Blackie and Red Journal – Day 3

posted in FSHR Horses, Horses, Rescue Horses | Wednesday, February 17th, 2010

Saturday, 2/13/10

The horses greeted me with pricked ears and eager nickers this morning. I was thrilled. When I brought them out, even Blackie seemed a little more animated. My friend Amy helped me groom them. I told her how their owner had said they were “spoiled,” and joked that she and I were going to teach them the real meaning of spoiled. As they stood there we waited anxiously for them to poop.

Blackie's nice, trimmed feet

Red’s stools were nice and moist, though  full of pieces of unprocessed hay. Blackie remained dehydrated, as evidenced by her hard, dry droppings and the pinch test.

My new feeding strategy hinged upon mixing the Equine Senior, which they both loved, with the beet pulp, so they would learn to eat the beet pulp. For Blackie, I made the mush extra wet and sloppy, to get fluid into her. It worked. They ate it all.

My friend Marsha and I took them for a five-minute (round trip) walk on the road. Marsha noted how Blackie’s hind feet crossed one another under her belly as she seemed to wobble along. Red did the same thing, but to a lesser extent.

Blackie in her Blankie

They seemed to enjoy the walk, and Red had a good drink afterwards. Blackie didn’t drink from the bucket, but maybe she was waiting to be left alone in the pen with the trough.