Meet Pearl, New Horse

[baymule]

Lovely girl! You are going to have a nice one there in a couple of months. THEN we will get to see riding pics.

You know the heart of my heart is Joe, my 29 year old cremello gelding. He is doing better, we keep him on buteless. He lost weight, can't get it back on him, but his eyes are bright, he loves his feed and I love him madly. Sparkles, my 31 year old TWH is fat, has good days and bad days. I have missed that smooth ground eating ride.

My husband fell in love with her picture on the Facebook kill pen site. He named her Pearl. He is a great guy. He keeps calling her "our baby" Is that not the sweetest?

 

[sumi]

 

[baymule]

Pearl’s morning report. Not a blade of hat left. We gave her more hay and 3 cups of pellets. She ate them up, lips closed, not dropping any. That tells me that her teeth don’t have sharp edges, poking her gums as she eats.

 

[frustratedearthmother]

That's encouraging! Can't wait to follow her progress.

 

[baymule]

I had a breakthrough with Pearl. I found her scratchy spot, where the bottom of her neck joins her chest. I started scratching and she stopped eating hay, even stopped chewing the mouthful she had. I walked back a few steps and she followed, wanting more. I scratched some more, stopped and she went back to her hay. I went out the gate and she came to me, so I went back in and gave her more scratches.

Training note; always leave on a positive. Then their last memory of you is that it was pleasant. Walk away leaving them wanting more, don't keep on until you become annoying.

 

[baymule]

This afternoon, the sun came out. Cold, but not raining, and sunshine! Pearl stopped eating to go stand in the sun and bask in it's rays. I got a lead rope and brushes, looped the lead over a fence post and brushed her. I gave her more hay, this evening she got 6 cups of pellets, been slowly increasing how much she gets. Her flanks were so caved in and now they have filed out a little. It was nice to see her feel good enough to stop eating for awhile and go soak up some sunshine.

 

[frustratedearthmother]

So good to hear that she's enjoying being a horse.

 

[baymule]

This is Pearl yesterday.

 

[frustratedearthmother]

By golly - I see improvement! Can't wait to see her when Spring comes around!

 

[baymule]

Gee, thanks @frustratedearthmother . I can see improvement too, it's nice that you can see it too.

She whickered at me this evening when I took her pellets to her. She was pacing the fence, wanting her pellets. I was happy that she felt good enough to pace the fence and happy that she now recognizes that I bring her feed. She did behave well when I poured her pellets in the tub, no crowding or ears pinned back.

I forgot to give her more hay and had already taken off my farm shoes and sat down. DH still had his boots on, so he went out there to give her hay for the night. Pearl came to the fence and he patted her and hugged her neck.

Pearl got a small watermelon from the garden today. She ate most of it and enjoyed it.

I checked her for sand in her gut this morning. The way you do that is to take several fresh horse poop balls and put them in a jar. Add water and shake. Let it settle. If there is sand in the bottom, the horse has sand in their intestinal tract and needs help. There is a horse product called Sand Clear which is Psyllium husk. It pushes the sand out and cleans up the gut. I looked carefully at the jar this evening and there was no sand in the bottom.