Neglect

Since starting this blog, I haven't known exactly what direction it should take. In the beginning I thought that it would be a blog about training the two Thoroughbreds and pony acquired by the man who owns the property where I keep Kizzy. Well, I live in Oregon, don't own a car, and have a horse that is 200 lbs underweight (which is a huge improvement, and yes, she is under veterinary care,) I would rather my "horse budget" and "extra income" go into getting Kizzy sound and up to weight so I can see if she will be a riding partner than blow my money on tack for the other horses and hope for the best with her (I think we all know that doesn't work), so I haven't been riding the Gelding at all due to the weather conditions, lack of fitting tack, and time constraints, and the mare is only 3. I will not start riding her regularly until she is at least 4, and her ground manners are so atrocious that it isn't even worth it until she learns how to behave. Every day when I go to the barn I am far more concerned with watching my horse eat to monitor intake, calculating how much/when we will start increasing again, combing her entire body for any new nicks, scrapes, and bruises, watching her gait and making sure she doesn't have any new soundness issues, and feeding her carrots.

In addition, I was given a promotion at work, and I am working on the skeleton of a business plan to pass along to someone who can flesh it out for a horse rescue that incorporates a work-study and at-risk youth job training program.

The blog will follow this and my adventures with the foster pups that come and go, the remodel on the apartment, getting my training certification (dog), and getting all of my bills paid off by August 1, 2011. Stacy could be involved, too.

Training is great, but there is no use in trying to train horses that can't be worked properly due to financial setbacks and health issues. It wouldn't be fair. So, to have a blog-aissance, I will start by reporting Kizzy's progress:

As of my last post, Kizzy was started on an alfalfa only diet as per instructions from both her vet and the starving horses website. She started at 0.5% (4.25 #) of body weight of alfalfa 2x per day (8.5#) and has increased at a value of 0.05% 2x/day of her body weight per week. She is currently eating 18.5# of alfalfa per day as well as 0.5% of beet pulp 2x per day and 0.25% (2.25#) rice bran. The beet pulp has been incorporated since October 15th and the rice bran has been incorporated since November 15th. A reassessment of her weight will be done on December 7th as well as an assessment to see if she is healthy enough to have her teeth floated.

Oh, she also got a very nice blanket, an attitude, and a winter coat.

Additional information here(Fat Supplementation to Alfalfa Diets) and here(Care and Feeding of the Starved Horse).