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Related: Culture Forums, Support ForumsMaizie's feet
Some of you may remember Maizie, the morgan mare I rescued last winter. A week or so after I got her, she blew an abscess, which enabled me to catch her and drag her into the barn just in time for the blizzard season. Well her abscess healed beautifully and by summer her feet were growing out evenly again, indicating that she was no longer favoring that foot and is loading her feet evenly again.
What I didn't mention before was the general condition of her feet. You never know with a rescue exactly what you're getting -- especially one taken sight unseen based on a single photo. Well, when she arrived, all four of Maizie's feet were covered top to bottom in "stress rings." Hoofs are like fingernails and toenails, and can develop stress rings for a number of reasons, from fungus to nutritional deficiencies. I had no way of knowing whether she just was genetically deficient and going to be struck with crappy feet, or if it was an acquired problem that would be fixable.
It takes about a year for new hoof to grow from the coronet band (equivalent of the cuticle) to the ground. By last August, it was clear the new hoof growing in was smooth and ring-free. You can see her last stress ring a little over halfway down the hoof -- timewise that would be right about when she blew the abscess:
Bottom line is: I lucked out again! A couple weeks ago I trimmed out the last stress ring. Her feet are strong and healthy! Here is her hoof tonight:
CaliforniaPeggy
(149,682 posts)I'd say you're doing a great job with her! And she's the one who lucked out having you take care of her.
femmocrat
(28,394 posts)Maizie was lucky that you found her.
dorkzilla
(5,141 posts)Or should I say horse fixerer!
2naSalit
(86,765 posts)and cool! Thank you for saving a beautiful creature. Glad she wasn't in really bad shape, though it sounds like she had her issues, and that you knew what to do and could do it.
I love Morgans, had the chance to be around them during my teens.
Rhiannon12866
(205,857 posts)And such a lucky one to have found you...
Live and Learn
(12,769 posts)Omaha Steve
(99,700 posts)And you didn't name her Wild Fire?
OS
narnian60
(3,510 posts)I love that song. Makes me nostalgic.
Dont call me Shirley
(10,998 posts)Enthusiast
(50,983 posts)hopeforchange2008
(610 posts)She must be so relieved and happy! Squeeee!
magical thyme
(14,881 posts)I'll probably get more once the grass comes in and they can go out again!
hopeforchange2008
(610 posts)They look like they are having a great time frolicking!
Thank you so much.
appalachiablue
(41,168 posts)Duppers
(28,125 posts)Horses...
AllyCat
(16,216 posts)When my shelly-hooved TB mare had trouble with her feet, I started feeding Farrier's Formula and there was a noticeable line in her feet from when I started feeding it. Expensive though. Still...you give a horse a nice home and look what can happen! Well done!
magical thyme
(14,881 posts)I had put out minamix for Dahli, who started licking dirt when I took her off hard feed, but after her first mouthful she lost interest. And Maizie didn't seem to notice it in the feeder where I'd left it.
So I tried putting some in the floor pan feeder that I leave their 25 pound mineral salt block in. Maizie found that and started eating it. Lots of it, scarfing it down my the mouthful!
For a while there I put in a couple 6 ounce cups/day. Then it dropped off to replacing any time Maizie ran up a sweat. Finally over the winter they lost interest. In the meantime, they both gave up on the dirt.
So I'm guessing it was severe mineral deficiencies...
shenmue
(38,506 posts)oldandhappy
(6,719 posts)Thank you for taking her in and loving her and caring for her. You are a wonder friend and mom to this horse.
PufPuf23
(8,819 posts)swilton
(5,069 posts)You're a passionate, talented and thoughtful care-giver.
passiveporcupine
(8,175 posts)Maize is very lucky to have found a home with you. Her feet look GREAT!
lunatica
(53,410 posts)I'm grateful! I love the learnings!
TygrBright
(20,763 posts)They are truly great companion animals if you have the space, resources and knowledge to give them the care they need.
They have personality plus, and they love spending time with each other AND their humans. They make excellent therapy animals, and they have so much to teach us.
Seriously, stressed out? Go hang with a coupla horses. Take 'em a cookie. Watch 'em graze. Offer a pat or two. Let them breathe in your breath. Before long, they'll be sidling up for a more emphatic pet. Go ahead. Along the neck, the direction the hair grows. Moderate pressure, slow, rhythmic. Feel your heartbeat? It's already slowed, hasn't it? Breathe in the warm horsey scent. Let 'em nibble your hair a little. Back off and watch them graze some more.
NOW go back to work. Stress gone.
Glad you and Maizie found one another.
appreciatively,
Bright
riderinthestorm
(23,272 posts)She's got a good looking foot.
magical thyme
(14,881 posts)riderinthestorm
(23,272 posts)They are textbook fit and I love the wooly coats.
(Which I bet you're eating by the mouthful as they shed it off... )
magical thyme
(14,881 posts)You're right...I should get it printed. The sheer luck involved with getting them both in the frame, in sync and not at a distorted angle. And it was pure luck. I took easily a dozen before it with heads cut off, blurry, running me down, you name it...
riderinthestorm
(23,272 posts)I just spent a peaceful hour + over at JPR, now in the lounge here....I'm avoiding the rest of DU tonight.
I've got my daughter's (outgrown) 12.2h Shetland/Welsh pony who grows a winter coat like a bison. She's the only one who makes me eat her winter coat every spring. There's the upside of clipping the others...I can hardly tell when they're shedding.
Someday we've got to do a meetup!
brer cat
(24,592 posts)Maizie obviously found a great home!
Ron Obvious
(6,261 posts)I couldn't leave this at 99 recommends, and had to be #100