MiniHoofBeats
Well-Known Member
Ok...I was debating posting Riley's story at all but, I feel he is important and deserves some recognition for making it so far! I will not disclose names of breeders or previous owners. I believe one of them may be a member here and may or may not want to be known, that is for their own discretion!
Last Saturday, a couple friends and myself drove just a couple horse north of us to a small-time miniature horse farm. Most of the horses were in pretty bad shape. I don't blame the owner at all, he's been going through some very hard times with just losing his wife to cancer, and he was just diagnosed with serious heart issues, life-threatening, and he has a young child to still be concerned about. He isn't lacking care for the horses, he just doesn't understand how to care for them. They were his wife's hobby.
Anyhow, my eyes fell upon one sad, little sight...a small cremello colt, looked pretty young by how petite and fragile his frame was. He was literally a walking skeleton...in a small pen with two other colts his size, all tiny, around 28". The other colts were in much better shape. I was told they were all 2 year olds. I looked at the cremello again and was just shocked...no way...he is too fragile looking to be a 2yr old! So, I went in the pen. I knelt down by the cremello, who just stood there, head hanging low, eyes drifted off elsewhere. I put his tiny head in my hands and lifted up to look into his eyes. He briefly glanced at me, studied me, then his eyes glazed back over. His head sat heavy in my hands...and I just knew I had to bring this one home.
Well ok so there's an entire book more on this colt and his conditions but to be short...he was deathly skinny, bloated belly, diahrrea, long toes, runny eyes, depression had set in, and he had no effort whatsoever to shake off the two healthy dogs that were jumping all over him in their excitement to see me and my friends. He barely had the effort to hobble his way to the trailer, and when one of the horses whinnied a goodbye as we took the long walk down the driveway, he tried really hard to reply but all he let out was a breathy, squeeky reply with not having the muscle to really push out a real goodbye. His owner was really happy to see him going to a good home, he really liked this colt a lot, I could tell.
So if you made it this far...lol...here are a few pictures I took of Riley the morning after he arrived home. I don't think they really show the extent of how skinny he is, in person he looks worse...maybe because I can see every bone that moves under the skin as he walks...oh, he's all of 28.5", with long toes, as a 2.5yr old:
Here he was in his quarantine pen, yesterday I let him out to enjoy more room!
Here's his runny, but beautiful blue eyes =) I found out by studying that his blue eye with the green outer edges indicates he is a double cream dilute which makes sense...both his parents are palomino!
He's already received a good scrubby bubble bath, he's on a de-worming schedule, vaccinations, and during his bath I found out he was covered in lice so he's being treated for that as well. Farrier's scheduled to stop by, and Riley already learning to love his feed, he's adorable, such a sweet personality =) He already is perked up quite a bit, and feeling clean too!
I will post updates, i'll be taking weekly photo's for my own records. The last stallion I rescued that was in this similar state took only 6 weeks of good feed and care and his body was back to great health! I hope Riley fills in soon...poor boney thing!
Oh just for comparison...his head is so tiny, even at 2.5yrs old, that not even my mini weanling sized halters fit his head correctly...they're too big! I need to find a halter for him that has a bigger nose area, but much shorter for behind his ears. Eventually...right now he's enjoying no halter! The one he came in was huge, it hung down onto the soft part of his nose and rubbed under his jowls.
Anyhow I can talk forever about this colt...he's got an amazing pedigree, all Jandt's on top, on bottom he goes back to Boone's Little Prince and Iowa's Little Kernel. He has great potential but well, i'll have a better idea of him after he fills out. Food now, evaluate later!
Thanks for letting me share O'Riley
:
Last Saturday, a couple friends and myself drove just a couple horse north of us to a small-time miniature horse farm. Most of the horses were in pretty bad shape. I don't blame the owner at all, he's been going through some very hard times with just losing his wife to cancer, and he was just diagnosed with serious heart issues, life-threatening, and he has a young child to still be concerned about. He isn't lacking care for the horses, he just doesn't understand how to care for them. They were his wife's hobby.
Anyhow, my eyes fell upon one sad, little sight...a small cremello colt, looked pretty young by how petite and fragile his frame was. He was literally a walking skeleton...in a small pen with two other colts his size, all tiny, around 28". The other colts were in much better shape. I was told they were all 2 year olds. I looked at the cremello again and was just shocked...no way...he is too fragile looking to be a 2yr old! So, I went in the pen. I knelt down by the cremello, who just stood there, head hanging low, eyes drifted off elsewhere. I put his tiny head in my hands and lifted up to look into his eyes. He briefly glanced at me, studied me, then his eyes glazed back over. His head sat heavy in my hands...and I just knew I had to bring this one home.
Well ok so there's an entire book more on this colt and his conditions but to be short...he was deathly skinny, bloated belly, diahrrea, long toes, runny eyes, depression had set in, and he had no effort whatsoever to shake off the two healthy dogs that were jumping all over him in their excitement to see me and my friends. He barely had the effort to hobble his way to the trailer, and when one of the horses whinnied a goodbye as we took the long walk down the driveway, he tried really hard to reply but all he let out was a breathy, squeeky reply with not having the muscle to really push out a real goodbye. His owner was really happy to see him going to a good home, he really liked this colt a lot, I could tell.
So if you made it this far...lol...here are a few pictures I took of Riley the morning after he arrived home. I don't think they really show the extent of how skinny he is, in person he looks worse...maybe because I can see every bone that moves under the skin as he walks...oh, he's all of 28.5", with long toes, as a 2.5yr old:
Here he was in his quarantine pen, yesterday I let him out to enjoy more room!
Here's his runny, but beautiful blue eyes =) I found out by studying that his blue eye with the green outer edges indicates he is a double cream dilute which makes sense...both his parents are palomino!
He's already received a good scrubby bubble bath, he's on a de-worming schedule, vaccinations, and during his bath I found out he was covered in lice so he's being treated for that as well. Farrier's scheduled to stop by, and Riley already learning to love his feed, he's adorable, such a sweet personality =) He already is perked up quite a bit, and feeling clean too!
I will post updates, i'll be taking weekly photo's for my own records. The last stallion I rescued that was in this similar state took only 6 weeks of good feed and care and his body was back to great health! I hope Riley fills in soon...poor boney thing!
Oh just for comparison...his head is so tiny, even at 2.5yrs old, that not even my mini weanling sized halters fit his head correctly...they're too big! I need to find a halter for him that has a bigger nose area, but much shorter for behind his ears. Eventually...right now he's enjoying no halter! The one he came in was huge, it hung down onto the soft part of his nose and rubbed under his jowls.
Anyhow I can talk forever about this colt...he's got an amazing pedigree, all Jandt's on top, on bottom he goes back to Boone's Little Prince and Iowa's Little Kernel. He has great potential but well, i'll have a better idea of him after he fills out. Food now, evaluate later!
Thanks for letting me share O'Riley
