Need some advice...long post!

[Marley & Nesta]

Hi everyone!

I recently came in to two minis and would really appreciate some advice/tips/knowledge you may have! I'm sorry, this post may be long....

The first one we got is a 23 year old stallion. He was extremely mistreated, his hooves were so overgrown he couldn't walk. A lady saw him at an acquaintance's house and would not leave until they agreed to let her take him. She then gave him to us and he has been wonderful - I've heard a lot about stallions being difficult but this boy is the sweetest horse I've ever known. We have a great farrier and his hooves are excellent now - no signs left of the founder and he runs around like he's on fire sometimes

The second mini we just got - she, too, was in horrible shape. Her hip bones were sticking out, you could feel every single rib when you touched her, hooves very overgrown, and her back legs were crooked so she barely moved around (then again, she was in a 4x4 pen, not much room to move anyways). We had her vet checked and the vet cleared her healthwise, other than being extremely underweight. The farrier came out and told us with some corrective trimming her back legs may straighten out (she is only 2). Sure enough, after one trim her right back leg is almost straight again. We're fine with her even if her legs don't straighten - we have no plans to breed her, just love her

Her ribs can't be felt now without putting some pressure on her and her back end doesn't look as concave as when we brought her home, so we're making progress.

So, I have a few questions I am hoping some of you wonderfully knowledgeable people can help me with. First of all, the vet suggested beet pulp for her, so we bought some pellets. We were told to soak them for an hour and then offer them to her. Is beet pulp the best way to put some meat on her bones? How much should we be giving her? Also, she hates it. Won't touch it. Is there anything we can put on it that will make it more appealing to her? Are there any specific excersises we can do to help her build muscle? She is tiny right now and has no muscle mass at all.

Secondly, she and Marley (the stallion) are kept in separate pastures as we do not want any babies. Marley goes insane every time he sees her. Squealing, stomping, he throws his head back and runs around his entire pasture at top speed. She doesn't seem to care about him. Is this just excitement on his part? I have no idea about his past so I don't know if he was ever bred or if he's even seen another mini. Will he calm down? Right now we have to keep her in a pasture where he can't see her, or he runs himself ragged. Should we put her back and just keep an eye on them and hope he'll calm down? I don't know much about stallion behaviour and whether this is normal or if he's trying to get his groove on with her.

I really appreciate any help you guys can give me - I just want to make sure they both stay on the right track. I'll include a couple of pictures. Marley is the sorrel and Nesta is apparently a bay appaloosa. Nesta smelled SO bad when we got her, and her hair is all stringy and dandruffy. It's too cold to bathe her right now, though...in the first pic of her you can see her hip bones...makes me so sad.

 

[Mominis]

Just curious, do you have any bred mares on your place? Bred mares are the ultimate problem solver when it comes to a stallion with bad manners with mares. It sounds evil, but it is effective, provided you have no intentions of showing the stallion in halter later.

 

[ruffian]

First off - you are angel to rescue these marvelous little horses. Kudos to you!

"So, I have a few questions I am hoping some of you wonderfully knowledgeable people can help me with. First of all, the vet suggested beet pulp for her, so we bought some pellets. We were told to soak them for an hour and then offer them to her. Is beet pulp the best way to put some meat on her bones? How much should we be giving her? Also, she hates it. Won't touch it. Is there anything we can put on it that will make it more appealing to her? Are there any specific excersises we can do to help her build muscle? She is tiny right now and has no muscle mass at all."

Beet pulp is the best. If she won't eat it, try mixing just a spoonful - maybe a teaspoon - in her grain until she becomes accustomed to it. Gradually work up to a cup or 2 until she gets to the right weight.

"Secondly, she and Marley (the stallion) are kept in separate pastures as we do not want any babies. Marley goes insane every time he sees her. Squealing, stomping, he throws his head back and runs around his entire pasture at top speed. She doesn't seem to care about him. Is this just excitement on his part? I have no idea about his past so I don't know if he was ever bred or if he's even seen another mini. Will he calm down? Right now we have to keep her in a pasture where he can't see her, or he runs himself ragged. Should we put her back and just keep an eye on them and hope he'll calm down? I don't know much about stallion behaviour and whether this is normal or if he's trying to get his groove on with her."

Even though he's 23, I'd geld him immediately. This will solve a lot of the problems, and may solve all of them. He may still act studdy or may calm down completely. Some intact stallions will run themselves to skin and bones to try to "get his groove on (LOVE THAT)" with a mare.

Again, bless you for taking in these guys, and good luck. Although you should be warned, Notenufminisopolis is extremely serious, and no cure has ever been found!! I know, I have it bad!

 

[Marley & Nesta]

Thank you so much!!!

I asked the vet about gelding him as was told that at Marley's age, it wouldn't make a difference. I looked into it and see arguements for both sides - sometimes it helps, sometimes it doesn't change a thing.

No, there are no bred mares around...we only have the two and I do NOT want to breed Nesta - I don't know enough yet and she is in no shape to be a mom at this point. I don't have any plans to breed her in the future but you never know...

You're right...minis are very addictive! I absolutely love them both to death and just want them to get along. So his behaviour is that of a stallion trying to court? Does anyone have experience with this - will he eventually settle down or will he seriously never stop trying to get to her? She's too small to teach him mare manners and I don't want to put her in harm's way (he is WAY bigger than she is) but I was hoping they'd be good company for each other, albeit through a fence. Am I dreaming?

Thanks again, looking forward to hearing more advice! I love it here!

 

[TheCaseFamily00]

Just wanted to say,welcome and hello

.

 

[ruffian]

I've gelded several mature, breeding stallions, and it DOES make a difference. One went from a raging nutcase to an absolute sweetheart that 2 little girls use in their parades and 4-H. Plus you don't want him to accidentally breed your filly, so why take a chance? I'd geld him.

Good luck and let us know when you are up to 20 horses!!!

 

[Rocket's mom]

I'd geld him ASAP if you know for sure that you'll never want to use him as a stud. He'll be a totally different little man, for the better!! Then you'll never have to worry about seperating them and they can really become best friends.

Congratulations on your rescues and I hope they bring you years of joy!!

 

[targetsmom]

Welcome to the forum and the wonderful world of minis!! And bless you for taking in these two minis!!!!

I agree, geld the stallion. Even if it doesn't calm him down as much as you would like, at least you won't have to worry about babies. Just keep them separate after the procedure for as long as your vet recommends. The results are not instantaneous! More like a few weeks.

Beet pulp appears to be an acquired taste!! Don't give up on it, but start in small doses as was mentioned. Some type of fat in the diet will also help put weight on - such as corn oil added to the feed. Might make it more palatable too.

 

[Katiean]

With the beet pulp, If you soak it in HOT water it should not take an hour. After about 10-15 minutes stir it and if it has all broken up Then I would give it to her. I use shreds and it is much easier. With the shreds I use 1 cup of shreds to 2 cups of water. Since I have 4 horses I just mix it in a 5 gallon bucket and dish it out to them. I feed 4-6 wet cups of beet pulp to each horse depending on the horse. I also add my canola oil while it is soaking and stir it good. I have never had a horse NOT eat the beet pulp. Maybe if you give her the beet pulp and NOTHING ELSE when you give it at feeding time. She will get the hint that this is food. Also as suggested by ruffian, if you sprinkle her grain on top pf the beet pulp she may eat it that way. Just feed hay later.

As for your stud, at his age and you don't think you will be breeding him. I would geld him. there is no reason to NOT geld him. Even if he doesn't settle down you won't get any unexpected surprises.

 

[Marley & Nesta]

You are all wonderful! Thank you! I will call our vet and get this gelding train running...I want them to be able to be pastured together eventually, and if it will calm him down to the point where he could actually interact with her, instead of running around like a 16 year old boy in the girls' locker room, I'm all for it.

I will give Nesta some beet pulp again tonight...hopefully she'll at least taste it this time!

Is there anything other than beet pulp I can do to help her gain weight and build some muscle? I have a nicely sloped hill on our property I could walk her up and down to start - anything else that helps build muscle?

I will keep you all updated and again, thank you SO much for your help!

 

[mizbeth]

Bless you again for taking these two horses in.

I just want to mention that is sounds like you bought beet pulp pellets? Those are in fact much harder to soften for eating and do not have the flavor that "shredded beet pulp - with molasses has). I hate to suggest you buy another bag of it, but I know they will eat the shredded beet pulp. I have used both kinds and the pellets do have to be mixed with something else to get them to eat it, not to mention the length of time to soften it. Also remember that wet beet pulp cannot be held over to feed the next day and it will usually spoil - you will recognized the smell.

Shredded beet pulp only takes a few minutes to soften to use.

Good luck with your two....................

 

[ruffian]

You are all wonderful! Thank you! I will call our vet and get this gelding train running...I want them to be able to be pastured together eventually, and if it will calm him down to the point where he could actually interact with her, instead of running around like a 16 year old boy in the girls' locker room, I'm all for it.
I will give Nesta some beet pulp again tonight...hopefully she'll at least taste it this time!

Is there anything other than beet pulp I can do to help her gain weight and build some muscle? I have a nicely sloped hill on our property I could walk her up and down to start - anything else that helps build muscle?

I will keep you all updated and again, thank you SO much for your help!

I think you will be very pleased with the Gelding results.

As for your girl, I wouldn't worry about trying to build muscle right now. It's more important to get some weight on her, and exercising will just defeat your purpose.

Good luck!!

 

[Ridgerunner]

Bless your heart for taking those two in! Gelding's the best thing you could do for your wild man, and he'll be much happier when he can actually live with the filly. As for the beet pulp conundrum, my horses all love peppermints. When I first tried beet pulp, everybody turned their bowls over in disgust!

So I started throwing in a few peppermints when I soaked it, and they licked their platters clean!

Find something they really like, and mix a little with the pulp till they develop a taste for it.

Melba

 

[Genie]

We put molasses on the beet pulp for any horse that turns their nose up. We soak it in hot water and it only takes 10 minutes to bulk up.

Good for you, by the way, on your rescue work

 

[mizbeth]

Hi

Why don't you try Equine Sr. Feed? It is a complete feed, and GOOD for them all of them. The Vets typically use and recommend this feed for horses after surgery- sick It is easy to digest and will put weight on them. I give it to my hard keepers as well.

B

 

[Bess Kelly]

I use pelleted and while they often do not like it at first, they do after "acquiring" the taste. In fact, at that point they will LOOK for it to be there

The pellets do take longer to soak but, it's is better economically and doesn't have the molasses added (for some this is preferred).

The mare is young and she's apparently never had the nutrition she needs

You may want to consider either a Jr or Sr feed for several months to help her system develop and absorb the nutrients. While she will show some weight gain first, her system may or may not be compromised in it's ability to utilize vit/min at first. Certainly she will need to come to a stable containment first. A little alfalfa seems to work well with dietary rehabs -- both for nutrition and the calcium effects on the tummy and such. Most of the Jr/Sr feeds have these elements already in them.

Just my thoughts. You will be so rewarded by them -- nothing like a velvet muzzle and warm snuggle!

Yep, gelding the ole guy will at least prevent babies....eventually.

 

[krissy3]

I've gelded several mature, breeding stallions, and it DOES make a difference. One went from a raging nutcase to an absolute sweetheart that 2 little girls use in their parades and 4-H. Plus you don't want him to accidentally breed your filly, so why take a chance? I'd geld him.
Good luck and let us know when you are up to 20 horses!!!

I have to agree too, gelding a stallion makes all the difference in the world. I have gelded 2 completely wild stallions , one that was wild on a ranch that i borded at... he went from crazy looney brain you cant catch to a little girls riding gentleman. What kind of things do little girls do in 4H with the minis ... just wondering.

 

[Reijel's Mom]

Bless your heart

!

Yes, your boy will get to live a MUCH happier lifestyle after gelding! You mentioned your mare having some leg issues - those could be in part genetic, so I wouldn't risk breeding her and passing that on.

They are cuties

 

[Marley & Nesta]

Oh my gosh, I am so overwhelmed by all of your help and support! Thank you so much!

Nesta ate her beet pulp last night!!!

She gobbled it up and looked at me with big brown eyes like she wanted more. That's another question I have - how much beet pulp should I be giving her? Is there such a thing as too much? Right now I'm giving her a cup with her morning feeding and a cup with her evening feeding.

I spoke with my vet yesterday about gelding Marley. She warned me that it may not change his behaviour at all, but I'm willing to take the chance if it means they'll be able to be pastured together eventually. The vet also said she thinks Nesta's back legs will straighten out a lot once she has some weight on them. She said it can also be a sign of dwarfism, but that Nesta doesn't show any other signs, like an underbite or a domed forehead. Does she look like a dwarf? I haven't a clue.

I really appreciate all of the help and advice you've given me. I feel confident now that I can help these two gorgeous horses have wonderful lives.

And who knows...maybe there are more in my future...just don't tell my husband!!!

 

[Katiean]

I would slowly build her up to 2 cups wet beet pulp morning and night. You have to remember that she has not had proper nutrition and this can be a shock to her system. I would check with Chances Miniature Horse Rescue to find out how they would be feeding this little girl that to me just looks like she has been starved.