyway),
    and is kept clean and sheltered. They have no turnout, but she comes
    over to my house a few times a week and hangs out in the paddock for
    a bit, which she really seems to enjoy. Unfortuneatly, there is no
    grass in my paddock. I do think she has realized she really shouldn't
    ride this horse as much as she has been, as well. She changed her
    mind about the dressage show she'd been planning to do this coming
    weekend, saying she thought an all day event might drain her. I dont
    know if it's that so much as her fear of embarrasment (the horse
    is constantly bolting on her rider), but whatever the reason I was
    relieved to hear it. It's really sad to see, the girl is very sweet,
    she's just gotten in a bit over her head...she's the type who needs
    an 18 year old gelding with a wonderful temperment and comfortable
    gaits.  Thanks everyone for the comments, I'm glad to know I'm not
    just paranoid and I'll defineatly keep trying to convince her a visit
    from the vet is in order....
    

    One reason a horses will not shed a winter coat is if they develop
    diabetes. Many people, including veterinarians do not know or check
    for this. The test is easy to do (essentially the same as that done
    for humans).

    Another reason for insufficient shedding is a Thyroid disorder - but 
    normally the horse is really fat ...
    
    I would encourage blood tests to be done ...