# Rusty pics



## AJ Yammie (Dec 20, 2020)

So beautiful!!


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## MeditativeRider (Feb 5, 2019)

Pretty! I love appaloosas.


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## Dutch_Juniper (May 21, 2020)

Cute! These are beautiful pictures!


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## Acadianartist (Apr 21, 2015)

Thanks all! He's a very expressive guy  And I absolutely love him to bits.


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## Luna’s rider (Jan 23, 2021)

Ohhhhhhh 😍😍😍 he’s so pretty


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## Berralracer72 (Oct 25, 2021)

So pretty!


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## lovetolope (Nov 20, 2021)

Awww, I love appys! He's adorable. He'd probably prefer me to say he's handsome though, lol.


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## tinyliny (Oct 31, 2009)

do you have your own arena? is that snow in it, and what are those tracks? skis?


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## My Salty Pony (Jan 1, 2022)

tinyliny said:


> do you have your own arena? is that snow in it, and what are those tracks? skis?


Looks like the Arena was worked/groom and the tracks are from the tractor with snow covering them.


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## My Salty Pony (Jan 1, 2022)

Love the pictures of Rusty, hes so handsome and he knows it. I love how crisp and clear the pictures are.


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## Acadianartist (Apr 21, 2015)

tinyliny said:


> do you have your own arena? is that snow in it, and what are those tracks? skis?


Yes, this is our outdoor riding area also used as a paddock. My husband clears most of the snow with a snowblower (a 6 ft wide attachment for our farm tractor, not one of those little ones), then I drag it. The trick is not to clear all the snow. Riding on hard frozen ground is not fun, so you want a good base of hard-packed snow. Sometimes if I want to pack it down really well, I'll get hubby to run his snowmobile on it (those are the tracks you see in one of the pictures). I can get really good footing that way, with enough firmness that the horses aren't sinking, and enough grip that they're not slipping. It's a lot like a good sand surface when the texture is right.

I hung construction lights all the way around. There is no risk of electrocution since they are not plugged in when we're not riding. But honestly, they've never showed a desire to chew on them since they're up high, and there is a hot wire on the inside of the wooden fence. The lights are so nice - I ride in there all winter long, often in the evening.


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## Acadianartist (Apr 21, 2015)

My Salty Pony said:


> Love the pictures of Rusty, hes so handsome and he knows it. I love how crisp and clear the pictures are.


I have a Google Pixel phone which takes pretty good photos. It is not tolerant to cold though, but it wasn't that cold when I took these photos. And by accident, I discovered that if I put it in night portrait mode, it gives me this effect of a really crisp foreground and blurred background!


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## Acadianartist (Apr 21, 2015)

lovetolope said:


> Awww, I love appys! He's adorable. He'd probably prefer me to say he's handsome though, lol.


I won't tell him. But I don't think he would care - he has the best sense of humour and is a big clown


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## BethR (Feb 17, 2021)

Most gorgeous Appaloosa I’ve ever seen ❤


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## Acadianartist (Apr 21, 2015)

BethR said:


> Most gorgeous Appaloosa I’ve ever seen ❤


Awww thanks. I think so, but I'm a little blinded with love. He is one special guy, that's for sure! We did have a few health issues to work through (seems that way with every horse I get), but he is a changed horse since I started him on Succeed! He went from being very sluggish, not wanting to do anything in the ring (he was ok on trails, but sometimes would bolt, which was so weird), to being happy and forward in the ring. I am over the moon! I would have loved him no matter what, sluggishness and all, but now, the sky is the limit! We might even attempt some low jumps again once the snow is gone!


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## ACinATX (Sep 12, 2018)

Do you have any thoughts about what it is about the Succeed that has led to your, ahem, success?


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## Acadianartist (Apr 21, 2015)

ACinATX said:


> Do you have any thoughts about what it is about the Succeed that has led to your, ahem, success?


No. We've always suspected hind gut ulcers and that's what the Succeed addresses. The only reason I hadn't tried it before is cost. At 230$ a month here (yes, I know you can get it cheaper in the US, but I can't here), it's hard on my wallet. But the difference is day and night. I can't imagine going back now. I'm hoping I can back down on the dosage eventually (I have him on about a 60% dose rather than the full dose to stretch it out).

The ingredients are pretty basic, and the probiotic (cerevisiae saccharomyces) is one I have used before. But they apparently formulate it in such a way that avoids having the stomach digest the ingredients before they can reach the hind gut, which is often why hind gut ulcers are so much harder to treat. You can give all the gut supplements you want, but if they don't reach the hind gut because they are neutralized in the stomach, it's pointless. All I know is that after two years of trying everything I could think of (including 3 28-day rounds of omeprazole and sucralfate), we have finally found something that had an immediate and obvious effect. Others have ridden him too and say the same. He is a different horse.

And for those who don't know me, the cause of the ulcers is unknown. I do everything right, and all the vets agree. My horses are in 24/7 turnout on large pastures with regular access to hay throughout the day, slow feeders at night. Rusty doesn't go to shows or ever goes off property so trailering and stress aren't an issue. He is very lightly ridden as a pleasure horse. We do all kinds of fun things like liberty work. The only stressor we could identify is that I sold a mare he was very bonded with, and whenever I would take Harley off property, he would flip out because he was alone for a few hours (never overnight though). So I bought a pony to keep him company. They are joined at the hip. So in terms of management, there really isn't anything more I can do to make his life better.

So I will keep him on the Succeed for now, in the hopes that I may be able to stop eventually, or at least just keep him on a maintenance dose. I am just grateful that I have a horse I can ride in the ring, and who happily moves out! I'll just make sacrifices elsewhere so I can afford this.


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## starbuster (Jul 10, 2019)

Beautiful! He reminds me a bit of one I had years ago!


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## baysfordays (Oct 14, 2021)

Acadianartist said:


> Nothing staged or taken with a fancy camera, just some pics taken in my paddock at night. I know many complain about winter and cold, but I find that I connect with my horses so much in the winter. I think it's partly because there's no grass to keep them busy, and they're bored, so suddenly their human becomes interesting again, lol.
> 
> View attachment 1124042
> 
> ...


Your horse is beautiful!!
What type of lights are those on ur riding arena fence?


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## Acadianartist (Apr 21, 2015)

Nadiya said:


> Your horse is beautiful!!
> What type of lights are those on ur riding arena fence?


Home Depot string lights: https://www.homedepot.ca/product/husky-50-ft-5-socket-temporary-string-worklight/1000652394

They take a regular bulb and are quite rugged. They provide great lighting for evening rides in the winter!


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## weeedlady (Jul 19, 2014)

Lovely pictures @Acadianartist. Rusty is so handsome. I think you are right about them being bored. Raven and Tucker have been helping me when I clean stalls. They just come in from the pasture and hang out with me while I shovel. Guess there"s not much else for them to do in knee deep snow.


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## my2geldings (Feb 18, 2008)

He has really neat coloring. That first photo is really gorgeous.


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## LeonardoS (11 mo ago)

Awesome photos, beautiful animal and background. 2nd and 3rd are my favorite ones


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## knightrider (Jun 27, 2014)

@LeonardoS , your profile picture is hilarious!


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## stevenson (Sep 12, 2011)

Do you leave the hot wire on when you ride? My luck would be the horse would put my leg on the fence. lol .


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## QtrBel (May 31, 2012)

My entire fence is hot. Not just one strand. If I am using the fence as means to work on something it is off. If I am just riding in that area then it remains on. Don't know what AA does but that is how I handle if here.


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## horselovinguy (Oct 1, 2013)

Horses seem to challenge "hot" not often once they get bit, but they are also fast to recognize when its not on...

My experience with it was with draft horses, so hot, hot, hot it was...
If we turned it off in a section...darn horses zeroed in on that then weak spot and would push through and get into trouble being where they did not belong.
That fence was in sections powered so we could isolate sections if we had to bring in & out say heavy equipment for a project... The horses though were also removed to other sections and we had other line to snap into the circuit to make the safety barrier hot and not challenged...
It was amazing how fast those large animals could run through forested land when they wanted to be loose...zig and zag around trees I nearly smacked into rushing after them in pursuit.  
🐴...


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## LeonardoS (11 mo ago)

knightrider said:


> @LeonardoS , your profile picture is hilarious!


Hehehe thanks! yeah it made me laugh so hard first time I saw it. Ahhh, how I wish everything back to normal


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## Acadianartist (Apr 21, 2015)

stevenson said:


> Do you leave the hot wire on when you ride? My luck would be the horse would put my leg on the fence. lol .


Yes, it stays on. Like @QtrBel, all three strands are hot too. It's never been an issue - they horses will get within inches of it, but know exactly where that string is at all times and never touch it. I can even open and shut the gate on Rusty's back without ever turning off the fence. He knows how close he can get without getting zapped 

When we have kids riding, we try to remember to turn it off just to be safe. Honestly though, our horses don't test our fences. They can be off and it's not a problem. The other day, after some high winds, I walked out towards the back pasture and realized a fallen tree took down the fence. All three strands on the ground. The horses had gone back and forth several times, walking right by it, but none tested it. We know Bella could get over our fences since she's incredibly agile, and once leaped right over her stall door (4' - she is only 12.2hh!) when she didn't want to be left behind watching her buddies walk away. But she won't test our fences because she is too herd-bound. 

Still, our fences are always on as a matter of habit. Partly to keep animals out too - we have had a moose tear down our back pasture fence once, so keeping it on seems to help keep other animals out as well.


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