For the first time in my life as well as my horses lives, we are being faced with decisions we have no expertise in. Long story short: I need some advice from coastal horse owners about what they do with their horses during big storms. We aren't in the heart of hurricane Florence, but we will be getting a lot of heavy storms from it, so there's no need for evacuating. I've talked with my trainer who says she will be putting her horses in her barn (which is okay because she has a fairly large barn), but that it is up to me wether I decide to put mine in or leave mine out. We have a smaller barn but it's built well and has drainage systems. I've read many things and people say their biggest concerns would be lightning, but my horses aren't normally stalled— yet again, we don't get many storms where we live so I don't want them to freak out about being inside during a storm.
Side note: we do have a run-in shed for them in the field but it's not fit for all 3 horses and it's at the bottom of a hill and will most definitely be the first place to flood.
I wanted to hear from other horse owners to see what would be the best option to keep my horses not only safe but comfortable until the storm passes. Any advice would be greatly appreciated.
I'm sorry ahead of time if this is not the right place to post this.
I took a cross country road trip this summer and seeing the horses running and grazing in the mid west really hit a place in my heart again. My only experience with horses is a lesson I took in second grade in NY because I got straight A's on my report card. That was the deal after all. Seeing the horses again was breathtaking and inspiring.
So here I am, 27 years old, able to finally pay and designate time for horseback riding lessons on my own, and now am afraid I'm too old to learn. When I look at the services at any local places to me in Southeast Massachusetts, they seem to all be geared towards children. Does this mean I missed my window?
I have a 4yr old tb in light to pretty much nonexistant work. He has just been moved onto an acre of knee high pasture, and gets one hard feed a day of shandy chaff, maintenance pellets and speedibeet. He's on the light side but not underweight. Is he ok with just what he's getting? Or is one bickie of hay enough a day on top of his hard feed? I am going to get him a big round roll when the pasture gets down to boot height
We have mini horses. Yesterday, one of ours (Baby) had a really screwed-up looking front leg/hoof; I had fed them at noon and she was fine; several hours later she couldn't walk on it. We were terrified she had broken her leg. We got the vet out for a farm visit. The vet diagnosis was an abscess (or maybe "broken" coffin bone.) The vet carved the hell out of her hoof, (without finding an abscess.) Then wrapped it in layers of an Epsom salt pad, gauze, bandages, and stuff. I had the presence of mind to ask that he sell me the various dressings, so I have some to reapply.
While treating Baby/my husband was holding her (she was rearing up the whole time) and then she reared up and kinda' fell out the stall door and to the sideline where there was electric wire/t-posts. ...my husband was thrown against a t-post and ended up on top of Baby. (At this point the vet had not drugged her because he was trying to determine where the issue was leg, hoof, etc.) Baby then lunged up from underneath and took my husband for a a ride; he was kinda' crosswise on her back/butt; geez, he's 175; she's maybe 300 lb. ...and her stupid hoof was supposed to be hurt!
Anyway, the vet couldn't find an abscess. He wrapped her hoof with like 4 layers of various bandages. He said to call; (next step is radiology of her hoof) And give her some Bute after the drugs wore off and change her hoof dressing in 24 to 48 hrs.
Our peaceful little goob has decided that I'm demon spawn. I used to be able to just walk up to her on pasture (no halter) and pick her hooves or squirt dewormer in the side of her mouth. This morning, trying to give her Bute (in applesauce) she got so freaked out that instead of squirting it in her mouth, I dumped it in my hand and smeared it and got her to lick what I could.
So I have to change her hoof stuff/dressings tomorrow; my mellow little girl is not so mellow now. I kind of saw how the vet wrapped her hoof; I think I might be able to emulate that. But, I'm worried because of her new behavior. My husband can't stay home from work another day (and I really don't want him hurt) so I'm going to try this on my own. Kinda' scared though.
TLDR: Sorry, too long. Just worried.
