|
|
Post by horselover4life on Feb 4, 2016 18:22:32 GMT
I wanted to update my photos and what we have learned...
Although nothing HUGE anymore in weight gain, he has now covered his topline, padded that wither and covered his ribs and is building muscle!!
This has been the hardest weight to get on his frame to date, still needs some and is making me frustrated not achieving the goal already....
His teeth, feet, coggins, vaccinations all are current...
He rides like a champ on the trails, and has stamina, speed {fast!!}, and is very trustworthy.
We found out some more of his background...
He was a show horse, did western equitation, games, dressage, jumped and was just a nice all-around horse.
He won many blue ribbons. Champion caliber horse....
He was owned by one family for over 12 years. When their kids went to college he was sold to a new family. They fell on hard times and he was again sold and that is where he became neglected, abused and starved, literally. He was a seizure by ASPCA.... he was brought back to semi-health and adopted out where he was a trail horse. Again he fell into bad hands and was given away. Sold again to someone who did not know how to care for or finish his rehab...he then became ours!!
All this "re-selling" took place in less than a years time...
He now has a home for life, lives in luxury of a dry barn and softly bedded stall when he wants, blankets when cold, rainsheet when wet and chilly. He has a pasture to roam around with pasture-mates to keep him company..
He is fed well, very well and is very loved.
He has quite the personality and is quite a character....
He is now just 17 years of age too!
So, here is Duke being Duke...
|
|
mistersmom
Junior Member
Abita Springs, LA
Posts: 3,749 
|
Post by mistersmom on Feb 4, 2016 18:35:27 GMT
Aw, he looks fantastic!!! So sad that he was passes around so much but if that hadn't happened, he might not have come to you. I think he was meant to be in your barn and loved by you and your family. Is he the one your son is showing on? Sorry, I can't remember.
|
|
|
|
Post by dickel on Feb 4, 2016 21:44:02 GMT
Good job. He looks great now.
Dixie and I went to a place to look at and advertised 30 inch stud. The lady told me she had been out of work and had to sell all of her horses. She had sold some and only had two that needed to go. Both Nemo and the quarter horse she still had looked like skin stretches over bones. After looking Nemo over good I told the lady I guess I would pass. Dixie called me over to the car and said he has a very straight back and straight legs and she thought I should reconsider. Dixie handed me more money than the lady was asking because of her bad times. I told Dixie that I was not sure Nemo would live long after we got him home. I went back the next day with a trailer and the quarter horse was gone as well. I kept Nemo in the trailer and had the vet come and give him shots and check him over. With sweet feed and plenty of good alfalfa hay he slowly started to fill out. The trailer was his home for two months. It seems that horses suffer first when people fall on bad times.
|
|
|
|
Post by horselover4life on Feb 4, 2016 22:15:52 GMT
MM... my son is riding our {my husbands} paint horse Hondo for competition.
Hondo is his nickname...
He is registered and has some looooong name...to us though he is simply Hondo.
Eventually, my son will show "his" horse is the plan.
Duke is as near bomb-proof as I would call and claim any horse can be.
I have ridden Duke through some pretty crazy stuff and he was wonderful.
I was apprehensive and very nervous as it occurred honestly....I was astride a complete unknown.
Duke came through that with flying colors and I was so impressed... a alert ear and watchful eye, he continued on with not a miss-step.
That is why he earned a forever home with us...he is steady, honest and trustworthy in the ring and on trails!
I have never been a "lover" of all grays, but this one....his terrible scars, being mistreated and all he has been through and he is still a mush with us... 
This horse is a gem!! blue ribbon
|
|
|
|
Post by horselady on Feb 5, 2016 1:56:36 GMT
He looks wonderful and you have done an amazing job bringing him up to snuff. it might take longer than you realize to have muscle tone where it should be, as long as he is trustworthy and he knows you are taking care of him. he is what he is. and perhaps might never have that extra puffiness.  other than putting him on a treadmill he will build up over time. |
|
Lipizzan
Junior Member
Europe, Croatia
Posts: 2,572
|
Post by Lipizzan on Feb 5, 2016 10:32:15 GMT
He looks amazing from what you started with. And the other horse is very prett too. I am glad he does well with riding and is safe.
|
|
|
|
Post by horselover4life on Feb 5, 2016 12:44:57 GMT
I've always had Thoroughbreds or appendix bred horses.
My horses though were never "neglect cases" so the skinny and no muscle-tone is something that is hard for me to get used to or accept.
I hope to get a few more pounds on him yet.
Duke has that "hunters bump" build with hip girdle a little sharper pronounced....
His spine because of that and muscle tone loss is still noticeable to my eye, but is covered 90% now...
I am used to having my horses score on the weight scale a 5..all I have owned and all I ever took care of...
I would put Duke as a 4.5 on weight...muscling is a different thing. He needs a few more groceries for his flanks to fully be straight, not concave.
I think again we are looking at muscle tone...
He is still a work in progress.
Our vet is very impressed as he did not think I could get him to where he is ever...
I just know this horse has a home for life... large food bill and all that goes with ownership...especially LOVE!!
I would classify him as a hard keeper....he is FED and fed well to get to this point!! Hopefully, once he reaches his "5" I can cut back some and he will retain and not lose...we will see.
Ohhh..Lip...
That paint horse is bigger than the gray.
Duke is 15.2 or 15.3 hands. Hondo is near 16 hands, both have a large barrel for leg drape...
You feel though like you're sitting on a 16.3++ because of their width. Then when they move smilie dancing ....well, most we ride with on trails have to jog/trot to keep up with their walking stride when I ride them. I follow often so they not have to play catch-up....
I love the longer strides of the bigger horses...
I think you are beginning to like that too with the horses you ride during lessons. A whole new experience!!
|
|
|
|
Post by horselady on Feb 5, 2016 12:52:02 GMT
I just had a thought. lunge or jump him over low cavelletti. that way he has to use those hips and legs to push himself. sometimes more weight is not the issue it is the type of exercise to make him plump up. as you stated once all your property is flat soooo hills up and down is best. but to compensate, jumps low and high are the best.
|
|
|
|
Post by horselover4life on Feb 5, 2016 13:40:27 GMT
Would ground rails work if made to trot through them yo think?
I don't have jump standards or ability to raise rails and give stability to them...
How many would you make him go through? 4 OK?
I can notch a 4x4 piece and use them to raise the rails....
Is that good?
|
|
Lipizzan
Junior Member
Europe, Croatia
Posts: 2,572
|
Post by Lipizzan on Feb 5, 2016 13:53:02 GMT
I've always had Thoroughbreds or appendix bred horses.
My horses though were never "neglect cases" so the skinny and no muscle-tone is something that is hard for me to get used to or accept.
I hope to get a few more pounds on him yet.
Duke has that "hunters bump" build with hip girdle a little sharper pronounced....
His spine because of that and muscle tone loss is still noticeable to my eye, but is covered 90% now...
I am used to having my horses score on the weight scale a 5..all I have owned and all I ever took care of...
I would put Duke as a 4.5 on weight...muscling is a different thing. He needs a few more groceries for his flanks to fully be straight, not concave.
I think again we are looking at muscle tone...
He is still a work in progress.
Our vet is very impressed as he did not think I could get him to where he is ever...
I just know this horse has a home for life... large food bill and all that goes with ownership...especially LOVE!!
I would classify him as a hard keeper....he is FED and fed well to get to this point!! Hopefully, once he reaches his "5" I can cut back some and he will retain and not lose...we will see.
Ohhh..Lip...
That paint horse is bigger than the gray.
Duke is 15.2 or 15.3 hands. Hondo is near 16 hands, both have a large barrel for leg drape...
You feel though like you're sitting on a 16.3++ because of their width. Then when they move smilie dancing ....well, most we ride with on trails have to jog/trot to keep up with their walking stride when I ride them. I follow often so they not have to play catch-up....
I love the longer strides of the bigger horses...
I think you are beginning to like that too with the horses you ride during lessons. A whole new experience!! I did started to like bigger horses, buttttt.... still I prefer my little Lipis  The gray sounds like my mare Gaetana, she looses fast and gains slow. Whiter part is the worst. |
|
|
|
Post by horselover4life on Feb 5, 2016 14:20:25 GMT
Lip...
The experience of riding all sizes of horses with many different builds is a great one for all of us to know and do.
It is eye-opening to realize such differences do exist.
As a child I rode a Lipizzaner for a lesson horse.
He taught me so much...soft hands was one.
To sit quietly and ask... not to rush and demand unless you meant it as a instant command.
{I fell off and ate more dirt from that little horse  }
He taught me to prepare "ME" first, then ask him as he was always "ready" to do a change.
Oh yes, if I showed you photos of my gray this morning...
He was near black with dried mud.
Cold he was too....wet last night so no blanket put on. wag finger
Now, he is snug in a turnout sheet to block the cold winds and keep him warmer with the sun rays beating on his body...
Tonight, both horses will wear warm blankets... 30's and brisk winds from the north dropping temps into the very low 30's for us is cold.
Again, it was 85 Wednesday afternoon with a gentle warm breeze, 68 at night...now it is COLD out!!
|
|
mistersmom
Junior Member
Abita Springs, LA
Posts: 3,749
|
Post by mistersmom on Feb 5, 2016 14:24:49 GMT
You can always use hay bales to make little x's or small cross rails. For trot poles, start with 3 or 4 to get him used to the idea then maybe add a few more or put a few on the other side of the lunge circle.
Have you ever tried him on supplements in addition to his feed? Some times more feed is not the best answer. Purina has their Amplify nuggets which is a high fat supplement to add weight. They also have something called SuperSport that is supposed to help build muscle as it is made mostly of amino acids the muscles need. I recently went to an educational seminar and one of the speakers was the lead scientist in the horse feed section of Purina and she said if we had questions or wanted some advice about feeding our horses, to get in contact with Purina. At the bottom of this page is a feed recommender "quiz" as well as one on how much to feed your horse. Just some good basic info.
(Not that I don't think you know what you are doing feeding your horses hl4l, just thought I would mention it. :-) )
|
|
Lipizzan
Junior Member
Europe, Croatia
Posts: 2,572
|
Post by Lipizzan on Feb 5, 2016 16:57:46 GMT
Lip...
The experience of riding all sizes of horses with many different builds is a great one for all of us to know and do.
It is eye-opening to realize such differences do exist.
As a child I rode a Lipizzaner for a lesson horse.
He taught me so much...soft hands was one.
To sit quietly and ask... not to rush and demand unless you meant it as a instant command.
{I fell off and ate more dirt from that little horse }
He taught me to prepare "ME" first, then ask him as he was always "ready" to do a change.
Oh yes, if I showed you photos of my gray this morning...
He was near black with dried mud.
Cold he was too....wet last night so no blanket put on. wag finger
Now, he is snug in a turnout sheet to block the cold winds and keep him warmer with the sun rays beating on his body...
Tonight, both horses will wear warm blankets... 30's and brisk winds from the north dropping temps into the very low 30's for us is cold.
Again, it was 85 Wednesday afternoon with a gentle warm breeze, 68 at night...now it is COLD out!!
So we can relate that we both grew up riding Lipizzans Grays being black is very well known to me, mine are like that every day. Dry mud is not so hard to clean, but when you have to clean yourself, well that is a different story |
|
|
|
Post by horselover4life on Feb 5, 2016 16:59:42 GMT
Thanks mm....
I have used the nutrition experts at Purina before.
I do have Duke on a supplemental fat like Amplify, but now using Nutrena Empower Boost.
www.nutrenaworld.com/products/horses/empower-supplements/empower-boost/index.jsp
Although a slightly lower fat amount...I found that there are more "good things" in this brand than Purina Amplify offers.
Duke will also willingly eat the stuff.
I had some issues with palate-ability {good tasting} once before when using Amplify in larger quantities.
I may go back and try the Amplify and see if it makes a difference...sure would be easier to find the stuff! Just concerned if he turns his nose up and walks away...then what do I do with 40 pounds of Amplify?
I am feeding Purina feed currently with Strategy.
I was feeding Healthy Edge style but needing the extra protein put me back in GX Strategy.
I tried Purina Ultium too and he lost weight... 
I looked into that SuperSport supplement just now.
Sounds good but when I called dealers a radius of 25 miles from my home no one is carrying it, no one.
They all said no one has inquired, no one is in need, knows about it and since that is the reasoning behind it, they are not having it stocked.
They were not even willing to order it in as I guess you need to buy more than 2 or 3 bags of it...
Duke is tough....can be picky.
He won't touch Triple Crown feed, as hungry as he was when I got him he would not eat it...walked away.
Why, no idea. My paint horse eats anything put in front of him...
Duke loves alfalfa so he is fed 1 pound of alfalfa pellets soaked 2x a day in addition to his Strategy and Boost, and of course lots of hay.
He choked 2x on me now so I am cautious about what I feed him...it needs to be wet.
T&A hay is ridiculously expensive {$12 - $18 a bale} by me so that is not happening and I need to be careful I don't overfeed my easy keeper either.
When the pasture comes back in {soon hopefully} I hope it will make a huge difference and he gain that extra he needs...
So,.....
I am not sure how Duke will do with hay bales as pole supports...
He was starved so he will not willingly walk past food without a mouthful, it may not be fair to him nor me who will need to "chase" with a lunge whip, alot!
My hay bales are also heavy and not simple to move...near 60 pounds some of them.
I have some longer pieces of 4x4 from a leftover completed project I could get hubby to build me "steps" to rest poles on... 
I'm open to other ideas or suggestions...just don't want to spend a fortune buying stuff. 
 ....
|
|
|
|
Post by horselady on Feb 5, 2016 20:24:31 GMT
I know your hubby is handy. sooo with that said. have him make an X and add a pole in between the X the pole being placed in one of the X corners and as you turn the X it lowers and hightens the jump or height. of course the X is on both sides of the pole and if you use even one or two on a circle as you lunge him he will be forced to focus and pick up his feet and use his hind end to go off.
i have used the sides of the arena with pails on the end of the pole.. you can also use 4 poles on the circle of course the poles near the center are closer together and wider toward the far side of the circle so he has to trot and find his footing.
later the higher the better and jumps are easy to make. i use 4 x 4 on an X for a base. drill holes for the jump cups. at measured heights.
|
|
Terry
Junior Member
Central Illinois, USA
Posts: 1,466
|
Post by Terry on Feb 5, 2016 21:43:59 GMT
Duke is looking terrific!  |
|
|
|
Post by carshon on Feb 8, 2016 18:42:11 GMT
We use cinder blocks for trot poles etc. You can use the holes and then the lip on the ends to hold poles. We use PVC pipe as our poles and have gravel and sand in them so they don't roll too much.
I also have some cheap calvaletti standards from Bid Dee - I think he looks great and am so glad that you updated. Can't wait to see pics of your son riding him.
|
|
other than putting him on a treadmill he will build up over time. 
4 OK? 
}
....
