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Comment by Shirley on April 8, 2010 at 12:23am

Hi Justice! I suspect you will find that you figured right to try this place for a safe place for your beat and broken old bones. This is a great group.

Comment by Shirley on April 7, 2010 at 12:33pm

Tracy, No need to feel sorry. You only shared the facts of life that are there to deal with. Some times the realities of nature seem/are cruel.
We have an Arab in my horses pasture that is about the same age as your two fellas and he'd still the Alpha for sure. Even though he does not get around like he used to the other horses have a deep respect for him and he has no clue of his aging. Horses are such amazing creatures and the more I learn about them especially the wild horse family interactions and training of each other, I'm all the more amazed! Humans could learn so much from horses in bred instincts. It really is terrible that humans are breaking up these wild horse herds to the point that they will not be able to carry on with all these training instincts for their off-spring. There is going to be many missing links. I'm still hoping enough people will gather enough good energy to stop what is going on with the wild horses out west.
Wow! I got off the subject ...sorry! Another passion!
Best wishes with your fellas as they continue to age and you meet new challenges with them.
Shirley

Comment by Tracy McDermott on April 7, 2010 at 11:12am

I didn't mean to sound scary, I'm sorry. Diagnostics of injuries are best done first hand, I spoke to fast. Puncture - ravens beak, sounded like round hole punctures, not scrapes. Unless there is a wire or some other rounded sharp and straight thing in the field or in the barn, canine teeth are the next culprit. You didn't say depth of the wound or if it was bleeding or bled, could he have walked through brush high enough for a branch to catch him?
As Sic said most old horses hang their lips, usually at rest but lower lip and one side says maybe when he fell he whacked his mouth and it just plain hurts, it's also best to check up under the lips to see if anything might be tucked up under there like chewed food or pebbles. Your vet will be your best guide.
My old guys (2 of them) are both 24 years old, they are both Polish Arab so they don't know they are old. My husband and I have had them all their lives and been the only riders on them. We are retiring them this year, we looked for a pasture small enough to see them in and fenced to keep out coyote and wolf. It's natural for those predators in the wild to pick the oldest and the youngest. It's not easy to watch your old buddy get hurt but you can't protect him from his own self either, I don't believe they see their age.

Comment by Shirley on April 7, 2010 at 1:18am

Cindy, Glad he's doing so much better! Hope that continues!
Tracy's information is sorta scarey. Is that possibly what has happened?
Strange~~Best wishes for you all. Keep us updated.

Comment by Tracy McDermott on April 7, 2010 at 12:41am

Cindy: It sounds to me like the horse was bitten, were there any scratches on him in that area?? Ravens would peck his eyes first. Are there any punctures on his lips? that is where wild dogs or wolves would grab him, just like a twitch, upper lip under the nose. That's how they catch large prey, one in front one behind at the rear leg.

Comment by Cindy Jeffery on April 6, 2010 at 9:14pm

I was thinking the same thing Jan :-) Although just in case there are a few still checking in I will share what happened to my old boy since my last post. Turns out his hanging lip is not from a stroke but the vet seemed to think nerve damage. He is scheduled to have his teeth floated soon, and I have have him on Phase 5 pellets for seniors, add to that a scoop of Recovery EQ daily. He has recovered so much that when I let him out with the other horses he gallops away rather than just walking. He is definitely feeling better. I had a look at the wounds he wouldn't let me touch and it looks like two puncture wounds about 8-9 inches apart located on his right hind leg, one on the inside of the gaskin and one on the outside of the stifle. The punctures look as large as a ravens beak and I can only surmise that my old boy was laying down resting in such a deep sleep that the birds thought he was dead. At first I thought the wounds were caused by a kick of a bite but once I had a good look they definitely didn't look like that. It is a mystery alright. I'm just glad he is feeling so much better.

Comment by Jan Jollymour on April 6, 2010 at 10:14am

Wow, it's clear from the lack of activity on this page that spring has sprung, and we're all busy with horses and gardens and projects! It's great that we all have busy lives!

Comment by Shirley on March 25, 2010 at 4:02pm

I hope your elderly gentleman feels better with some rest and alone time. Sounds like he feels much better already if he managed to get out with his buddies. For what some call a normal process (old age) it sure is hard to deal with. I hope it is something that can heal.
Take care and let us kow how he is doing after the vet visit.
Shirley

Comment by Cindy Jeffery on March 25, 2010 at 2:04pm

Thank you for your encouragement Shirley, I appreciate it very much :) Since I posted last I was out visiting my geriatric old gelding, he's 26 yr old and has some seniors issues. Winter was hard on him even though he had his wonderful Weaver Turnout blanket on. I notice a few kick marks on him so I separated him from his 5 buddies to recover. It really worried me when I saw him last to come in for dinner moving very slowly, that's when I found the bite and kick marks. He also looked like he had fallen, his coat was wet and had some snow on it. Our horses have 60 acres to roam and as the snow melts they travel farther away from the feeding stations each day. Anyway, I have isolated him and noticed one side of his bottom lip is drooping and making it difficult for him to eat. I have a call in to the vet, I suspect his teeth need floating they haven't been done for a while. Don't know if that will help with the droopy lip but at least he will be able to eat better with his good side. Honestly, when I brought him in his spirit was so low that I thought I would have a dead horse in the morning. I started him back on "Complete Feed" with some "Recovery" for pain, he rallied so much during the night he broke out of his pen and broke in with his buddies. He's a tough old dude, always has been, typical morgan tenacity. Anyway, we are waiting for the vet to call us back to make an appointment. Where I live is awesome and beautiful in all its seasons and you are right Shirley there always seems to be a trade off no matter what we do. Each day I wake up now more grass is appearing, less mud, more time and places to work the horses. Yippee!!!

Comment by Shirley on March 25, 2010 at 10:24am

Cindy~~Thanks!! I don't know where you are in Canada but it soiunds much colder then Michigan this year. Last year I don't think we were able to enjoy the outdoor arena as early as this year. I will say this, if it makes you feel any better....Your surroundings are WONDERFULLY BEAUTIFUL!!!!
I looked at your pictures and it looks so quiet and serene and the mountains far off. imagining it for a few minutes sooths my soul a bit.
We went to Alaska a few years ago and I was amazed at the sound and feeling of that kind of quiet serenity. I loved it and looks like I'd love your place too. Most things in life do seem to be a bit of a trade-off. Since I do have to board, I want the indoor. I think I can ride 3 or 4 times more a year with the indoor. But if I had my own place, I'd have to live without the indoor.
I did lead Cash down a couple lanes last night too so if the weather holds I may do that again tonight and then hop on and try....no, not try to do it~~~Just do it! Unless a pheasant jumps under Cash's belly I think we'd be fine on the lanes. Next step will be getting thru the wooded trails and then, Whee the big world opens up!!! But one step at a time~~the lanes!! as soon as the weather allows.
Your place looks great and the events you do sound really nice.
Keep on enjoying horsen around!
Shirley

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