UPDATE!!Worried about Stormy (he is doing better)

I don't know what to think. He is just acting different. I don't know why. It could be a reaction to the change in herd dynamics, or he could have an upset stomach. I know he did get kicked really hard by Chief right in the chest. Maybe his chest is hurting.  

When I was out in the lot walking around, Stormy was acing like his usual self around me. I found a small stick and picked it up. He bounced up, and tried to take it away. When I finally let him have the stick he swung it around, then tossed it in the air. I picked it up and tossed it, so he brought it back, then ran off with it. When he got tired of it, I took it away. I don't like to leave play sticks around. I am afraid he will get hurt while running with it in his mouth.

LD I know what you mean. Stormy is what really gives meaning to my life. I tend to panic when even he even twitches wrong.

I decided that watching him was probably causing him to act abnormal, but I wanted to be able to see him better than just from the window. I went out with the pitch fork and started picking up some of the loose hay and putting it on the mulch pile. Stormy decided, I suppose, since I had taken away his stick, he wanted the pitch fork. Ha, he likes to smack the other two with sticks, jolly balls, tarps, and the like, so allowing him to get ahold of the pitch fork would have been a really bad thing. He got more and more pushy and I didn't feel entirely safe smacking him with my hand, and telling him to back, anymore, so I poked him on the nose with the handle. Just the handle. It's not sharp at all.

Stormy decided to be stupid and rear, up and come after me, walking on his hind legs, so I had to quickly, smack him hard on the nose, to convince him, that was a bad idea. Please don't think I am a horrible horse Mama, because he did this. This is the way he is, unless I work with him all the time, to keep him respectful. I haven't been working with him, so he is just being Stormy. He is just a horse you can never turn your back on.

So anyway, at this time he is acting like his normal obnoxious self, and while I was out there he pooped a bigger than normal pile. Well that was after I chased him around a little while, until I felt he was going to leave me alone so I could leave.

I worry that someone will drive by and see me chasing him with a pitch fork and turn me over to the humans society, but I would never hurt him. I have learned that if he starts acting disrespectful, I have to immediately make him move his feet. If I just try to leave, he thinks he has made me move my feet, and he has the upper hand. Then he gets closer.

I have the truck hooked up to the trailer just in case he starts acting off again, but for right now, he seems to be ok.

I did separate them. Even  before I read your post, so I guess I guessed right on that one. I think I will just make him an appointment for tomorrow. You are right, that is money well spent, for peace of mind.

I am guessing he did have a bit of colic. It may not have been to bad, but I want that checked out, as well as his chest. I want knowing ears to listen to his gut sounds, and even if he is back to normal, I want to know exactly what I need to do and, what I need to look for, because I think, from what I have read on the forums, once a horse has had an episode of colic, they can do it again.

I am also thinking, because of his edgy attitude, he has probably been getting a little to much protein. I don't have the best hay, so I supplement. I also like to soak their feed, to give them extra water, and a little extra salt. They have all been getting 2 cups of processed feed, 1 quart of beet pulp, and 4 quarts of chopped alfalfa, and a tsp and a half of salt, soaked in a gallon of hot water, in the morning and at night. Once I can get the beet pulp I think I will start slowly adding a little more of it, to Stormys food, and gradually cutting back on his alfalfa.

I have learned my lesson to keep a couple extra bags on hand, so if the store runs out I still have my back up.

I worry because we have such wild temperature fluctuations. This last week has been awful. Monday or Tuesday, I forget which, the temp was 42 degrees at 4:00PM, at 10:00PM a cold front had moved in and he temp had dropped to 3, with a howling north wind. By 5:00AM when I got up to go to work, the temp was 12, but with a brutal south wind. My horses have protection from the wind, if they will use it, but with the temps going up and down so fast it is really hard on them. I know the cattle producers are loosing cattle right now. I try to do the best, I think I can for them, but if anyone has other ideas of how to care for them better, please let me know.

Absolutely HL4L, I thought that would be the first question I would ask. Actually I have been asking around, after Orschlins ran out of what I was feeding, and the Lewis CO-OP came up all the time. Lewis is a small town (even smaller than my town) about 20 to 30 miles south of here. Even the big important Champion Cowboy mentioned, he didn't have time to drive down to Lewis, and get feed that day.

My ((new)) Vet uses their nutritionist, and gets her feed from them. They bring her order to her, and she just charges what they charge her. The Lewis CO-OP is actually owned by Golden Plains CO-OP, which is a pretty big company so the prices are comparable, to other large corporations. So once I verify they are safe, I think this will be a good change for me.

Oh, and I asked her about the beet pulp.  She said she would look into getting it, but she didn't really have an opinion on it one way or another. I have been thinking,,,, changing feed suddenly, isn't much more dangerous to my horses, than suddenly stopping a particular feed suddenly. Either way you look at it, it is a sudden feed change, which is something we all try to avoid. Now I am thinking, unless someone can give me a really good reason, to continue the beet pulp, I think I will not use it any more. I would rather not have to suddenly stop it, because Orschlins has forgotten to order more. I could always keep a few bags in reserve, to use, until the people who put in the orders, got their heads pulled out of their butts, but if it isn't necessary, I will probably stop using it, and keep my money.