# Severe stunting- can she ever be normal?



## Endiku

We have a very sad case today, a lovely little one year old Thoroughbred filly who we originally had as a foster from a local rescue. We had her from a little over a month old until she was about 5 months old, and in that time we noticed that she just really wasn't growing the way she should be. Her half brother, our now adopted colt Peppin- is 15.2hh and growing, while only about 15 months old. But in the time he was growing like a weed, she wasn't growing at all. In fact, from a month old until when she was adopted, she only grew 2 inches. Now we dont know a whole lot about this filly other than that she came from a breeder who had a bunch of sorry looking horses crammed into two small stalls at the racetrack, eating moldy hay. They were rescued when she was 3 weeks old (she was born in a stall with her dam and another large mare) and brought to us. We nursed her and her dam to good health, but her dam had a lot of problems with her hooves and had a massive stroke suddenly one day, killing her instantly and leaving Kenzie orphaned at 2 months old. We bucket fed her until she was 4 months old, put her on Nutrena, and she was adopted at 5 months.

She was adopted by a family that sounded great. They werent going to push her very fast and were ok if she never was sound enough to be more than a lead line horse for their children as she grew. However, when the rescue came to check on her last month, they found her in a pasture with no hay and minimal grass, all alone, and absolutely FULL of worms. She's skin and bones. Most shockingly though...she still has no grown. At one year and 3 months old, Kenzie (what we named her. She is now 'boom' according to the owner) is only 12.2hh, the same height as she was at 5 months old, which is the same as what she had been at four months old. The rescue ofcourse immediately took her back, and asked us to take her in again as a foster. She is horrifying to look at. She was seized two weeks ago and has since been wormed thoroughly, so her giant belly has gotten much smaller. She is still unloading worms however and is in quarentine with us. The more she lets go of, the more bones we can see. I'm disgusted. What I can't believe is her height though. Its very obviouse to me that she has been stunted...but I didnt even realize that a horse could be stunted so badly. And what I dont understand is why she was already showing signs of being stunted even when we had her...though she was on high quality food? Her dam was in poor shape when we got her...and I'm sure she was in even worse shape while pregnant, so maybe she was stunted then, and stunted again when her new owners didnt feed her right?

The rescue is having the vet doing a complete fecal and bloodwork done on her this week and she's going to be put on another round of wormer next week. I gave her half a tube of probios today, and we'll slowly introduce her to our feed schedual and unlimited Jiggs Costal hay and alfalfa. If we cant figure something out or if she'll never be anything but a pasture buddy, the rescue is seriously considering euthing her. At this point I dont think she'll be even close to riding sound and she just looks pathetic. Do you guys think there is any hope for her? Or will she stay this small the rest of her life? Its so sad, she looks so lost and like she feels terrible... :/ I dont see how someone could do this.

Add to that the fact that she's a conformational wreck and I wonder if its just cruel to let her keep living. She's had a horrible time of it.


Pictured this morning, right before we bought her home. IMO she looks much worse in person. According to the rescue they clipped her (we're blanketing her) because she was covered in matted fur and feces that appeared to be leftovers from her foal coat that did not shed. She has a nasty cut on her left shoulder as well, which is too old to be stitched but on the mend. The halter she's wearing fits my 34" miniature horse.











pictures of her before she was adopted while she was still with us at 5 months old. She was healthy but very small in these pictures. Same height as she is now.









and as a 1 month old, 11.3 hh again, healthy looking but small.


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## Trinity3205

Id give this baby time and feed her well. She looks malnourished. What kind of grain has she been eating? She has had a rough start in life. She may never be huge but she shows alot of growth potential yet that She has loads of time to spit out. 

She was orphaned and born in a bad situation, been moved around a bunch...Give her time. Unless she has some actual genetic issue or disease that hinders her growth, IME, foals will grow and grow and catch up even up to 3 and 4 yos... Her leg shows she has alot of height to gain yet. Get her somewhere stable where she can stay for as long as possible, in with a momma or daddy figure horse, on some good high quality feed and forage and just give her time.


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## Endiku

double post. Here are a few pictures of her a week after loosing mama, not in good condition and not eating well, but you can see how she doesnt loose her winter coat (this was late spring) and how her pasterns almost fold when she walks...and that she looks exactly the same now...only thinner.









Ignore the water, our farm flooded. click for video.
H-A-Handhalter019.mp4 video by asylumescapee95 | Photobucket























Trinity, thats probably half the problem. She's been moved around so much. From tiny stall to a rescue to quarentine with us to a pasture to another stall to a pasture when she was starved, back to the rescue, and now back with us- hopefully to stay for a while. Unfortunately we just cant assure her a forever home because we're barely staying afloat ourself. We can foster her for a while, but thats about it.

I dont know what she was eating at her old owners, but the rescue said that the other horses (a 3 and 9 year old) were eating all stock feed and cow hay. I'm assuming thats what she was getting >.>

We'll have her on a mix of Nutrena Mare and Foal and XTN per the vet's reccomendation, as well as rice bran slowly added and the probios. And unlimited Jiggs/alfalfa hay.


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## Tarpan

If her growth plates have not closed yet then she will still grow. How much she will grow though, is anyone's guess. She probably will not reach her genetic potential. I fostered a severely stunted 2 YO grade mare and she grew a little in the time I had her. An equally stunted Quarter Horse colt came in with my little mare and he was euthanized because he was double cryptorchid and didn't have the temperament to merit the expense of gelding him. 


There might be a future as a lead line pony for her if she has a good temperament.

Sweet Firefly, before I took her home and made her fat. She was so sweet and is now in training to be someone's lead line pony.


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## deserthorsewoman

Agree with Trinity here. I had two ex racers, who came to me as 3year olds and both grew 2" in the first 6 month off the track. She will grow, provided she eats well and has some stability in her life now.
Put her on alfalfa and a good youngster feed, make sure she has enough vitamins, minerals, protein, have her feet done, and, yes, a friend or two and lots of TLC......


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## smrobs

Poor thing. She's sure had a rough go of it. I wouldn't worry about her height just yet. She's still young and still has a lot of time to grow. I wonder if, perhaps, the reason she hasn't grown is the lack of long-term good care. A few months of good feed between long instances of poor-to-nonexistent food wouldn't make up for what she was lacking. Her body was probably still working to get itself healthy before it began to grow. It just didn't have the chance.

IMHO, even if she never really grows much in stature, she will fill out as she grows older and may eventually make a suitable mount for a small rider or a child. At this point, I don't see any reason to euth her unless she's unsound/in pain for whatever reason.

If you could either continue to foster her or find her a good home where she will be taken care of properly, then I believe she should be given a chance.


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## Trinity3205

Yeah All stock will NOT adequately feed a growing baby TB. Ever. You got her on a much better diet now. Her foal pictures actually show her to be a nice looking horse when she is done.


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## Trinity3205

If you measure her mid knee straight down to her coronet, that in inches is approximately how many hands she will be when done growing. 15 and a half inches would be about 15.2 Hands tall and so forth. She may be a smaller TB anyway.


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## equinelyn

Poor girl. She looks like she had so much spark as a baby. I think she needs time. I love her vibrant star!
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## egrogan

I have zero experience wih this, but I remember reading about these poor babies when they first came to you. Just sending good thoughts and hoping she improves for you.
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## spirit88

Give her time she'll come around with good nutrition and care. I rescued a yearling paint colt that was skin and bones. Only as big as a four month old colt was a sorry looking sight he measured 12 hands tall. Hes now healthy strong 11 year old cant tell he was starved anymore. Grew to be 14.3 hands tall not huge but a nice size for my daughter.I will try and find a picture of him two days after i brought him home. When i find it i"ll post it here.


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## Endiku

Thank you everyone for the advice and care. Kenzie (I refuse to call her Boom, I'm sorry xD) is now bedded down in a deep stall of straw. I decided to stay the night with her last night since she seemed to be very stressed, and she finally laid down at about 10pm but is now refusing to stand. I pushed her up onto her stomache and propped her up, but I think she's just entirely exhausted and doesn't feel like trying. I guess we'll have to change that.

I'm not going to bother with the farrier for a week or two right now, I'm pretty handy with the rasp so I'll do that but I really dont want to traumatize her further at this point. Once we have her settled in, gaining weight, and eating, we're going to help the rescue pay for her to get her teeth floated.

I don't have her in with any friends at the moment because its too risky. She has a runny nose, is still getting rid of worms ( a few live >.> we'll be starting another set of wormer soon ) and I really don't want to infect any of our horses since we have so many. Once she is rid of the worms and sniffled though, I'll probably bring either Bree in, hoping that they'll recognize eachother, or our 'Uncle Buddy' who has proven to be a good nurturing type gelding dispite the fact that he's our herd alpha. Once she's stable I'll also turn her out into a small paddock rather than this stall. I'm sure she's had enough of stalling for a lifetime.

What I'm worried about is her overall leg soundness. I can already tell that she's tied in at the knees, has extremely awkward pasterns, and very little bone. Her dam had a lot of problems with her hooves (very thin brittle walls, an old nail injury or something that didnt heal right, one club foot) and with tendonitis in both fronts when we brought her in, and we were actually going to euth her for that and the fact that she just couldn't gain wait well before she had a stroke. She had been lame from the day she came to us to the day she died, no matter what we did. 

The vet told us to treat her as a weanling and a yearling at the same time, which is why he recommended the feed mixture. Because she was starved as a baby, she probably hasn't developed at all the way she was supposed to and needs the nutrience for that growth as well as normal yearling growth.

Just as a note, her dam was about 15.2-15.3 (we didnt ever really stick her) and her sire is supposively 16.2hh. Her half brother, our lovely colt Peppin, is string tested to grow to about 16.1hh.


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## QOS

Poor little thing! She could still grow with proper care and nutrition as everyone has said. 

The QH filly I got as a teenager had been born to a dam that was starved during gestation. Gal grew just fine. My dad bred her when she was about 4 I guess (long time ago) and the filly, Scarlett, was just fine. Dad later bred her again when I was 20 or so. The little filly was darling - but at 1 year of age was only about 12 hh or less. This was a registered QH so I know there wasn't a "pony" in the family. She was well put together but just small. I sold her when she was about 15 months old to a little boy who loved that she was not a "big" horse. Don't know how she eventually out and I always attributed it to perhaps something in Gal because she had not come into the world with the best of nutrition.


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## deserthorsewoman

What you just mentioned about her mom, typical TB problems. If taken care of, not so much of a problem, but it was obviously not done. 
As your vet says, Kenzie needs nutrition, period. She will not reach her full potential in height, but I think her legs will straighten out once the necessary upholstery is there. My QH mare came to me 300lbs underweight with a "chicken chest", very narrow. Now in good weight, she's about twice as wide. 
Weak pasterns...foals who are kept inside, on soft bedding, get like that. They need to move and eat right to strengthen. But they will. 
Careful with worming, don't overwhelm her with chemicals in the state she's in right now. 
UC Davis recommends straight alfalfa for starved horses, first little but often, going up to free choice within two weeks. They say no grains and supplements as it throws off metabolism since it's pretty fragile in a starved horse. She had grain, so I guess you could add that little by little.
Having a buddy will get her spirits up.


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## Cat

She is still young enough that she can catch up some. The balancing act from here on out is to feed her well but not overly feed her to cause joint issues.


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## Endiku

I had to go to church but just when to check on her again. She's still laying down but I had one of the boys help me flip her over onto her other side and prop her up again so that she doesn't get pressure sores or anything. She won't eat any grain but has eating a few pounds of hay so far and is drinking, which is good. I mixed electrolytes into her water and she seems to like it. If she isn't up by the end of today the OUR vet is going to come out. I like the rescue's vet but he isn't quite as knowledgable as I feel is neccesary for some cases such as this. I had her blanketed but she was sweating and has a slightly elevated temperature so I just took it off for now. I'm worried about her. 

I'm going to try and make her a mash for dinner and see if I can't get some of that down her when I go out to feed Sour and Honor. I'm honestly wondering if she's in some sort of shock with the way she's behaving. I'm no expert though, so I really have no idea. The vet didn't seem overly worried but...I don't know.

If I can get her eating, I think what we'll do is the free choice hay (we unfortunately can't do straight alfalfa because its hard to get around here and our other TBs eat it as well. But I can give her as much as half and half. Our jiggs is high quality as well.) I'll start her at half a pound of Mare and Foal in the morning and half a pound of the other at night, and up it to one pound of each but not much more than that until she is much healthier. I'd like to get her where she can be out in the paddock to graze at will within a few weeks if she makes it.

I'm starting to suspect that she has thrush though. I cleaned her hooves and they smell raunchy, so I'll go ahead and treat that and possible pack it as well. She also has callouses on her legs and stomache. Don't they usually get that from laying on very hard surfaces if they're thin? The gash on her shoulder looks like it did a pretty good job of healing itself thankfully, and I'm just rubbing some wild honey into it to help with proud flesh (which is the stage its at right now) and I'll continue that as needed.

Poor thing looks so pitiful there...I really wish I could bring a friend in for her but its just not something we can risk. But what about a goat or a chicken? We have two goat kids (6 months old each) who get along well with horses, but I dont know much about their immunity. Both are routinely wormed but I'm just not sure...

If anyone knows of someone in Texas or somewhere near that would be willing to adopt a poor little neglected filly, feel free to contact me. What she needs most right now is a forever home. We can substitute and take care of her for now, but with 42 animals on the property and a training/therapy facility to run, we're short on people and I'm the only one that even has a little time to help her out. We can fix her basic needs but we just can't provide the love that she needs right now, unfortunately :/ I'm doing my best but I'm stretched tight as it is.

Thank you all for the uplifting stories about horses that made it through the odds. I only hope that little Kenzie can be added to that list of sucesses in a few years.


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## deserthorsewoman

Good idea getting your vet out. She is probably coming down with a cold, being young, malnourished and stressed out is THE opportunity for nasty bacteria or a virus. 
Have hay, half and half will do, always available, tepid water will most likely make her drink even more.
Super slow with the mare&foal, it's a change of feed her gut bacteria has to get used to. Not that she ends up with diarrhea...last thing she needs now. 
Ask you vet about injectable B-vitamins to get her appetite up. 

If I was closer I'd take her in a heartbeat(not that I need another horse), but unfortunately ......
ETA: agree with cat....balancing her ration is very important to avoid too much growth, or she might end up with contracted tendons and clubfeet.


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## Trinity3205

Has she has a coggins test yet?


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## Inga

I think she needs a vet. She might need an IV with some fluids for a bit. They go down fast and once dehydrated it is hard to get them back without an IV. That might perk her up enough to stand and eat. She needs some seriously good quality food now. She is really a pretty little girl. Hope she does alright and can recover quickly. How sad is it that she has been through so much in her short little life. This little girl needs a break.


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## Endiku

Should I be going slower than the half pound and half pound then? Maybe just one pound all together? Thats what I'm feeding my miniature horse mare, and I guess they probably weigh about the same pounds...Kenzie can't weigh more than 300 pounds or so.

I'll definitely my vet about the Vitamin B shots. We should also be getting her stool samples and blood panel back soon so that will be very helpful for knowing just what parasites and deficiencies she might be dealing with.

She had her coggins test back when we had her, but that was months ago. So I doubt she's been tested again since then. Yet another reason not to let her around the other horses. Do you guys have any opinions on the goats though? Or even chicken? Just something to be around her all of the time. And I'll see if we cant get her coggins tested when the vet is out. 

I know she'll need a lot of vaccinations as well once she's better...this is going to be one expensive recovery. But, if we can make a difference for her, it will be well worth it.

I tried to feed her some mash a little while ago when I went out to feed my mare and filly, she ate a few handfulls and cleaned up another flake of hay, which is great. Not much water, but she drank some this morning and doesnt seem extremely dehydrated. Still refusing to get up though :/ I honestly don't know what to do. Its dangerous for her to be down this long isnt it? Should I spend another night with her?

Also, should I blanket or not blanket? It will be 40 tonight, and I'm not blanketing anyone else but they all have winter coats and are fat if anything.

Inga, the vet doesnt want to come out until tomorrow but I have a feeling they'll want to do IV fluids then. Her gums are pale pink, but pink. She drank one and a half bucket today, but I'm not sure how much she should have drank at this point. I did mix electrolytes into the water though.


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## Sharpie

It's good that she's eating and drinking well, though not wanting to stand at all is concerning. It may just be that she is so weak that standing is difficult for her. Is he peeing and pooping? I would worry about scald if she's not standing to do that as it will get on her skin. The fact that she has calluses indicates that she's probably been spending a lot of time down anyway, so I wouldn't worry quite as much as I would if it was a normal, healthy horse who suddenly wasn't wanting to stand. At some point, as much as you don't want to be rough with a horse who's had a tough go of it, she has GOT to get up, for her own good, and you might see if you can motivate her to do so... either that or she should be turned from side to side every 2-4 hours around the clock. 

If you can get her through this, she probably won't look outwardly better for a month or more, but rest assured her body is putting the calories to use inside, fixing her organs and immune system and balance. Once that's done, in a few months, she'll actually have everything inside fixed up enough to start growing on the outside where we can see it. Horses grow up to 4 and 5 years old- she may not ever be as tall as she might have been, but she's got plenty of time to put on size yet anyway.

I wouldn't feed anything but hay without double checking with your vet given that she's a 'down' horse at this point. But hay, hay and lots of water. She'll be in my thoughts. I don't think I'm anywhere near you in TX or I'd come out and lend a few day's labor to her cause.


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## Endiku

She peed once today, no poop that I'm aware of. I immediately took up the straw that she soiled though. The last thing she needs is scald. 

What is your suggestion on getting her to stand? I'm not strong enough to lift her myself, and the boys are all gone for the night. They'll be back at 6 am. I'm going to stay with her though and have a list of vet numbers to call if I need to. I'm able to roll her myself and I've done so three times today. She's flat out right now with her head on a blanket that I brought, and she's alert which is a good thing. For a few hours she was up on her stomache, but she doesnt seem interested in doing that anymore. I'd have to drag some bales of hay to prop her up again but I'm willing to do that if it will help.

Poor little gal is so sorry looking, but she's a total lover. She keeps trying to comfort nurse on my hand though, which I found a little odd. I wish she'd been able to kee her mama for longer, she'd probably be in much better shape :/

Vet is schedualled to come out tomorrow at around 8 am as one of his first rounds. He's all the way in Waller county though so tends to be late. Hopefully she pulls through at least that long...I'm very worried.

For what its worth, I contacted a vet tech friend of mine who is willing to do water through IV for her if anyone thinks that might help. Her skin is still fairly elastic, her gums are still pale pink, but her eyes are dull. She hasn't tried to eat anymore hay but its right by her if she wants it. My guess is that she has probably eated about 7 pounds today, give or take a little. 

I've left her blanket off for now, and I'm keeping a log of her temperature and pulse just in case. Her temp reads 102.2 so just between the verge of being slightly elevated and dangerous at least according to what _I've_ been taught, which might be wrong. It hasnt risen or fallen since she came here. We have a small stethescope in our veterinary kit which is coming in handy, I've been listening for gut sounds and to her lungs. To me they seem slightly rattly but I'm praying its just a cold and not pneumonia or something... I'm sure that laying down really isnt helping her either.


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## Sharpie

If she is flat out and not willing to get up, that is not a good sign for her survival. Horses are not made to stay in that position. 

If she prefers to be in that position, but is ABLE to get up and proves it to me, that's one thing. If she's so weak she can't get up, she may not make the night.  If that kid was in my barn, some not so pleasant 'persuasion' might be used at this point, starting with some solid kicks in the bum and going up from there. If she does get up, I'd keep her up and walk her slowly (just enough to keep her from laying down) for at least 15 minutes. The fact that she's not pooping is another sign something is seriously wrong, but gentle movement might get the gut moving.


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## nvr2many

Oh poor sweet girl. I pray she makes it. Keep us posted. Please, even if you just need to talk.


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## Brenna Lee

Update!?


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## Endiku

She's sort of able to get up onto her stomach with some rocking, but in the time I've been here she hasn't tried getting up onto her feet whatsoever. 

I'm going to try to get her up right now. I feel horrible doing anything to her, but I know that she's going to die if I can't get her up. I'm going to call my best friend right now to come help me if he can, to pull her up onto her feet and keep her up. Good thing in this situation is her size I guess...theres no way we could get a normal 700+ lb yearling up by ourselves. :/

I'm just so worried that _I'm_ being selfish with this, wanting her to live so badly. We just had our beautiful Noah pass away last week, I can't bear the thought of another dying during the night...and on my birthday/christmas even of all things. My only prayer is that she makes it through the night until the vet gets here.


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## clippityclop

I've seen a few cases like this come thru- you never know what you will get b/c there are so many risks for congenital defects when the mare is not properly cared for. Just keep an open mind - there could be things going on that you can't see from the outside involving metabolics/organ development/muscle-tissue-bone development and growth. Some of these little guys lack the ability to properly metabolize their food or may be missing enzymes and can't process certain proteins for proper development physically and mentally and may never be able to. Whatever happens, you are doing a great job and she's lucky to have you. Keep us posted with your/her progress and hang in there!


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## Celeste

I would get a vet out. If the vet can't come, at least try to get your vet tech friend out. She is most likely dehydrated and hypoglycemic. If she goes too long without standing up to urinate, she will go into kidney failure. Poor baby. I hope she pulls through.

Oh, I just re-read your last post. I see you already have the vet scheduled. That's good. Poor little horse. I hope she pulls through.


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## MissColors

I really don't see how her conformation is a wreck. She's still a little to small do deem her conformity unsuitable for anyone. And I've always known tbs to not fully mature til they're about 7. You might want to put her on a senior or a foal feed just to give her that extra nutritional boost. Thats all that looks bad to me. Dehydration and malnutrition. A lot of times horses will shape up and grow taller once they put on some weight. My gelding did that after I rescued him and put him on a good diet. I honestly say just give her some time.
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## MissColors

Didn't read all of it. Can't wait to see what the vet has to say.
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## Endiku

With conformation shots she's tied in at both knees, has rediculous pasterns (may grow into those though) pigeon toed in the front and calf kneed in the back with a straight shoulder. Right now though? I could care less. I just want her to live.

Good news...I think. I have her up. My friend lives within walking distance and came immediately. It took a few good kicks to the butt as Sharpie said, but with the help of some support she's up. I found an old linen cloth in our shed and made a sort of sling with it and put it under her stomach. With both of us pulling, she made it up and is now standing rather shakily on her feet. I'll try walking her a bit and let her lay down again, then probably try to get her up again in 2 or 3 hours. Its going to be a long night but...fingers crossed. Her legs look like they're about to buckle but she's a determined little thing.


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## nvr2many

Oh good!!! Good Job!


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## Endiku

Alright she only stayed up about ten minutes before collapsing, but I guess its better than nothing. She peed again and its foul smelling, but still no poop.

My phone is about to die though so I think this is it for updates until tomorrow morning unless I can revive it or something...I'll try charging it in the car if I feel like I can leave Kenzie.

Until then, prayers are appreciated and Merry Christmas Eve to all...


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## Sharpie

You'll both be in my thoughts tonight. I hope she pulls through for you. Hopefully she'll hang in there until the vet arrives and they can do something to help her. No matter what happens, at least she's with someone who cares for her.


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## Oldhorselady

Poor baby. I hope she pulls through.


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## TheLauren

Poor little thing. You are both in my thoughts.
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## Domino13011

This is awful.:-( I really hope she pulls through. Im glad she has you.


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## stevenson

Oh .. poor baby.. she is soo cute. Glad you took her in. If your friend knows how to tube, i would put some mineral oil in her and some electrolytes if you dont have any go get some pedialyte. Its mad for infant children so it should be safe for the horse. Since she has been passing worms, she might be plugged from the worm load.
If she is suckling your fingers, try a bottle, even a dollar store baby bottle with water and pedialyte and then some mineral oil ..


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## Endiku

Good news, little Kenzie has made it through the night! It was really touch and go at about 4 am this morning when she stopped responding to me at all, but I drug my vet tech friend out of bed to come help. Stevenson, she actually said almost the same thing as you! She didn't want to tube just yet because she's only done it on full sized horses by herself (still new to the job) and didnt want to mess anything up, but we have cow bottles and nipples for our calves each spring that she went and bought the pedialyte. Kenzie put up a fuss at first but honestly I was glad that she was feeling good enough TO fight. She eventually took one bottle over a few hours.

I was able to get her up two more times but then my friend had to leave. We're now just waiting for the vet to get out here. Her temperature is now 102.7 and her resperation is heightened so I'm thinking infection. She did poop an hour or two ago though, but its hard and nearly black. I dont know what that means.

Fingers crossed, and thank you all for the good wishes and thoughts. We're still rooting for little Kenzie!


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## Celeste

Whether she makes it or not, I think it is safe to assume that she would not have made it if you had not taken her home with you. I hope she makes it and gets better.


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## deserthorsewoman

Good job! I was very very worried. 
I guess she caught a cold, just as I thought. And hard, nearly black poop...similar to meconium? She must not have been eating at all before she came back to you, I guess....
That littlun is a fighter! She obviously was slightly colicky last night, just too exhausted to show typical signs. Poor thing. Great job, Endiku


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## Trinity3205

Id bet dollars to doughnuts shes dehydrated. I hope the vet can come ASAP. Im worried.


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## Sharpie

I am very glad she's still fighting for you. Hopefully with a little more help she can keep it up and get on the road to recovery, after a rough night like that I think nothing is certain. I was very worried about what I was going to read here this morning. The darkness could be blood from ulcers, from all the damage from the worms, from colic, or it could just be from it being in there for so long, but hardness is usually dehydration. The more fluids she takes in, the better. Maybe she likes gatorade, koolaide or apple juice flavors? They're a bit cheaper than pedialyte, and commonly given to horses that travel and might not want to drink.


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## Oldhorselady

Sharpie said:


> I am very glad she's still fighting for you. Hopefully with a little more help she can keep it up and get on the road to recovery, after a rough night like that I think nothing is certain. I was very worried about what I was going to read here this morning. The darkness could be blood from ulcers, from all the damage from the worms, from colic, or it could just be from it being in there for so long, but hardness is usually dehydration. The more fluids she takes in, the better. Maybe she likes gatorade, koolaide or apple juice flavors? They're a bit cheaper than pedialyte, and commonly given to horses that travel and might not want to drink.


I agree about ulcers....dark/black stools is often old blood and the rock hard stool could be dehydration making her constipated...not good combos with horses. I hope the vet comes soon and gets this little one moving in the right direction. So glad she has you during this tough time.


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## nvr2many

So glad to hear she made it through the night. Can't wait to hear what the vet has to say.


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## Endiku

The vet just left. He was here very promptly and I'm relieved.

He's amazed that she even survived the night. Because of her symptoms he believes that she might have Equine Herpes Virus type II, because of her muscular weakness, nasal discharge, wheezing, lack of appetite, and inability to stand. She is also chronically dehydrated which he thinks is causing the black feces. Rhino virus is probably the worst possible thing for her to have right now...it can be fatal to even a healthy animal. He isnt sure though so he sent off a tissue sample to the lab and will let me know this evening. If she does have EHV, he said the best we can do is keep her comfortable and pray for a miracle. He gave her a muscle relaxant, some anti-inflamitories, and steroids but if that is what she has...it doesnt look good. We're supposed to call him if her fever gets higher or if she starts spasming or is having a harder time breathing. He ran an IV for her though and we're furiously pumping electrolytes into her praying for a miracle. The fact that she can still stand is good, but her weakness is making it very hard for her. I have her propped on some hay bales right now.

If she does have ERV we'll be on immediate lock down on our farm and the state will have to be notified. Pray that this isnt what she has...the poor baby. If it is that though, the vet says that the next 72 hours will tell us if she will survive or not. If she gets worse though, we'll put her down. No horse deserves this.

And to think that a simple vaccine could have easily prevented the pain she's going through. And some food. How hard is it to just FEED a freaking baby? 

He thinks that the rescue actually made it worse though by giving her the feed that they were. It seems to have caused a lot of damage. He flushed her out and she's only on alfalfa pellets for today, soaked- and hay tomorrow if she makes it. He's not sure how well her digestive tract is even working, considering the state of her feces and urine.


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## Oldhorselady

Endiku said:


> The vet just left. He was here very promptly and I'm relieved.
> 
> He's amazed that she even survived the night. Because of her symptoms he believes that she might have Equine Herpes Virus type II, because of her muscular weakness, nasal discharge, wheezing, lack of appetite, and inability to stand. She is also chronically dehydrated which he thinks is causing the black feces. Rhino virus is probably the worst possible thing for her to have right now...it can be fatal to even a healthy animal. He isnt sure though so he sent off a tissue sample to the lab and will let me know this evening. If she does have EHV, he said the best we can do is keep her comfortable and pray for a miracle. He gave her a muscle relaxant, some anti-inflamitories, and steroids but if that is what she has...it doesnt look good. We're supposed to call him if her fever gets higher or if she starts spasming or is having a harder time breathing. He ran an IV for her though and we're furiously pumping electrolytes into her praying for a miracle. The fact that she can still stand is good, but her weakness is making it very hard for her. I have her propped on some hay bales right now.
> 
> If she does have ERV we'll be on immediate lock down on our farm and the state will have to be notified. Pray that this isnt what she has...the poor baby. If it is that though, the vet says that the next 72 hours will tell us if she will survive or not. If she gets worse though, we'll put her down. No horse deserves this.
> 
> And to think that a simple vaccine could have easily prevented the pain she's going through. And some food. How hard is it to just FEED a freaking baby?
> 
> He thinks that the rescue actually made it worse though by giving her the feed that they were. It seems to have caused a lot of damage. He flushed her out and she's only on alfalfa pellets for today, soaked- and hay tomorrow if she makes it. He's not sure how well her digestive tract is even working, considering the state of her feces and urine.


Poor, poor baby. Sounds like a great vet and he knows what he is talking about. I will be thinking of you guys and all the efforts you are making to save this baby.


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## nvr2many

Me too. Thanks for the update.


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## egrogan

Uggh, so sorry to hear she will have such a battle ahead of her. Will definitely be thinking the best possible thoughts for all of you. 

And, good for you for being so insistent on keeping her quarantined.


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## stevenson

Endi - glad she took fluids from the bottle. I hope she pulls through, she sounds like she is really trying to fight this. Keep up with the bottle and fluids, since she may have more internal problems I would stay with the pedialyte over gator aide, maybe add some karo syrup for better flavor and I would even try milk replacer for some extra nutrition and fluids. You could even try some soaked A+M to make a mashy slurpy mess along with the soaked hay pellets. But ask the Vet first . I hope she is on antibiotics, Keep us posted.


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## Inga

This poor little dear has had a rough start to life. I hope that she can make it through this so she can truly appreciate all the love you are putting into her. It is amazing how much we bond to these horses that need all the extra help. I am so happy he got her on an IV as dehydration is a huge problem. Hopefully she has enough fight to make it through. Please keep us updated. 

We need a Christmas miracle here.


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## Endiku

Fever is fluctuating between 102.7 and 103.2 right now, but if this is EHV this is fairly typical according to what I've been researching. Supposively its normal to see higher fevers in the afternoon through the evening and lower in the mornings, which is what we're seeing right now...

She's had three bags of IV fluid today and will get one more, then three to four tomorrow and so forth until she shows improvement in her drinking. I swear it seems like she's getting thinner by the hour though, I can count all of her ribs and see the ridges of her spine plainly. 

Yes, this vet is wonderful. He is the one that I often use for my mare and foal and he's always optimistically straight foreward. He tells it exactly as it is, then gives advice on how to increase her odds, which is exactly what I want. No fluffy stuff, no lies- just the plain truth. He's planning to come back after his rounds this evening to check on her and bring us some more bags for her IV.

She seems more comfortable after the anti-inflamatories and is peaceful for the moment. I've had her up four times today and she pooped again which is good. She also peed but while laying down, so we had to rinse and wipe her down after that. Its 70 degrees today though, so no big deal. Her poop is still very hard, but not as dark in color. I wouldn't be suprised if she does have ulcers though with all of the stress that she has endured. Her dam and her stable mates from the racing barn seem very prone to them as well. Once we have her eating, I'll ask the vet about scoping her for ulcers and starting her on some aloe and slippery elm bark to sooth her belly and intestines. I'm sure they've just been eating themselves up.

I've gotten almost two pounds of alfalfa pellets with powdered electrolytes as a topping down her, and one bottle of pedialyte. Her belly has bloated with liquids but the vet already warned me that this might happen, so I'm not horribly worried. 

One of the little girls on our farm that really liked her as a suckling and helped bottle feed her is out here right now with her mom feeding everyone Christmas cookies. She brought Kenzie a cute little blanket and a card that says 'git well kenzy and we will ride togather some day!' it touched my heart and I think Kenzie appreciates the blanket as a pillow. I'm about to head home to shower and have birthday dinner with my family, but I'll rush back out as soon as I can and hopefully make it back in time to ask the vet about making a mush for her again. I'll most likely spend another night out with her as well. Its pretty spooky out here though at night!

Thank you so much again, everyone, for the thoughts, advice, and sympathy. Its nice having someone to talk to about this special little girl. I can already feel myself getting attatched to her sweet little face. Funny that her name actually happens to mean 'Present', because thats exactly what she is, sickness, bag of bones, and all.


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## stevenson

thanks for the update. Have a nice Birthday dinner , and maybe for a present she will have a turn for the better . Sad she urinated while down, but that is better than no urination. Maybe she looks skinnier because of the bloated belly. Hope your Vet has better news for you tonite. At least its not cold, and maybe a light blanket draped over her, or a sheet will give her some comfort, sometimes when you have a fever you get chilled.


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## deserthorsewoman

Happy Birthday! !! Guess I missed that one lol
Good that she'll eat the alfalfa. It buffers the stomach acids and helps a great deal with the ulcers, which she most likely has. Give her smaller portions more often, if you can to keep that tummy busy. It also gets fluids into her. 
Now let's hope it's not EHV, rather a common cold........


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## Endiku

Thanks guys. It really would be a wonderful present to see her feeling better by tonight! It could very well be the bloated tummy that is making her look thinner, because she IS eating, even if its not much. She's half hearted about the eating but I think she realizes we're trying to help and is doing it for us. What a sweet baby.

I'm very glad it isn't cold. I heard that the wind is supposed to pick up to 30-35 miles an hour tonight though, so that should be interesting...her stall in an outdoor stall (sheltered from the wind and four sided with a roof, but open) so I'll probably use a lightweight blanket unless it gets really cold. 

I found that she loves to have her chin scratched though, earlier xD she was moaning and groaning it felt so good, and I was glad to give her at least one small good thing though.


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## horsecrazygirl

the poor baby. she s been through so much! but she is a fighter. thank you for the updates.I think you are her guardian angel. hoping everything turns out for the better.


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## wild_spot

Subbing. Sending all my best wishes for Kenzie. After battling to save a very sick yearling this year and failing, I sincerely hope it's a different outcome for you.
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## Lins

You are a heck of a person to be doing this. You really are kind hearted, and the amount that you care for this baby is really incredible. 

I am keeping you and Kenzie in my thoughts. Poor girl, I can't believe she is hanging on through all of this. Can't help but wonder if she'll be able to fully recover with no permanent, life long health issues.

Karma will get back to you for this. Thanks for reminding me that there are still good, kind hearted people in this world. Sorry I don't have any advice  I hope to read more updates on her.
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## egrogan

Happy birthday Endiku! Hope you get that present 
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## EmilyJoy

Subbing! Hoping for good results!


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## alee

Subbing, hoping for a Christmas miracle.


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## BarrelBunny

Subbing! I sure hope that she can pull through! Can't wait to hear for more updates & happy birthday!


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## Endiku

Lins, thats what I'm worried about. Suddenly height doesnt seem to matter the least bit and I'm left wondering if her body will even stand up to the terrible train that is being put on it. She's already in such a fragile state, I can't imagine how this much CAN'T somehow affect her organs.

Well the vet came back about two hours ago with bad news; Kenzie indeed does have EHV. The only consolation is that she is in the later stages of it, which means that if we can get her through the next few days, she should start to improve and not get worse. If. Their guess is that the old owner's horses have EHV as well and they will all be seized on the 26th to evaluate them. Our farm will now be on lockdown for one month to keep it from spreading, and no horses will come into or leave our farm until they all have a clean bill of health. We dont want this spreading. The rescue has been contacted as well.

Her fever is back down to 102.4 and staying steady for now, but she doesn't want dinner. The vet tubed her some mineral oil because she's still acting a bit colicy, and we'll see what tomorrow holds for us. She's being a champion through all of this though, holding still for everything that we throw at her. She seems to have a bit of an infection in her shoulder that I didnt notice, but the vet pointed it out and said that since the antibiotics are a general type, they should take care of that too. Unfortunately there really isnt a 
'cure' for EHV but we're doing what we can to hurry its way out of here. It isnt welcome on our farm! >.>

Kenzie is now sleeping fitfully, and my prayer now is that she survives another night.

For those of you commending my kind heart, its the one that always gets me in trouble  truely though, I can't turn down a sweet baby like this. Its not her fault that she drew a bad lot in life, and she's tolerated it so well. I dont know how anyone COULD turn a little one like her down. It must have been horrifying not knowing when she would next be fed, or even given clean water. People who do this to animals disgust me, and I feel like the very, very least that I can do is make her comfortable and let her know that not all humans are bad if she does pass. Or, Lord willing, give her one more chance at the life she deserves.


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## Kayella

This is so, so heartbreaking. You know I'd take her in a heartbeat but I can only afford taking care of Henny ): I pray she gets better and continues to fight as she has been. These babies sure do have a lot of spirit in them and like Henny I hope she comes out as a success story as well. Jingles to you and Kenzie!!
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## Domino13011

Oh no!  I was really hoping she didn't have it

I don't understand why someone would take the time to rescue a horse if they don't plan on even feeding it! The horse was a rescue in the first place, so they knew she had already had a bad start in life. That's just evil. 

We're rooting for you Kenzie!


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## nvr2many

I am sorry to hear the latest news but am really praying for a miracle. Somehow I feel she will come through this!!! You are awesome! Thanks for all the updates! Merry Christmas!! Kiss the little "present" for me.


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## Inga

Domino13011 said:


> I don't understand why someone would take the time to rescue a horse if they don't plan on even feeding it! The horse was a rescue in the first place, so they knew she had already had a bad start in life. That's just evil.


 
It is amazing and sad how often that happens. Then people get mad at rescues for asking all kinds of questions and insisting on high standards. THIS is why. The caring people w ho dedicate their money, time and most importantly, heart to rescue do not want to ever see this again. 

I woke up this Christmas morning thinking of Kenzie and hoping she is still here. I too would love to see this little girl who has fought and struggled so hard to have one more chance and this time to land in a wonderful loving home for the rest of her years. God bless you for all of your hard work with this little Angel.


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## tempest

I've been watching this thread for a few days. I really hope she pulls through, she looks like she'd turn out to be a gorgeous mare based off of her foal pictures. I'm rooting for her here.


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## Endiku

Merry Christmas to you all from both me _and_ Kenzie. Yes, my friends, our beautiful little girl is still hanging in there on this windy Christmas morning. 

Respiration is still labored and her fever peaked at 103.6 last night, but is thankfully down to 102.2 again. She's still on IVs and just alfalfa pellets instead of hay, but she's holding her head up on her own this morning and was interested in Breakfast! She packed down half a pound and is now eating a mid afernoon snack. Poor baby is still so weak but she's a little fighter. 

I'll be staying home tonight for some much needed sleep but a young woman from the rescue is coming to relieve me and will spend the night with little Kenzie. I'll be out here until around 6 though, most likely.

I dont understand why people would do this either. The fact that the family seemed so kind and excited to get Kenzie is what makes it worse. You just dont know who you can trust anymore. :/ I'm just SO glad that the rescue requires a follow up visit with new owners, or Kenzie would have undoubtably died within a day or two. Their timing couldnt have been better.

Not every new owner is bad though...thank goodness. A cryptochid stallion (that we thought was gelded...) was adopted that had been with Kenzie, her mama, and the others a 9 months or so ago, and I got an update from them that he is doing fabulous. He was gelded and is being retrained as an endurance mount, and his first race will be in March! We've been asked to attend to see him cross the finish line and I'm so excited to see him. He had a bad start as well but with help has become a wonderful animal.

Again thankyou all for your thoughts and comments. Kenzie and I appreciate them,


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## FaydesMom

Sending healing mojo for the little fighter, hang in there!! Merry Christmas!


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## stevenson

sorry to hear the positive EHV. Since she is in the last stages hopefully she will only get better . It sounds like you are doing everything right for her since her fever is down. Hopefully the prolonged fever wont affect her mental status , She probably does not even remember the bad treatment and only is remembering the kind lady who is helping her. I would not worry about to much of a growth spurt , and with proper feed and exercise she should be okay. 
If I was close I would help , but CA is tad far . Hopefully she will have a nice life after this. I would take her .


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## EmilyJoy

Can't wait to get an update!


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## clippityclop

How's she doing today Endiku? I think I read somewhere that you thought ahead to keeping her propped upright - even tho she is weak - it will do great to ward off any more respiratory complications - most people don't even think of that. Hooray that she is eating her alfalfa! She can whip this thing - especially since she's got you backing her up! Viruses are awful! UGH!


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## Endiku

Agh, HF ate my other post. 

Kenzie has made it through one more night! 48 more hours until we're out of the 'red zone' according to the vet. Yes, I've had her propped up on haybales 90% of the time that she has been down because the last thing we need is for her to aspirate, choke, or get some of the nasty green mucus that has been pouring from her nose and eyes to get into her lungs. We need this baby to get well! Its all I can do to keep the mucus wiped off of her face to prevent hair loss.

The vet will be back out some time this afternoon to check on her and give her a Vitamin B shot as well as a copper and iron suppliment to mix into her pellets. Her blood test from the other vet came back with her being significantly low on those and he thought it would be benificial to get those back up to par ASAP. The volunteer that was out with Kenzie last night said that she did as well as possible, and that her fever didn't go above 103 which is a good sign I think. Her respiration is still wheezy and abnormal but her poop has begun to return to a normal color and hardness which is wonderful!

She's still too weak to get up on her own, but seems a little steadier once we have her hoisted up. She's able to stay up for 15-20 minutes versus barely 10 just a few days ago. I'm glad that she does not seem to be getting any worse. She has eaten 1/2 a pound of alfalfa pellets this morning but is not interested in eating any lunch. I'm going to leave it out for her just in case while I go muck my horse's pen. My poor girls are feeling neglected but I really dont want to infect them, so I've been advoiding doing anything with them except for when I first arrive after a show. The last thing I need are $2,000 more in vet bills for both my four year old and my three month old 


I've started giving Kenzie Water mixed with apple juice or strawberry gatorate instead of pedialyte because pedialyte is EXPENSIVE when a horse is drinking it, but she seems to be find and her gums are pink again  other than that she's on the same diet still and although she still looks like she's losing weight instead of gaining to me, the vet thinks that once we get her over this hump she'll start packing on the pounds. I sure hope he's right.

The weather has also taken a huge turn and it is now low 30s at night and 50s in the day, so she has a medium coat on as well as a banket around her neck. I hope I'm not over-coating her  I just feel bad with how thin she is, with all of this wind and cold air.


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## FaydesMom

Woo Hoo! Hang in there baby girl!! 

You could try rubbing a very light coating of petroleum jelly under her eyes and on her muzzle to help keep the mucus from sticking too and burning her skin in between wiping the goop away.

So glad to hear she's holding her own and no longer getting worse. Still sending healing vibes her way!


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## TheLauren

While it is so sad to hear about people who let her get to this condition it Is also so heartening to know there are people like you out there. It's amazing. This little girl has been given a chance because of you. I pray she pulls through.
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## deserthorsewoman

Glad to hear she's going, if ever so slightly but nonetheless, uphill. By all means keep her covered up. She eats little roughage and doesn't move, so she has no heating at the moment. Can you give her the alfalfa slightly warm, body temperature maybe? She probably can't even smell it with all that gunk in her nose, and the warm soaking makes it smell a little more. I do that even for mine at the moment, since it's cold, windy and wet out. I soak them about halfway with cold water and add hot just before I feed.
Great vet you have there!


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## deserthorsewoman

Double post.......
Can you give her a nice body rub, if she tolerates it? Especially at the tactical places, where momma would nuzzle her for comfort?


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## wetrain17

Hoping this little girl pulls through. I commend you for doing all that you are to help her.


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## Endiku

Great idea Desert! I'll heat some water on the stove to soak her pellets in and see if she'll take it any better. I didnt even think about the scent and I'm sure that having a warm belly would be very comforting.

I've been rubbing her legs and neck to keep them from getting stiff, but I hadn't thought of trying a fully body types massage. We actually have a massage therapist for humans out here on the farm on Fridays so maybe I can sweet talk her into helping me with Kenzie xD until then I'll see if she'll tolerate me trying it a bit. Hopefully she won't be really sensative like humans sometimes are when they're feverish.


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## Bobthebuilder

Yay go kenzie! So great of you to be doing this- she's really got a sweet face, I wish I could take her home. Keep us updated, we''re all praying for her!
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## deserthorsewoman

Start out easy, at the tactical spots, and extend from there. Not too much pressure, more like grooming with a rubber curry. 
Anything what comforts her and gets her spirits up is good


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## stevenson

That is great news. She is one tough little horse! The hot mash is good idea and keep those blankies on her. Hope that the virus does not spread, You might put a cat box sized pan by her stall with bleach/water mix in it to step in after leaving her pen. So long as there is no dog etc that can get to it.


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## Sharpie

I am so glad that she seems to be getting stronger and her poop is getting more normal. Regardless of what happens from here, you are her angel. Without you I doubt she would have been able to hang on.
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## cmarie

Try putting some vicks in her nose put it in thick and it may help her breathing, my vet told me to do that when one of mine had pneumonia, it seemed to help alot.
I'm so glad to hear she's hanging in there, she was the one I would have taken from you if I had been closer when you first got them and posted about them


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## Endiku

I tried the massaging and she seems to really enjoy it in most places. Not a fan of having her belly rubbed at all though and her lymph nodes are swollen so certain parts of her throat are sore as well. She really likes having her shoulders and withers scratched/rubbed though, and fell asleep while I was doing it. She seems to like the hot pellets better too, and ate almost another half pound at around three.

Great idea stevenson, about the bleach. I've been washing everything that I use on her in bleach and perioxide, as well as changing clothes/soaping up before going out to the other horses, but I didnt really even think about my shoes. Good thing they're rubber boots! we do have barn cats so I'll have to find something with a lid though, that I can set up high when not in use. Her quarentine pen is against where the wind usually blows and quite a ways away from the other pens too, which is good. So far no one else is looking sick.

Sharpie, thank you. She's a beautiful little girl underneath all of the sickness and I really hope that I'll get to see her with her health restored, playing like a baby should be at this age.

Cmarie- vicks is a great idea! I did that to my cat once but didnt even think about putting it on Kenzie. So when I go to the store later, I gues my shopping list includes more gatorade, vicks, and petroleum jelly xD very strange mix. 

I do wish that I lived closer to any of you guys...I would love nothing more than to see her go to one of you so that I could hear about her progress and know that she'll never have to worry about freezing to death or starving to death again. I tried talking the BO into adopting her but we already are over our heads in weanlings and young unbroken horses right now, and are currently in the market for a lesson horse, not a very ill baby unfortunately :/ I'd adopt her myself but Sour and Honor are already breaking my wallet.

As for other news, the vet came by at two and says that he's still amazed that she's made it this far. He doesnt want us getting our hopes up though, just in case. Her fever is staying steady at 102.3 right now and hasn't gone up at all yet, and he said that if it hasn't risen by tomorrow and if she's still drinking we can go ahead and take her off of her IV (but leave the port still in, just in case)! He also wants to try moving her up to two pounds of alfalfa pellets tomorrow and see if she'll eat that much, then go from there on trying to add in some real forage and get her guy moving. We gave her another dose of probios, the vitamin B shot, and some suppliments for her pellets. He's worried about her weight and estimates her to be about 90 pounds underweight for her size, but her worm count has gone down a lot (her fecal has come in too) which is a good sign. We're going to hold off on worming her again though for three weeks to let her body heal.

Things are headed in the right direction my friends!


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## Inga

Thank you so much for taking the time to keep us all updated. You are so busy right now doing all this work but we are all worried about her as well and keeping the positive energy flowing for her to heal. I feel like I know her and I am trying to picture her propped up with hay bales and snuggled in a blanket. I feel invested in her recovery even though all I have to do is read updates and pray. Keep up the good work and thank you again for all you are doing.


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## egrogan

Inga, you summed it up perfectly-I think there are lots if us feeling the same way! Love these updates and so hope she continues to improve.
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## deserthorsewoman

Glad to hear I could contribute a bit
She might appreciate stroking her belly more than rubbing...she's a TB after all.

Try to find one of those under-the-bed Rubbermaid containers, your boot size, they have pretty tight fitting lids.


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## Endiku

haha, but reading and hoping along with me really does do a world of good! These posts have really helped me gather my thoughts and kind of vent as well.

A rubbermaid box would be perfect. I think we might actually have a spare one at home so I'll see if I can find that.

I just gave her some more pellets and she's working on those right now. Its COLD though so I might go pull out one of the heavy coats for her tonight...and for me  you'd be amazed by how little comfort a cot is in the cold xD


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## Celeste

You need to take an electric blanket to cover yourself with at night on the cot.


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## Domino13011

Im so glad she's doing better! That's wonderful to hear!
She's a fighter.


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## Inga

I hope there will be more good news this morning. Thinking of this little doll constantly and hoping against hope for continued imrpovement. She can be our little Christmas Miracle.


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## Endiku

Oh what I wouldnt give for an electric blanket xD I have two big quilts and a jacket though...I'm just being whiny. haha
　
Kenzie is still with us and 24 away from getting out of the red zone! Her fever didn't go up at ALL last night, thank goodness! She still isn't attempting to stand on her own which is alarming, but the vet said that she's probably so stiff and weak that it will take a while. She's to the point of getting up with help every 2 hours though and stays up for a good 20 minutes. This morning she is frantically talking to one of the mares in the pasture closest to her, which I'm going to take as a very good sign. Poor thing is hungry for companionship and I'm just not cutting it!
　
Her mucus has thinned and is less green, and she's now peeing and pooping normally. The next thing on our agenda? Get this little girl on her feet, eating better, and not fever stricken! Her fever is 102.2 right now and hasn't risen above that. Still hasnt broken though.


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## Chevaux

I've been following the thread. I confess to being cowardly about joining in up until this point in the event there was bad news but since it now looks like what can be said to be guarded optimism I'm in. You're doing good work, Endiku -- you're an excellent example of kindness and dedication for all of us to follow.


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## FaydesMom

Do you have any pictures of the little fighter?? I bet she's cute (considering the situation) covered up in a bundle of blankets. 

I wish I lived closer, I have nothing but time and would love to help her recover. Still sending healing vibes with my candle lighting each evening!!

Hang in there Kenzie!!


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## stevenson

Endi.. that is great news. She is happy and wanting to be with another horse is fantastic !! She should start gaining ground soon as that fever breaks, hopefully it will tonite ! I wish I could come get her. She would have a home for life. ;} but I have 11 of my own, owe a huge hay bill and take care of my bros in laws 7 . It got colder here mid to high 40's and some rain . We so needed the rain and some snow in the mountains.


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## Endiku

Well then welcome Chevaux! I admit, I'm having a hard time wanting to be optomistic too because I really don't want to get my hopes up, but I just have this feeling that she's going to be ok. She's a fighter, thats for sure.

Faydesmom. You have no idea how much I wish that I did! Unfortunately...I kind of killed my camera back in the summer and have no money to buy another >.> they first photo was sent to me from the rescue. BUT on Saturday, a friend is coming out to take photos of my mare and filly for everyone, so I'll see if she'll snap a few of Kenzie then too. Hopefully by then she'll be standing on her own.


Kenzie is tucked away, nice and cosy in her stall, munching on some very nasty looking alfalfa pellet 'soup' xD we offered her a flake of hay, and she's picked at it a little, but so far she hasn't really eaten much of it. I think that the vitamin B shot has helped though, as she's looking a bit perkier and keeps head bumping me to be scratched more. I love seeing her start to get some of that spark back that I remember from when she was little.

One and a half pounds of alfalfa pellets down, 102.1 degree fever, and still wheezing but not draining so much. It is COLD out though and the poor thing is shivering. The freezing rain isn't helping either.

Ofcourse, our idea of freezing is laughable to you guys xD
48 degrees with 25 mph wind and some rain 

To hold you guys over, here is a picture of her back when she was healthy, happy, and still had mama </3 The goal? To get her back like this!










Its a shame that her dam didn't make it. She was a very pretty mare.


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## CharliesMom

I have read **** near every single post and I just have to say Endiku that you are an awesome person. I am sending all kinds of good healthy vibes to Kenzie and I hope she continues to improve  
You will have some seriously great karma coming to you for going out of your way for this little girl.


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## Endiku

Thats one heck of a lot of posts then! I just realized that we've made 10 pages already. Thank you ^_^ everyone, for the support. Kenzie is one sweet baby and I'm really hoping that she'll pull through.


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## Inga

She has a sweet little Angel face. I love her star. All of these positive vibes and prayers cannot go unnoticed, right? She needs another chance at life and to be spoiled terribly.


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## Celeste

What happened to her Mama? I must have missed that somewhere.


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## stevenson

Endi.. if she is shivering she will need more blankets. Thats not good, and they can get shocky from it. i would hate to see her relapse. Also I assume she is on some shavings, which should help keep in some heat, dont know if you ever stated. I hope the rescue is paying for the Vet .


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## Trinity3205

Straw is a great insulator. Much better than shavings. If she cant stay warm on the ground, get her on a thick bed of straw over the shavings.


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## FaydesMom

stevenson said:


> Endi.. if she is shivering she will need more blankets. Thats not good, and they can get shocky from it. i would hate to see her relapse. Also I assume she is on some shavings, (actually, a good thick bed of straw insulates much better than shavings. It's because the stems are hollow and provide more resistance to the cold passing through.) which should help keep in some heat, dont know if you ever stated. I hope the rescue is paying for the Vet .


And if you are paying the vet from your own pocket, I would be honored to send a few sheckles through PayPal to help out. I couldn't send much this close after Christmas, but $20 bucks couldn't hurt, no?? Or even to the rescue if they are covering the vet??

Hopefully she'll be running and playing like that again soon!! Go Kenzie!!


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## FaydesMom

Trinity3205 said:


> Straw is a great insulator. Much better than shavings. If she cant stay warm on the ground, get her on a thick bed of straw over the shavings.


:rofl::rofl::rofl:

Darn it, I type to slowly!!


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## horsecrazygirl

Kenzie is extremely lucky to have someone like you caring for her.


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## Peppy Barrel Racing

I'm glad to hear your filly is doing better! My first horse Pepper was very sickly as a colt, not gaining weight, skin and bones, not growing and unhealthy. We thought we might even lose him. Found out he had bloodworms. Now he's 12 and healthy and he matured to 16 hands so don't give up on her! So glad you and the rescue organization are working hard to make her healthy!


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## AgileOllie

I agree... I know you haven't thought about asking for it, but I'd like to donate a little bit too, to help with her costs. Please give us an address to send a donation 



FaydesMom said:


> And if you are paying the vet from your own pocket, I would be honored to send a few sheckles through PayPal to help out. I couldn't send much this close after Christmas, but $20 bucks couldn't hurt, no?? Or even to the rescue if they are covering the vet??
> 
> Hopefully she'll be running and playing like that again soon!! Go Kenzie!!


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## Inga

AgileOllie said:


> I agree... I know you haven't thought about asking for it, but I'd like to donate a little bit too, to help with her costs. Please give us an address to send a donation


Me as well. We all want to help. If I can't be there snuggling with her at least I could help a little with the bills that she is acquiring. 

I hope this morning there is even more improvement and that she is getting up on her own, not feverish and ready to start eating to pack on the pounds.


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## egrogan

Agreed-ready to pitch in! Just let us know how.
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## Elana

I only read the first page but I can tell you I bought a horse as thin as this.. 13.2hh at age 2 coming 3. I fed her and in a year she was 15hh. 

She too was not fed and loaded with worms. One thing that did happen is that after the worm load was removed she developed enteritis. The vet believed this was leakage from removing the worms and possible leakage from her bowel into her gut. She was given antibiotics IV, antibiotics intragastric antibiotics and IV fluids. She recovered and was fine. 

BTW while I do see severely malnourished in the photos, I do NOT see a "conformational wreck." I see a malnourished horse with large roomy hocks and knees with uneven growth who has been stunted by lack of nourishment. 

Here are photos of the horse I had. This was in 1976. I will not say your outcome will be the same but this is my experience.


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## Saddlebag

Endiku, offer her blackstrap molasses and let her try it off your hand and see if she likes it. I'd add a tbsp or two to each feeding and mix it in. If you dampen her pellets it will mix nicely. A good sign is when she tries to lick the bottom out of the pan. Blackstrap contains calcium and iron and has the highest amount when compared to Cooking and Fancy. If you can't get Blackstrap, get the Cooking Molasses. I've posted an article on how to make your own probiotics. Even the juice from store bought saurkraut (refrigerated section only) will add beneficials. So after all this stress you should eat some kraut and add a tbsp of the liquid to her feed.


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## Elana

Now I read through everything. I hope she pulls through. The photos of her as a baby and those of her with her mother lead me to believe she has a shot at being a really good horse build wise.

Best wishes. It may be a long road.. but it may be way more than worth it (more than the emotional worth I mean.. and that is a LOT) if she matures normally.


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## AnalisaParalyzer

holy cow pies endiku, way to go! i'm so glad this little baby has someone like you to pull her through this. Come on Kenzie!!


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## Endiku

You guys are going to make my cry with your generosity. Your online support is more than enough, yet you keep giving! For Kenzie, we would be honored to accept your help. Her vet bills are overwhelming, but we've really just pushed them aside in hopes that she will make it. 
We're just suckers in that way, I suppose. Half of our horses have come from strange or poor situations, whether these unfortunate OTTBs, our deformed dwarf, or our one eyed colt. Its just so sad to see animals who have little chance being thrown away without a thought. 
When I first saw Kenzie come into our farm, I think that all I was seeing in her was the bedraggled appearance of a starved baby, not what lies underneath it. I'm glad to hear that, if we can get her over this hump in the road, she just might have a chance at being a useful horse. That would make her chances of being adopted soar much higher than as a young pasture puff. 
Kenzie is on a very thick bed of straw (too thick in the BO's opinion xD) with a heavy blanket, so its strange that she was shivering last night. But she has no body fat to speak of. I have some wonderful new though! As of about 4 am this morning, Kenzie's fever has broken! My guess is that she was shivering because of that, because not long after she began sweating. If thats anything like what humans go through when their fevers are breaking, she had telltale signs from early in the evening. It is now 11 am and the fever has not returned. After, what, 4 days ATLEAST of constant fever, she is finally conquering it! 
Her respiration is still very rattly and she gurgles, so I think the vet is going to come out again to see if she needs another round of antibiotics, but she is definitely beginning to make progress. She still has yet to stand on her own and she is unfortunately forming a few small pressure sores on her stomach (being treated) but my hope and prayer is that with no fever and nourishment pumping into her body, she will begin to mend and be standing very soon. I'm trying to think of a way to keep her off of her stomach without her being flat, but so far haven't figured anything out. Any suggestions?
Saddlebag, great idea for blackstrap molasses. Can I get that at the supermarket or will I need to find a natural foods market or something? 
For those of you wanting to donate, let me just run it by my boss (who is the one shoveling out the money by the wheelbarrow full...I'm just pitching in all of the time I possibly can and a limited amount of money, being an owner of a very accident prone mare and filly, and still in school xD) and I'll let you guys know. She has a meeting up in Conroe today but should be back late this evening, so I'll have an answer as to where to send money and such tomorrow.
Keep rooting for Kenzie guys, she's finally going up hill instead of down! And thank you again everyone, for all of your care. You have no idea what it means to us.


Oh
, almost forgot. One of you asked what happened to her dam. 
Sierra (dam) came to us in pretty rough shape. Her legs were stocked up, she had severe thrush in three (possibly four? I cant remember) hooves, she had tendonitis in both front legs, and her hooves were a wreck. One was clubbed, the others just extremely grown out and collapsing. She was also malnourished from lack of good food while pregnant and lactating, and full of worms.
We got her back up to a decent weight, cleared up the thrush, got her in therapeudic shoes, and tried to work on getting her sound again. After over two months though she was still lame and getting lamer. The picture of her galloping with her baby was one of the only times we ever saw her run. The rest of the time she gimped along like an artheritic 30 year old. The rescue actually had plans to euth her, because she was not getting better and no one wants a seemingly permanently lame OTTB broodmare. Before they could follow through though, Sierra collapsed in her stall during the night and we found her dead. She actually took down an entire wall when she fell, and after an autopsy it was decided that she had died of a massive stroke as well as underlying heart problems. It was very, very sad. That left Kenzie to fend for herself at roughly 2 1/2 months old, and from there, it really isnt a happy story at all unfortunately


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## Elana

IF she pulls through. IF she over comes her lung issues. IF she gets her growth squared away and IF she grows the way her Mother looked.. and they way she looked as a baby.. this Kenzie may do well more than pasture puff. 

I don't mean the Kentucky Derby (tho stranger tales have been told) but something more along the lines of a competitive horse.. jumping and the like. I REALLY like what I see of her Mother and of her as a youngster. 

Lots of "if" in there.. but as I said.. stranger stories have been told. 

Would love to see this one get better all the way and then see her as a two year old....


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## Trinity3205

Yep I concur. Her baby pictures showed a pretty stellar baby actually. Nicer than some I see intentionally bred and raised like royalty,


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## stevenson

Yeah !! glad to know that fever finally broke. Now to get rid her lung problems iwth rattles it almost sound like a pnuemonia, so hopefully if she does have to be on antibiotics again, it will be kicked.


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## Endiku

Thats a LOT of ifs, and honestly I'll be happy if we can place her in a home as a trail horse or something of the likes. 

She was definitely an 'on purpose' baby, her breeder just met some very unfortunate circumstances and did not handle them the right way. From my understanding she was doing so so in the racing world with a string of 15 or so broodmares, foals, and racing 2-3 year olds. But she went through a nasty divorce that left her bankrupt, so she sold whatever horses she could and left the others to fend for themselves in two small stalls. So that was six horses (two being Kenzie and Peppin who were newborn and 3 months old at the time) in two small stalls, with only what old hay she could find to live on. We have no idea how long they were in those stalls but our guess is that Kenzie was either born in one of them or was put in one shortly after being birthed.

I can't remember her sires name but he's a big boy with a decent racing record but few standing foals. He raced 10 times and placed 6, but then suffered a bone splint and was retired to breed. He is the sire of our 15 month old, Peppin, who is a very nice looking colt if I do say so myself. He suffered an unfortunate accident that cost him his eye, so we adopted him to be a future riding horse and hopefully lesson horse. The only conformational fault that I can really find in him is his long pasterns which seem to run throughout TB lines quite often. His dam (also up for adoption and fostered with us) is a nice, big, useful girl as well. She's 'surrogating' as a lesson horse for us right now while we're looking for another horse to replace Noah, but I can definitely see her doing very well as a HUS or even Eventing horse. Big roomy hocks, decent coupling, wide open shoulder and a sturdy hip. She's currently schooling with one of our volunteers at 2'6 and could easily go higher. Her only set back is her age, since she's already about 16.

So this breeder definitely knew what she was doing...just didn't deal with things right when they went sour. And for that I'm glad. If Kenzie can overcome all of these obstacles, and if she didn't inherit any of her dams problems, she just might suprise us all.

A few more pictures of Kenzie's dam, Sierra. She was pretty thin when we got her, poor dear.




























As for news about Kenzie, her fever is still gone which is fantastic. The vet is concerned about the rattling in her chest though, and gave us some more antibiotics to give her as well as an ointment for her sores.


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## NdAppy

Lots jingles for her coming from the frozen prairies. I am hoping she continues to pull through.


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## Endiku

As requested, I have photos! They're all about the same since they're from a photographer (amateur) but I got some on my phone as well that show her in her stall, laying down- as well as without her blanket and of her bad legs. I'm going to attemp to get them uploaded but I'm not sure how. My phone didnt come with any sort of cable for the computer or anything.

Kenzie is doing absolutely wonderful today. Stood for a full 45 minutes this morning and stood to eat her lunch as well. I'm so proud of her. She's still wobbly but still fever free and very much alert! I think I'm even seeing some spark in her eye and I'm starting to uncover her personality. She kept spooking every time that she put her head into the feed bucket when she had the chain lead rope on, silly girl xD I eventually had to attach it up by her cheek in order for her to eat. She even got to go on an 'adventure' up to the front of our land today (only about 100 m but the furthest that she's walked so far! So proud.) and see the sights. She badly wanted to go talk with the ponies, but I sadly have to keep her away for at least three weeks because of the EHV 

She's also formed a limp in her right foreleg that seems to be stemming from her shoulder. I'm not sure if she just knocked herself when trying to stand up (she's needing less and less help from us but is very awkward when trying) or if she's stiff or if its from the cut healing and being sore...theres a little heat though so we put a heat pack on it and will have the vet check it when he comes on Monday to see her. Its not severe but definitely noticable. Poor little gal is having one thing after another try to knock her down...literally!

Excuse me in the photos...I'm exhausted and hate photos so I have some...interesting faces. haha. Focus on Kenzie and how good she looks. With the blanket on at least...









Don't be fooled by the fact that she looks normal size in the pictures. I'm 4'11 XD









My personal favorite.




















Oh, also. I talked to the BO and she's just as grateful as I am for your guy's generosity and gave me the address to send money to. She isnt able to take online payment because she doesnt have a paypal account though, unfortuately. I will be PMing this address to all of you. Thank you so much from all of us, especially Kenzie. She's doing so much better but has a LONG road ahead of her, and you're helping us pull her through! If I miss you, shoot me a PM. I'm sorry, I'm about to collapse from exhaustion xD

Note: Faydesmom, I was unable to PM you for some reason, but can try again if you'd like. It says that you have disabled PMs


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## alee

I don't know who is cuter, you or Kenzie! So glad that she is doing better. I find myself checking the forum throughout the day just to see how she is doing. You are her angel.


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## Casey02

That's wonderful, I cant wait to see the other pictures! I cant believe she has come so far


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## Endiku

Still trying to figure out how on earth to get my phone photos on the computer  sorry guys.

No fever today, and she isn't wheezing as much. Fingers crossed that today is the day that she stands up on her own!


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## deserthorsewoman

You post with your phone, right? See if you can get photos from phone here on your album and copy and paste....my phone does it


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## nvr2many

Can you send email from your phone? Send yourself an email and open it on your computer. Orrrrrrrrrrrrr I just found out about this app called bump, you can bump photos from one phone to the other and also bump them to your computer, its amazing.


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## Endiku

I'll try that, thanks! My phone is rediculously slow and usually won't load photos, but its possible that if I'm patient I can get them on xD

Oh, also. I appologize for the huge size of Kenzie's blanket in the pictures...its for a weanling and still a bit too long for her! Poor gal.


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## FaydesMom

> Note: Faydesmom, I was unable to PM you for some reason, but can try again if you'd like. It says that you have disabled PMs


Well piffle, it's done that a couple times now. I don't know why, I have my PM settings enabled. Oh well, if possible, could you send the addy to my e-mail please? ccsunwolf @ yahoo.com 

I'll go get a postal money order and pop it in the mail.

She is looking absolutely wonderful!! Very nice to see the life in her eyes.


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## Endiku

Sure can! Thanks so much. I have no idea why its doing that either!


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## Dressage10135

Just read all 13 pages, she is so lucky to have you there! I really think she could turn into a nice little horse once she gets back on track as far as nutrition goes. 

As for getting pics off your phone, text the picture to your email address and then take it from there and post on your computer


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## Endiku

That sounds the easiest! My internet is being too slow to load pictures off of my phone. But wouldnt texting it to my email need internet too?

I'm so electronically disabled, I'm sorry guy xD

Kenzie is still limping so I'm not sure whats up with that, but she has eaten a grand total of two pounds of alfalfa pellets and a flake(about 5 lbs) of hay today!  More than she's eaten since coming here.


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## Dressage10135

Nope, I don't have a smart phone so thats why you text it right to your email. When you open the email the sender will just be your phone number. No internet needed!


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## Endiku

Perfect! I'll try that really quick and hopefully have some pictures for you guys in a minute. I don't have a smartphone either, just a Sparq from T Mobile.


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## Endiku

FINALLY xD I had to do what Dressage said (thank you!) which stinks since I dont pay for photo texts, so I had to pay to upload these. I really wanted you guys to see them though so that you can understand just what kind of condition she's really in, without all of the glamour of touch ups, a blanket, and a nice camera.

Sorry about the quality.

With the blanket in her stall, watching the other horses. Her poor neck is so thin. You can see here what I mean by an outdoor stall. Only two sides have an actual wall, the other two are large panels, but we like it that way because it keeps ventilation easy and lets the horses feel less claustrophobic which is great for our TBs with anxiety issues (Peppin specifically)










And without a blanket. Her belly is so swollen from the fluids. She actually has a low worm count all things considered. Without the swelling you can feel every bone in her body, including her neck bones. You might also be able to see the swelling in her legs. I had pictures of her legs, but didnt want to spend more money than necessary. Its strange though because she toes out very badly in her left rear leg, almost to a 45 degree angle. I dont think you can correct that but I've never seen something like it. Its part of the reason I originally called her a 'conformational wreck.'

Sorry about the vaseline on her shoulder, she rubbed it off of her face.


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## deserthorsewoman

Did she have that when she first was with you? 
Once she fills out again, she will do so internally too, which will straighten her out a bit already. 
She sure is a pretty little girl


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## stevenson

You are so great to take on such resposibility at your age, You look as Young as the filly ! So glad to hear she is up and on her way to being healed. She will probably have sores and lameness issues from being down for so long. You have done such a great Job you should be very Proud of yourself. God bless you and may many good things come your way , you deserve it.


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## Celeste

Her legs may straighten out some once she is up and around, getting proper nutrition, getting exercise, and growing. I have seen some pretty sad looking legs straighten out with a bit of good nutrition and good health and exercise.


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## Endiku

Desert- the swollen legs or toeing out? She toed out when she came to us the second time around, I don't ever remember noticing it when she first came to us. The swollen legs are new. She came to us swollen but not quite this stocked up. They arent all that warm though and after talking to the vet he thinks it has a lot to do with how much time she's been spending on the ground. Hopefully as she gets exercising and standing on her own more it will start going down. I'm going to try soaking her legs in a warm epsom salt solution but I don't want to hydro them with a hose because its so cold.

Stevenson, I knew it was just a matter of time before someone called out my age xD funny story though, I'm a bit 'stunted' just like she is, and not normal height. I went through a really bad spell where I was way underweight and not developing as well, and I only matured at 4'11. We're similar in a lot of ways xD

I _am_ quite young though. I just turned 17 on the 24th and I've been blessed to have a great BO who is willing to let me take great responsibilites dispite my young age. I've been out here since I was 12 and I love helping rehabilitate these guys and seeing them start a new life. I'm often told that I look like I'm barely 12 or 13, and I've even had a few ask me if I was still in 6th grade xD I'm completely used to it though and it makes me laugh. And I have the feeling Kenzie might just have the same situation as I do when it comes to growth and age guessing! We're a good pair.

Celeste- I'm sure hoping thats the case! I'd love to see her sound and strong, not crippled and weak. She deserves it.


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## Spirit Lifter

Well I started on Page 1 and just finished. It's like reading a finger biting novel. I'm really surprised at your age in the photo's since you have written like a mature woman! You are a smart girl! I'd take McKenzie in a heart beat. Keep up the good work! My prayers are with you and her! She's just GOTTA make it!


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## deserthorsewoman

The stocking up should go away once she moves around on her own. 
With the twisted leg, I guess her hoofcare wasn't the best while she was gone, and probably can be corrected, since she still has a lot of growing to do. Same with the weak pasterns.

To me it looks like you guys are meant for each other, and you sure make a nice pair, if I may say that;-)


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## stevenson

lol.. 17 is young, and it was meant as a compliment. I would have no problem going back to that age !! I figured you for about 15 or 16, and look at this way, in 40 years from now, you will still be young looking ! I know some 30 yr olds that would not have taken the time you have to heal this filly.


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## Endiku

I hope so. I'm really not a fan of the farrier that 
our farm uses, but I'm going to see if my farrier will be willing to do some work on her hooves. I really like his corrective work and I think thats what she is going to need. You might see in the photos that I used my nippers and rasp to do a little work on her chipping hooves, but I didn't want to mess with them much since I'm still learning. I just didn't want her to be walking on slipper feet. 
Haha, I would LOVE to adopt her myself but I know that I can't financially care for her. I only have a part time job and I'm supporting two miniatures already. Otherwise I'd adopt her in a heartbeat. I don't care if I can't ever ride her. However, I guess thats just not in the cards for us and my hope is that I can find someone who is willing to pour just as much love into her...or more, than I can. She's a great little horse.
Stevenson- well thats progress! The usual guess is 12. lol. Yes, it is VERY fortunate that I have the time that I do to spend with her right now. Being a junior, I'm usually completely swamped with homework and scholarship work, but I just so happen to be on Christmas break, which was perfect. My friends have been great too, swapping out with me so that I can go home and shower or eat. I think she's nearly to the point of not needing to have someone here overnight though, as soon as she's able to get up by herself. 
She's spending about 2 hours up at a time now, but gets really wobbly any longer than that. Much better than barely 10 minutes a week ago though! Slowly but surely, our little gal is making progress. She's much more alert and has started to try 'helping' me spread her straw and clean her water bucket. 
The vet should be coming some time early this afternoon to check her and evaluate her shoulder. He's been having me give her half a gram of bute to knock the edge off of it but I really don't like giving it to her considering her weakened state. I'm hoping that he has a good prognosis for her today, and that we'll be officially 'out of the red.' She's one special horse!


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## Trinity3205

THAT is great news. Shes a fighter with a fighter at her back too


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## Endiku

Sorry about the weird spacing guys, my phone keeps doing that for some reason 

The vet came out just before it started pouring rain and he's really pleased with her progress. He said that we can start transitioning her off of the alfalfa pellets and onto actual hay since roughage is really what she needs to get her gut going. He thinks that her shoulder is just sore from all of the laying that she's been doing since she tends to lean that way, and to prop her up on the other side at night if possible. It isn't really swollen anymore, just a bit warm. It isnt sore to the touch either, but she definitely has a hitch in her step. She moves so stiffly though that honestly its hard to tell what she's limping on and what she's not. 

No fever, her mucus has thinned out to a clearish goo and isn't pouring out nearly as badly as it was, and her gums are bright pink. We're officially out of the red and the vet says that therre is about an 80% chance of survival (there is a possibility of relapse if we aren't careful) and a 50/50 for complete recovery and over all soundness. I'll take it! His guess is that she's about 120 pounds underweght for her size (taped at about 320, should be 440-450) but wants us to go easy trying to get her back up to weight so that we don't cause other problems. The goal right now is 15-20 pounds per week. He also estimated her to be about 6" shorter than a typical TB foal with parents her size, but not to worry about that for now. If we can get her healthy inside and out, the height should come with time. He's also convinced that her legs can be fixed at least mostly with good farrier care, patience, exercise, and nutrition, just like you guys said.

Thank you again everyone for you support! I was telling him about the forum and how helpful you guys have been and he was amazed. You truely are a blessing.


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## Trinity3205

This makes me very happy


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## egrogan

Great news! Happy new year to you and Kenzie!
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## Chevaux

I am always pleased to hear reports like this. I know so much of Kenzie's recovery so far has been due to your efforts.


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## Endiku

Yes, happy New Years everyone! May 2013 be very blessed for all of you


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## Sharpie

I am thrilled about her recovery and what the vet said! Hooray! Would you pm me that address? I don't have much to spare, but an extra $20 towards the Kenzie vet bills and recovery fund is just good Karma, right?


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## Inga

I am so happy about the updates. I prayed she would get another chance and obviously she is getting just that. I hope you will continue to update us and let us see how BIG she fills out to be. I just love her little face.


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## Endiku

Absolutely Sharpie! Every bit counts and even $20 can buy her a bag of her suppliment. You'd be suprised just how much even a few dollars can help 

Inga- it sure seems like it! I will definitely be updating as she progresses, though you guys may have to put up with my crummy phone pictures xD the friend who took pictures for me is in college out of town and doesn't come out often.


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## FaydesMom

Woo Hoo!! Wonderful news!! You have done an extraordinary job getting this little girl so far along the road to recovery!!

I missed the post office today, (long story involving 2 dead vehicles, a delivery of hay, and finally getting one of the trucks going...lol) but will get a money order out just as soon as I can.

Let's hope the coming year is less fraught with troubles for man and beast than this last one was!!

HAPPY NEW YEARS ALL!!


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## Endiku

Oh no! I'm glad that you finally got one truck running. Sounds like its just been 'one of those days' for you!

I hope so too. So many forum members have suffered losses or severe illnesses and injuries, both to themselves and their animals. Heres to next year being pain free with lots of sleek horses and happy owners!


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## Ladytrails

Endiku, you are awesome. Kenzie is a lucky little filly to have you in her life. And, your vet rocks!


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## stevenson

That is great news. I am so happy for both of you . I dont know what you plan on studying but you would make a terrific Vet. Your boss / BO / and rescue director should write a letter as a recommendation for what ever college you decide to apply to , and also for scholarships. You would even be great for running a shelter, private or County / City.


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## Elana

t5he photos I posted of the rescue were taken in 1976. I was 20 at the time and finishing college up. Not a lot older than you are now. 

Seems you are making progress. Good work.


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## Captain Evil

Endiku, can you PM me a contact too?


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## Endiku

LadyTrails- he sure does! I can't say enough good about my vet. He's always very level headed, carefully optimistic, and willing to go in for the long haul if you are. He's seen some pretty gnarly things but still seems to have that extra bit of compassion for each and every individual animal that needs his help, whether its critical or routine. If you guys ever move to Katy, don't go searching for a vet!There are plenty of crummy ones and 'so-so' ones, but I can hook you up xD

Stevenson- funny you should say that. My goal is to become a large animal veterinarian (imagine 4'11 me doing farm calls. It'll be great xD) and to eventually specialize in equines and rehabilitation. Having the rescue director write a letter of recommendation is a great idea! My boss has already written a few for me as well. She's amazing. I'm also very involved (head volunteer/assistant therapist) in our therapy program that uses ponies and miniature horses to work with mentally and physically disabled children so I have countless parents that I could ask, which is good! My family is financially unable to help me with school and vet school happends to be rediculously expensive.

I'm also hoping that my volunteer work and the work that I've done shadowing veterinarians will help me get into a college. I unfortunately have dyslexia and severe dyscaculia(numerical dyslexia) and although I have put in MANY hours teaching myself to read and caculate backwards from the way I was programmed to, my grades do suffer from it. I hold a 3.8 GPA which isn't quite good enough for most veterinary programs unfortunately, so my hope is that I can persuade them to consider me with the rest of my extracurricular activity xD not sure it will work.

I hadn't really even considered a rescue though. What a wonderful idea! My guess is that to do something like that I would need a degree in business, as well as animal science. Thats definitely something to look into. 

Elana- I almost forgot to say anything about the gelding that you posted! What a remarkable turn around. He was a beautiful animal, and I'm glad you didnt give up on him. Its quite amazing what we 'young ones' can do when people don't try to limit us based on our age or knowledge. I enjoy my work so very much and love to hear when other teenagers and young adults have made a difference, whether in animal or people's, lives. I hope that Kenzie will turn out like your boy did, strong and not badly affected by her trauma as a baby. Even if she does end up affected though, she's alive. Thats a miracle in itself.

Captain Evil- Will do! Thank you very much.


I have some absolutely fantastic news guys. Today, for the first time since going down, Kenzie was able to get up completely on her own today, no assistance from any of us! Until this point we have been using the sheet to help lever her up, but this morning I came in to help her up and she was standing at the stall door with her food bin looking at me like " I'm waaay past that baby stuff, mom.' You have no idea how happy it makes me to see her strong enough to do that.

She's eating an average of about 2 pounds of alfalfa pellets and a flake and a half of hay, which is almost what I want her to be taking in at this point. Her belly is still very swollen though which is kind of worrying me, considering that she doesn't have nearly as many worms as I suspected and is taking in a normal amount of water. The vet says that a lot of it will be from being so emanciated, just like with children, so I'm hoping that within a week or two it will start to go away. Not that I really want to be able to see every bone of her body but...

Oh, and it turns out that I've been a tad bit too helpful again xD as it turns out, I was actually bedding her stall down with a little TOO much straw, so its thick enough that I was actually making it harder for her to stand and move around. Oops!  Vet says it was fine for when she was down almost all of the time but now that she's standing, its doing more harm than good xD so today I'll be taking a few inches of it out and hopefully making it easier for the poor thing to walk! lol


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## Trinity3205

Kwashiorkor - PubMed Health


I wonder if critters get this also? Lack of protein in the diet basically. But, you are well on the way to fixing it  This is what causes the distended belly look in starved children.


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## Endiku

Its very possible since she was definitely not getting enough protein at her old home. Like I said, they were getting All Stock feed if anything, which has the bare minimum of everything. I believe it as like 10% Protein. Right now she's getting 14% in her suppliment that is mixed with her alfalfa pellets, plus what is in the alfalfa.


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## Elana

Endiku.. my rescue was a mare (shhhhh.. I won't tell if you won't tell... LOL).


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## horsecrazygirl

Endiku you are awesome!! kenzie wouldn't be where she is without you. Have you looked at the AQHA scholarship program? since you work at a rescue im pretty sure some have to be a QH. look it up. im also looking into it. extracurricular counts for a lot.


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## Endiku

Whoops, sorry Elana! xD Your MARE was very beautiful then.

Yep, we have 8 Quarter Horses if I remember right. Thats really neat, thanks for the idea! I'll look at it. Would I have to contact them or is there a link on their registery?


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## horsecrazygirl

umm i saw it on my young rider magazine there is a few things though that you must have like being a member of their young riders club. I think you need to go to their website and they should have all the info about it.sorry i am not much help!



Endiku said:


> Whoops, sorry Elana! xD Your MARE was very beautiful then.
> 
> Yep, we have 8 Quarter Horses if I remember right. Thats really neat, thanks for the idea! I'll look at it. Would I have to contact them or is there a link on their registery?


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## alee

I think that you would make a wonderful vet! You are obviously dedicated. Large animal vets are getting harder and harder to find, which makes them overworked and very expensive. 

I think a neat business would be someone that had at least a Vet Tech education that could assist people with non-emergency type vet calls. A lot of people don't like giving their own shots or need help cleaning a wound or evaluating an abscess. It just would be nice to have someone to call that did not charge an arm and a leg for a "because it would make me feel better" type of vet call. I have no idea if something like that is even possible.


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## LisaG

Here you go. If you're not already an AQHA member, well worth getting a membership. There are lots of scholarships, and you seem like the kind of student they'd love to fund:

AQHA: Program Outline


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## Endiku

Thank you! I've tried to imagine myself as something besides a vet, but honestly helping heal animals is the only thing that I can REALLY see myself being good at and enjoying. I don't want a job that I hate.

Something like that would be really neat. I wonder if you can do that legally without a veterinary license. I would personally use a vet tech or something similar to come look at a cut or give her a shot for sure. Just for peace of mind 

We're lucky to have two good large animal vets in my area, Katy Equine and Waller Equine. We've used both and they do charge a pretty penny, but at least they're thorough and in the past have been willing to do payment plans for some big emergencies that obviously NEED to be taken care of.

LisaG- perfect! I'm not a member myself so I'll definitely look into it. Thanks for the link!


Now for an update on pretty little Kenzie. Her shoulder is nearly healed but she's still limping on it which is still worrying me. It isn't warm but does feel odd to me...maybe a bit swollen? Her hocks are still stocked up as well but have gone down some, thanks to her being up a lot more.

She's still draining from her nose but her eyes are a lot less mucussy than even a day or two ago, and she's definitely starting to get stronger. She even attempted a half hearted trot this morning when I took her out for a walk. It was honestly just really pathetic because of her limp and wobbly legs, but I'm glad she at least felt like trying. 

I've been tying her out to graze and just get used to being tied again every afternoon when I come to muck her stall and she seems to like it. She's a real wiggle worm when tied but I attribute that to being young and the fact that she probably hasn't been tied or had any ground work done since she left us. Once she gets a little stronger I'd really like to do some more ground work with her to see what she still remembers and to get some respect in there. Right now she has absolutely no respect for the lead rope or my space and although we're already working on that, she has a long ways to go xD 

The vet has released her from his every-other-day care and will be visiting her again next week. At that time he'll test her again for EHV and if she's active virus free she'll need to be quarentined for another month before we can allow her to be with other horses. We have to watch her very carefully though, for signs of neurological problems due to the virus or her high fever.


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## nvr2many

I would like to help too, if you wouldn't mind sending me info on how to help.


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## horsecrazygirl

thanks for the link as well lisaG i couldn't find it!


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## Endiku

Absolutely Nvr2many! Thank you.


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## FaydesMom

Woo Hoo! Finally got to the post office. Happy to say "The check (well, money order actually) is in the mail!" I left the payee space on the money order blank because you didn't send me a name. The envelope is addressed to Kenzie c/o <your real name>, at the address you sent.

Wish I could afford more, but I hope it helps a bit. Looking forward to more pictures of her progress as she gets healthy and beautiful again!!


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## Endiku

Thanks so much Faydesmom! Sorry about forgetting to send you the payee information, I did that to a couple of people.


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## FaydesMom

Endiku said:


> Thanks so much Faydesmom! Sorry about forgetting to send you the payee information, I did that to a couple of people.


That's cool, I figured as long as I gave you a heads up on how it was addressed, someone would get if figured out! 

By the way...WE NEED MORE PICTURES!! :rofl: :clap:


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## Endiku

haha, I'll take more soon, promise! It's have to be just from my old phone camera though, and only one xD its darned expensive to send pictures through text! O_O

She really isnt looking any better to me yet...but the vet said it will take a good month before we really see a difference. She has to heal inside before she heals outside, so the dull coat and lack of weight will only improve after her health improves and her organs have been able to repair themselves. I so badly want to just wake up one day and have her looking like a healthy horses though!


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## clippityclop

alee said:


> I think that you would make a wonderful vet! You are obviously dedicated. Large animal vets are getting harder and harder to find, which makes them overworked and very expensive.
> 
> I think a neat business would be someone that had at least a Vet Tech education that could assist people with non-emergency type vet calls. A lot of people don't like giving their own shots or need help cleaning a wound or evaluating an abscess. It just would be nice to have someone to call that did not charge an arm and a leg for a "because it would make me feel better" type of vet call. I have no idea if something like that is even possible.


I can answer this - many of us RVT's (a registered veterinary technician who went to an AVMA certified school, received a degree in veterinary technology and passed state and national boards) would love to help our friends out and assist with things that we all know would save a ton of money and time. But if we are out there helping on our own without following a vet's orders (we can do farm calls on our own to a certain extent, like follow up visits that have a required set of procedures to be performed, etc - vaccs, wound dressing, IV meds, etc) then it would be considered practicing veterinary medicine without a license and we could at the very least (not counting the fact we would be breaking the law) lose our credentials.

Just so you know, those of us in TX who are RVT's are working with our veterinary organizations on a state level to become licensed and not just registered. That means we would be liable and have to carry our own malpractice insurance, but it would also give us the ability to perform more functions and maybe in the future (fingers crossed) practice medicine at a level more equivalent to a physicians assistant and save customers money and our veterinarian's valuable time by doing more field work on our own.

There are several of us out there that wish the exact same thing as you! We are working on it as best we can! Heck if I could make things the way that I want, I'd divide vet school up into two - large animal/food animal and companion animal/exotic. I'd go to large animal vet school in a heart beat (hopefully it would be half the cost as well) and do nothing but horses, cows and goats. But at $150,000 for the education and then an average pay of $45K a year (here in TX) I'd never pay it off. The education cost for a DVM is twice as much as the payback when you work in large animal/food animal - not just money but also time. It's a 60 hr workweek and you get injured regularly.


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## Casey02

I just want to say, that I cant believe the incredible people we have on this site. Complete strangers willing to help out a poor little horse. It makes me remember there is good in this world, kudos to all of you


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## Endiku

Isn't it wonderful Casey? I could never have dreamed of this happening. Its amazing how much one little filly can impact a community. She really is living up to her name 'Present' and all of you are absolutely spectacular.


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## Casey02

I know I couldn't either, just amazing!


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## horsecrazygirl

just goes to show when you need help for your horse the horse community is always there!


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## Hunter65

Wow just read this whole tread and you are certainly one amazing young lady! What a great story and yes more pictures are needed!
My guy was somewhat of a rescue and was under weight and stunted when I got him and he is now 14.3 on a good day. We figure he must be part welsh pony though. When I first adopted Hunter his front legs were twisted from poor trims. It took my farrier about a year of corrective trimming but his legs are straight now. BIG HUGS to you girl! Can't wait to see how this little beauty turns out!.

Hunter at 15 months old when I first adopted him















Hunter last July at 4 and a half


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## Endiku

aghhh, I always love seeing pictures of Hunter! (We need some new ones by the way!!!) I hope that Kenzie turns out a lovely as your boy did, but if she doesn't...thats ok too. She's just such a sweetheart!


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## Hunter65

Sorry I always forget who I have told the Hunter story to.

I will have to get some more photos soon. Here are a few from a couple of weeks ago. Its been so wet and yucky.


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## Hunter65

Oh and I will throw this one in too. He is now in solitary confinement because he would not leave poor Chewy (paint) alone. Hour upon hour like a kid on candy. When they pulled Chewy from the paddock he went after poor Cleo and was trying to mount her. Sheesh he is now officially the barn clown.








WE WILL NOW RETURN TO THE ORIGINAL THREAD


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## Trinity3205

lol My gelding would LOVE to play with him. He is also the barn clown and irritation of all horses that wont play hehe...


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## Endiku

EEE  thank you! He's so cute in his blanket and winter fuzzies <3 sorry to hear he's being a brat about the mare!


Update on Kenzie-

She's doing great! Mucus is 90% clear and not nearly as thick, and she's getting much stronger. She has only been laying down for 3-4 hours of the day and spending the rest up. She's bolting down her food (had to start a slow feeder for the hay so she wont colic) like a champ. She'll have her first farrier appointment next week if all goes well to get her feet fixed up and start corrective work as well


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## stevenson

Yeah !! glad to know she is doing so well. She has made such great improvement. I hope she has a really good life from now on.


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## Inga

I will be sending you a little more from this next check as well. I know it trickles in a little at a time but I am sure it is helping some. A bag of feed or supplements or wormers all adds up to a healthy little filly, right? So glad she is coming right along. Can't wait to see more pictures. She must be feeling so much better then she was. Just having regular full tummy has got to help her feel better. Healthy food always makes me feel better. Makes me wonder why I still eat the junk from time to time? ha ha


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## Hunter65

Oh yay that is such good news!!!!!!


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## Bobthebuilder

Aww that's so good  it'd be great to see some more pictures of her 
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## HagonNag

Just now reading this amazing thread because I've been REALLY distracted during December. Please send me a PM with contact information, because I also definitely want to help out. This is an absolute Christmas miracle!!!


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## Endiku

How sweet of you Inga! Yes, even if every one of you that asked me only donated $5, we'd still have enough for about 4 bags of her suppliment. Thats how amazing you all are. As it is, I've recieved one check so far and I'm sure the others are on their way and ready to be spent on our little princess!

Its absolutely disgusting and rainy today so I didn't want to bring Kenzie out and risk her getting wet and sick again, and my phone takes horrid pictures in her stall so no pictures today. I'll try to get some when the puddles dry up and I can bring her back into the sunshine. As it is I'm really trying to advoid having her step in anything wet or muddy because of the thrush that we're treating (ICK) but I'm sure it will be sunnny and fantastic again soon  maybe Monday?

I'm officially no longer spending the night with her, just checking at her one last time at around 11 and as soon as I wake up and get my lazy butt out to feed my mare and filly. Perfect timing too since I'm starting school again on Monday.

If all goes well and the vet okays it, I'm going to start turning her on out Wednesday (if its not rainy) for a little self exercise in the quarentine paddock. She'll have to be alone but she can at least get some good grazing in and stretch her legs for a few hours every day. 

I'm also having some problems with what I feed her. Both vets recommended that I find some sort of feed suppliment or straight grain to give her for fiber, protein, and the calories because the suppliment she's getting right now gives her a fair amount of protein and plenty of minerals and vitamins but my vet doesn't think that just the hay (even free choice) and suppliment are going to be enough for her as far as weight gain goes. So I thought I'd buy her some Enrich 32 from Natures Essentials (by the way, that stuff is EXPENSIVE! $35 a bag). I went to our local feed store to buy it though, and they just stopped carrying it >.> so I sort of improved it, talked to the feed guy, and bought four bags of Equine Junior to try. It was the only yearling/weanling feed that they carried which was rather annoying since the closest store besides this one is about 50 minutes away and I buy feed in monthly increments. Supposively its an 'all in one' feed which I'm not thrilled about. This is it's analysis: Purina Horse Feeds - EQUINE FAMILY

Are any of you guys more experienced than me with nutrition and willing to help me out a bit here? How is it quality/nutrition wise? I'm also not sure how much of it to feed. Theres a calculator on the bag and on the website but its for if I'm feeding no forage, and I am. She's getting free choice hay right now in a slow feeder of 1/3 alfalfa 1/3 timothy (eating about 10 pounds right now, its all she'll eat), 4g probios, a pound of soaked alfalfa pellets in the morning, 3 cups of her suppliment (50 PPM copper 14% protein...don't remember the rest, I'll have to look) by vet order, and hydrosalt electrolyte powder (Purina Horse Feeds - HORSE SUPPLEMENTS) in her water. So definitely not lacking in the forage department, and is medium quality hay so I really have no clue how much I should be feeding her of the Equine Junior or if I should even be feeding it in the first place xD I really dont know what else to do though if this stuff is bad.

Any ideas guys? My vet is out of two for a few days but if you don't know I can just ask him when he gets back or contact the rescue vet. Thanks 

HagonNag- Sure will! Thanks so much. Yes, she's a real keeper and a great Christmas miracle!


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## Endiku

sorry *improvized it, not improved it! LOL.


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## deserthorsewoman

If the supplement is by vet's order, I'd call him and tell him about the feed, since it provides also 14% protein and 60ppm copper. 
I'd work my way up with it, amount wise, over at least two weeks, to the recommended amount for her weight, and leave her the hay in the net to nibble on whenever she wants. 
Im personally not a fan of complete feeds, I'd rather build my ration around good hay. But since you have it, you might as well feed it. 
I've never seen how it is, dry pellet, or rather moist? After having a horse choke on dry pellets I soak everything, which might be a problem if it's a large amount, freezing in winter, ferment in summer:-/........
Maybe half of the supplement and half of the Junior?.... My best bet is talk to your vet and ask if any if my rambling makes sense to him lol


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## TheRoundPen

I would recommend a feed brand, but unfortunately it's not available in TX. And I'm very glad that there are others out there willing to do everything that you are doing for Kenzie. She is really lucky to have you


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## Endiku

Alright, I was wrong. After a little more looking I realized that they have the Ultium for yearlings as well. Now I'm kicking myself because even just looking at it I'd much prefer to be feeding it to her than this Equine Junior! *pullshairout* 
Purina Horse Feeds - ULTIUM

The Equine Junior is slightly moist, unlike her alfalfa pellets. I'm kind of worried about _what_ makes it moist though...molasses? But its not sticky likes sweet feed, so I'm really not sure. It smells like alfalfa though which I guess is a good thing.

So you're saying go ahead and feed her the amount that the bag says (10 lbs for her weight, I think) and just suppliment that with whatever hay she's willing to eat? I'll definitely be calling the vet too, but more opinions don't hurt and he'll be gone a few more days. She'll survive without it until then  (actually, thats not such a funny 'joke' anymore considering how close she was to deaths door.)

I'll probably just give her a cup for the next few days along with her alfalfa pellets and suppliment until Vet is back, just to get her used to it, and then go from there. I'd post the nutritional information of the suppliment on here but its honestly nothing I've ever heard of before and I can't find it. I actually think it might be a home mixed suppliment. Its called GuardAll and its specifically formulated for horses with digestive problems and horses that are prone to colic or dropping weight easily. Vet says I can only get it through him, which kind of stinks xD its $24 a bag and only lasts about a week, so thats $96 a month. Plus the feed. Once she's back on track health wise though, the vet said we will most likely be able to bring her down off of it and onto something a little less expensive. Right now is just a very critical stage for her though and I don't want to mess with her progress!


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## deserthorsewoman

I was thinking about her alfalfa pellets after I posted last night....duh.. .you can make the alfalfa a bit more liquid and add the Junior to that, to avoid choke. 
Purina uses an oil/molasses blend instead of straight molasses. 
So, start getting her used to it, by the time you can talk to your vet she will still be a long way from the recommended ration and will not be overdosed on anything


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## Endiku

Sounds good!  I gave her a cup today with the alfalfa and water like you said, and she didnt seem to have any problem at all. I watched her for an hour afterwards too just in case her body didn't like the feed and there werent any problems.


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## deserthorsewoman

Great!


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## Cowgirl140ty

I have read this whole thread. And it is just amazing. Purina equine junior is an awesome feed. Its what we have raised all out babies on. And it is a complete feed so it has the hay built in. So any hay she eats will be somewhat extra. 
As for the Purina Enrich.... do you have a Tractor suppy close by?


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## FaydesMom

Cowgirl140ty said:


> I have read this whole thread. And it is just amazing. *Purina equine junior* is an awesome feed. Its what we have raised all out babies on. And it is a *complete feed so it has the hay built in*. So any hay she eats will be somewhat extra.
> As for the Purina Enrich.... do you have a Tractor suppy close by?


Hmmm, that's the part that worries me. Horses are made to move and graze all day long. When kept in stalls and fed a few meals a day, especially a "complete feed", they don't have something moving through their gut all day. 

With being in the middle of winter (for a good many of us anyway) the only way they have to keep warm is to digest food or shiver. With the limited roughage from a complete feed how do they keep warm and still hold weight? Without the roughage, they must shiver, which burns even more fuel, and they don't have anything but fat reserves to use to fuel the shivering. 

What am I missing? Not trying to be snarkey, but I truly don't see how it is healthy.

EDIT to add: Sorry to hijack your thread, if anybody is interested in a discussion maybe we can start a new thread??


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## Celeste

Most horses will eat a full supply of the complete feed and then be glad to eat some hay as well. I think that this baby would do well on a plan like this. She needs the feed for sure.


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## deserthorsewoman

I think that's what I suggested...slowly work up to the recommended amount and have the slowfeeder net available......;-)


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## Endiku

Yes, thats what I was worried about- feeding her the complete feed and keeping her from eating the roughage that I provide her. But the idea of just supplying both I think that she will likely be just fine, at least until I find an alternative. I'm not a fan of complete feeds either but if I give her about 3 pounds 3 times a day, and have quality hay available at all times during the day (her hay net will hold a good two heavy flakes, which is fantastic) and it can be restocked when I or the BO come to feed her. I'll be doing her early morning and evening feeding now that I'm going back to school, and the BO will be taking care of noon feedings and turning her out once she's well enough.

I wanted to start turning her out on Wednesday but its supposed to be pouring rain all of Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday so I really dont think I should be putting her out unless its nice outside and theres at least SOME dry ground. Our farm floods easily because of a bayou that runs through it so it may Saturday before I can do that. I dont want her in the mud much because of the thrush, and definitely don't want her in the rain in just a winter coat. I don't have a raincoat for her. Until then we'll have to settle with two walks a day and some tie out time while I muck her stall.


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## Cowgirl140ty

I myself have never fed my babies just the junior. They have always had hay. And if i understand my vet correctly, the Junior is made of mostly forage. The reason you feed so much of the compared to other feeds. And thats why you can put it all out at once and let them eat at their pace. Once again i have not done this. Thats just what my vet explained. She reccomends it out for horses with heaves. As thy dont have to offer hay that may have dust or other particles. 
Now after all that, Endiku, if you have a tractor supply fairly close, they should be able to order the purina enrich for you. I work at one in Florida and I know we can order it for customers.
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## Endiku

We do have one, but its about 75 or 80 minutes away. If its REALLY something that would benifit Kenzie as compared to the feed I'm using now though, I might be willing to trek out there and buy a bulk supply of it or something.


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## deserthorsewoman

My personal opinion....keep her on the recommended amount of the Junior until she is up to proper weight. Then you can "tone down", with the ration balancer and any extra energy she needs. She needs all the help she can get, catching up. Again, personal opinion;-)


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## Cowgirl140ty

Endiku said:


> We do have one, but its about 75 or 80 minutes away. If its REALLY something that would benifit Kenzie as compared to the feed I'm using now though, I might be willing to trek out there and buy a bulk supply of it or something.


Yea, they can order how much you want.
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## verona1016

$35 a bag for Enrich 32? :shock: I'm not sure how much that one is up here, but I know Nutrena Empower Balance is ~$24 and Triple Crown 30% Supplement is ~$38 here, and I'd expect the Purina to be cheaper than either of those.

If we could ship a pallet of Enrich 32 down to you, you could fundraise by selling bags for a couple dollars cheaper than the feed store ;-)


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## Saddlebag

Does the barn have an aisle whereby you could walk her up and down when it's pouring. The hoof is a pump which assists in circulating blood. The more she moves the healthier she will get. You don't want to be dealing with laminitis which can be brought on by too rich a diet and not enough movement.


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## deserthorsewoman

verona1016 said:


> $35 a bag for Enrich 32? :shock: I'm not sure how much that one is up here, but I know Nutrena Empower Balance is ~$24 and Triple Crown 30% Supplement is ~$38 here, and I'd expect the Purina to be cheaper than either of those.
> 
> If we could ship a pallet of Enrich 32 down to you, you could fundraise by selling bags for a couple dollars cheaper than the feed store ;-)


I just paid 32$ for Enrich...and Empower is 30$..... makes me wonder........


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## Endiku

Yep, $35 >.> and one bag would only last me about a week and a half. The Equine Junior that I bought her was $22.95 I believe, significantly less. Ofcourse the quality isnt quite as great IMO and since I'll be feeding almost 1/5 of the bag every day, that means its going to last me a week at most. THIS is why I have a fairly easy keeping miniature horse as opposed to a full sized horse. She gets 1/2 pound of a $25 feed a day and two flakes of hay and she's fat even though she's still lactating! xD

Prices have a lot to do with the fact that we're recovering from a drought right now, I think. Hay still costs quite a bit for a decent bale as well.

As other news, I have recieved Egrogan's and Faydesmom's money and on Kenzie's behalf let me just say thank you very much to you guys! My boss and I especially enjoyed the little card with one of them, and we were tickled to see the adorable stamp with your horse on it Egrogan! How neat! Now I'm really wanting some of those... >


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## egrogan

Awww...we were happy to help with what we could. 

As for the photo stamps, I've done them a couple of years at Christmas (one year with my dog wearing a ski hat). It's sooooo simple, and though a little pricey (I think it was about $20 total, including shipping), I just get one sheet printed up and use them for people I know will appreciate them 

This was our stamp a few years back with my dog, Jimmy Carter:


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## paintedpastures

There is so many feeds out there it is sometimes hard to choose.I prefer going with a supplement feed rather than complete feed.They get their hay,beet pulp,oats & supplement. Supplement wise I use Calf manna with good results on all ages of horses. It is pricey but you don't feed much{so in long run may save:wink:} it is more a top dressing & have yet to find a horse that doesn't like the taste{they gobble it up}.


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## Endiku

haha, well thanks for sending one to us then! I actually cut it out and its on our cork board at the farm, just to see his pretty face 

Painted- yeah, I'll probably have to do lots of experimenting to figure out what works for her. I dont see her being adopted at any time toon though so we have plenty of time. She's going to be one of those really hard adoptions because we cant guarentee even pasture soundness at this point. She's still limping slightly and has puffy hocks dispite the fact that she's standing much more and there isnt anything obviously wrong with her shoulder. And with the nutritional problems...who knows. In this economy I cant think of anyone that would want a very high maitenence yearling that has been stunted and gone through a lot of sickness. Its too much liability. If I were to put her in the critique section right now and not mention that I'm the one caring for her, 100-1 chance is that everyone would tell me its too risky and not to take her in, which is what people will tell anyone that comes to see her as well :/ poor little gal. We're even having a hard time adopting out Breeze, and she's a middle aged, VERY promising, well built mare! The horse market is terrible right now.


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## Ladytrails

Painted, I've had good luck with calf manna, too! It goes a long way and gets results fast...probably cheaper than some of the 'horsey' supplements, too.


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## FaydesMom

Endiku said:


> haha, well thanks for sending one to us then! I actually cut it out and its on our cork board at the farm, just to see his pretty face
> 
> Painted- yeah, I'll probably have to do lots of experimenting to figure out what works for her. I dont see her being adopted at any time toon though so we have plenty of time. She's going to be one of those really hard adoptions because we cant guarentee even pasture soundness at this point. She's still limping slightly and has puffy hocks dispite the fact that she's standing much more and there isnt anything obviously wrong with her shoulder. And with the nutritional problems...who knows. In this economy I cant think of anyone that would want a very high maitenence yearling that has been stunted and gone through a lot of sickness. Its too much liability. If I were to put her in the critique section right now and not mention that I'm the one caring for her, 100-1 chance is that everyone would tell me its too risky and not to take her in, which is what people will tell anyone that comes to see her as well :/ poor little gal. We're even having a hard time adopting out Breeze, and she's a middle aged, VERY promising, well built mare! The horse market is terrible right now.


Set up a pony express route and get her from texas to western kentucky and I'll take her...**** I wish we lived closer. I got nothing but time and don't really care if I ride or not, I just like having horses. 

Sure wish I could have sent more, but I'm happy to have donated what I could...give her a big smooch from me once her nose isn't all snotty! :rofl::rofl:


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## Endiku

haha, she can have that kiss very soon then Fayde! She's about 90% clear with just a bit of drainage that needs to be cleaned up in the morning. The vaseline that someone mentioned is working like a charm. It makes her look snottier that she really is, but her hair hasn't rubbed off anymore. The cut on her shoulder is almost completely healed as well 

You know, if you're serious there is a very good chance that I could figure something out if I could find some people to pitch in xD maybe rescues who are willing to help haul along the way? Of course it would be another 6-8 weeks before I'd feel safe hauling her and thats a long ride but....  we'd atleast know she'd be very well cared for! Maybe a very late Christmas pony? And who knows, maybe if she'll never be safe for adult weights, she might be suitable as a small children's therapy horse way down the road...

I'm throwing temptation at you by the way  is it working?


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## FaydesMom

Actually, yes it is working. I'm very tempted. My hubby says we could drive down and get her in our van, and she can lay down on the bed in the back for the ride home!! He's so silly sometimes. 

And that time frame would actually be pretty good for my plans for our property. I should be well on my way to having all my fencing up and a couple stalls done by march or april. So...I guess we'll have to see what happens between now and then.  

And I'm glad to hear the vaseline is helping, it works wonders on keeping wound ooze from scalding the skin below leaky wounds as well.


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## TheRoundPen

That would be so awesome FaydesMom if you could do that! I would love to take her, but right now another horse is not an option. Endiku -- I love reading these updates. One day when I'm ready to take on another horse I plan on adopting. I did enjoy rehabbing mine. good job and keep it up


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## Endiku

haha yay! Hey, its not impossible...my miniature horse came to me in the trunk of a suburban! LOL. Ofcourse she's only 225 lbs....not almost 400 xD I can't imagine driving with a big old yearling sticking its head out my window...ahaha

She is such a sweetheart though. I absolutely love going out to see her every day. As much as I love owning my mare it gets old having a horse that really doesnt appreciate you, but its like Kenzie KNOWS that I think she's special and she KNOWS we pretty much pulled her out of death row. She's started nickering when I come to see her even if I don't have a meal for her and she's very 'helpful' with chores like scrubbing her bucket or re-hanging her feed bowl for the upteenth time (she finds it halarious to knock it over and 'bury' it in straw.). 

The vet came back today and okayed my feed plan, and he also said that it would be alright to bring i n a chicken to be her personal 'pet'! We have a bunch of frizzles so I'm hoping to puck out one of our more docile, horse liking chickens to introduce to her after the rain stops and it dries up. We'll start out with just visits but if they like eachother I'll think about letting the chicken be room mates with her while she's recovering and waiting to be out with the other horses 

TheRoundPen- If you have the time and money, adoption/rehabilitation is SO rewarding. I love seeing them recover and begin to show their real potential! Its like going jewel hunting. You find some very dirty, icky ones at first but with some cleaning and shining, they sometimes turn out to be really beautiful!


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## deserthorsewoman

Yeah, you're all set then....hopefully you won't find a very flat chicken one morning....;-)


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## Endiku

LOL, thats what I'm worried about! We've done it before for Breeze without problems when she was on stall quarentine, but theres still that chance... Maybe I should put her in a dog kennel at night in the stall, hoisted up or something? And get a chicken no one particularely likes just in case


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## deserthorsewoman

The cage is probably a good idea.....chicken are NOT the brightest......


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## Celeste

My rooster goes into the stalls all the time. He has learned that horses spill grain. They pay absolutely no attention to him. They consider him a fixture I suppose.


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## TheRoundPen

Endiku said:


> TheRoundPen- If you have the time and money, adoption/rehabilitation is SO rewarding. I love seeing them recover and begin to show their real potential! Its like going jewel hunting. You find some very dirty, icky ones at first but with some cleaning and shining, they sometimes turn out to be really beautiful!


I know it's so rewarding. I had a mare that was found on the streets in a city. About 500lbs and she ended up being 1000lbs in condition. Awesome horse.


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## stevenson

Glad to know the filly is doing so well. Your feed plan got me confused.lol. Just be sure to keep Hay in front of her . The chicken will probably move out of the way , even though they are not the brightest creatures on the earth.


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## Endiku

Wow RoundPen! 500 lbs underweight O-o I dont know that I've ever seen an animal that far gone before. Poor animal! Glad to hear she's got such a great owner now though!

xD sorry Stevenson! So heres the plan to get her on eventually.

*Morning:*
fill slow feeder with alfalfa/timothy hay
3 lbs (one scoop) Purina Equine Junior soaked
1 lb Alfalfa Pellets soaked
2 tbs Hydrosalt (electrolyte)

*Noon:*
3 lbs Purina Equine Junior
refill slow feeder with hay if necessary
1/2 g bute (only temporary, for shoulder pain)
2 cups suppliment
Free range grazing/exercise 12-5 pm. We have limited grass but she can eat whatever she can get up.

*Evening:*
3 lbs Equine Junior 
Refill net with hay
slippery elm and aloe for GI soothing

So all together throughout the day, 9 lbs of Equine Junior (recommended without forage or suppliment is 11-12 lbs for moderate growth, 13-14 for rapid. With quality forage and suppliment the vet says 9 lbs should be good. We may have to increase or decrease as she gains weight to keep her from gaining too fast or too slow. She'll also get 2 tbs hydrosalt, 1 lb pure alfalfa pellets (can be taken away if she's eating enough hay), 2 cups of her suppliment, grazing, free range hay (max intake of 30 lbs if she ate it all every time I fed her, but I highly doubt she will), aloe and slippery elm bark, and bute for a limited time.

And then theres the antibiotics/banamine she's getting regularely for the EH but they'll be done soon.

I wont feed her all of this immediately ofcourse. He said to start at 1 cup (about 1/4 pound) per feeding of Junior, and increase by 1/2 a pound daily until she's at the right amount. Complicated right? xD


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## deserthorsewoman

You have an outstanding vet, you know that, right? I personally would nail his foot to the ground, so he can run only in circles....not away.....


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## tempest

I have a question regarding horses and chickens. Don't chickens have diseases in their feces that can be deadly to horses?


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## Celeste

That is a good question. Chickens can carry salmonella; however, a lot of people keep chickens and horses together and they don't die.


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## Endiku

We sure do! I'm so thankful to have him and his colleagues. He's never refused to at least try to help, and really for our area he's quite reasonable on pricing as well. He also knows ten times as much about nutrition as our other local vets, which I find to be amazing...most of the equine nutritionists AND vets in our area think that beet pulp is the solution to absolutely everything and that corn oil is always the go to as well for gaining weight. Both are ok things to feed but in a special needs case like this, I REALLY don't want to be worrying about choke or omega 3-6 imbalances and ratios. 

As far as chickens and horses I really don't know. I was just going by the fact that I've been told that plenty of race horses down at our track (Sam Houston Raceway) have goat or chicken companions. Since our goats are both babies and just got dehorned (poor babies!) and they both happen to be fainting goats, I figured a chicken was the best bet. Having her play too hard with a goat or accidently scare it and it flop over, paralyzed, wouldn't go over too well! Our chickens are all healthy as far as I know and I'm definitely going to cage it at night, so hopefully it will be ok.

Once she's off of quarentine we're planning to put her in with either Buddy, our 'uncle' gelding that usually helps teach the yearlings how to be civil members of the horse society, or with one of our calmer mares. I hesitate to put her with Buddy though because he can be a bit tough on the unruly yearlings, and I don't want to risk her getting kicked or something. He's never hurt a baby but a few have gotten a couple of good nips for being 'stupid teenagers!'

I'm not sure if we'll let her go out with the herd (mixed group of 11). I personally think it wouldn't be a great idea just because she's so small and frail looking, but she may prove us wrong in a month or two! 

I'd love to put her out to pasture with a group of yearlings like we did with her half brother Peppin, but with all of the special needs she has, being on a 50+ acre piece of land probably wouldn't be the best idea. For him its great though! He's as fat as a cow and learning all of his manners at the same time


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## muumi

My old horse once flattened a chicken in front of me when I was quite young! It was awful!

(Sorry if that is too much info and not helpfuk at all...)
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## EmilyJoy

The likely hood of the horse flatting the goat is unlikely. What's more likely is to go in there and find the goat on the horse...


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## horsecrazygirl

^^^very true! goats love to climb and a horse is no exception!


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## Zeke

I boarded my old mare at a place that had free roaming chickens. It was not uncommon to find at least one, if not more like three, hens nestled into my mates shavings. They would leave little round flat spots in the bedding it was adorable. She was fairly gentle, and would've only chased them away if they were bugging her, so it seems they worked something out! She never turned up sick or anything.
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## FaydesMom

When I was young, we had a bunch of different critters around the barnyard. We always seemed to have a few chickens who liked to perch on the backs of the horses, cows and goats. Nobody seemed to mind, and we never had anybody get sick or splatted.


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## Celeste

It is likely that the free ranging chickens on a horse farm are much healthier than the confined chickens in a factory farm environment.


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## nvr2many

I have six hens and a rooster free range all around my horses. Never heard it was not safe. I sure hope it is.


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## Endiku

Oh good, so a hen likely wont make her sick? All of our hens are in a very large sunlight-fed outdoor/indoor coop and walk around during the weekends when we're out there all day. They're all very healthy, docile, and plump so I think they'd work well. I have one chicken who is 5 years old, Mrs. Hennikens, in particular that I'd like to introduce to Kenzie. Hopefully it works out!


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## Ladytrails

Since your filly is in a pen with panels, the chicken will be able to slip out between the rails if the filly got too rough or aggressive. And unless the hen is making droppings in the filly's feed pan or water bucket, you should need to worry. Just watch to make sure they're clean! 

Great progress report!


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## RubieLee

When I was 12 or so my best friend and I went to a horse auction. We watched as many gorgeous horses were paraded by. She was lucky to have an ex buggy horse but he was older and had a heart condition so we didn't ride him much. Neither one of us would have dreamed her parents would buy her a 6 month old Percheron filly at this auction!!! Well, as this little filly matured it was pretty evident she was stunted. For a purebred Percheron to be 9 hands at 6 month's was a little strange. I also thought it was a little fishy that her parents only paid $25 for the little wooly beast. When I put my hands on her I immediately knew something was off. Her withers were a huge lump. They reached halfway down her back. Her tail was also shaped like an L. She had the vet check her out and sure enough...those huge withers were a calcium deposit. The vet speculated the little filly was stepped on and her back was broken, causing the deposits and the L shaped tail. It was a good thing that filly was my friends and not mine. I would have had her put down.. to see her today none of you would believe it. The monster is a good 15.2 and 1100 pounds. She's short backed but as healthy as any horse could be. She can't be bred but she's ridden and driven. My friend loves her to death. They really have a bond!

My colt was also weaned at two months and adequate nutrition has put him at 12.1 as a 7 month old. He should mature to 15.2. He's my best little man.

So whatever you do, don't give up on her. God, karma, whatever your belief, you'll be rewarded with an animal that loves you unconditionaIly for the rest of your life.
You have as much beauty within as you do on the outside.


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## Endiku

Oh, I didnt even think about that LadyTrails! ha, I guess its a good thing she's in a panel stall then! Mrs. Hennikens can fly decently as well so she should be able to get up on top of the panels or her stall door as well to advoid Kenzie if she so pleases.
RubieLee, what a great story! Did she have to have a surgery or any sort of injections to remove the calcification or is it still there? Poor 'little'(big) thing had a rough go at it as a baby!
The fact that Kenzie's health struggles have lasted so long is my biggest worry. Having been unhealthy or very hill for a good 11 months out of her 14 months of life is very sad, and it seems almost impossible for her to not have some sort of deformity or big health problem as a result of the poor nutrition, weak state, and lack of basic care. Honestly at this point I'll be happy to see her grow to be a 14hh pasture mate or light trail horse, and I'll consider anything else to be a huge blessing for her and a miracle. 
Its STILL pouring rain here in Texas, and the only break we'll be getting is for a little while on Friday, so no pictures right now :/ I'm honestly not seeing a whole lot of improvement yet though, as to be expected. Her eyes are brighter, the swelling in her hocks has gone down some, and she's no longer bloated because she's taking in a normal amount of water, but otherwise I'm not SEEING any weight gain. You guys and the vet have said that the nutrience are going to have to work inside of her body to repair it before the outside though, so I'll just keep pouring it in bit by bit and hope for the best! I almost feel sick when I look at her though, even if she's come a long ways. I can see every rib in her body, the bones of her neck, her tailhead and spine...there's not even really any fat under her belly and all you feel is weak muscle and bone. The vet is guessing that she probably lost another 20 pounds during her EH virus which she really couldn't afford to loose, but miraculously she's still up and very much alive (though it was a VERY close call to be sure) so that speaks in itself about her will to live. He's seen both babies and adults die from much simpler, much less deadly cases, yet here she is.


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## EmilyJoy

Ever read this book? It's based on a true story, I think you'd like it.

Sky rocket;: The story of a little bay horse: Margaret Cabell Self: 9780396062073: Amazon.com: Books


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## RubieLee

Melody wasn't a candidate for surgery. Her spine is even crooked. She has a cashel straddle since normal saddles don't fit her at all. Ill have to show you before/after pics. My colt didn't seem to be gaining any weight when I first got him. Its hard to see the change when you see them every day. Take weekly photos and compare. It's all going to be progress from here for little Kenzie!


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## Hunter65

RubieLee said:


> Melody wasn't a candidate for surgery. Her spine is even crooked. She has a cashel straddle since normal saddles don't fit her at all. Ill have to show you before/after pics. My colt didn't seem to be gaining any weight when I first got him. Its hard to see the change when you see them every day. Take weekly photos and compare. It's all going to be progress from here for little Kenzie!



Would love to see pictures!!!!


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## deserthorsewoman

It's true, she needs to rebuild herself from inside out. First all vital organs, then she'll b working on muscle mass. Excellent idea taking pics weekly, and body score her monthly also.


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## Celeste

I have seen stunted babies stay skinny for months and months and then eventually gain weight and do well. This is with good nutrition. It just takes a while to catch up on what their little bodies have been cheated out of.


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## Endiku

EmilyJoy- no I haven't! I'll have to look for it, it looks great! Thanks for the recommendation. If I had the ability, Kenzie would make a wonderful story once its all said and done, as even if she doesn't even become a 'normal' riding horse, what she's conquered is already inspirational to me. Unfortunately I just really don't have a way with words xD

RubbieLee- wow. Its so amazing that she can even be ridden and driven with a spine that deformed! I'd love to see pictures as well. What a miracle horse!

I've been keeping a weekly weight(just estimated by heart girth) and daily temp/pulse log which I'm hoping will help show what I can't see since I see her every single day, but pictures are a great idea too. I just REALLY wish I had a camera...that would make things so much easier xD my dad really isn't a fan of me charging $1.25 per picture that I send through text to my email even if I'm paying him back. haha. If only I werent so clumsy, I'd still have my old camera!

Also, sorry about all of the typos/mispellings and weird spacing guys, I don't know whats up with my computer as far as the spacing goes and the misspellings and mistakes are just because...well, I'm exhausted honestly xD three horses, junior year, tons of work (plus two new classes this semester) and all of the normal personal life stuff are really taking their toll on me xD


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## NorthernMama

If you have a computer available, rather than just your phone, upload the photos to the computer and post them that way. No charge!


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## Endiku

I tried that but my computer won't recognize the cable or device >.>


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## Cacowgirl

Just read the whole thread-you have done a great job & this filly is alive because of you. I really think you have the heart & talent to be a wonderful vet. I pray that a door will open for you to pursue that or some other work w/horses. One that cares so much is so needed. Praying for Kenzie to keep improving & that she will find a wonderful forever home,as I know that is your goal. You are an excellent writer also, so that might be another avenue for some income. You are truly an exceptional person.


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## Tazzie

I also just read this thread from start to finish! Wow what a journey!! I am sure she is going to be stunning when she's healthy and growing again! I can't wait to see how she turns out  And I so wish we could get another horse! Hubby wants his next, but we're unfortunately not in a position to get one now :/ Otherwise I'd tell you to send her to Northern Kentucky!!


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## NorthernMama

When you connect the phone to the computer, does a message come on the phone to ask how you want to connect? You should be able to connect as a mass storage device and then just explore the folders to find your pics. I've never had a phone that I couldn't connect to, but I've had lots where the recommended software was a royal PITA.


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## Endiku

Wow Cacaogirl and Tazzie, 26 pages of reading! Hopefully not all for naught. Thank you Cacao for the encouraging words. They're great to hear today. I have a lot to overcome...our financial problems, and my dyslexia/dyscaculia being the biggest of those, but I suppose if little Kenzie can beat the odds, so can I  Telling me that I write well means a lot though, as up until about second grade I still couldn't read or even write my name! I still make huge mistakes in my writing even with proofreading what I post, especially with spelling and homophones, but I'm slowly making progress I think xD

Northern, when I connect it it recognizes that I plugged in a device but it then says 'Unknown removable device" as File Drive F. If I click that, it says 'can not identify device. Please try again.' So I really have no idea what to do!


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## stevenson

Endiku.. you write quite well. You do no worse than many of the other posters.
You should type up this story and submit it to The Horse, Horse Illustrated,
Horse and Rider and Equus Magazines. You may get published and maybe even make a few bucks, and maybe even get some donations. If you are concerned about spelling, then use the word program with the auto correct, which in a way is good, but then one never learns ! Then you could get a camera !


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## Endiku

Theres an idea! If Chicken Soup for the Horse Lover ever makes a third edition, that'd be amazing too...haha

I'm such a dork though xD even when I do have the money to afford something new (like a camera) I'm afraid to spend it in case I have a horse emergency. Apparently theres never enough in your emergency fund.

I need a piggy bang designated for a camera  I think I might have just had my problems solved though. One member just offered me her 'sort of broke' camera (no screen, so point and click) for virtually nothing, just shipping. Which would be perfectly fine in my case considering that I'm a camera killer and never buy new things because I'll break them xD

Have I mentioned that you guys are amazing?


OH! I almost forgot! Dorky me. The farrier came to trim my girls and Kenzie today. He said she has collapsed heels in the back and very very thin hoof walls and soles in all four feet besides the obvious slippers she had going on, and a lateral crack on her front left. She also has a still-healing absess on her hoof bulb on the left front which is where she's been limping...don't knpw how I missed that but it might clue in to some of her tenderness. He said to just leave it alone and keep it clean though, and did a more thorough clean of all of her hooves for me to dig out some thrushy good stuff (that stuff is RAUNCHY!) and re packed them which was really nice. He thinks most of the sole/hoof wall problems are nutritional so he isnt too too worried yet and said to just keep her off of potentially bruising surfaces (hard dirt, cement, gravel, etc) and see how she is in about 5 months as far as hoof health. If they're still then he might recommend corrective shoeing. He's still debating what to do about that rear left leg that sticks out funny though. He thinks her leg may have just grown that way due to the fact that she was standing basically on her fetlock and heel, unevenly pointed outwards. Hard to tell without xrays, and xrays really arent in the budget right now :/ we first need to get the GI scope done that she needs, then we'll worry about legs. He said to let her exercise as much as she wants to though, and to see him monthly. Corrective trims on all four feet for now, once we get those xrays he'll decide if he wants to try shoes. Theres just a bit of a time crunch though since she'll be doing most of her growing in the next year. If we're going to fix that leg, its got to be pronto.


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## AnalisaParalyzer

every time i get on this thread it makes me smile. you have done so much for this little filly. a thousand kudos to you dude. way to prove that anything is possible when someone cares


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## deserthorsewoman

You are so lucky, great vet AND farrier. Priceless, really!


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## Endiku

haha, yep. I've hit the jackpot of these two great men! My farrier is rather pricey but for knowledge and a job well done I'm willing to pay a pretty penny. He's turned my four year old mare's hooves from square-ish underrun messes into very nice looking, healthy hooves within four months and I'm hoping he can work his magic on Kenzie too.

So in a stroke of genius, I took some pictures on my phone at the farm today then brought said phone to my friend's, borrowed his camera, took pictures of the pictures, and uploaded them. The quality is horrifying but they're at least pictures right? LOL.

The weather is disgusting and our farm is pretty much flooded except for the stalls and a few little spots in each pasture. Mud everywhere and tons of standing water. I'm not even sure if the pictures are worth looking at but...xD

Do note that she looks quite a bit worse without a blanket than she does in the pictures I posted with one. But maybe this will help you see just what we're dealing with here. The gloomy weather and cruddy pictures don't help either. (taken from a .3 mp phone camera, then from another cruddy $90 cameraa xD) but I do think I'm seeing less rib though, which is good. 










Excuse her halter...it has no bottom clip so I have to clip the leadrope to the cheekpiece, causing the halter to go sideways. I'd get her another from our tackroom but ALL of the yearling ones are too big, and the other weanling ones are a bit too small. *sigh* This particular halter fits our shetland pony though, to give you an idea of its size.










standing in the water. Defiintely not helping her thrush at all. Sorry about the half-tire and trash. The wind is blowing all kinds of crud around. The redness by her girth is from the pressure sores. They were the worst of them and the skin is still rather inflamed looking. Poor gal!










Standing on pretty much the only dry ground 











and these two are from a week ago when she was still looking bad, showing how bad her feet were and how swollen her legs were.










quality is REALLY bad in this one.


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## deserthorsewoman

I see improvement. She's standing "up", is bright and alert.
Front pasterns look better already. Back has improved also from what I can make out. The sore on her side, are you putting anything on it?


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## Endiku

Glad to hear it. Seeing her day in and day out makes it hard for me to see any progress myself.

Yes, I'm using Vetericyn Hydrogel on it daily and thats about it. It looks worse than it is in the picture but it is pretty red still with a good amount of hair loss. Any other ideas?

I have some Aloe Heal too but wasnt sure about using it. I've used it on some little scrapes Sour has gotten but thats about it.


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## deserthorsewoman

I kinda like Horseman's Dream veterinary cream on this kind of stuff, if it's not an open sore. Keeps the skin soft and moisturized and speeds regrowth of hair.


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## Endiku

Can you get that at the tack store? I can see if the BO will look for some when she's at Steinhausers tomorrow if you can.

The sore is kind of weird. It started out puffy and red but only under the hair (if you parted her hair you could see it), but then the hair started falling out and thinning a lot until it looked like this. Its been really dry though and looks itchy so maybe the cream you suggested will help  thanks!

edit: it looks like it might have the same general ingredients as the Aloe Heal that I have. Think I could try that?


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## deserthorsewoman

Should be available at a tack shop. TSC carries it. 
It could be a fungus too, tho. Has the vet seen it? Is it getting bigger? She even might grow white hair there, which would make her a pinto


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## Endiku

At times like this I REALLY wish we had a Tractor Supply closer to us xD seems like everything I need is there! Enrich 32....medicines...

The vet saw it when he was here on Wednesday evening, and it looked about like this. He said as long as it wasnt infected it will likely heal on its own if we keep it dry and clean which we've been doing. It hasnt gotten any bigger that I can tell, but it was pretty big to begin with. Its the worst underneath her chest where she stayed propped up most of the time. I feel horrible that she got them but it was almost inevitable considering how much time she spent down. She was on the ground for a good four or five days almost constantly with only 10-15 minute 'up' times. o.o

Poor little thing, one problem after another!

Ha, a pinto TB. I guess that would make her even more unique! xD


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## deserthorsewoman

Sure would
Keep watching it, try the cream, and if it extends, you vet's action is required.


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## Elana

The photos are poor resolution.. difficult to see.. but honestly? I think with feed and time this horse is going to be fine. JMO.


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## natisha

Great job saving this sweet girl.

Any pawn shops in your area? They may have a great deal on a digital camera.

This may sound dumb but what about using one of those egg crate mattresses as a kind of belly binder? They are long, easy to cut & there must be some way to secure it around her girth without it being too tight. It may help speed up healing of the bed sore wounds.

Maybe something like this would work?

BLANKET SURCINGLE ELASTIC-Big Dee's Tack & Vet Supply


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## kim_angel

So very sad. Hope she grows.


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## FaydesMom

Woo Hoo!! She's looking incredible, considering what she's been through!! You are doing an awesome job with her, you should be very proud of yourself. Many people would have just written her off and had her euthanized. 

I just looked up the Aloe Heal, and it looks like some pretty decent stuff, and is for horses. I would try it on just a small spot to make sure she doesn't react poorly to it. If she goes 24 hours without reacting, go for it. 
I would imagine she would appreciate a bit of relief from the itchies it has got to be giving her...poor little girl.

Also, kudo's on your ingenuity in figuring out how to get us some pictures!


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## stevenson

she is looking better than a few weeks ago ! pressure sores.. ouch.. Vetericyn would be good, not harsh, kills germs. Vit E cream would be nice so would the aloe . She really is looking much better.


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## Endiku

Glad to hear it! Once again, so sorry about the quality, its all I could come up with xD

Theres an idea, egg crate mattresses! Thankfully she's up most of the day now but I might try it for night, since she seems to be spending most of that bedded down in the straw. It would probably feel nice on her potruding bones too, to have some cushion there.

She's up to eating about 3 1/2 pounds of feed right now, as well as the alfalfa and lots of good hay, so hopefully we'll have that spine and those ribs covered in no time  early spring perhaps?


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## Sharpie

I doubt she'll look much different in just a couple of months- as other said, her body will devote all the groceries she's eating to her immune system, her nervous system, and her internal organs first. Only once those are all replenished are you likely to start seeing improvements in her apparent weight, her coat and muscle mass. Rest assured though, even though it may take a while for her to outwardly *look* better, she's putting all those resources where they are most needed. I would guess she'll be starting to look like a nice little filly and filling out around May or June. Either that or she'll start growing up rather than out and just keep putting on height while looking thin for a while- just depends on her genetics. Even healthy, well-raised foals can get 'thin/ribby' looking during growth spurts, so she'll probably make you sigh and worry and wonder even more for a while.


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## Endiku

Especially being that she's a TB xD we've had a heck of a time keeping her half brother looking half way decent. Of course he had a very unfortunate incident (we still don't know what happened even now!) in which he detatched his eye from the socket and it had to be removed, which meant stall rest and if theres anything he doesn't do, its stalls. He was in the situation Kenzie was in a lot longer than she was and pretty much grew up in that crowded racing stall with his dam and another gelding, so he's extremely claustrophic. So his health deteriorated significantly at that time ofcourse. But he's also just a hard keeper, as is his dam (ugh, darned ottbs! xD) and has to pack down AT LEAST 30 lbs of hay and grazing daily to stay filled out and not too ribby. So I wouldn't be surpised if Kenzie is the same way.

Its a bit nerve wracking to rehabilitate a horse! Not being able to actually see whats going on with her body on the inside leaves us wondering if we're feeding the right things in the right quantities. I think we'll be doing another blood panel in two months though to see if she's still deficient in anything at that point. That way we can change what we need to, but only what is needed- not other things that might disrupt her rehabilitation. 

Like I said a few posts ago, the next step in a GI scope to look for intestinal damage and/or ulcers so we need if she needs to be treated. She did have some small ulcers back when she was 3 months old, likely from the stress of her dam passing and having to adapt, and that caused her to start cribbing fairly badly. I haven't seen her try to crib at all so far this time, but that doesn't mean she doesn't have ulcers. In fact I'm not sure how she COULDNT have them with the cruddy feed she was getting and the stress of being alone and very ill.

Oh, I'd also like to mention that we've started VERY VERY light ground work this weekend just learning to pick up her feet nicely (she stood ok for the farrier but kept trying to shake him off with the back legs. She had to have frequent breaks to because of her sore shoulder and weakness but otherwise was fine) and yield her haunches to me. She's also learning the oh-so-important rules of leading xD she isn't pleased by the fact that she's not allowed to walk practically on top of me, but rather behind and to my right- but she is being a pretty good sport about it so far.

I definitely want her 100% lead-line and tying broke as quickly as possible because as of right now she's still a little ho-hum about things because she doesn't feel quite like she should. It will just be that much more difficult to deal with her still barely-broke when she's feeling all full of herself xD


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## Ladytrails

Endiku, how do you keep those angel wings of your covered up at school???? Seriously, you are doing a marvelous job. As far as the pressure sores, Vetericyn will keep her from getting a secondary infection while she heals from the inside out. Too much gooey junk on there will create a potential breeding ground for bacteria or fungi, so be cautious about anything that doesn't dry out quickly. Her immune system is whacked right now, so it may take a while and you should be patient; just watch, as Sharpie said, for signs that the sores are enlarging. The pressure sores wouldn't have been as bad if she had not been malnourished when you got her, and it'll probably take a while to heal because she's in such poor overall shape. I think the pics show a much healthier little filly! She is bright, stronger, and is a real cutie. Good work!


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## Endiku

haha, I'm far from an angel  I have more than my share of faults.


Kenzie got to spend about an hour in the paddock today before it started raining again thanks to a friend's genius idea. To keep her feet dry we used ziplock sacks and wrapped them around her hoof and duct taped them on. Worked like a charm, though it made things a bit more slippery for her. She's still not feeling well enough to really play or run around but she did investigate her enclosure thoroughly by trotting the perimeter and sniffing every potentially edible thing in there xD she grazed a bit and seemed to enjoy being out in the almost-sunshine, but was very content to lay down and take a nap in her fresh straw after that. Poor thing still gets worn very easily! I was so excited to see that her limp is nearly non-existent though, at least for now  I'm seeing the very slightest hesitation with that shoulder but thats it. She's still on the bute but I'm going to put a call in with the vet to see if we can try weaning her off of it soon. Her leg that toes out pretty badly does seem much stiffer than the other legs though, and she tends to not lift it as high as the other hind leg so that's something to monitor. I really do hope we can help her out with it and get her moving at least a little free-er.


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## horsecrazygirl

she looks so much better the before! Great job endiku!


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## Endiku

No updates from yesterday and likely none for today guys, sorry!  Apparently luck decided it was my turn to feel like crud and I came down with a horrible migrane on Sunday, skipped church but drug myself out to the farm, slept the rest of the day, came home early from school yesteday and slept a few hours, went out to the farm again, fell asleep again, and woke up yesterday with an even worse migrane. I ended up blacking out at the whiteboard in Chemistry after feeling really dizzy and having tons of fantastic pains shooting around my head and had to spend the rest of the evening in the ER 

I'm totally drugged now so the migrane is more like a very annoying headache right now, but ick. The parents say absolutely no farm today (SADDD! Its actually gorgeous today for once and I wanted to let Kenzie out) and the doctors gave me some huge lecture about managing stress and cutting back on work to rest. I don't think that they realize that I have a life in my hands and that I'm a juniour taking AP classes and 8 1/2 credits  rest is not in my vocabulary!

Hopefully I'll be out later this evening or possibly tomorrow though. Sorry! I think I'm going to have some form of a camera soon though so thats a plus


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## deserthorsewoman

Take care of yourself for a change and listen to the doctors...at least a little bit


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## Endiku

haha, I'm sure I'll be just fine xD I tend to over-stress and I really don't handle it well. Its just something that will take time for me to learn I suppose.


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## FaydesMom

Shame on you, you gotta take care of yourself too!! Wish I could send you some home made chicken soup...it always seems to make the sickies go away. 

Hope you get to feeling better soon.


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## AnalisaParalyzer

Feel better Endiku!!!


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## horsecrazygirl

Endiku, remember what i said about taking a deep breath and relaxing a little? I don't think you took my advice willingly and now you have to take it forcefully. Am i right? I do hope you get better. Migraines stink.


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## Endiku

Heh...you caught me HorseCrazy. I've been putting far too many expectations on myself and I've got to stop. Its just hard not wanting to do everything 100%, after trying to do exactly that for so long. I relaxed as much as possible yesterday, though I still had about 8 hours of school and homework to get through since my teachers don't care if I'm half dead- I still have to get those assignments done! My parents have decided to pull me from one of my new classes that started this semester though and I'm just going to do it next year, and we're arranging some tutoring for me as far as algebra II goes. One of the boys at the farm is going to take over Kenzie, Sour, and Honor's morning feeding for me which I'm pretty bummed about, but that was my parent's stipulation until we can get my migranes under control. I'll be seeing a specialisty in a month and a half if we have the money at the time, and go from there. Once I'm 'better' I can start coming out to feed again, and I'll still be doing evening feeding


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## Ladytrails

Endiku, you've saved your filly's life and she will be fine with others feeding her. You can't let yourself get further run down! Take care of yourself .... Your parents sound like great people.


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## stevenson

Just wondering how are ? hope you are better and hope the filly is better.
You cannot help her if you are sick.. so get better soon


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## Endiku

Still feeling pretty bad unfortunately. I was feeling a bit better yesterday but I have another migraine today and I think I'm destroying my stomach with the ridiculous amount of excedrine and tylenol I've been taking.We schedualed a neurology appointment but I can't get in until early February. They did a CT scan though and nothing showed up, but they refuse to give me any medication until I've seen the doctor and had an MRI.

I've been out to see the horses twice this week but otherwise I'm just going to school then going back to bed. I miss them but with a headache like this one that makes me really dizzy and nauseated I think I'd really just be a danger to everyone. 

Kenzie was looking really good yesterday though. Her pressure sore isn't red anymore, just hairless and slightly pink. No bigger thankfully, and she's now off of her bute! She was able to be turned out both Friday and Saturday according to the BO and is out today as well. Only about two hours at a time because she tends to tire easily and lays down but she's making progress! She loves the grazing and watching the other horses on the other end of the property.


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## Trinity3205

I just cant wait to see this little girl in a year and then two years  Im so impatient!! LOL


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## FaydesMom

Hang in there darling, constant migraines can really kick your butt. :-(

Glad to hear Kenzie is doing better, now we just need to get you back on your feet!! Sending healing vibes you way as well as to Kenzie!


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## Endiku

Thank you ^_^ I'm feeling a bit better today thankfully, so if I'm still ok after school this afternoon I might try to go out and work with my mare and filly, and maybe take Kenzie for a little walk. I can't wait until she's off of quarentine; I think she'll love being ponied out on the trails and visiting with people up front on open days. 

She's just about up to her ideal amount of feed although she seems to prefer her hay. Fine with me, its probably better for her anyways. She's eating a good 14 or so pounds of hay and most of the grain I give her. She doesn't finish it in the evening and is leaving a good pound of it so I'll probably just start offering her less of that so she doesn't waste it. I think she's just getting full grazing and eating hay. The grass is actually pretty good right now from all of the rain.

We're still dealing with the thrush though  its pretty much gone in her two front feet but those back two are being real ******s. I've tried just about every remedy I know. They're better than they were though which is good


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## TheRoundPen

So glad to hear that she is doing well!

Also, on a side note for you.. Have you thought about going to a chiropractor for the headaches? I get migraines that excedrine won't even touch, but when I went to the chiro it turned out that my head wasn't on straight. Haha. I haven't had any since and I was getting them constantly.


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## Endiku

A chiro might be a good idea. The only problem for us is money right now. MRIs, ENTs, Chiros, neurologists...any of them might work, but any of them might not either xD 

I went out to the farm for about an hour today and loved it. Kenzie was out in the paddock strutting her stuff and actually seemed happy to see me! I think thats the first time I've really seen her acting like a horse too. She even dared to kick her heels up once (though she did almost fall over xD) and she was trotting around quite a bit. I really wish I would have had a camera. Hopefully I will have one by the end of the week though, so I'm pretty excited!


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## Chevaux

Endiku said:


> ... I really wish I would have had a camera...


Quite right Endiku - update pictures are now due:lol: Man, I'm becoming a real picture junkie:shock:


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## texasgal

Yup.


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## Endiku

haha, I'm sorry! I promise you, I have a camera in the mail and on the way to my house  hopefully it will at least take decent pictures even if its just a point-and-shoot  I'd think it will be here by Friday or Saturday.


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## FaydesMom

Hello??? You doing ok? Knock, knock, we miss our updates on Kenzie!


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## Corporal

texasgal said:


> Yup.


ROFL!! I first saw this years ago on BackYardChickens.com and it STILL makes me laugh.
Endiku, I'm praying for your little girl. She came back to you for a reason. RE: the migraines, though it isn't a cure or holistic, my GM and my daughter both did and do suffer from occasional migraines. I remind my DD to both drink more water, and take breaks to relax.


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## Endiku

Whoops, I'm alive- sorry! Yes, I'm actually feeling much better. We had to cancel my neurology appointment but I started taking some B vitamins, using peppermint oil, and most importantly sleeping just a bit more. I really didn't think I could afford to sleep more than the 4-5 hours that I usually do, but it turns out that sleep is a healer in itself. I've gone back to just normal headaches which I'm used to and can definitely deal with, and because I'm feeling better I'm accomplishing more too!  I had to sacrifice morning feedings to sleep more, but I guess this is best in the long run for both the girls (anyone notice I now have all mares/fillies in my charge? xD And here I was always saying I was a gelding type of girl!) and for me as well.

Kenzie's doing great. Her hocks are finally looking somewhat normal and she only limps on her shoulder if she takes a turn too sharp. No bute or banamine, and she's still eating almost everything I give her heartily. I think I'm starting to see a SLIGHT change in her condition too because her neck bones aren't as noticable and her spine doesn't seem to be potruding as much either. The camera hasn't come in yet like I'd hoped, but I'll try to take a few via camera again tonight or tomorrow  they'll be bad quality but its better than nothing!

The vet will be coming on Monday to check up on Kenzie and give her a once over just to make sure things are progressing the way they should, and if she's looking ok he might try scoping her at that point to look for ulcers. Hopefully he'll be pleased with her progress. She still acts like an emanciated horse because she is, but I don't think she's really acting sick anymore which is great. No sniffles or cough, clear lungs, and clear eyes  If we're given the go ahead, she has one more week before she's cleared to be turned out with the other horses. I think I'm just going to let her share a fenceline with one or two of the mares at first though...she just seems too fragile to be let out with the girls even if they are all very gentle with her. At the same time though I don't want to baby her TOO much and I'm sure being with some other horses would help her that much more in her recovery. She didn't like the chicken AT ALL so she's still friendless besides me, and I'm only out once a day now for all three of my girls.


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## Endiku

Still waiting on that camera! I took some pictures with my phone but they aren't even worth posting since I've been getting there when its half dark already lately :/

She's looking so darned good though <3 very interested in whats going on outside of her pasture, and definitely building her stamina. She's being turned out four hours a day right now and LOVES being able to graze and watch everything in the afternoons.

The vet came out and she has a clean bill of health!!! No fever, no snots, clear chest...everything is looking good. She's still favoring her leg just a TINY bit when she makes left turns but is otherwise moving out very well and she was able to trot on the line for the vet without faltering.

He scoped her for ulcers like I was hoping, and we were right in our suspicions. She has hindgut ulcers. They aren't severe but the vet thinks they may have been worse and that the buffers she is getting have been helping them mend a little bit. He also noticed a lot of scarring from worms/old ulcers in her tummy and a little in her small intestines though, so thats something to keep in mind. She's probably always going to be more prone to ulcers and colicing because of that, and we need to be really diligent in keeping her flushed from sand. We're going to start her on SmartPaks as soon as we get a bit more money (its been one thing after another lately!) and the rescue is going to pay half of it so hopefully those will get her on the right track and get her gaining weight faster. The vet is happy with her progress though which made me happy 

And on the front of my migranes, we finally got me in to see a neurologist today and he was really great. They're going to try me on some Magnesium and Riboflavin suppliments before using anything drastic as a preventative, because there are studies being done showing that it may help with genetic migranes to help desensatize the neurons in your brain that are triggering the pain sensation of migranes. He also gave me some prescriptions for pills to take when I actually have a migrane, but they're extremely expensive so I think we're going to hold off on those. Hopefully the suppliments work!


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## Celeste

I glad to hear that you are both doing better.


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## Endiku

I am completely and utterly horrified...and disgusted by the human race. Last night I came out to the farm to find a not one, but two forms in Kenzie's paddock when I came out to bring her in and feed her. At first I thought one of our minis had escaped its pen and somehow gotten into hers (how, I wouldn't know) but instead, THIS is what I found. 









The quality is bad so let me describe to you just what this is. This is a, probably at least 20 year old, miniature horse stallion. Doesn't look like one does it? Heck, it doesnt even look like an animal to me. Those giant pink spots that you see on his body are loss of hair and broken skin. Its even worse on the other side, with open wounds and bloody scabs COVERING his body, including one giant scab the size of a guase pad. Absolutely infested with horse lice. He probably had over a thousand on his body, crawling in and out of his wounds, in his ears, over his eyes. He's skin and bones with very swollen, artheritic looking joints, and a GIANT dip in his neck (you can see it) that I can fit my hand into. It looks like someone ripped a huge chunk out of it and it mended itself. Worst of all, he was 'three legged.' He was holding his back rear hoof high above the ground, and wouldn't put it down. If I felt sick when I saw Kenzie...this is enough to make we want to a pass out.

I had no choice. His fetlock bone clearly looked broken to me, he was literally one big sore, and it looked like he had probably foundered multiple times because his feet were horrifying. I pulled him out of the pen and called the vet to euthenize him. Theres no way something like that can be saved. He was put to sleep on the spot. While the vet came though, I rubbed aloe lotion on his body to soothe it and gave him some feed and water for some very miniman comfort after what was obviously a horrifying life that he suffered through.

This makes me SO mad. WHY would you hurt an animal like this? Is it that hard to treat lice, feed the right food, call the vet if your horse gets hurt? And they had the nerve to truck him over and ABANDON him. I would have rathered they shoot him if they couldnt afford medical bills than do something like this. In the 45 minutes that I stood with him he was the sweetest thing, dispite all of that. I cant believe someone would be that irresponsible. We figured out later how they got him onto our farm...they cut our perimeter fence (wire). All of that so they didnt have to own up to their mistakes. R.I.P little guy.


Anyways, that being said...Boom now has lice. A lot of them. I spent 2 1/2 hours today scrubbing her down with a 3-step bath that the vet recommended. Some sort of lice killing shampoo, a medicated iodine shampoo to get rid of any fungus she might have gotten germs from (he looked like he had mange too), and an antibiotic type rinse to help with any bites she may have gotten from them. I scrubbed every inch of her body and made sure they were all dead, and I'll repeat again in 4 days, 10 days, and 14 days to disrupt any possible eggs. Poor thing just has one thing after another! She was going to get to meet the other horses tomorrow, but we have to postpone that now to make sure she is lice free (can you imagine 40+ horse with lice?! O_O). *sigh.* On a positive note though, she did pretty well with what was probably her first bath ever and she only fussed when I did her face and ahems a little bit. Good thing it was a warm day! 

Oh, and I got a picture for you guys that I texted to my email  I think she's finally starting to look like a baby again! You can see her heels are seriously underrun and that fetlock is still pointing way out but...we'll get them fixed slowly. Hopefully. They already look better than they did.

We just cant get a break over here!


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## Celeste

I wanted to click "like" on your post because your baby looks so much better, but it is hard to click "like" about that poor pony. At least he is not sad now. Poor baby. I'm glad that they at least put him somewhere with someone who cares rather than let him spend several more weeks dying slowly.


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## horsecrazygirl

what a horrible thing to do to a helpless animal. Kenzie looks so much better, she looks really good compared to how she started of. Endiku you truly are her guardian angel.


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## Ladytrails

Endiku, you are one special lady. Baby looks awesome! Different horse! She's focusing on you and that's so sweet. 

Poor little guy. I was horrified, and horrified that he was being rescued...until I read on and understood that he was abandoned. Props to you for doing the humane thing for him. I'm sure he was grateful to be in someone's hands who cared, at the end. Hugs...I'm sure this was hard on you.


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## Endiku

Thanks guys. I'm glad to hear that its not just me that thinks she's looking better. Its hard to tell if I'm just being biased or not, when I'm the one that sees her every day xD She definitely still needs a lot more weight and hoof work, but I'm thinking theres hope for her yet. She's not acting lame at all anymore and seems to really enjoy going on 'walks' with me and having play time in the paddock. She's such a doll and really does want to do what makes me happy. Today she was trying to 'help' me bathe her by grabbing the hose and spraying me! LOL. I think I got as wet as she did.

As for that little stallion...I wish I could have saved him but I just don't see how he could ever have any quality of life, even if his foot wasn't broken. He was obviously old and artheritic, besides the whole lice and baldness thing. Poor guy. The economy is really taking its toll on the horse world in my area...animals like this are showing up everywhere.


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## FaydesMom

Wow, that poor little guy, I just don't see how can people do that to an animal. And most of them say "I just found him like that one day in his pasture"...yeah, right. They just ignore it until it's so bad they have to try to hide the truth of what they've done. It's sad that he had to be euthed, but so much better than if they had left him to die slowly.

As for Kenzie, wow, she's looking really awesome! She does look like such a little sweetie pie!  

And hopefully you are feeling better as well.


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## Endiku

Does she still look a little bloated to you guys? In person she really doesnt look like to me, but in the pictures it kind of seems like she is a little bit. I had to give her ivermectrin (per vets orders) to help kill all of those nasty lice from the inside out but otherwise she hasn't been wormed because her fecal showed little to no worms and we didnt want to stress her body with chemicals (and she'd be wormed at the rescue holding facility). 

Do you guys like her new halter by the way?  its light blue and I think its cute. It fits better than that old purple one she came with too. I can't figure out if she's bay or brown though...lol. I'm obsessed with that giant white star though <3

Yes, I can't believe the ignorance of some people. Even if you only went out to feed maybe once a day, you would notice that bad of a lice infestation way before it started eating away his skin and hair. He looked like a naked mole rat version of a horse. I just hope that he had a better life at some point, and not all of it was so horrific. I really couldn't even tell if he had good conformation underneath all of that malnourishment and artheritis.


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## Copperhead

One of my horses came down with lice when I moved her to a new barn. Ivermectin dust should be administered in 2 or 3 doses and about 10 days apart to break the lice cycle. I think I also dewormed her twice in one month...but it was a couple years ago so I really don't remember. Maybe I just dewormed her once and dusted for the rest.

You can also use a nontoxic dust called Sevin Dust on her. They also recommend a pyrethrine bath, but I couldn't bath my horse because the weather was still cold.

Can you give her an immune booster? I'm not quite sure if its true, but they say a horse who comes down with lice doesn't have that great of an immune system. An immune booster would help her out anyways and won't hurt, even if it isn't scientifically linked to lice. If it is, its a win/win situation.


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## Endiku

I dosed her with almost a full tube of Ivermectrin wormer, but haven't dusted her with anything yet since I did all of those shampoos. Is it still safe to do those too? If so I can just buy some and go ahead and do that. We need to go buy something to treat her paddock with as well anyways, before we can put her back in it.

Someone mentioned a pyrethrine bath to me, but don't those often have adverse effects? I worry about putting too much on her after the iodine bath, medicated bath, and the lice killer especially with her compromised health.

Do you have any suggestions for an immune booster? Is it a shot or a suppliment? I have her on a suppliment from the vet as well as probios and such, and she just had another vitamin B shot so anything I add I'd need to ask the vet/a nutritionist about first so I'm not overdosing her on anything xD she's on some pretty hefty feeds right now. I'm sure she could use a booster though considering everything she's been through, and I REALLY want these lice gone ASAP not only to keep them from spreading but also so they don't damage her skin or hair o.o


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## Copperhead

The dust should be safe to use. I think I dusted my horse about 3 times to be safe and did the deworming. After that the cycle was broken. I didn't bathe her because of the weather. Within a month the lice was gone but it took her a while to shed out. 

I don't have experience with the bath since I didn't do it, but they say its used in bad lice cases.

I believe I used Sho-Glo, which helps promote a healthy immune system, helps with the digestion and aids in healthy coat growth. Its in a suppliment form and you can feed it to her with her grain. I'd check with your vet though since you have her on a lot of things already. Vitamin C will help with the immune system as well.


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## cobra

I joined this forum recently - just read this whole thread. OP - it really makes me happy to know there are ppl like you around.  So many times ppl seem to care only about what will benefit themselves, and will do whatever it takes to get what they want - including using/abusing other ppl or animals. Always makes my day to see ppl that care so much about others..... Kenzie is looking ALOT better than she was in the beginning. Hope she finds a good 'forever' home. 

Ps. I would be interested in forwarding a bit of money to help Kenzie, if you can pm me the info plz?


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## Trinity3205

Sho Glow will help because its high in Vit A. 

I would not attack this baby too hard with chemicals internally after what she just went through. If it was my horse, Id put Sevin Dust in a sock and dust her topically really well and that would be it. It will kill all the live bugs on her. You can wash her off the next day. Repeat in 2 weeks I believe it is to get any new hatches and that shoul dbe it so long as her health is getting better. Be sure she is getting a good amount if Vit A.


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## Endiku

I'll look into both of those thing then, Copperhead, and call the vet about them tomorrow  I definitely want these disgusting creatures GONE. I wouldn't consider her to be a severe case but she did get quite a few of them from that little horse in just one night  especially under her forlock (which stunk because I learned she does NOT like having her face washed xD) and along her topline, tail, and under her chin. 

Cobra- Wow, that is a lot of reading! Thank you so much for your support. I love seeing this little girl get better and seeing her personality grow tenfold. Honestly she HAS given me a lot. I've been going through a lot of stress lately and while her situation is stressful for sure, coming out to see her has been a great medicine for me. She's always so happy to see me and its been nice having her while I'm dealing with having to sell my miniature mule filly. She's such a sweet girl despite all of the trauma she's been through. I truely hope that she can find a wonderful forever home as well. She really deserves it.

I'll gladly send you our information! A little help couldn't come at a better time. We're having a little bit of financial trouble right now because we've had so many things happen at once (Kenzie, Noah being diagnosed with cancer and being PTS, the little stallion from Friday, and a few small injuries to our other stock. Gotta love horses xD) and money for a bag of feed or suppliments, or to put towards a bill is always appreciated very much  you guys are wonderful.

Trinity- two recommendations for Sho Glow. I'm definitely looking into it  if I remember right her vitamin/mineral suppliment already has a good amount of Vitamin A in it, but I'd have to check and see how much she SHOULD be getting.

I was definitely worried about all of the chemicals as well, which is why I'm trying to advoid anything really harsh. I don't plan on giving her a second dose of wormer like people told me to. I think 3/4 a tube should be enough.


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## Trinity3205

What is she on now?


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## Trinity3205

Mare Plus is also good stuff.


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## Celeste

Did the ivermectin that you gave her seem to get rid of the lice?


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## Elana

Kenzie is looking good. 
The rescue I posted on this thread also developed lice (probably had them when I got her). I used louse dust on her and she was fine. The other horse did not get them. 

Lice are disgusting but not the end of the world if dealt with. 

That poor pony.. how anyone could let any living thing get into that shape is beyond my understanding. Absolutely euthanization is the answer.. 

Kenzie is coming along. As you get those feet fixed up and she gains strength I bet in the end she is just fine. She is young.. and that fact alone will help her a LOT.


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## Endiku

Endiku;1835541)
[B said:


> Morning:[/B]
> fill slow feeder with alfalfa/timothy hay
> 3 lbs (one scoop) Purina Equine Junior soaked
> 1 lb Alfalfa Pellets soaked
> 2 tbs Hydrosalt (electrolyte)
> 
> *Noon:*
> 3 lbs Purina Equine Junior
> refill slow feeder with hay if necessary
> 1/2 g bute (only temporary, for shoulder pain
> 2 cups suppliment
> Free range grazing/exercise 12-5 pm. We have limited grass but she can eat whatever she can get up.
> 
> *Evening:*
> 3 lbs Equine Junior
> Refill net with hay
> slippery elm and aloe for GI soothing
> 
> So all together throughout the day, 9 lbs of Equine Junior (recommended without forage or suppliment is 11-12 lbs for moderate growth, 13-14 for rapid. With quality forage and suppliment the vet says 9 lbs should be good. We may have to increase or decrease as she gains weight to keep her from gaining too fast or too slow. She'll also get 2 tbs hydrosalt, 1 lb pure alfalfa pellets (can be taken away if she's eating enough hay), 2 cups of her suppliment, grazing, free range hay (max intake of 30 lbs if she ate it all every time I fed her, but I highly doubt she will), aloe and slippery elm bark, and bute for a limited time.
> 
> And then theres the antibiotics/banamine she's getting regularely for the EH but they'll be done soon.
> 
> I wont feed her all of this immediately ofcourse. He said to start at 1 cup (about 1/4 pound) per feeding of Junior, and increase by 1/2 a pound daily until she's at the right amount. Complicated right? xD


Here is a quote of what She is getting. The suppliment is a home mixed suppliment that can only be gotten through my vet. Im always forgetting what ita called. As for her feet, afeet She is schedualled for Another visit on Friday. Slowly but surely!


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## Kayella

I second the Sevin dust. I used it on my show goats when I took them to shows to keep all the lice and nasties from other goats off mine. You can also sprinkle it around the perimeter of her paddock and stall to be safe. The stuff is great, but it doesn't smell all that good.
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## Trinity3205

Well she is getting about 30K UI of A from the Purina Jr. but since we dont know what is in the supplement, we cant look any further that. Cherie whom I respect a great deal recommends trying to get about 100K a day into them. I think that is closer to what they realistically need if they cant get it from green grass just based on my observations over the years I have been supplementing now. That plus flax is IMO unbeatable for skin and coat health. 

Id put her on Mare Plus till the grass comes in if I had a choice but show glo is probably ok too. What she is getting from the Jr is about what most horses get all year long if they eat a formulated feed. It doesnt change in the winter which is why I think we see so much rain rot and skin problems. In the summer when there is loads of green grass available, they can make up the difference from the beta carotene but not in the winter.

Right now all mine are on Mare Plus (including the geldings) which has 800,000 UI per lb on top of their regular feed. Its dosed in 1 Oz doses. If there is 16 Oz in a lb divided by 800,000 thats an extra 50,000 UI of A a day on top of their feed. Plus I still give them 5 cc of liquid A and D once a month over their feed just to be sure. My guys have not gotten rain rot or lice in years now since I started this regimen despite being out 24 7 with only natural cover and wet wet wet weather. Im convinced it makes all the difference. I ever got rid of scratches this fall just by dosing the A. It was my fault my mare got them because I was late starting my A supplementing. She is prone to skin ick without the supplementation once the grass is gone. With it she is impervious. Knowing my horse, it is absolutely a noticeable difference. No more crusties, There is considerably less scurffing to none even, no more stinky bacon MTG, no more cold bathing and sore skin and ugly hair coats.


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## Endiku

Can I get that At Steinhausers? Thats usually where I get my feed.


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## mudpie

I just read through everything and WOW! Giant hugs to you and Kenzie!

I'll just stand in the corner and clap quietly...


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## Endiku

haha, thank you Mudpie. I'm amazed that you guys are still willing to read 32 pages worth to hear her story xD kudos to you!

Kenzie says hi to everyone, and that she's tired of being buggy  I think they're just about gone though, I only found two today. I'm going to re apply that powder, and hope for the best. We want this little gal to meet some friends!


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## stevenson

She looks so good .. compared to the little horse that was knockin on deaths door ! Sorry to hear about the little stud, thats awful . People are cruel. 
She is a little thing for her age, but she should fill out by the end of this summer and with some exercise be a cute horse.


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## Endiku

That she is...I haven't sticked her myself since getting her here, but I do know that her shoulder barely meets mine and I'm only 4'11 so she's probably...11.3 at tallest? She's pretty level too, so no growth spurt quite yet. She's too busy fixing up those insides I guess. I'm hoping to have her top out at atleast 13.2-14 hh to make a small adult or childrens mount, but I guess we'll just have to see.

I'm not 100% sure of her age either. She first came to us in mid November of 2011 as a very tiny baby and we assumed she wasn't more than 2-3 weeks old but I guess theres a chance she was stunted even then. I mean, since when does a breeder bred their mare for a LATE fall foal? Aren't they usually late winter/early spring if they're going to race? 

So lets say she was born Nov 1st 2011. That would make her about 15 1/2 months right?


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## stevenson

Endi.. many breeders do that, and then dont send in papers etc until Jan, this way the foal at yearling or weaning sales is a bit larger than the other the foals and so it gets the higher dollar. And A breeder/rancher told this , Not all breeders do this . I find it unethical, but if all horse people were ethical we would not have the amount of horse neglect and animals needing rescued.


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## Endiku

Very true. Thanks for clarifying that. Given her hair length when we got her the first time, everyone pretty much agreed that she couldn't be more than a few weeks old, but who knows.

I do wish she would have been registered...it might have helped her out a little bit. I think it would cost us over $300 to register her now though, and with the market right now it probably wouldn't change much.


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## Hunter65

Endiku said:


> That she is...I haven't sticked her myself since getting her here, but I do know that her shoulder barely meets mine and I'm only 4'11 so she's probably...11.3 at tallest? She's pretty level too, so no growth spurt quite yet. She's too busy fixing up those insides I guess. I'm hoping to have her top out at atleast 13.2-14 hh to make a small adult or childrens mount, but I guess we'll just have to see.
> 
> I'm not 100% sure of her age either. She first came to us in mid November of 2011 as a very tiny baby and we assumed she wasn't more than 2-3 weeks old but I guess theres a chance she was stunted even then. I mean, since when does a breeder bred their mare for a LATE fall foal? Aren't they usually late winter/early spring if they're going to race?
> 
> So lets say she was born Nov 1st 2011. That would make her about 15 1/2 months right?


Well with you being 4'11" she would be perfect at 14hh. I am 5'6" and hunter is 14.2 on a good day
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## Trinity3205

Did you ever string test her to see how tall she should end up? There are two methods. Id do them both and see how close they match up. 

First method:

How to Estimate Foals' Adult Height | eHow.com


Second method:

1. You measure the horse from the point of the ergot to the point of the elbow.

2. You take that measurement and, starting at the point of the horse's elbow, extend that many inches UP beyond the withers. How high it reaches is how tall the horse will be, except:

3. If the horse is still a weanling, add 2 inches to that height, and if it's a yearling add one inch.


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## Endiku

Haha, if she were mine, then yes 14hh would be the absolute perfect size for me xD unfortunately, as much as I've fallen in love with her, I don't think I'll ever be able to call her mine. I'm only 17 and have a part time job, which is enough to pay farrier, vet care, and discounted board for my mini mare as well as pitch in some towards Kenzie's bills to help, but I'm not in the position to own another horse. I'm actually selling my other filly right now (mini mare's weanling) because of that reason, and that filly doesn't even have any big health problems. Maybe if I were already graduated and settled I could take a chance at Kenzie...I don't care if she may not be big or even ridable, but as it is I still have six to seven years of school ahead of me at least, and I'm paying for it all myself :/ in a perfect world, I'd take her in a heartbeat, but I'd be doing her a huge disservice right now to adopt her. I just have to hope and pray for the perfect person to come along and take a chance on her I guess. I have a feeling she won't let them down.

Trinity- I've heard of the string test but I've never did it myself. Thanks! I'll try that today if I remember and give you guys the results  For the string test does it matter that she's already 1 1/2?


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## Hunter65

Endiku for a 17 year old you are quite an amazing person
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## Trinity3205

The string test works on adult horses also so you can check it. Its usually pretty close althought there are exceptions. So long as the baby is over 6 months it works.


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## Endiku

Aw, you're sweet Hunter ^_^ I definitely don't feel all that amazing, but I love seeing all of my hard work paying off in seeing Kenzie get better.

Alright, well I measured AND string tested Kenzie today and I'm actually really shocked/confused. She's taller than I thought she was just by eyeballing it. I couldn't find the measuring stick so I used a cloth tape, so maybe my measurements were off but when I measured her, the tape read 12.3hh. I don't know, she looks SO much smaller than that to me. I also string tested her and I am happy to say that the string says she'll make it to about 15.2hh if it was correct. Her knees definitely aren't closed yet so maybe, just maybe we've caught her in time to make sure she does reach that lovely height. 

As other news, the farrier wasn't able to make it yesterday so he is reschedualled for Wednesday, but I think Boom is officially lice free! I combed her ear to tail to hoof and didnt find a single live adult. there are some eggs that I can't seem to get rid of, but they should be mostly dead...I bathed her again and got most of them out of her coat and I'll re-apply powder in another week just in case.

Heres a picture, a little better quality than usual because its from my BO's phone, not mine. She's a total fluffy ball right now but is starting to shed finally. Her coat is nice a soft now which is fantastic...when she came here it was course and oily. Still dull, but definitely better than it was IMO. Her neck is already shedded out, so I think thats her 'final' spring color. 









That makes her brown, right? I've always wanted a BA brown! xD


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## Sharpie

WOW! She is definitely looking better already! It seems like she's well on her way in the right direction and it's just keeping her going that way now.


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## egrogan

Her ears are so big and expressive! They remind of the racemare Zenyatta, who is also that deep brown color with ginormous ears.

She really is looking a lot better- you've done great things for this little girl.


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## Endiku

haha, they definitely are xD they're the biggest TB ears I've ever seen in person. It doesn't help that she has an abundance of ear fur (not fun to find lice in, by the way) so they look even bigger. SO CUTE <3

Glad to hear that she's looking even better  I was tickled when my Vet Tech friend came out today to see her (she hasn't seen Kenzie since IVing her when she went down before Christmas) and the first thing that came out of her mouth was 'WOAH! Baby's got a butt now!' haha, no more sunken triangle butt for us anymore! I can still see/feel her ribs under all of that fur, and her hips are still sunken looking, but her spine isn't prominent anymore, her neck has doubled in thickness, and her butt is slowly filling out.

Does she still look sort of...pot bellied to you guys? Not in width, but just how low it is. She's on high quality everything and her fecal showed no worms, but I don't know. Sometimes it just looks a little strange to me. I can't decide if its just her build or not though.


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## Sharpie

Her belly does look big, but it's not actually. It LOOKS big because her shoulders and butt are still relatively small and undeveloped. Add that to the fact that a lot of yearlings can look oddly proportioned and belly-heavy even without any worm or neglect issues and there you go. I know it can be hard not to worry, but she does look great less than six weeks and a near-fatal illness since arriving. Those abdominal muscles are commonly weakened in animals that have faced starvation, adding to the saggy/big look. It will resolve with time as those muscles rebuild and get stronger along with the rest of her.


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## Ladytrails

Agree with Sharpie. You're growing out a nice little BA brown filly there! Looking lots better! That dark chocolate shine is soooooo nice to see popping out!


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## Trinity3205

If it says 15.2, I would say she will make a solid 15H at least. Her cannons def look like they belong to a much larger horse. Just wait till Her insides get done recovering and her outsides start to grow again! Its good you got a measurement on her now because when you remeasure in 6 months, you will know just how much she has grown  Id say she is going to do alot of catching up this year and next.


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## Trinity3205

Oh and about the belly...can horse get kwashiorkor? Anyone know?


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## FaydesMom

She is looking awesome! You've done such a wonderful job getting her sorted out and on the right track.  I agree with Sharpie that her belly just looks big because her hip and shoulder haven't filled out yet, as well as the lack of abdominal muscling from starvation. 

She sure is looking bright and interested in life now! Good job girl!!


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## Endiku

Oh good. I was so very worried that she had some huge belly problem but putting it that way makes a lot of sense. I would have been even more worried if it was actually distended or wide/swollen but its not, so honestly I was just confused xD poor little stick baby is just needing to catch up with herself!

I'm loving her coloring so far...biiiig round star, socks and chocolate brown (perfect description by the way) coat with giant ears and eyes? yes please <3

I love how alert she is too. EVERYTHING must be investigated and licked *ewww* and there is no time better than now to go do it xD she gave a pretty hefty spook too when a little boy came up with a fake archery satchel on. She couldn't figure out why on earth he had red sticks on his back! LOL. As soon as she got over the fear though she was right there picking them up and reorganizing xD silly gal.

Her feet are still looking a tad sore to me though... not really limping but more like she's walking tenderly. But her thrush is 99% gone so I dont know why she's sore. I'm almost wondering if she foundered at some point before now. the farrier never mentioned it though...


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## Sharpie

She may be sore all over just from being starved... I know I've read reports from humans in similar situations who said that their whole bodies and especially their joints hurt. Could be something else, of course, but worth considering that this too may just be something that will pass as her body heals itself. Could also be that she's starting to grow again, and that stretching and changes could make her sore from the opposite direction too!


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## Trinity3205

Her heels look very under run. That will make her sore. Has the farrier been out yet? this thread is so big I forget. Show us some pictures if you can. Under run heels shoud be trimmed back to the widest part of the frog asap so they will start growing in properly. Also, when the heels under run, the bars usually lay over and press into the sole which can cause bruising. Many farriers are not well versed in how to fix this IME. 

In other words, there are more reasons than thrush to have sore feet. I would not suspect a founder with this ill fed baby, but thin soles and poor quality feet with under run heels are certain. they will recover with time, proper trimming and good food. Feet are the last thing to recover because they take so long to regrow and are last on the list of physical health when the body rebuilds itself from a condition like hers. They are also the first thing to show a physical problem or diet problem on an otherwise healthy horse IME also.


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## EmilyJoy

Get her frogs 100% healthy and I doubt her feet will be sore. Most the time frogs are the culprit for sore feet. Her is a link on of what healthy frogs look like, it was a real eye opener for me! Thursh1 
Thrush2

Health and Disease of the Equine Frog

Also, sometimes, I have learned that not having a good enough mineral (low on Iron and high on copper...(I've read where even if there is enough copper sometimes the iron is blocking it from being used)) can cause hoof problems. 
It could just be she is still working on getting her insides sorted out too... I don't know a whole lot about rescues, but most the info. I have found out when searching for answers for my own horses' hoof problems and I would think it would be the same for the filly.

Also what Trinity3205 said could be the problem too.


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## Endiku

It does seem to be stemming from her feet. I notice it most when I'm trying to pick her hooves or when I was packing them a few weeks ago. She has to do a lot of shifting and 'ouching' before she finds a semi comfortable position to give me her hoof in, and its usually rocked onto her toes. I bet it is from how underrun those heels are. I'm not sure I've ever seen some that bad.

Yes, she's had my farrier out once, and he's coming again this week hopefully. He didnt' do too much last time because of how weak she was, just trimmed her toes back and got rid of some unhealthy frog. He did mention the underrun heels being a problem and I think I remember him saying he didnt expect really HEALTHY hooves until many months from now. I honestly can't say if he's doing a good job or not so far...he seems to know what he's doing and is very open to questions but I really don't know enough to critique him. I do know that my mini mare's heels were underrun and boxy looking though a few months ago when he first started her, and 5 trims later they're already looking much better. The heel is starting to shape up, her sole seems thicker, and she's never sore after a trim.

I can try to get pictures but I'm not sure how good they'll be or how many...I have no camera so it would be phone photos, and my phone is worthless xD probably just one of each hoof too since it costs me to send them to my email.


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## Trinity3205

There is no reason to not trim the under run heel back the the widest part of the frog and scrape away as much overlaid bar away from the sole as feasible each trim. This will allow the sole can thicken and the heels grow in straighter. That is the fastest way to healing. That sever bulging/bending we see in her quarters from the folded forward heels should resolve the first trim and she should stop being sore pretty quickly.


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## Endiku

So if I'm not seeing a significant difference when the farrier comes out, should I go farrier hunting?


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## Trinity3205

Probably. If you could get pictures before and after, it would help alot to see if the trimming is helping or hindering hoof development. At least one foot, a couple views would at least give an idea.


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## Celeste

Trinity is right about needing to correct an under run sole or heel. Under run hoof problems are self perpetuating. You have to get them cleaned up or they just get worse. Hopefully your farrier will get that fixed this trim. It may not be possible to get the entire angle right yet, but at least the filly should be walking on the bottom of her foot.


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## Endiku

I'll definitely watch for that. I have faith that he'll be able to get it done, but if not I'll go farrier searching ASAP. We don't have many option unfortunately, around here, but there has to be at least one person in a big area like this who can help the poor gal out!


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## Kayella

I have the number to an orthopedic farrier that Dr. Jenkins uses that I'm having work on Henny. He was there for radiographs of Henny's feet and rasped them into shape a bit. We'll be visiting again this weekend  I'm not sure how much he charges as Henny didn't get a full out trim the first time. You could call him and speak with him about Kenzie's situation? He's a very nice man and if Dr. Jenkins uses him, he HAS to be good LOL.


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## Endiku

Sounds perfect! Might be a bit of a drive for him though if he lives out your way. I have a friend who has a farrier that already comes out to our farm every 6 weeks who I might look into as well, but I think he almost always goes straight to shoes which I'm really trying to advoid. 

We're paying $40 a trim for the big guys right now with this farrier, barefoot trimming, but I might be willing to pay a bit more if he's actually a quality farrier unlike the ones I keep running across! Can you send me his number?


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## Kayella

I'm not sure where he's located. He seemed to have a pretty good knowledge about the Alvin/Santa Fe area. I can PM you his number one I get back from lunch  I was going to be calling him this afternoon to talk to him about Henny.
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## Endiku

Ok, thank you ^_^ Our farm is down here in Katy so hopefully it won't be too far for him. Once she's better I can haul her but until then I don't really have many options.


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## Kayella

Yeah, if I can I'll be hauling Henny to Dr. Jenkins if that is more convenient for him. He needs to be brought in to get some acupuncture done again anyways. If he'll be closer to me then I guess he can come out to the barn. I'm glad Kenzie is doing so well! 
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## Endiku

Me too! It was really touch and go for a while but I think that once we have her feet in order, she'll be just fine. She's already gained almost 50 lbs according to my measuring tape, which is fantastic.

How is little Henny anyways? Almost 100% after the poor boy's accident a few months ago, I hope?


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## Kayella

He's doing awesome. Pretty much completely healed besides his head tilt which we hope will be corrected with time and acupuncture. His hooves are in really bad shape though. Jenkins said if they were on a grown horse that horse would have foundered already :/ so we're using this new farrier to get his feet corrected and hopefully no more issues will pop up!
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## Endiku

Poor guy! I'm sure you'll have him sorted out in no time. Kenzie's got some seriouse issues going on with her feet, so we'll be 'sorting out' right along with you. In my limited knowledge I'm seeing some very badly under run heels, thin soles, a rather icky looking frog, and way too little wall. I wish we had the money to truck her up to Humble for a very well versed barefoot trimmer to get her started, but it would cost us $75+ to haul her, plus gas for a 60-70 minute drive every month. Doesn't sound like much but considering how much we've already had to spend on her...well, lets just say BO isn't too pleased with the idea of more than $50 or so per trim, especially since our horses usually get trimmed at $30 each since we get a 'barn rate' from our farrier for doing multiple horses in one day xD


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## Celeste

I can't imagine that any farrier would have a problem trimming off underun heels. Surely he can get that right. It shouldn't require a specialist. 

As far as the frogs healing, they should get much better circulation once those heels are corrected.


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## Kayella

If she has thin soles, this farrier will recommend Keratex hoof hardener for you. I've been using it on Henny because he has thin soles as well and for just a month of use I've seen a big difference already. It's 40 dollars for a small bottle, but that bottle will last you MONTHS of daily use. The good thing about our two being so young is they usually bounce back quickly and they've got less weight on their feet. If you talk with this farrier today, ask about the hoof hardener. It may really help her out and get a quicker recovery.
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## Endiku

I'm hoping so Celeste! I don't know though... our 'farrier' for Sour's feet made me believe he was doing an ok job for a long time and they were a total trainwreck when my current farrier (who will be working with Kenzie this week) starting coming. You wouldn't believe what kind of people can get the tools and start 'practicing' in this area. I have half a mind to go to farrier school myself to learn how to trim the girl's feet!


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## Kayella

Oh my god, you have no idea how many times I've thought of that. The choice of farriers around here is really poor. Match that with never being able to get a hold of them and it just irritates the crud out of you. It's so crazy!


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## Trinity3205

Celeste said:


> I can't imagine that any farrier would have a problem trimming off underun heels. Surely he can get that right. It shouldn't require a specialist.


It SHOULD be this easy. Sadly, it often isnt


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## beemimom

never give up on one that has the guts to not give up i had a filly given to me that was poor also and with lots of love and feed and good health standards she grew slowly the first 3 years but lo and behold she is now a 15/3 quarter horse that loves to run and has become an excellent trailhorse.


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## aerie

I just read through this whole thing, and holy crap girl! You are my hero! You have taken on so much responsibility with poise that a lot of people twice your age do not have. You should feel incredibly proud of the work you have done  I can't wait to see more updates on the Little Filly That Could! Best of luck and I will send prayers your way because this girl needs a chance at a better life and you deserve to see the light at the end of the tunnel with this one 

Much love! <3


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## nvr2many

^^^^ I second this!!!


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## Rhen

You are an amazing young Lady!!! Just read this entire thread!! You have done more for this lil filly then most 40 years olds would. And what a sweet filly she is. Just so worth it!! I commend u!! Good luck and please give her a big KISS for me!!!!


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## Endiku

Thank you so much Aerie (love the name, by the way), nvr2many, and Rhen! You guys are so sweet. I've been getting a lot of flack from some of the guys here for spending so much time on the 'worthless' horse while they all go around on their fancy bred reining and roping horses, preparing for the rodeo, but I honestly couldn't care less. If Kenzie wants to fight to live, who am I to stop her? I'd much rather be the girl who helped her get as far as she could (even if she were to die today, God forbid) than the girl who ignored a plea for help. And she's just so sweet! Even if she never does make more than a companion (which I'm beginnig to seriously doubt. As soon as her feet are in working order I think we're good to go!) I really think she's going to be one of those horses that just light up people's worlds. She's just that kind of animal.

Anyways...its already been proven that the guys around here don't know what they're talking about  they called my little mare Sour worthless and 'dog food worthy' too because she was agressive and hated people, and now she's a perfectly trust worthy driving horse, and she's on her way to her first Parade in two weeks! Take that nay sayers!


Oh, and this time I'm serious guys...my camera is in the mail now. I should have it in a day or two, then PICTURESSSS.


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## egrogan

Endi, I'm curious about her attitude towards people? She's had such a strange early existence, do you think she trusts people or sees them fearfully? Clearly you've been a stable, positive person for her-but does she have a similar opinion of other people?


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## Endiku

You know, it really just seems to depend on the person, but I can't figure out quite what her 'triggers' are yet. It will take observation and time I suppose.

With me, she's extremely affectionate, will stand for just about any torture treatment I'm giving her, and has never acted like she wanted to nip, kick, rear, etc- even when I first introduced her to the horrifying world of....FLYSPRAAY *cue terrifying music* but she definitely takes all of her bravery and cues from her human, which I find interesting. 

You would think that she's be afraid to trust us, but in reality if you look like a good leader figure to her, she'll pair up with you almost immediately as her 'boss' and she'll literally look to you for ANYTHING before doing it. If you display anxiety, fear, anger, or sadness around her though, she quickly gets confused and panics. At that point she's more of the fearful animal you'd expect, and quickly works herself up into a tizzy and won't listen. This happened with one of the boys who works here, as well as with one of our younger volunteers who was trying to turn her out one day. I expect her to be very low on the pecking order in the herd for that reason. 


She's definitely claustrophobic though. I don't see her doing well living stalled up most of the day unless someone really works with her. I can't blame her for it because of her history, but its something that needs to be dealt with. She's alright with her stall because it has an 'open' feel to it (three sides are panels and look out into the fields) and is 12 x 14, but I have had trouble trying to get her to go through small gates and into tight spaces. I'm sure it will come with time and patience though. Her half brother Peppin was the same way after his ordeal with being stalled so tightly, and he's just fine now. He even trailers like a pro, and he only has one eye!


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## Kayella

Question. Is Kenzie contagious at all? I'm scared of turning Henny out with horses I don't know(another kick to the head and we'd be in even more serious trouble) and you're scared to turn Kenzie out with the big ones. Could we set up a play date? :lol: Henny chomps at anypony and everypony. He's so submissive it's not even funny. Maybe some horsey interaction between the two of them would be beneficial?


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## Sharpie

Kenzie sounds a lot like my guy. He doesn't have any abuse history like her, but the same personality- immediately looks to others to be the good leader, and if you're a good calm, confident leader, he'll do anything for you like it's no biggie. If you're not though, and you start acting worried, etc, he freaks out (Ohgodohgodwe'reallgonnaDIE!) and reacts to everything like he's the spookiest horse in the world. I think that just comes from a lack of confidence/anxious type personality in a horse. My guy is a pleasure to work with though since he's SO desperate to please and be told what to do, he's very affectionate, easy to train, and learns quickly.


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## CBailey04

Just read entire thread.....amazing story. If you can capture this many peoples hearts with this heart wrenching story you can bet some horse lover publisher will include in books such Chicken Soup for the Horse Lovers Soul type books!!!! I kno i'm addicted to books like that and you had me all kinds of reading page after page! LOL You are truly an incredible person for what you do, not only with Kenzie but with the horses there at the farm you work for. If you'll send me a PM i'll get you a little something in the mail too to help out with Kenzie or for who ever you may need the money for :wink: Once again pat yourself on the back for a job well done!!! She's gonna be a beautiful girl!!!!!:lol:


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## Endiku

Kayella- she isn't contagious any more as far as EHV goes, but I'm still wary of the lice thing. I haven't found any more on her at all but I'm still waiting to dust her again in a week or so to make sure all of the eggs are hatched/dead. I'm not sure how long the usual waiting period for that is, but I would think at least that week plus a few days. Once she's aye-ok again though thats a great idea! Henny's already been gelded right? (sorry, I'm not keeping up with everyone else very well lately. Boo!) Unfortunately I don't have access to a trailer (well, I do sort of...but my car doesn't tow xD) right now which might be problematic, but if we put our heads together I bet we could figure something out. 

Are you still wanting to bring Mr. Henny to the parade in two weeks? I'm excited to see him and I promise that Sour isn't tall enough to kick his head even if she tried xD I'm kind of worrying about timing though...we ALWAYS end up getting there kinda late and I have a buttload of stuff to put on her (harness, polos, ear bonnet, ribbons...LOL. She's going to be the queen of pink!) I'm sure it will work out, even if I'm braiding while we're in line up. haha.

Sharpie- good to hear that its probably just her natural personality to be like that then, rather than a result of her neglect. I'm actually really enjoying her personality. Its a huge change from my very-very-very alpha mare and her wanna be alpha filly where I'm constantly struggling to be the dominant herd leader, thats for sure xD. She's similar to them when it comes to being sensative to moods though, so thankfully I've kind of gotten used to always portraying myself as confident, even if I'm not. She definitely seems to need that.

CBailey04 Thanks for reading! I definitely never expected the huge amount of support that I've gotten from you guys. Its absolutely amazing. Kenzie wouldn't have gotten a good bit of her 'extra special' care if it wasn't for the financial support that we recieved from you guys, and I thank you for that. And the emotional support has definitely helped ME tons. I'm in a rather stressful part of my life right now what with school, family, and the farm, and normally I'm not sure that I WOULD be able to give Kenzie the time that I have, but knowing that all of you were rooting for her and waiting for updates and answers kept me pushing right along, and now here we are! She's looking great, feeling better, and no doubt a dozen times better than she was six weeks ago when she came to much (does it seem like longer to you guys? I was shocked to find that it had only been a month and a half. Feels like this battle has been years long.)

I'll absolutely PM you our information ^_^ again, thank you.


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## horsecrazygirl

Wow Endiku!! Kenzie looks great! i haven't been on for a while so believe me when i say she looks amazing!


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## TheRoundPen

I am so happy to continue reading this story. Little Kenzie sure did need you, and still does. You have done an amazing job with her.


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## Kayella

Henny is gelded  I also have a trailer, but no truck LOL. We're in the same predicament :/ Although my friend, who usually hauls us around, may want to take me with some buttering up hehe. 

I was planning on going to the parade, but I think I just booked him for acupuncture that day. :lol: The vet will be calling me back tomorrow to confirm the appointment. 

Also, the farrier is definitely located in Santa Fe. He has no problem going from Santa Fe to Pasadena, so I don't know if going from Santa Fe to Katy would be too much of a problem? He seems to travel a lot, anyways, being up in San Antonio right now.


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## Endiku

Well darn xD I guess getting your boy feeling 100% again is definitely more important than traumatizing him with fire sirens and bunches of people though, eh?

I'm going to see about calling that farrier tomorrow if my farrier doesn't do what I'm wanting. Fingers crossed he'll be willing to trek out here!


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## Kayella

Henny's paddock is right next to a giant ditch by the road. A fire truck has gone by a million times and he's never even looked at it. With my luck it would suddenly turn into a horse eating machine if I were leading him LOL. I tried to get him booked this weekend but the vet who does acupuncture won't be in this weekend. 

He's a really nice guy. Here's hoping that things go well for Kenzie! 
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## Endiku

We have more pictures (and a camera)!!!

I love the fact that even if she's eating, she'll always look up and 'smile' at me when she sees the camera.









Other side. As you can see her coat is still rather rough, and now its shedding so she has random short haired spots, then winter woolies again. Poor thing, she's a mess! No more lice though so thats good!









'this breakfast....is the best ever' said the starving baybee for the hundedth time 










Butt picture ) Its not such a triangle any more!  <3 (fat pony on the right wants to know if her butt looks big from this angle)









from 'above'. Icky coat D: I almost want to just shave it all off...lol. Doesnt help that she took a dirt bath this morning before I brought her out xD










omnomnomnom (ick...look at how her neck decided to shed Dx)










my attempt of an itty bitty running braid on an eating yearling with almost no mane xD










and then the not so fun hoof pictures. I only got a few because she was being antsy and I didn't really fancy being stepping on...or breaking the camera on day one xD angles of pics are bad too since I cant see what I'm taking a picture of. The camera is just a point and shoot. They look better but still seem a tad bit long to me? No idea if he did well or not though honestly. I know nothing ._. I do know he had to be super fast though, poor guy. Kenzie is still pretty shaky on just three legs, and since she's been sore its even worse. Poor little baby <3 I didn't get any pictures before either, since the farrier came Wednesday and my camera came on Thursday.

back left










front...right? Sorry about the poo...thank Kenzie for that xD










Also, she's having some serious dandard issues that I can't seem to fix by bathing her. Any ideas? Its probably because of the lice (which are now gone) and poor coat/skin condition, but is it something I should be worrying about or do you guys think that once she's done repairing herself inside, it will fix itself?

I think she's grown a little bit though honestly...she seems taller than a few weeks ago. I realized that when I was trying to reach over to her other side to brush. lol!


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## Celeste

She is certainly coming along. When she sheds out that coat, she will look better. The back foot is really long. I don't know whether he was afraid to change the angle too much at once or what. Hopefully by the time she sheds out her coat, she will have some of her bones covered up a little better. Poor baby. She has come such a long way.

Has she had any vitamin A? She looks like she could use it. I was thinking you said you had her on a supplement.


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## Endiku

Yeah, it looked long to my untrained eye too. Her pastern angle is already looking better to me though, they were pretty crazy if you look back at that picture of her a few pages back. He did say he didnt take a whole lot off and that he wanted to be called back in three or four weeks instead of five to six like with my other mare.


She has vitamin A in her suppliment, but I'm not sure how much. I'll have to dig up the nutritioin facts on it. How much should she be getting, and if she isnt getting enough- should I consider changing suppliments or can you get it seperately to mix in?


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## Celeste

This is an article that I found on it. Vitamin A in Horses

The requirement for growth is 45 IU/kg daily. You don't want to give excess or it is toxic.


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## stevenson

She is looking like a horse again! you did such a good job on her. ! another month or so, and should be filled out more and that hair will look sooo much better come summer time . let her shed out, or give her some flax seed or some brewers yeast, which is sposed to help with digestion also. 
ask your Vet first since she was in such bad shape . 
She is smiling at you, cause she knows you saved her .


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## stevenson

if she could be sent to me, i would take her. she would live her life out in California.


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## Endiku

If I knew of a way to do it, I absolutely would! I've had a couple of you say that you'd take her if only transportation wasn't such an issue. Makes me wonder if some sort of fundraiser can be organized on our farm to get her shipped somewhere.... *puts on thinking cap*

OR, we can just force all of you to move to Texas > sounds like a perfect plan to meeee!


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## Sharpie

I bet that when she's fixed up a little and the weather is warm, we could arrange a Kenzie train. I'm not surprised that her coat is rough, it will be. It might be all the way up until late summer or fall, plus that lice stuff makes then kinda gross feeling/looking for a while when I've used it. Pretty coat is so desirable in part because it's the last thing to come and the first thing to go if nutrition isn't just right. Her feet don't look too great, but if he didn't have much time to work with, that certainly made his job harder.


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## Endiku

I think I'm going to try to contact Kayella's farrier or ask my vet for another recommendation for Kenzie's feet. I tried doing a little of my own research last night on correct hoofs and you guys are definitely right about it being a not-so-great job. He seems to do well with Sour's hooves, but he's mainly a miniature horse specialist and she's a mini with tough feet. Kenzie is not. 

Ugh...you're so right about the lice powder. She felt so grimy and dirty when I put that stuff on her, and I swear I can still feel it even though I've bathed her once since then and I try to brush her down at least a little every day to smooth her out and hopefully stimulate her skin.


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## Trinity3205

Her back toes are still much too long and giving her a broken back axis and will end up causing soreness up in her SI, back and rump and she will stand like a goat on a rock to relieve that pull from the imbalanced feet. Cant see if there are other problems with just this one obscured shot.

Cant tell anything at all about the front with the dirt and lighting


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## Oldhorselady

Maybe people could organize a route and trailer her short distances...like if there is someone starting in TX that can transport her, but only can take her to point B...then person #2 who is in the area of point B and can take her to point C for the next person etc.?


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## Kayella

Ignore this!


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## Kayella

I spoke with my farrier yesterday and he said the only time he goes through Katy is when he's going to San Antonio. I'm not sure how often that is, he was apparently working on another rescue yearling who broke his hind pastern. You could call/text him and see when he's go out that way or if he knows someone. If you don't have any luck with that, try calling s couple of your local vets to see who they recommend. She is slowly getting better with your care!
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## Endiku

I'll definitely be calling around for another farrier then. The last thing she needs is an ouchy back along with her sore feet. Sorry about the dirt and crummy picture, we actually have absolutely no cement on our farm (not allowed to. We lease our land and it belongs to Army Corps which means no 'permanent' structures such as cement or asphalt, hence our building being raised up on blocks.) 

Oldhorselady- its surely possible! If only I had a truck and trailer (and was over 18...heh) I'd drive her wherever she needs to go myself. Breaking her trip up into a couple of days would probably be good for her sanity too, considering that she already has problems with small spaces and she's very young. 

Kayella- darn. I'm sure there has to be SOMEONE that knows what they're doing in my area...its just a matter of finding him/her xD I'll put a call in to my vet and to our farm's vet (Waller Equine) and see if they can give me some referrals to work with. I'm going to contact one of my friends who has a NSH who's insane slippered/cracked feet were rehabilitated by her farrier and see if he might be willing to come out as well. 

If all else fails, I'm going to figure out how to truck her up to Humble or suck it up and pay the $75 for Darolyn Butler to come out and trim Kenzie's feet. I KNOW she does good work.


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## Celeste

I wonder if you could get the better farrier to work on her feet until the angle is corrected and then go back to the one that is easier to get. It may be that the other farrier has been afraid to change the angle drastically, but they really do need changing.


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## Trinity3205

One good and proper trim would do her a world of good. Once the natural parameters are placed and the overgrowth of neglect trimmed away, a regular farrier should be able to continue trimming a more normal foot. Just have the expensive one check up once in a while.

As for pictures, I have used a piece of plywood on the ground or a stall mat to get clean shots where there is no concrete.


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## Elana

I have to say.. this filly is shaping up well (agree with the farrier comments). You have done a good job.. but what I am seeing is a filly that is starting to look like those foal pictures. This may turn out to be a very good animal. I mean VERY good. Have you heard of eventing? 

She has large, roomy, hocks and a shoulder that is laying back nicely. 

YES to getting the best farrier you can.. getting young ones to grow straight requires it. Her coat will come.. and considering where she was that is OK. Nothing about how she looks right now bothers or surprises me since I know the path you have her on.


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## Endiku

Thats what I really hoping, that if we can get her feet done by Mrs. Butler for a trim or two we can get her in good enough working order to switch back to my farrier. I truely don't think that he's bad, he's just not very experienced with rehabilitating hooves. Both Sour and Honor have great feet that never have any trouble with him as their farrier, and he's great with them. Kenzie is definitely another story though. I guess its a bit like loosie talks about sometimes, where there is no certain 'recipe' for each horse, and what it takes is a farrier that is able to adapt to each recipe needed for an individual animal.

If I can trailer Kenzie up to Humble (would have to find transportation. Ick) it would be 70-90 minutes depending on traffic each way. Is that too far to ask her to travel right now considering everything? Even trailering her up there would cost me $75 (she charges that for the first trim, but the rest of the trims would be only $50 if I trailered her up there). If I can't trailer her though, it will cost me the $75 for her initial trim plus another $100 for travel time and working time since it would be a total of about 3 hours for her, round trip. And I definitely do NOT have that kind of money right now, nor does BO :/ what with all of the 'emergencies', the money we had to spend on a PPE and buying another lesson horse to replace Noah, paying to deal with that miniature stud, and all of our usual expenses, we're definitely in the red right now. So really the only way I can do it is if I can find transportation and get her hauled up there. I'll do what I have to do though because obviously we're going to get no where if we can't get her hooves in working order, and she's a great little horse. If we can get her all sorted out I'd love to see what she can do. If we can wait maybe two weeks, I should have enough money from selling Honor to cover the costs of that  it will all work out. I know it will!

Elana, I'm so glad that you're seeing something there! I was so worried that so much damage had been done to her body from malnourishment and neglect that we wouldn't ever be able to see what she could have been. Being that it looks like she could easily be a 15hh+ horse and she appears to have good conformation dispite everything else, I'm over the moon. These things will all help when it comes time to be rehomed. There is always a market for a horse that can compete in my area. Ofcourse, thats only if nothing else goes wrong. Hopefully luck will be with us from here on out though, poor Kenzie needs a little good luck and a happy ending!

That toe that turns out so much still bothers me too. It isn't as severe anymore, and I think with a GOOD trim it will go away even more, and hopefully she still has time to straighten out. The saying that tops come but bottoms never keeps chewing at the back of my mind though...


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## Ladytrails

Endiku, I think you nailed the truth when you said that Ms Butler is more experienced. Your farrier, as good as he may be for normal trims, is likely not aggressive enough for therapeutic trims. My farrier is a go-getter for therapeutic trims and shoeing, and he's the go-to farrier for the vets around my parts. Your farrier said he wanted to take a little off at a time, and I'm sure that is so that he can be sure to do no harm. The tricky part, it seems to me, is for you to figure out whether it's 'harm' to wait 3 weeks between trims when a more experiencied farrier can do more, sooner. I don't have an opinion on that but I think if she were mine, I'd take the plywood tip and line her up on the plywood, take pics of her conformation, then hooves from lying on the ground, straight-on to the hoofs instead of from above. I'd also clean them out and take pics of the bottoms/soles. I'd send these to Ms. Butler and get HER opinion on whether this can be done with trims every 3 weeks....maybe she could mark the pics up as Loosie does and send them back to you for your farrier to do the shaping. Alternately, start another thread on here asking for a Texas 'angel' to trailer you from point A to point B. After hearing the story you might have some takers! Good luck, young lady!


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## Trinity3205

Id ask the good farrier if he might be willing to "donate" a trim for cost only and get a write off from the rescue for the rest. Ask him if he would travel and also you can see if anyone in the area might need him as well to make it worth his time. Often, farriers will do things like this just like any other business.


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## Endiku

Thats a good idea Trinity. There has to be someone who would like someone like her to come out for a good trim...possibly even a boarder. I'll put the word out and see if theres any interest. 

I'm also going to use the stall mat idea tor taking pictures and send those. I'll have to wait until tomorrow though, its POURING rain right now. And yet... its sunny? *scratches head*


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## EmilyJoy

I don't know if this helps any, but there might be something that will work?
PROFESSIONAL HORSE TRANSPORTERS/SHIPPING COMPANIES


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## Endiku

EmilyJoy, those haulers look like they are all Iowa based, but that is a good idea! I looked up some in Texas and found this list: Horse Transportation in Texas

My only worry would be handling. She isn't a difficult animal but I'm thinking that even early this summer she's going to be a bit more fragile than your average horse when it comes to her legs and stocking up, and the last thing we want is a bad handler upsetting her and making the experience bad for her. I'd definitely want a lot of references if we did chose that route. Do you guys have any idea of what it costs to transport a horse like that? My guess would be that its at least $500. 

An update on Miss Kenzie, I talked to the Humble farrier about doing a discounted visit and she said that she'd get back to me. I gave her a little bit of Kenzie's story and some pictures of her hooves and she agreed that they definitely need some work, and that shoes are not the way to go. Hopefully we can work something out ^_^

We also reconstructed things a little bit and now have Kenzie sharing a fenceline with Buddy and Ginger. She isn't as eager to meet them as I thought she'd be but Ginger is just SURE that Kenzie is her long lost daughter (Ginger used to be a broodmare. Why I don't know, her conformation leaves a lot to be desired. Now she's just a fat old lady sitting around on our farm xD) and has been making all kinds of odd sounds at Kenzie trying to get her attention. I think that once they warm up to eachother things should be just fine. Buddy seems to like her too, although he did show off a little of his man side at first so I'm not sure I'll put him in with her. He's great for teaching babies manners but he can sometimes do it rather roughly xD he's used to putting snotty yearling colts in their place in the herd, not tiny TB fillies. If all goes well I think we'll give them two or three days to hang out around the fence then I'll introduce Ginger into Kenzie's pen!


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## Endiku

Time for a Kenzie update! Hold on tight because I have a LOT to say xD

I talked the farrier that I've really been wanting into doing a discounted trim if I can get Kenzie hauled up to her place, so I'm currently working on that. I have a friend who might be able to haul us up if I pay for gas, since she's interested in having Mrs. Butler trim her gelding's feet too, so we'll be doing some loading/unloading work this week to try and get Kenzie out of the 'TRAILERSEATHORSES' mindset.

I officially started turning Ginger and Kenzie out together on supervised visits on Monday, and they seem to be doing well. Kenzie is still much more aloof that I thought she'd be, but she doesn't seem to mind Ginger's company, and Ginger just ADORES her new 'baby.' I'm trying to think of another horse to add into the mix as well though, because I really don't want to deal with Ginger being buddy sour, which she tends to do if she's left alone. She's normally in a band of 12 horses on the other side of our property. So far I can't really think of a good cannidate though, as most of our horses are ranch gelding and they do their jobs great but they really just arent the nurturing type. They have their pecking order and you don't dare try to add someone else into the mix!

I also took the liberty to ask for a quote from a very well known shipping company just to see what costs would be like. They often trailer expensive show and race horses and have a good reputation, but ofcourse, that comes with a hefty price. For a 4 x 9 trailer stall that is rubber matted/walled and divided to the floor, plus 'air ride' (does that mean A/C? LOL I wasn't sure...) and a half-way layover in a 12 x 12 box stall overnight, we'd be looking at $850 to Kentucky, or $1,200 to California. YIKES  I'm still looking though.

Another thing that I noticed that is worrying me...is that yesterday I was brushing Kenzie's tail out (first time she really let me touch there. She's been a bit shy about the hindquarters and her udders being messed with) I realized that her tail curves into almost a question mark at the bottom...as if she may have broken it at some point? I've never seen a broken tail before but this sure seems like it was. It seems to be an old injury that healed on its own, it wasn't tender to touch, swollen, or hot. Its...strange. Have any of you dealt with a broken tail before? There isn't really anything I can do about it NOW is there, or should I get the vet out? Money is tight right now so I can't afford another visit that isn't going to amount in anything, but I'll do it if I have to.

Next, I'm playing around with her feed again. The vet has okayed her coming off of the expensive suppliment that we were getting by Px because her blood panel came back with her not being low on anything (yay!) and so we're trying to transition her to a less 'complicated' diet. I think that even though Tractor Supply is farther away from us, I'm just going to suck it up and go there for feed, because stuff tends to be cheaper and there is more of a selection. I really don't like Kenzie being on Equine Junior because it has a pretty high amount of sugar in it and is a complete feed. 

A lot of our horses are on stabilized Rice Bran. What do you think of putting her on maybe 1/2 lb (8 oz) a day? If I do that, are pellets or meal better? Meal costs less but I don't know if theres a significant difference or not.

Unfortunately TSC only has either pure Alfalfa Cubes, pure Timothy Pellets, or 50/50 Alfalfa/Timothy Cubes. Should I risk giving her cubes and just soak them longer, or should I give her timothy pellets?

For feeds, I have these choices:

Equine Junior- for $21.50/50 lbs (she's already on this)
*Guarenteed Analysis*
Crude Protein (min.) 14.5%, Fat (min.) 5.5%, Calcium (min.) 0.9%, Lysine (min.) 0.8%, Phosphorus (min.) 0.55%, Fiber (max.) 16%, Calcium (max.) 1.2%, Zinc (min.) 220 ppm, Copper (min.) 60 ppm, Selenium (min.) 0.3 ppm, Vitamin A (min.) 3500 IU/lb., Vitamin E (min.) 150 IU/lb.


Nutrena® Life Design® Mare & Foal for $19.50/50 lbs She would be eating about 4.5-5 lbs a day.
*Guaranteed Analysis:
*Crude Protein 16%, Crude Fat 6%, Calcium 0.85 to 1.25%, Lysine 0.85%, Phosphorus 0.7%, Threonine 0.5%, Methionine 0.35%, Crude Fiber max. 9%, Zinc 180 ppm, Copper 60 ppm, Selenium 0.5 ppm, Vitamin A 5,000 IU/lb., Vitamin D3 500 IU/lb., Vitamin E 80 IU/lb., Biotin .45 mg/lb.


Purina® Omolene #300® Growth Horse Feed- 4-5 lbs daily at $21/50lbs
*Guaranteed Analysis:
*Crude Protein (min.) 16.00%, Fat (min.) 6.00%, Lysine (min.) 0.90%, Calcium (Ca) (min.) 0.90%, Phosphorus (P) (min.) 0.55%, Fiber (max.) 6.50%, Calcium (Ca) (max.) 1.20%, Zinc (Zn) (min.) 220.00 ppm, Copper (Cu) (min.) 60.00 ppm, Selenium (Se) (min.) 0.60 ppm, Vitamin A (min.) 3,000.00 IU/lb, Vitamin E (min.) 125.00 IU/lb.

I could also use feeds that aren't necessarily for weanlings/yearlings. The choices that I see that MIGHT work for her are:

DuMOR® EquiStages Horse Feed, 50 lb.
*Guaranteed Analysis:
*Crude Protein (min.) 14.00%, Lysine (min.) .65%, Crude Fat (min.) 6.00%, Crude Fiber (max.) 18.00%, Calcium (Ca) (min.) .80%, Calcium (Ca) (max.) 1.25%, Phosphorus (P) (min.) .50%, Salt (NaCl) (min.) .25%, Salt (NaCl) (max.) .75%, Sodium (Na) (min.) .10%, Sodium (Na) (max.) .60%, Copper (Cu) (min.) 50.00ppm, Selenium (Se) (min.) .50ppm, Zinc (Zn) (min.) 150.00ppm, Vitamin A (min.) 3000IU/lb, Ash (max.) 9.00%, Ruminant meat- and bone-meal free


Purina® Strategy® Professional Formula 
*Guaranteed Analysis:
*Crude Protein (min.) 14.00%, Crude Fat (min.) 6.00%, Calcium (Ca) (min.) 1.00%, Phosphorus (P) (min.) 0.60%, Crude Fiber (max.) 12.50%, Calcium (Ca) (max.) 1.30%, Zinc (Zn) (min.) 280.00 ppm, Copper (Cu) (min.) 80.00 ppm, Selenium (Se) (min.) 0.60 ppm, Vitamin A (min.) 3,000.00 IU/lb.

I think I can also get Safe Choice. Again, no Enrich 32, which is what I really want >.>

I'm trying to get her on as much of a forage based diet as possible, but the feed stores are making this difficult! LOL I'm thinking I'll need a suppliment to transition her to as well, so here are my options.

Mare Plus- $25 per 3 lb bucket
*Guaranteed Analysis:
*Crude Protein (min.) 6.0%, Crude Fat (min.) 3.5%, Crude Fiber (max.) 6.0%, Calcium (min.) 5.80%, Calcium (max.) 6.80%, Phosphorus (min.) 5.00%, Salt (min.) 1.00%, Salt (max.) 1.50%, Potassium (K) (min.) 1.88%, Magnesium (Mg) (min.) 0.39%, Cobalt (Co) (min.) 300 ppm, Copper (Cu) (min.) 250 ppm, Iodine (I) (min.) 160 ppm, Iron (Fe) (min.) 4000 ppm, Manganese (Mn) (min.) 2200 ppm, Selenium (min.) 0.4 ppm, Zinc (Zc) (min.) 2000 ppm, Vitamin A 800,000 I.U., Vitamin D3 80,000 I.U., Vitamin E. 960 I.U., Vitamin B12 3240 mcg, Riboflavin 800 mg, d-Pantothenic Acid 1000 mg, Thiamine 700 mg, Niacin 2000 mg, Vitamin B6 165 mg, Folic Acid 144 mg, Choline 8700 mg, P-Amino Benzoic Acid 800 mg.

Manna Pro® Sho-Glo® Vitamin and Mineral Supplement, $56/5 lb (one of you recommended this right?)
*Guaranteed Analysis:
*Crude Protein (min.) 12.00 %, Crude Fat (min.) 2.50 %, Crude Fiber (max.) 15.00 %, Calcium (min.) 7.50 %, Calcium (max.) 8.50 %, Phosphorus (min.) 4.00 %, Salt None Added Magnesium (min.) 0.50%, Potassium (min.) 1.00%, Cobalt (min.) 88 ppm, Copper (min.) 880 ppm, Iodine (min.) 160 ppm, Manganese (min.) 2,900 ppm, Selenium (min.) 17.6 ppm, Zinc (min.) 3,160 ppm, Vitamin A (min.) 600,000 IU/lb, Vitamin D (min.) 70,000 IU/lb, Vitamin E (min.) 1,600 IU/lb, Riboflavin (min.) 375 mg/lb, d-Pantothenic Acid (min.) 250 mg/lb, Thiamine (min.) 250 mg/lb, Niacin (min.) 2,000 mg/lb, Vitamin B (min.) 100 mg/lb, Folic Acid (min.) 30 mg/lb, Choline (min.) 3,600 mg/lb, Ascorbic Acid (min.) 50 mg/lb.

Omegatin 20 lb/$30 
15% protein, 20% fat, pelleted, nutrient dense horse feed with an exceptionally low level of starch (13.5%). 

Grow Colt, 3 lbs/$19.99
*Guaranteed Analysis:*
Crude Protein (min.) 5.00%, Crude Fat (min.) 4.50%, Crude Fiber (max.) 4.00%, Calcium (min.) 7.05%, Calcium (max.) 8.05%, Phosphorus (min.) 5.28%, Salt (min.) 1.65%, Salt (max.) 2.15%, Magnesium (min.) 0.40%, Potassium (min.) 1.25%, Manganese 1100 ppm, Iron 1800 ppm, Copper (min.) 22 ppm, Zinc (min.) 11 ppm, Iodine 160 ppm, Cobalt 11 ppm, Selenium (min.) 0.4 ppm, Vitamin A (min.) 480,000 I.U., Vitamin D3 100,000 I.U., Vitamin E 320 I.U., Vitamin B12 3.2 mg, Menadione 50 mg, Riboflavin 400 mg, d-Pantothenic Acid 360 mg, Thiamine 108 mg, Niacin 2400 mg, Vitamin B6 50 mg, Folic Acid 10 mg, Choline 3600 mg, Biotin .001 mg, P-Amino Benzoic Acid 90 mg, Ascorbic Acid 10 mg 

Start-To-Finish Cool Calories
*Guaranteed Analysis: 
*Crude Fat (min.) 99.0%, Total Fatty Acid (min.) 95.0%, Free Fatty Acids (max.) 1.0%, Unsaponifiable Matter (max.) 1.5%, Insoluble Impurities (max.) .0.5%, Moisture (max.) 1.0%


Also, I have her on Probios, ($10) 5g a day. Should I keep her on that?


Any ideas of which feeds/suppliments would be best? She's also have unlimited Jiggs Costal Hay and 2-3 flakes of Alfalfa daily at her disposal, and grazing ofcourse. Its just tough because I have a very limited budget, but I don't want to be cutting her short in any way. I want this little gal to feel as good as she can!


----------



## deserthorsewoman

Nutrena mare&foal and Dumor ultra shine. Basta;-)
You'll have vit/min covered with that. The ShoGlo should be 15$ for 5lbs....or so I thought. 
Pellets: alfalfa/timothy is fine. But do you really need them still? Or is she not eating enough hay?
I, personally, would leave her on the mare&foal until she is in good weight and then would change her over to a RB with a grass/alfalfa pellet. 
"Air ride"......super cushioned, not at all bumpy;-)
1200$ to Cali is pretty good, I've heard of way more.


----------



## Endiku

No, that was my next question- whether or not I should still be feeding pellets. She's probably eating 15 lbs of hay a day and grazing 24/7 on the sparse grass that we have so I think she'd be oky?

So are you saying Nutrena Mare and Foal and Dumor Ultra Shine as her suppliment plus Sho Glo? And no rice bran since Ultra Shine has rice bran in it maybe? That sounds doable. If I was cutting out Alfalfa pellets and rice bran, I think her feed bill would drop down to $100 a month rather than $160, which would help with added farrier costs.


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## Trinity3205

Ditto Nutrena's Mare and Foal. Its rice bran based pellet and I really have had good results with it on all types of horses without adding anything to it.

Mare Plus for a supplement since its high in vit A and will cover coat issues when there is no grass. I find no feed in my area including everything TSC carries has enough A for horses on hay only diets, except maybe Triple Crown feeds. 

Cool Calories is great for some added fat but not necessary if she is getting enough from her current feed. 

I have never had good results from any of Dumor's feeds so I tend to avoid them like the plague. 

If you want to add something else, Id add alfalfa myself. 

Id feed her all the grass hay you can get in her belly first and foremost or grass alfalfa mix and skip the separate alfalfa: then, the Nutrena mare and foal, Mare Plus and Alfalfa in some form (compressed bales are the easiest) if you cant get a mixed hay and leave it at that. Same exact thing I fed all my horses including some stunted ones, adults and elderly alike and had great results. 

I do add flax also when I can get it, in the shedding season especially. 1 cup ground a day is all it takes.


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## stevenson

She needs to start eating more hay/forage. I would start to decrease some of the supplements, the Dumor equistages has good protien and vitamins in it, or somthing similar. i would keep up with the cool calories. the rice bran can be decreased also. I would drop all but the cool calories, the dumor equistages (made by Purina ) and some of the pellets, not a lot of pellets. 
Decrease the feed slowly. She should start eating more hay ,/ 10-15 lbs per feed per day of hay ,/
as she is weaned off the supplemental feed. 
I knew trailering was expensive, but my goodness !
She could have had her tail broken as a baby,, mom could have stepped on it, or another horse when they were originally shipped.


----------



## deserthorsewoman

Endiku said:


> No, that was my next question- whether or not I should still be feeding pellets. She's probably eating 15 lbs of hay a day and grazing 24/7 on the sparse grass that we have so I think she'd be oky?
> 
> So are you saying Nutrena Mare and Foal and Dumor Ultra Shine as her suppliment plus Sho Glo? And no rice bran since Ultra Shine has rice bran in it maybe? That sounds doable. If I was cutting out Alfalfa pellets and rice bran, I think her feed bill would drop down to $100 a month rather than $160, which would help with added farrier costs.


Only the mare&foal and the ultra shine as long as she is not completely on grass, it's for the omega's and extra fat. No ShoGlo needed then
once she's on good pasture she should be fine with mare&foal only, until she's in good weight, then switch to RB


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## Endiku

Ok, so definitely Mare and Foal feed, but I'm getting mixed results on the rest of it. Mare Plus for suppliment, or Ultra Shine? They cost about the same so that really isnt a factor. I definitely agree about getting her to eat more forage, I think part of the problem is the rediculous amount of Equine Junior she's getting (recommended amount) since it has hay in it. She's eating 11 lbs a day plus the 15 lbs of hay. Hopefully once she switches to 4-5 pounds of a feed she'll increase how much hay she eats. 

Will having a broken tail that grew funny change anything for her? Or is there anything I should watch out for?


As for grass, she unfortunately won't be able to get any more grass than she's already getting at this location. It doesnt grow well here and since we have almost maximum horses per acre, it gets eaten pretty fast. If I carry out with adopting her for the time being, I can trailer her to our other pasture that IS healthy, but they all run together so I don't know if I'd have the option of getting feed to her. I think all of them are on all they can eat Alfalfa hay and the grazing, thats all.


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## deserthorsewoman

The ultra shine is, as you already noticed, a little ricebran, mainly flaxseed, and brings the omega fatty acids they need when not on grass. It gives some fat, helps skin, hooves and coat, the immune system and a host of other stuff. I use it now instead of the Omega Horseshine. Price went up a good bit on the latter. I compared the two, not much difference, apart from 17$ in price. 
If you give the minimum recommended amount of mare&foal for her age and weight,plus the ultra shine, you don't need to supplement anything else. It won't hurt, it just costs....
Do the grass/alfalfa hay mix, tho.


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## deserthorsewoman

To see about the omega stuff, Google "omega horseshine ", lots of info on the manufacturer's site, Omega Fields.


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## Endiku

Sounds great. And WAY simpler than what she's on right now xD I was making my BO's head spin with all I have her on right now, and its taking me a long time to mix it up for her since I have to mix a weeks worth at a time up in gallon ziplocks. BO and the guys won't feed it to her otherwise, because it takes too long. Understandable when they have 40 horses to feed!

I'll look up the Omega Fields website. 

Kenzie weighs about 490 lbs right now, I think. Maybe a bit more. How much Ultra Shine do you think I should give her? 1/4-1/2 a cup maybe, since it says 1/2-1 cup for a 1,200 lb horse? I think the minimum daily for the Mare and Foal is 3.5 lbs. That would make each bag last me two weeks as opposed to barely a week for a bag of Junior, and since there are about 3.3 cups in a pound (I think, anyways...hehe) that would make the Ultra Shine last her 120+ days if I calculated that right. I can definitely do that. That puts me at about $70 a month for feed, plus the probios and aloe she's on, so $90. Not bad.


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## Kayella

How tall is she? I think you said she's the same height as Henny? Henny only weighs about 450-460 pounds right now if that will help give you an estimation. Maybe you could weight tape her to see how much she weighs. 

We need updated pictures, by the way!


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## deserthorsewoman

Check how much the probios are for 120 days....if they're more than 17$, get the Omega Horseshine instead of the Dumor shine and you don't need the extra probios. Not sure if the Dumor stuff has them. The omega horseshine does.potential savings;-)


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## Trinity3205

If you really want to get simple, and you have alfalfa hay I just saw, skip the feed and get her on a good daily supplement like the Mare Plus or the Show Glo or get a pelleted ration balancer. Its cheaper than feed and does a great job when you can provide enough calories from forage sources. Better for the horse anyway. Just add it to the rice bran you already feed and give her some ground flax as a topper. You can get it whole by the 50 lb bag from human health food stores if you cant order it from a feed store. Its cheap and lasts a long time and is just as good all by itself as any expensive formulated omega additive. Flax has the same profile as green grass. The probiotic probably isnt necessary anymore and Id wean her off and see how she does. 

If you need mroe calories, add another flake of alfalfa. Easy and already something you have at the barn. 

( Is the rice bran manna pro brand? Rice bran is high in phosphorous so it should have added calcium to balance this for horses. Manna pro does. Doesnt matter what kind it is so long as the horse will eat it)

The tail probably isnt anything to worry about if it doesnt hurt her when you palpate it. Just a quirk.


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## hemms

Posting because I don't want to lose track of such a fantastic journey. Kudos to you for all your heart and dedication. You and this little filly are truly amazing!
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## mysolarflare

OK so I read to twenty one will continue tomorrow what an amazing story! Had me on the edge of my seat for a while there. Happy little Kenzie is on her way to recovery


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## DreamOfDrafts

Just a thought on the tail, because well.. I have a similar colt that i rescued in december (alil older I think) and his tail also does a very wonky weird turn, except at the middle, and slightly at the tip. He isnt TB, but he was weaned almost two months too early, and put on a ration balancer, with sometimes no forage. It was an intentional stunting is what Ive heard. He is 12.2hh at 22mnths. His dam was 15.1hh paint, and daddy potentially a 16ish hh TWH. only stallion on the property where the dam was bought.


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## frizzy

Just read the whole thread.

You've done an amazing job with this little filly. She is looking really good compared too what she was. Hope you can sort out her feet issue


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## Endiku

I have access to about 3 bales of alfalfa per week (it is in limited supply and expensive here) so yes I do have it, but I have to ration it, which is why she's getting 2-3 flakes a day plus the unlimited Jiggs Costal. Each flake, I think, averages about 4 pounds. I might be able to talk the BO into one more bale of alfalfa though if you think it will help. 

The rice bran is Max E Glo, and its the only available brand.Here is its information.
*Ingredients:*
Max-E-Glo¢â Pellet Stabilized Rice Bran, Calcium Carbonate, Vitamin E.
*Guaranteed Analysis:*
Crude Protein (min.) 13.0 %, Crude Fat (min.) 20.0 %, Crude Fiber (max.) 8.5 %, Calcium (min.) 1.5 %, Calcium (max.) 2.0 %, Phosphorus (min.) 1.5 %, Vitamin E (min.) 250 IU/lb, Ash (max.) 9.0%, Free Fatty Acids (max.) 4.0%.
¡¡
Once she has gained another 40-50 pounds I probably will pull her off of feed completely, and just put her on a RB and hay, and maybe flax like you suggested, but I think right now she's really going to benefit from the calories and energy that grain will supply her. I think that for now I'm going to order 6 bags or so of Nutrena Mare and Foal (3 month, 120 day supply), two buckets of Mare Plus (should last me 96 days at one ounce daily), and a bag of Dumor Ultra Shine which should last me 120 days, and see how she does on that. I think that will cost me $120 plus tax.

To the new readers- thanks for joining our journey!  Kenzie has made lots of progress and I can't wait to see how she turns out. 

I'll try to take some pictures tonight or tomorrow for you guys, but I probably cant upload them until Sunday because I won't be home ^_^
Kayella, oops!  thanks for catching that...that was actually a typo. She's abour *390 pounds, according to the tape (which may be off), not 490 xD


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## Celeste

Endiku said:


> Once she has gained another 40-50 pounds I probably will pull her off of feed completely, and just put her on a RB and hay, and maybe flax like you suggested, but I think right now she's really going to benefit from the calories and energy that grain will supply her.


I would not pull her off feed until she is fit and looks like a show horse. If she is at all poor, she needs the calories.


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## Trinity3205

It up to each person to do what they want, but its a fallacy to think that feed is the way to make a horse "look like a show horse" Even a stunted horse. Been there raised that on a ration balancer and alfalfa hay and you would never know he was a poor scrawny stunted scarecrow as a long yearling now at a coming 5 yo. 

As with everything horse, it depends, and forage based rations are always preferable if you can get the results you need from them. It's a calories game and a nutrient game, not "feed". Feed can actually work against you in many cases creating hind gut acidosis and other problems. Just sayin. 

I think setting a weight goal is a good plan E.


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## Sharpie

I a huge forage and RB proponent myself, but I am also of the 'don't try to fix what ain't broken' camp.' IF she is doing well and IF you can afford to, I wouldn't be in a hurry to change anything. That said, I know she's been an expensive little filly and understand the need to cut back to something a bit simpler (and cheaper) I think your three month supply and plan is perfectly reasonable. Plenty of time to see how she's doing then and worry about changing things later. No need to borrow trouble for now.


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## Endiku

Yeah, its sort of a 'fine line' that I'm walking, between spending too much and too little. I'm more than willing to shell over whatever I have to in order to get her better, but I also have to realize that neither BO or I are made of money, and funds are running a bit low. I'm picking up feed tomorrow after school, and I'll let her go through that and the alfalfa then evaluate again. If she needs more Mare and Foal, I'll buy it. If she's at a nice weight and maintaining it well, I'd hate to ruin a good thing and put her back just because I wanted to save a bit of money. 

Not sure yet about grain vs RB and forage. Optimally once I have her where she can be put onto a RB she would have access to a lot more grazing than she is now, but if she isn't and we have another drought, she probably would be better off on the grain. I guess we'll just have to play it by ear. I'll run all of this by the vet too.

Bad news of the week, Kenzie had a small abcess in her hoof that I guess I somehow didn't see and it burst open today. Its not bad, but definitely a bit sore (poor gal!) so she's favoring that hoof a bit. I soaked it in epsom salt after cleaning it out and packing it though and it seems to feel better. She was sure that the pain merited her getting some extra lunch though, silly girl xD

and dude, I got the CUTEST pictures of her laying down but they're on my phone because I THOUGHT I lost my camera but turns out it was in my bag the whole time (>.>) and now my phone is being stupid and saying 'insufficient memory' when I try to send stuff to my email. Not cool.

Plus, to make things even more fun, my migraines are back full force and now I've had severe hives for the past five days so apparently I'm allergic to something, and I'm totally drugged up on benedryl while we try to figure out what I'm allergic to NOW. Soon I'm not going to be able to eat anything! I'm already allergic tostrawberries, milk, all nuts, and cinnamon, and I can't have overly processed things because of my migraines and I can't have greasy/fatty things either since I had my gallbladder removed last year...*huffs*

Maybe I should just start eating Kenzie's Rice Bran :lol:


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## deserthorsewoman

Put yourself on hay/grass and Ration Balancer, too ;-)
Re: the abscess....is she up to date with her tetanus shot? I've seen a colt die from tetanus due to an abscess with an owner who didn't believe in vaccine......:-(


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## nvr2many

Turn off your phone and back on again. See if that helps with the photos. And forgive me if this has been asked or answered but, do you know where she is going yet? And when?


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## Endiku

Hey, gotta admit...that alfalfa does actually smell a bit tempting sometimes! lol

Yes, she had her tetanus shot and two or three others about three weeks ago on her last 'wellness' check up, so hopefully no worries there  it looked like it had just burst and was still a bit bloody but it doesn't look too bad. I had the BO look at it and she said to just keep it clean and not worry about it, but I'll watch it closely just in case. Thankfully it isnt muddy anymore and we've had good (albeit cold) weather lately so she won't be tramping around in the mud or anything. Hopefully her foot feels better now that the abcess has drained, it was probably one reason she's been so tender lately. Can't believe I didnt see it forming though.


Ok, got my stupid phone to send the pictures finally. Bad quality and dark but...its a picture update so it counts right? lol. I dont know WHY they were dark....the weekend has been very sunny and pleasent with the exception of the wind and 25 degree nights!

I think her neck has filled out even more this week, and although you can't tell she's lost even more of that icky winter coat. I see normal horse hair underneath! 









Its like her back half is still winter-fuzzy-pony, and her front half is spring-sleek-horse. Haha. She was having a nice nap when I so RUDELY interupted her to brush her down and pick her feet. How could I?!


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## nvr2many

Pretty girl! She looks so much bigger to me.


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## Endiku

It does seem like she's grown! I wish I would have measured her when we first brought her here. The fact that she's literally almost twice as wide as she was when she came her makes her look 'bigger' too, which keeps throwing me off xD


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## deserthorsewoman

She looks like a real horse!!!!!!
Losing hair from front to back is normal. The last to go is usually on the belly


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## Kayella

She's looking so good! The rice bran will do great things for her.


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## Trinity3205

I love those ears.


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## Endiku

So do I! They're just so gigantic and fuzzy (though she has lost the inner ear hair finally...lol) and dumbo-ish xD way too big for her body. They give her the 'cute' factor though. Usually at this point in a yearlings growth stage I almost want to hide them in a shed because they're so fugly, but she's just getting cuter and cuter!

Now that I say that, watch as she suddenly gets 5" butt high and developes an ewe neck


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## Trinity3205

haha that will probably happen when she starts having growth spurts...or...you could get lucky and she grow slow and even grow till she is 8 lol...my friends mare finally topped out at 16.1 as a 8yo. She was supposed to be done at 6 and was 15.3 then and a perfect size. My friend kept feeling like she was having a harder and harder time getting on her over the next 2 years and through she was just getting old LOL. Turns out the horse was 2 inches taller as an 8 yo when she got measured again. Who knew! LOL Some of them grow and mature for a long time.


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## beemimom

she looks so good and yes i think shes growing alot from the first pics... you are doing an amazing job with this lady, she will be a great horse and you will be the one who stands out for the glory. i hope you can keep her though i feel the relationship between you two is gonna be a bond that will prove both of you are not going to back down from anything.


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## Endiku

lol, Trinity thats amazing! Your friend now has an excuse for the fact that it was getting harder to mount xD we have a mare that was like that as well. She was super small as a 4 year old (14.1hh) even though she was never stunted or anything, and since she was a QH x ASB we just figured she got the shortness from her QH side and her gangly, narrowness from her ASB side. She was a total fluke under saddle, went psycho and pretty much tried to kill everyone that tried to tack her up- so we tossed her out in our pasture for a few years. We just brought her back this past summer though and I hardly recognized her  she's 7 now and darned if she isn't twice as wide and a good 5" tall than she was went we sent her out there! She's doing way better under saddle now too, no problems. I guess she was just telling us as a four year old that she was still growing and needed some time! LOL

Beemimom- aww, I wish so too. I keep scheming in my mind ways to keep her, but in my heart I know that I just can't. The absolute longest I would be able to keep her would probably be until I start college, which is only about 17 months away. Theres no way I can even support my miniature horse mare (as much as I hate to say it...she's my heart horse and it hurts to think I'll have to sell her) much less a growing baby while in college, since I'll be getting no financial support from my parents whatsoever. Kenzie would be about 2 3/4 years old at that point and probably still growing too, and I would probably have to move her to a stall boarding place, which I'd hate to do. I don't even want to do that to my mini mare, and she'd already be 6 1/2 by then. I'm just hoping and praying that the right person will come along to take her when the time comes for her to leave me, and that she'll get the life that she deserves. If she has that, I will be happy. Same for my mini mare, Sour. I think that me being selfish and keeping either one of them would only harm them in the long run. Either one of the occupations that I want will require a LOT of hard work on my part in college (especially with my disabilities) for anywhere from 5-8 years, and I wouldn't be able to give them the training or attention that they would need :/


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## Cacowgirl

You are doing so much for this filly-and still being realistic about your future. Yes, college will be rough and long, but in the end-hopefully a good job and the freedom to do what you want & in the ways that you want. You sound like a very sensible young lady and one that is willing to do the hard work of becoming a Good Person.


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## doubleopi

Took a couple of days to finish reading it but wow! Poor girl! I really liked her when you first had her. It's so sad she was so neglected again! :shock: She is looking so much better, and I'm glad she is feeling better too.


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## Tnavas

Endiku said:


> Time for a Kenzie update! Hold on tight because I have a LOT to say xD
> 
> I talked the farrier that I've really been wanting into doing a discounted trim if I can get Kenzie hauled up to her place, so I'm currently working on that. I have a friend who might be able to haul us up if I pay for gas, since she's interested in having Mrs. Butler trim her gelding's feet too, so we'll be doing some loading/unloading work this week to try and get Kenzie out of the 'TRAILERSEATHORSES' mindset.
> 
> I officially started turning Ginger and Kenzie out together on supervised visits on Monday, and they seem to be doing well. Kenzie is still much more aloof that I thought she'd be, but she doesn't seem to mind Ginger's company, and Ginger just ADORES her new 'baby.' I'm trying to think of another horse to add into the mix as well though, because I really don't want to deal with Ginger being buddy sour, which she tends to do if she's left alone. She's normally in a band of 12 horses on the other side of our property. So far I can't really think of a good cannidate though, as most of our horses are ranch gelding and they do their jobs great but they really just arent the nurturing type. They have their pecking order and you don't dare try to add someone else into the mix!
> 
> I also took the liberty to ask for a quote from a very well known shipping company just to see what costs would be like. They often trailer expensive show and race horses and have a good reputation, but ofcourse, that comes with a hefty price. For a 4 x 9 trailer stall that is rubber matted/walled and divided to the floor, plus 'air ride' (does that mean A/C? LOL I wasn't sure...) and a half-way layover in a 12 x 12 box stall overnight, we'd be looking at $850 to Kentucky, or $1,200 to California. YIKES  I'm still looking though.
> 
> Another thing that I noticed that is worrying me...is that yesterday I was brushing Kenzie's tail out (first time she really let me touch there. She's been a bit shy about the hindquarters and her udders being messed with) I realized that her tail curves into almost a question mark at the bottom...as if she may have broken it at some point? I've never seen a broken tail before but this sure seems like it was. It seems to be an old injury that healed on its own, it wasn't tender to touch, swollen, or hot. Its...strange. Have any of you dealt with a broken tail before? There isn't really anything I can do about it NOW is there, or should I get the vet out? Money is tight right now so I can't afford another visit that isn't going to amount in anything, but I'll do it if I have to.
> 
> Next, I'm playing around with her feed again. The vet has okayed her coming off of the expensive suppliment that we were getting by Px because her blood panel came back with her not being low on anything (yay!) and so we're trying to transition her to a less 'complicated' diet. I think that even though Tractor Supply is farther away from us, I'm just going to suck it up and go there for feed, because stuff tends to be cheaper and there is more of a selection. I really don't like Kenzie being on Equine Junior because it has a pretty high amount of sugar in it and is a complete feed.
> 
> A lot of our horses are on stabilized Rice Bran. What do you think of putting her on maybe 1/2 lb (8 oz) a day? If I do that, are pellets or meal better? Meal costs less but I don't know if theres a significant difference or not.
> 
> Unfortunately TSC only has either pure Alfalfa Cubes, pure Timothy Pellets, or 50/50 Alfalfa/Timothy Cubes. Should I risk giving her cubes and just soak them longer, or should I give her timothy pellets?
> 
> For feeds, I have these choices:
> 
> Equine Junior- for $21.50/50 lbs (she's already on this)
> *Guarenteed Analysis*
> Crude Protein (min.) 14.5%, Fat (min.) 5.5%, Calcium (min.) 0.9%, Lysine (min.) 0.8%, Phosphorus (min.) 0.55%, Fiber (max.) 16%, Calcium (max.) 1.2%, Zinc (min.) 220 ppm, Copper (min.) 60 ppm, Selenium (min.) 0.3 ppm, Vitamin A (min.) 3500 IU/lb., Vitamin E (min.) 150 IU/lb.
> 
> 
> Nutrena® Life Design® Mare & Foal for $19.50/50 lbs She would be eating about 4.5-5 lbs a day.
> *Guaranteed Analysis:
> *Crude Protein 16%, Crude Fat 6%, Calcium 0.85 to 1.25%, Lysine 0.85%, Phosphorus 0.7%, Threonine 0.5%, Methionine 0.35%, Crude Fiber max. 9%, Zinc 180 ppm, Copper 60 ppm, Selenium 0.5 ppm, Vitamin A 5,000 IU/lb., Vitamin D3 500 IU/lb., Vitamin E 80 IU/lb., Biotin .45 mg/lb.
> 
> 
> Purina® Omolene #300® Growth Horse Feed- 4-5 lbs daily at $21/50lbs
> *Guaranteed Analysis:
> *Crude Protein (min.) 16.00%, Fat (min.) 6.00%, Lysine (min.) 0.90%, Calcium (Ca) (min.) 0.90%, Phosphorus (P) (min.) 0.55%, Fiber (max.) 6.50%, Calcium (Ca) (max.) 1.20%, Zinc (Zn) (min.) 220.00 ppm, Copper (Cu) (min.) 60.00 ppm, Selenium (Se) (min.) 0.60 ppm, Vitamin A (min.) 3,000.00 IU/lb, Vitamin E (min.) 125.00 IU/lb.
> 
> I could also use feeds that aren't necessarily for weanlings/yearlings. The choices that I see that MIGHT work for her are:
> 
> DuMOR® EquiStages Horse Feed, 50 lb.
> *Guaranteed Analysis:
> *Crude Protein (min.) 14.00%, Lysine (min.) .65%, Crude Fat (min.) 6.00%, Crude Fiber (max.) 18.00%, Calcium (Ca) (min.) .80%, Calcium (Ca) (max.) 1.25%, Phosphorus (P) (min.) .50%, Salt (NaCl) (min.) .25%, Salt (NaCl) (max.) .75%, Sodium (Na) (min.) .10%, Sodium (Na) (max.) .60%, Copper (Cu) (min.) 50.00ppm, Selenium (Se) (min.) .50ppm, Zinc (Zn) (min.) 150.00ppm, Vitamin A (min.) 3000IU/lb, Ash (max.) 9.00%, Ruminant meat- and bone-meal free
> 
> 
> Purina® Strategy® Professional Formula
> *Guaranteed Analysis:
> *Crude Protein (min.) 14.00%, Crude Fat (min.) 6.00%, Calcium (Ca) (min.) 1.00%, Phosphorus (P) (min.) 0.60%, Crude Fiber (max.) 12.50%, Calcium (Ca) (max.) 1.30%, Zinc (Zn) (min.) 280.00 ppm, Copper (Cu) (min.) 80.00 ppm, Selenium (Se) (min.) 0.60 ppm, Vitamin A (min.) 3,000.00 IU/lb.
> 
> I think I can also get Safe Choice. Again, no Enrich 32, which is what I really want >.>
> 
> I'm trying to get her on as much of a forage based diet as possible, but the feed stores are making this difficult! LOL I'm thinking I'll need a suppliment to transition her to as well, so here are my options.
> 
> Mare Plus- $25 per 3 lb bucket
> *Guaranteed Analysis:
> *Crude Protein (min.) 6.0%, Crude Fat (min.) 3.5%, Crude Fiber (max.) 6.0%, Calcium (min.) 5.80%, Calcium (max.) 6.80%, Phosphorus (min.) 5.00%, Salt (min.) 1.00%, Salt (max.) 1.50%, Potassium (K) (min.) 1.88%, Magnesium (Mg) (min.) 0.39%, Cobalt (Co) (min.) 300 ppm, Copper (Cu) (min.) 250 ppm, Iodine (I) (min.) 160 ppm, Iron (Fe) (min.) 4000 ppm, Manganese (Mn) (min.) 2200 ppm, Selenium (min.) 0.4 ppm, Zinc (Zc) (min.) 2000 ppm, Vitamin A 800,000 I.U., Vitamin D3 80,000 I.U., Vitamin E. 960 I.U., Vitamin B12 3240 mcg, Riboflavin 800 mg, d-Pantothenic Acid 1000 mg, Thiamine 700 mg, Niacin 2000 mg, Vitamin B6 165 mg, Folic Acid 144 mg, Choline 8700 mg, P-Amino Benzoic Acid 800 mg.
> 
> Manna Pro® Sho-Glo® Vitamin and Mineral Supplement, $56/5 lb (one of you recommended this right?)
> *Guaranteed Analysis:
> *Crude Protein (min.) 12.00 %, Crude Fat (min.) 2.50 %, Crude Fiber (max.) 15.00 %, Calcium (min.) 7.50 %, Calcium (max.) 8.50 %, Phosphorus (min.) 4.00 %, Salt None Added Magnesium (min.) 0.50%, Potassium (min.) 1.00%, Cobalt (min.) 88 ppm, Copper (min.) 880 ppm, Iodine (min.) 160 ppm, Manganese (min.) 2,900 ppm, Selenium (min.) 17.6 ppm, Zinc (min.) 3,160 ppm, Vitamin A (min.) 600,000 IU/lb, Vitamin D (min.) 70,000 IU/lb, Vitamin E (min.) 1,600 IU/lb, Riboflavin (min.) 375 mg/lb, d-Pantothenic Acid (min.) 250 mg/lb, Thiamine (min.) 250 mg/lb, Niacin (min.) 2,000 mg/lb, Vitamin B (min.) 100 mg/lb, Folic Acid (min.) 30 mg/lb, Choline (min.) 3,600 mg/lb, Ascorbic Acid (min.) 50 mg/lb.
> 
> Omegatin 20 lb/$30
> 15% protein, 20% fat, pelleted, nutrient dense horse feed with an exceptionally low level of starch (13.5%).
> 
> Grow Colt, 3 lbs/$19.99
> *Guaranteed Analysis:*
> Crude Protein (min.) 5.00%, Crude Fat (min.) 4.50%, Crude Fiber (max.) 4.00%, Calcium (min.) 7.05%, Calcium (max.) 8.05%, Phosphorus (min.) 5.28%, Salt (min.) 1.65%, Salt (max.) 2.15%, Magnesium (min.) 0.40%, Potassium (min.) 1.25%, Manganese 1100 ppm, Iron 1800 ppm, Copper (min.) 22 ppm, Zinc (min.) 11 ppm, Iodine 160 ppm, Cobalt 11 ppm, Selenium (min.) 0.4 ppm, Vitamin A (min.) 480,000 I.U., Vitamin D3 100,000 I.U., Vitamin E 320 I.U., Vitamin B12 3.2 mg, Menadione 50 mg, Riboflavin 400 mg, d-Pantothenic Acid 360 mg, Thiamine 108 mg, Niacin 2400 mg, Vitamin B6 50 mg, Folic Acid 10 mg, Choline 3600 mg, Biotin .001 mg, P-Amino Benzoic Acid 90 mg, Ascorbic Acid 10 mg
> 
> Start-To-Finish Cool Calories
> *Guaranteed Analysis:
> *Crude Fat (min.) 99.0%, Total Fatty Acid (min.) 95.0%, Free Fatty Acids (max.) 1.0%, Unsaponifiable Matter (max.) 1.5%, Insoluble Impurities (max.) .0.5%, Moisture (max.) 1.0%
> 
> 
> Also, I have her on Probios, ($10) 5g a day. Should I keep her on that?
> 
> 
> Any ideas of which feeds/suppliments would be best? She's also have unlimited Jiggs Costal Hay and 2-3 flakes of Alfalfa daily at her disposal, and grazing ofcourse. Its just tough because I have a very limited budget, but I don't want to be cutting her short in any way. I want this little gal to feel as good as she can!


So long as you supply her with a balancer your youngster will do best on good quality Meadow hay - there is no need to feed any hard feed - I know everyone wants to fatten her up fast but they honestly do better on quality hay and when available grazing. 

Can I ask why you need to trailer her to the farrier - do farriers not come out to people? This little horse really doesn't need the mental stress of being hauled elsewhere to have her feet trimmed - get a farrier to her. 

I'm glad you have a paddock mate for her and no doubt as you go into spring you will be able to turn her out 24/7.

I raise all my youngsters outside as they need to move around - this strengthens their bones. It also allows them to play and be babies. Being a TB she does need to be covered with a snuggly lightweight cover that will not chafe her angular areas. 

It's good to see that she is steadily improving as poor soul she has had a rough time.


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## Endiku

Yes, most farrier do farm visits out here, but unfortunately 99% of them are less than stellar and I'd be better off trying to do it myself  I'vepersonally gone through three farriers already and I've only owned my mare since September, and our farm has gone through countless farriers over the years. Most farriers that ARE familiar with TB hooves are ones that shod and shoe for the racing industry here, so they shod with long toes, flared feet, and thin soles as the standard- which is the opposite of what Kenzie needs.

This particular farrier is VERY well known for helping turn around problem horses but ofcourse, her price reflects that. She does travel but because she also has a business to run (she is an endurance riding champion and runs a dude ranch/lesson farm/endurance farm) she charges a very hefty sum to travel. It doesn't help that we happen to be over an hour away from where she lives. It would cost me $175+ for her first trim I think, because of travel costs- but if I haul Kenzie to her it will only cost me $50. She has agreed to give me a small discount becaus of Kenzie's situation, but only if I travel to her.

I agree that it probably will be a bit stressful for Kenzie, but at this point 
I just don't really have many options. Her feet need to be worked on and she's hurting, and I need to change that. We're planning to haul both her and Ginger (who happens to only be pasture sound due to a clubbed/concave foot. BO thought Mrs. Butler might be able to help her out too, which works for me since that gives us access to a trailer!) up to there tomorrow (Wednesday) and see what she can do. Hopefully we can make the trip as low stress as possible. Kenzie's been with us only 10 weeks but eventually she'll have to face the trailer...might as well do it now. I've been working with her on it a little and she'll load with only a little protest now, but only into the stock trailer and not the two horse slant. That means more gas because the stock trailer is big, but comfort comes first in this case! We have rubbber matting too which should be better on her feet.

And yes, I do plan on turning her out 24-7 eventually  as of right now its just easier to have her in at night when its cold to be away from the gusty wind, and makes morning/evening feeding easier because she and Ginger are seperated at that time. She only wears a blanket on nights that are under 40 degrees, and it has a fleece lining to keep her from getting sore spots. So far its working great. I didnt want to over-blanket her though because I didn't want to 'damage' her system anymore and get her too acclimated to always being blanketed, as I've heard that doing so can actually cause negative affects.


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## beemimom

reminds of of that poem if you love something let it go, if it comes back its your and if it doesn't it isn't meant to be. i just hope that the person who does get her at least gives you the chance to see her and maybe in time own her. i had a beautiful dunolino gelding i sent to the trainers to be broke when i got him back i rode him and loved him, but when the trainer came out to visit him this horse did all he could do to go to him i knew in my heart that horse loved him and i told the trainer you need to load him up he has chosen you, he laughed and said no he's yours, lightning followed his truck nickering to him all the way out of our driveway and until he was out of sight hollared, well, the next day the guy called me and said are you serious about lightning i said hes your horse to this day lightning and him are together, lightning will do anything for him and he's a barrel horse, trail horse and if he is asked to something he will try to do it by his owner sometimes you have to look at the whole picture to see the beauty and thats what i did i gave the horse i loved what he wanted, and to this day i am proud of this horse and love him even more for making me understand what love really is


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## Endiku

Very true. The idea of being able to own her after I've finished college and gotten 'back on my feet' so to speak is heartening, but I won't put my hopes on it. I would very much like to hear how she's doing though if possible, even if the owner only wants to send me a picture every year or so, or drop me a line or two about their progress. What matters to me though, is that she is happy and heathly. Anything else is only optional.

I have to admit though, I HAVE been contemplating trying to lease Sour out rather than sell her, because I just really don't want to part with her. That, and honestly I'm not sure WHERE she would end up, knowing her. She's a very difficult animal to work with even though she's only 230 pounds, and you MUST have her full respect 100% of the time or she'll revert to her 'old' ways of biting, kicking, and charging around like an idiot. She also seems to need to work. Thats all good and well with full sized horses, but its harder to find someone who wants a miniature horse that has to be exercised at least a few times a week, and has been known to take advantage of people xD most people want minis as 'do nothing' pasture pets that they can goof around with if they want, or just leave in the pasture for months at a time. Do that with Sour and she turns into a maniac in less than a month. I should know! People also seem to want miniatures to 'love on' and if theres anything she hates, its being hugged, kissed, or groomed. She has murder in her eyes any time I do more than a quick brush down with the dandy brush. She's a working partner, and won't deal with lovey dovey stuff. That suits me just fine, but I doubt very many people have the same tolerance as I do xD If I did lease her out though, 6-7 years (at least) is a LONG time to lease a horse. Even then though, she'd only be 13 or 14 by the time I get out of college, which would leave a whole half (or more) of her life left for us to enjoy.


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## greentree

Ummm, Endiku, do you live close to Katy? If you do, I will pay my former farrier (I moved to Kentucky) to come do that baby's feet. No need to expose that baby to everything at Cypress Trails.

Nancy


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## Endiku

We actually live in Katy. Who is your old farrier and does he have experience with bad feet/barefoot trimming? Send me his number and I'm more than willing to call him and talk to him, but it'll have to be soon. We're trucking them over at 4!


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## greentree

Rocky is his name. His # is 979-451-0988, but if you are about ready to go, you probably won't be able to catch him that fast! Sorry I did not realize you would be close....Hope the baby turns out OK!

Nancy


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## Endiku

I didn't plan to be able to have him trim her today, just speak with him  We're on our way to the other farrier right now, but I would definitely be interested in contacting him for further work to be done on her, as he would be much closer. Thanks for the number. I'll try to call him in the next day or two.


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## greentree

OK, great! Rocky always did a good job on my horses, was reliable and patient with the babies. I used him for about 8 years. 
He does not consider barefoot a "way" , but he balances a hoof well. 

Nancy


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## Endiku

Thats all I need. For him to know his way around a hoof and not have 'put a shoe on it' as an answer to every crisis. 

Can you believe that my last farrier hit my four year old mare with his metal rasp, sharp side up, in the stifle because she jerked her hoof out of his hand? And they wonder why she has problems with anyone but me handling her feet!


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## greentree

I have had farriers hit horses. Rocky never did. In fact, I brought a gelding home who would stand in the back of the stall and shake when you came into the stall. Rocky did his feet the first time with the poor horse leaning on the wall, and shaking. Second time, the horse would shake, but pick his foot up voluntarily, it was sad but funny. Third time, horse ground tied in the barn aisle, nobody holding him, picking up his feet as soon as Rocky would get done with one.....

Hope it works out!

Nancy


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## beemimom

i had a farrier hit on one of mine but across her chest for know reason she was standing perfectly still while he did her front foot he moved to do her back feet and she only moved to balance herself he stepped back and smacked her on her chest and yelled at her needless to say i jumped into it like a mad wet hen and he left my property to never come back again and i warned everybody about him, had to find another farrier to finish her out but i understand if the horse is misbehaving i have one that loves to play with our farrier she will pick her feet up lets him get to work on it and then tries to pull it away but he learned that if he just open handed gives her a firm not hurting slap on her underbelly she will straighten right up and she does this just to mess with him or she will pick up a foot on the other side when he asks for the other she loves to play games with you. shes the type of horse you walk up to her foot and tap her leg she will pick them up unless shes trying to play with you then she will pick up another just so you go around to that side then she will pick up the one you asked for this gets funny at time but all i do is tell her cut it out and she will sigh and do it right.


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## Endiku

I don't mind at all if my horse is misbehaving and the farrier repriminds it either verbally or with an open handed slap. I'm also fine with them dropping the leg of a sound horse if it leans on them, or poking them hard. But hitting a miniature horse, full force, with a sharp metal object? No way! I've worked for months and months on getting her to handle her feet nicely and you don't have to do more than touch her cannon for her to pick her leg up for you, but she does tend to be a bit nervous around men due to previous abuse. I had warned the farrier of that fact so I was furious when he hit her for pulling her leg away in discomfort (He had been holding it too high, almost up to her point of buttocks.) No excuses for my mare ofcourse, but a metal rasp? Really? ._.


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## beemimom

poor thing i hope you came unglued at him. we have some down here that i would never allow on our property, some are good with the horses but if your a lady watch out and some have a tendency to come smelling like a brewery, i have had two that i will allow to work on my kids and they are perfect they set up to be there every 6 to 8 weeks and call me to let me know its time and when they will be there, one had to quit due to injures he recieved on his back not from my horses but from someone elses who told him there horse was very good well it was it cost him back surgery, but i love my farrier and he even came out and removed a tiny glass sliver from my mares foot and medicated it and all no charge to me, but i gave him extra next time. my horses will even come right up to him if i am at work to have there feet done, hes just great.


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## Celeste

There is a farrier in our area that is on parole for child molestation. Needless to say he is not working on my horses.


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## Endiku

Whoops, I just realized that I haven't given you guys an update about Kenzie's trip!

She did pretty well all things considered and I have no complains. It took us about ten minutes to get her loaded (she thought that the divider was going to eat her) but she travelled well and munched on some hay on the way there. I heard her shifting around a little near the end but not too much. No injuries or anything, and she unloaded like a champ. Ginger was actually worse than she was, I think! That farm has tons of arabians and I think Gingie recognized that they were 'cousins' (she's a NSH) and started talking up a storm. It was actually pretty funny.

Kenzie was pretty sore but did well for the farrier, and the farrier was kind enough to give her a break between doing hooves, and she readily explained her plan of action to me. Turns out that she's still a little thrushy in that abcessed hoof and its just over all very unhealthy, but the other feet are in better shape. Her bars were completely screwed up, her frogs are narrow and unhealthy, and her walls are thin- but the farrier thinks we can eventually get her in shape. The frog is now taking some pressure and has been professionally cleaned up so she thinks that it will start looking healthier soon. It doesn't help that she's sloughing some of it off right now as well, so she's just a reck. Her feet do look a lot better though and I'm happy with her progress. She was walking much more freely even a few minutes after being trimmed and doesn't look like she's grimacing when she stretches her legs out and takes pressure on them, so that is very promising!

I'm hoping that soon we'll be able to see little Kenzie cantering and playing like the baby she is soon. So far I've only seen her trot and I know its because of those darned feet!


Oh, and wish me luck tomorrow morning guys! I'm taking my SAT for the very first time tomorrow *bitesnails*


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## egrogan

Yay for Kenzie, and good luck to you on the SAT! I know there's so much more pressure around testing than when I was in high school, but if this is your first time sitting for it, it will give you a nice baseline for how you do in the real environment- but you can certainly take it again, with that much more feedback to help you focus your future practice/study efforts. I'll be thinking good thoughts for you!
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## Endiku

Thanks! I just got back. It went pretty well. I was disturbed by the fact that two of the guys next to me slept through literally 3/4 of the test and that we got held over because over 1/2 of the kids didn't know how to write in cursive ._. children, I'm DYSLEXIC and I can copy a sentance in cursive! 

Unlike with the PSAT I really tried not to panic and just start guessing on stuff, and I didn't answer everything xD I set goals, met them, and checked them over. Because I panicked, I only recieved a 158 on my PSAT. I'm hoping for a 1650 or above for this SAT and I'll improve from there.


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## AnnaHalford

I've just read through this whole thread. **** you, Endiku, I'm now hooked on following Kenzie's progress (and I already spend too much time following Sour's, lol). Seriously, though, kudos to you and all your peripheral support for trying to do the best for her. Hope the SAT went well.
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## Endiku

xD I saw you lurking earlier and I was wondering if you were attempting to read through this ******! I need to start handing out prizes to those of you who have read all the way through this...I only made it to page 20 before my eyes totally blurred! 

I always tend to pick the trouble children, don't I? LOL. I'm amazed I haven't gotten myself or someone else killed by now. Aggressive alpha mini mares, one eyed-clingy colts, spooky self-mutilating mares, geldings that have been studs and treated like dogs all of their lives, and now Boom xD at least she doesn't seem to have any serious mental issues....wouldn't that be fun paired with all of the poor thing's ailments?

Pft, you should see my newest potential project though. Prettiest little mare you'll ever find, but she's a nutcase. Insanely buddy sour, scared of her own shadow, NO concept of personal space, and definitely the most reactive mare I've met, with the exception of Sour. I get paid if I can turn her around though... and she's cute as heck. Makes me sad to think that no one took the time to socialize her. She stands there and shakes and starts teeth-clacking at you the second you look straight at her. She may not be all that hard to win over though, considering that she hasn't been 'ruined' by anyone yet. She responds naturally to body signals. I was even able to cut her out of her herd of three with just my body language and get her to hold still for me to halter her for the first time yesterday. The look she gave me was halarious. I could have just imagined her going "SHESPEAKSHORSE?! O_O'


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## Endiku

Whoops. Called her Boom xD Kenzie. BO's hubby and most of the cowboys doesn't like the name Kenzie (how rude! lol) and the rescue didnt want to 'traumatize her' by changing her name again (....oi. Thats all I can say.) so around them we tend to call her Boom. The rest of the time, shes Kenzie and that happens to be the name she responds to, so HA!


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## wausuaw

Endiku, what area of Texas are you in (since is such a large state). 

If you are within reasonable distance to Brenham (I live in Bryan) I have been pleased with my farrier. He was recommended by a Brenham vet who has had him work on all types of horses- rescues, colts, dead heads, etc. Since my mare tends to be over-reactive toward new people (especially her feet) I needed someone who wouldn't over react themselves.

(She got nervous and kicked out, with a different farrier- not aggressively, just like a horse that wasn't used to their feet being handled-and he rasped her, and she turned into a complete devil horse and came at him like you wouldn't believe) After that, she was EXTREMELY difficult with her feet (anyone other myself, and it was even difficult for me at times) 

But, being that I'm not very competent at trimming feet, I needed a farrier. Boy, I had a very difficult time with my farrier search. (But, I was very blunt, as I didn't want just anyone to handle her and then be in a worse situation) I needed someone that would be firm and patient, not someone who was aggressive and manhandled her... And someone who would actually show up. Apparently, the combo of which is nearly non existent in the world. (Took me a year, luckily her feet are pretty good naturally so with just me filing and scraping them she wasn't incredibly bad, but still needed to get done)

My current farrier (had him for a few years now) was very patient with her (she reared, kicked out, a general nervous wreck pulling every trick she could to get away). He just held on, seemingly completely indifferent to what she was doing. By her second trim (he also shows up like clockwork, calls me ahead and is fine with handling them alone if I'm not around) she was great. He will reprimand her if she's just being a *****, which, sometimes she can be. 

I'm not sure how far he travels, but I know he's got regular clients in Anderson, Iola, and of course, Bryan and Brenham. I have no idea where you are, but if your reasonably close I do recommend him.


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## Endiku

Unfortunately I think Brenham is about 65 miles from where we are, so that might be a bit far. Not too much farther than Mrs. Butler though, I guess. We're located in the suburbs of Houston. I still need to call the farrier that one of you suggested to me, and I'm going to see if I can see some examples of his work/watch him work on an animal before I decide. I've just been so rediculously busy that I keep forgetting xD Spring break starts this week though, so hopefully I'll get some stuff like that done.


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## Endiku

I have....UPDATES!

Sorry, I died for a week or so. My life is rediculous right now and just getting crazier!

This has to be short because I have a ton of homework and a killer migraine, but Kenzie is doing well  She's going to have another trim next week and is slowly filling out. Still having some tenderness issues with her feet because apparently her frogs are about as bad as they can get, half the size they should be and shriveled up. We'll have a long road of farrier care ahead of us, but I'm excited to see the outcome. 

She's still shedding that nasty coat hair by hair, but its coming out every day in the brush so I'm hopeful! xD She's such a sweet gal and I took her for her first short trail walk today. She was a little nervous but very curious and did her best to make me proud. I've started transitioning her over to her new feed and she's doing well, eating much more roughage which makes me very happy!

Anyways, I really can't give a long update right now but feel free to ask questions. On to the pictures! BTW, I took some conformation pictures of her that I'm posting in that section  go check them out! I know she's young and still on the thin side, but maybe I can get a little feed back.

Her ribs are finally dissapearing! I can actually feel some padding between them now, and I can't feel her spine <3


















Excuse the lariat, I was desensatizing her 









She has this weird little cyst type thing on her shoulder where she had been gashed that I'm worried about. I don't know if you can see it, but its about dime sized and sore to touch. It feels like its filled with fluid and its squishy. I'm going to call the vet about it tomorrow and ask him to see it. Hopefully its just a bug bite or something, but you can't be too careful.









sleepy baby after the trail. Her halter is too big but her head keeps growing and her blue one wasn't fitting  she's between that weird weanling and yearling size right now. SO FRUSTRATING. But hey, that means shes growing!









Oh, and if you guys are interested, meet Camie  she's with me to learn her ground manners and start driving.


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## paintsrule

She's so cute. I really like her!


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## Endiku

Tiny update- that cyst actually burst during the night and had only clear fluid in it, nothing deep or anything, so I think I'm going to hold off on calling the vet. It isn't bothering her for me to touch or clean it now, so I just washed it out and applied some neospirin to it. I'll watch it, but hopefully it was just a one time thing and nothing to worry about.

On another note, I have a job interview on Wednesday morning so if you guys could be thinking of me/praying I'd definitely appreciate it! Getting this job would mean more funds to help Miss Expensive-butt over here recover faster, and maintain Sour well too  

I also learned an important lesson today. Do NOT rasp a hoof without gloves! I was being too lazy to go find a second one and needed to file down one of the goats hooves today, and slid it across my left (dominant) hand, leaving a couple of nasty wounds xD lesson learned my friends....don't be too lazy to go find safety equipment. Sheesh that hurt! LOL


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## horsecrazygirl

Kenzie looks really good! Endiku go rest!


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## Chevaux

I do sincerely wish you the best of luck for the job interview not that you'll need it - just be your charming self.


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## Ladytrails

I'll second what Chevaux said! And, been there done that with the rasp! More neosporin for you!


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## alichawhittaker

DONT GIVE UP! she is sweet i had a baby just like this, he looked worse then her and it took along time! to get him looking the way he does know lots of feed and love he has turned out to be the best horse ever! he is around 14 hands but really a awesome horse. I see potental.


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## Endiku

Kenzie had a little bit of a 'baby melt down' today about not wanting stand tied quietly so the tying tree became Mr. Patience Tree today. Ginger was calling her like crazy from their pen which wasn't helping I'm sure, but no excuses for little madam, even if she was looking rather adorable  










Crazy little gal. After about ten minutes of huffing and puffing about not getting her way though, she settled down and waited quietly for me to pick her feet and turn her out for dinner. Allyson - 1 Kenzie - 0! LOL

What do you guys think of me starting a Members Journal about Kenzie, Sour, and whoever else might cross my path? This thread practically serves as one anyways, but now that we're out of the 'red' and even 'yellow' zone, I feel like maybe its time to say sayonara to this thread and start new 

On another note, my interview went well yesterday and I have another one schedualled for Monday morning at 9 am  thats a good sign right? It sounds a bit intimidating because I'll be having an interview with both managers and my first interviewer, but fingers crossed that I'll do well! The only downside to this job is that I'll have to work 20-30 hours a week even in the school year, which will be a LOT to handle with all of my other committments, but you have to take what you can get in this economy. I can't just not have a job either because that means no income for Boom or Sour, and no horses for me, as well as no car, no graduation, no college...no nothing xD

Have I ever mentioned that growing up kind of stinks? I think I'd like a one way ticket back to elementry or middle school again, thankyouverymuch


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## deserthorsewoman

Her own journal sounds good

Fingers crossed for Monday, for sure! You'll make it, don't worry;-)
Regarding growing up ......once you reach my age, you'll be looking forward to retirement without responsibility ...all play....again;-)


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## FaydesMom

> <SNIP> Have I ever mentioned that growing up kind of stinks? I think I'd like a one way ticket back to elementry or middle school again, thankyouverymuch  <SNIP>


Yeppers...my boys wanted soooo badly to be "grown up". They just refused to listen when we tried to get them to stay "a kid" as long as they could. They are 23 and 25 now and tell us all the time they wish they had listened. LOL 

Hang in there, you seem to have a pretty firm grip on it already!


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## egrogan

Good luck with the next round of interviews! Tons of good thoughts coming your way.
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## MiniMom24

:-o just want to follow. Read all 48 pages tonight.


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## Hunter65

Best of luck on Monday! It will all work out.


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## Endiku

Wow, Minimom! Thats quite a feat in itself! Welcome to the end of this thread  Cookies and lemonaide to you!

Out of curiosity, Kenzie would be considered to be brown, right? Not bay. One of the guys was debating me on this today xD


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## Endiku

Here we are guys- Kenzie and Sour's Journal! I hope that you _all_ join us on the second leg of our journey, and I thank you for sticking with us thus far!

http://www.horseforum.com/member-journals/dreamers-vessel-kenzie-sour-160169/


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