Sunday 31 December 2017

Plan B.


Why do horses always find a way to make us go to plan B, or C?
Guys, my horse is going to be the death of me, or more accurately, the death of herself. You know how Savvy needed to be separated because she just wouldn’t leave Meyla alone and ended up constantly getting kicked and injured? Well, separation is not a success. It seems at night for whatever reason she tries desperately to get back to Shiraz and Meyla’s side of the fence.
Spotted pony has a few spots that don't belong.
I have considered that something real may be scaring her. We have a very high coyote population. I searched in the snow for tracks and saw tons of rabbit tracks and some older, slightly snow covered tracks that looked like it could be fox or coyote. It also could be nothing and Savvy just losing her marbles because she does not feel secure separated from the group.

New self-inflicted wounds trying to get through a fence.
Regardless of cause, wonder pony continues to get injured, making the whole point of separation moot. So back together they all go and I will have to try plan B which is nighttime shipping boots on her back legs.
When Meyla kicks, she is like a big old truck. She pins her ears and slowly starts to turn and aim that big old ass. You can almost hear the ‘beep, beep, beep’ as she backs in for the kick. So much warning time is given, but Savvy is so stubborn she just gets right in there and tries to kick back. Iceland must be one harsh place because an Icelandic’s coat is no joke. Her legs are covered with over 2 inches of hair and she just doesn’t get hurt. Savvy, on the other hand gets a lot of damage. Most of her cuts and scrapes are on her back legs, so perhaps shipping boots will help prevent some of these injuries?
So. much. hair.
As a side note, I have found an extremely useful topical that those of you in very cold climates might appreciate. In the fall I bring all of the freezable items in from the unheated tack shed to the house. However, I have been using this one particular topical antiseptic so much, it accidentally got left out in the cold and I have discovered it can tolerate this and still work! It has been -30 (and colder) all week and this spray can of Scarlex has continued to work at that temperature!


Manitoba winter approved.
I have found this antiseptic to be extremely helpful as a first-line of treatment like morning feeds when I first discover a small cut and do not have time or supplies at the ready to wash and do a full treatment. Being able to just grab this from the nearby tack shed and spray on the antiseptic I feel has made a difference in what these many leg wounds evolve into on Savvy. Finding a wound treatment like this that can handle -30 is gold to me.

For now, it is back to a herd of three. Horses. No, not horses, SAVVY. Man is she ever lucky I love her.


12 comments:

  1. Oh, that’s sad. Do they have something like Ativan for horses? My sister has an angry anxious horse and he has to be kept separated. He only likes my sister and everyone else knows to stay back. He’s also the biggest horse I have ever seen! Probably the reason I’m afraid of horses.

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    1. You know, there are a lot of calming supplements for horses. I used to use something called Vita-Calm which has l-tryptophan, thiamine and magnesium in it. A previous mare I owned was basically unridable until I found this supplement and I ended up being able to do quite a bit with her riding-wise if she was on a daily small dose of this. Not a bad idea to maybe try this to take the grumpy edge off a Savvy in this down time. I'll have to see if I can track some down. Thanks for the idea!

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  2. Fingers crossed they figure it out. Bridget is the same as Savvy, she just pushes and crowds and gets beat up because she doesn't move when they threaten her. Luckily shes also tough and furry like meyla! I notice with her it's actually a bigger problem over a fenceline - she thinks she's even tougher with a fence in the way and they were having some pretty epic kicking matches through the fence. Mares!

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    1. Hahaha, I can totally see Bridget doing that. Yes, the fence has taken a beating from both sides in this little experiment. Hopefully they ease off each other some and Savvy stays unbroken!

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  3. Honestly, some horse just seem suicidal. I hope you find a solution

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    1. She's certainly not aware of self preservation much when it comes to knowing when to back off.

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  4. Gah - so frustrating. Sorry to hear you haven't found a solution that is workable for everyone. Savvy, stop hurting yourself and being stubborn!!

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  5. first of all, i love scarlex and had no idea it didn't freeze!! all my stuff is frozen right now (blargh) which is very inconvenient when one has a charlie. i need to go get me some of that stuff!!

    also tho, c'mon Savvy :( that's gotta be so frustrating. good luck trying the shipping boots. i'd be worried that they'd get tangled or make rubs or something like that but maybe not? in the same vein as calming supplements you mention above, i wonder if something like mare magic or the like could help too? good luck no matter what!

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    1. Yes, I have been doing some research and have a few ideas for what to try with supplements. I ended up not putting the shipping boots on last night because one of her hind leg wounds reopened and it seemed more wise to leave that open to air to let the serous fluid drain and heal over again. ugh.

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  6. Oh man, Savvy, quit your shenanigans! Good to know about that product not freezing! I'm horrible about bringing anything in so its all frozen lol

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  7. Ugh, sorry that separating them was not the solution to the problem. I hope things get worked out to everyone's benefit soon!

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