Like you all said......you can't have just one!

Miniature Horse Talk Forums

Help Support Miniature Horse Talk Forums:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.

MiniCooper

Active Member
Joined
Mar 5, 2009
Messages
27
Reaction score
0
Location
Kemp, Texas
Well a ton has gone on since I have last been on the forum. First of all, we moved from the Seattle, Washington area to south of Dallas, Texas! We are loving it here. We bought 11 acres and my Cooper couldn't be happier.

It was a blast traveling with him and we even have pics of him in every state we traveled thru and in Yellowstone National Park and the Grand Tetons!

We camped out along the way and he was a HUGE hit at the campgrounds.

I went to look at some miniature horses a girl was selling, because of course, now we have the property and I WANT MORE!
default_aktion033.gif
LOL

Well, she had 10-12 minis left and 5-6 of the mares were obviously pregnant. She had decided to turn her stud out with the mares and just let them be.

There were 3 foals and a couple of yearlings. One mare was missing an eye and the others were really stand off-ish. There was a 4 month old pinto filly that attached herself to my husband. She was nibbling on his jeans and kept following him around. He would stop and she would try to nibble on the toe of his cowboy boots. Then if he was paying attention to me or the other mares, she literally pawed at his leg!

I guess I don't have to tell you, my husband fell in love. So as we were working the deal, I noticed a silver bay mare in the distance.

She was SO sad looking. The most of the hair on her tail was only about 3 inches long, with a little still touching the ground. Her mane is pretty short and spikey. And she could barely walk. As I saw her try to catch up with the rest of the herd that was now playing, it broke my heart. Her feet were so bad, all she could do was stand there and neigh at the other mares and foals as they were playing in the pasture. I immediately went to her and started petting her and offered her a small piece of peppermint I had been bribing the foals with. She sighed and layed her head against me and I tried not to cry.

There were quite a few of the horses that had bad feet, but she was definately the worst. So I decided to offer the girl $100 for her and of course, suddenly the mare was papered and threw amazing foals and was worth $1200, and possibly bred to her registered champion stallion. I am sure you know the drill.

I didn't want to insult her, so I walked away and spent the next 3 hours there befriending her. Eventually, we bought the pinto foal and the sad little mare for $300.

She delivered them to our house this evening. The girl tried to trim the little mares feet on her own.
default_no.gif


They are better than before, but I think the poor thing has foundered. She is obviously in pain and I have a call in with 2 farriers. I need to find a good vet in the area (1 hr SE of Dallas) and I don't know where to start! I know in my heart, I may have to put her down.
default_no.gif


Where do I start with this little angel? She is as sweet as can be and I hope I can make her comfortable. Do any of you have any suggestions on what to do until I get the vet/farrier here to make her more comfortable? I just really hope she isn't bred. I think her poor body is going thru enough right now. And I don't know what to expect, I've never had to deal with a foundered horse before.
 
No advice--I'm a newbie to minis--but I'm so glad that little mare went home with you! I hope that she does not have to be put down and that she can live out the rest of her life with your love. She deserves it! And bless you for taking her to a better place!

Best wishes for you both!

Also, I'm looking forward to pictures of Cooper & his travels. (hint, hint)
 
Last edited by a moderator:
If you do a search here on the forum, you'll find quite abit of information on founder and laminitis. Its possible she is just really sore from being overly long and walking oddly to compensate. If she has foundered, there is still hope, but recovery will be a very long road; requiring frequent, skilled farrier work, proper diet and pain management. [When my first mare foundered, I mentioned to my farrier (at that time) that if I have to, I'd put her down, and he said we were a long ways from that option, that was 3 years ago. I'm now trimming her myself, as my last farrier left in December and the newest farrier isn't up on minis, yet. She's doing quite well and tonight she was bucking and kicking around her pen.]

I know bute isn't top on the list of things to give minis; but if you are very careful with the dosage, it is the first choice pain reliever for laminitis/founder. [For my B-size minis, I usually give 1/4 tablet (1/4 gram) bute once daily, and I also give one dose of ulcer meds (Tagamet works in a pinch, I just use one tablet).] Bute gives fairly fast relief. If your new girl isn't pregnant, B-L pellets (B-L solution or B-L paste) is a natural anti-inflammatory which works fairly well, but takes time to work (its not safe for pregnant or lactating mares), and its not as hard on the stomach as bute.

She'll probably need a special diet to reduce the likelihood of future attacks; plenty of information to be found through search. [My minis with issues get grass hay and a ration balancer, that's it. Unfortunately, I have 4 with laminitic issues (2 due to diet and 2 due to illness).]

Bless you for helping her. And, you know you can't post news of new horses without pictures.
default_wink.png
 
HEY MINICOOPER, I'M A NEIGHBOR, JUST DOWN THE ROAD A FEW MILES. I HAVE A FANTASTIC VET, HE KNOWS HIS BUSINESS AND A VERY GOOD FERRIER ALSO WELL KNOWN. YOU CAN EMAIL ME AT [email protected] WOULD LIKE TO GET TOGETHER AND VISIT.
 
I'm not as nearby, but I love Burleson Equine Hospital's Dr. Misty Jordan in Burleson, TX right on 35W. A bit expensive, but very knowledgeable and thorough. They also have two excellent farriers that work with them on the same premises. Good luck!
 
Congratulations on your move and your new acquisitions
default_smile.png
. I'm a little too far from you to recommend vets & farriers, but there are lots of folks closer to you who might chime in. Good luck with your little mare, I hope she can be turned around. Amazing what can be done when your heart is in the right place and you are willing to work on them.
default_yes.gif


Jan
 
Hi,

we have a "B" Mini that has been grain foundered...the lady had been feeding her 6lbs of grain a day along with pure alfalfa...she just had recently foundered again on spring grass(in April),after getting out of her pen,and after we noticed the effects of it we called our vet. She is in foal ,but our vet recomended 1/2 gram of Bute every day for 2 weeks.He did say that he didnt really know how the bute would affect the foal as they havent done alot of studies on it but he said that the health and well being of the mare is more important when it comes to certain situations. we were worried she was giong to slip the foal but she didnt and is still in foal for a Feb. baby....So if i were you if you have any bute i would give her bute.But thats just my 2 cents and thats what our vet recomended for us.and another thing with foundered minis is thier feet grow twice as fast and you need to get a farrier that knows what he is doing,and have her trimmed every 6 weeks. That has seemed to be doin a world for our mare.Take Care!
default_saludando.gif


*Britt

http://miniaturepainthorses.yolasite.com/
 
how sad that those mini had to go through that, thank goodness you were there to bring them home
 
Just reading your description of how sad and what poor condition she was in had me in tears. I just can't fathom doing that to a poor defenseless animal like that. My heartfelt thanks to you for jumping to try and giver her a chance at a better life.
default_wub.png
default_aktion033.gif


I have no suggestions but it seems like you've already gotten a few including some close-by help! Please keep us posted on her progress.

And congrats on the successful move!
 
I'm definitely sad to lose you from the NW as it's pretty clear you're the kind of person I love to have around.
default_wub.png
I know Cooper was lucky to find you, and now it sounds like these two girls chose you as well. Good for you, and smart of them!
default_aktion033.gif


Please do keep us up to date on the mare's progress and I too would love to see photos of Cooper's travels. I had a blast taking photos of Kody at every stop from Seattle, Washington to Fresno, CA in 2007 and it sounds like you had even more fun with Yellowstone and all.

Leia
 
Just to give you some encouragement these two mares came to me last year. The pinto especially was in terrible pain and could hardly walk. After working with my farrier and trimming every couple weeks at first, they are now normal, healthy and sound....both were actively foundering when I got them.

S4300131.jpg


S4300133-2.jpg
 
Hmmm... no personel experience here, but all I can suggest for the time being is put her on a dry lot if you have one, or something with very little grass, put the filly in with her, and give her water (obviously) and some hay, and hope for the best. Just becuase she has bad feet dosent need to be put down, talk to the vet and the ferrier, and get to know your new mare with some carrots or peppermints. Shes lucky she has you.

Now, we need to see pictures, you cant tell us about new horses and not have pictures
default_laugh.png


Best of luck

Dan
 

Latest posts

Back
Top