Rescue horse

[Petra]

I'll try to make this story as short as I can.
When my puppies were born (For those who don't know - we had two, but one didn't make it) I was looking around on Craig's list to find the other one a home, because my husband would only let me keep one. I came across this ad. They wanted to trade their colt for a puppy. So I emailed them. I haven't heard from them for a long time. They emailed me on Friday if I'm still interested. I was about to email them and let them know than I don't have a puppy available any more.
But I thought looking doesn't hurt - I had no other plans for Saturday so I talked my husband in to driving down there.
Ahhhh this poor baby colt was in a terrible condition - no shelter, sleeping in his poop.
His hooves are very loooong. He is 8 months old, never been worked with, not even halter broke. Never had shots, never got his hooves trimmed, never been wormed. Very skinny, looks pretty wormy.
His attitude is not too bad. He is scared, but I managed to walk up to him and touch him before he ran off again.
I told her that I only have one puppy now and I am way too attached to him to trade.
She said that all she wants is for the horse to go to a nice home. They have been trying to sell him ever since he was weaned off but have no luck.
The lady is scared of horses and he belongs to her 11 year old daughter.
They bought the girl a horse not knowing she was pregnant. Now they have this baby that nobody knows what to do with and he sure looks that way.
So I said I'll take him. They need me to come down today to help with putting a halter on him and loading him in to a trailer.
Ha ha that is going to be a challenge!
I would have taken him out of there yesterday if I could. I felt so bad for him.
I am aware that it is going to cost me to get him taken care of.
He is pretty small; I'm worried he may colic when I give him wormer.
I'm thinking to get his feed really soupy to make sure he can pass those worms as easily as possible.
I paid good attention the way he was running, he is not lame, just those long hooves are making him stand funny.
I'm hoping with some corrective trimming it can be fixed.
I'm going to give my farrier a call tonight.
I know you may think I'm crazy, but I do have the room and the time...I couldn't leave him there.
Besides, his condition aside - he is beautiful! ...or will be :)
Half Egyptian Arabian and half paint. Looks like he'll be gray after he gets his wooly coat off.

Pictures are coming tonight!

[oursarge]

Congratulations Petra! I know this baby will be in the best home with the best care. You are a wonder with animals, I wish we were closer I would hire you as a foster mother for my puppy since I seem to be doing it all wrong. I just can't get her housebroken. Lots of other issues too.

The wormer is tricky, I don't know how to not have them colic after worming, with this thing with Rompy and the getting sick after worming I'm terrified to worm again. The vet wants me to use a daily wormer, other people say that's bad, I don't know what to do, I'm a wreck. I'm sure you'll do the right thing, you always seem to know what to do. Good luck with your new baby! I'm sure it will think it's in heaven with all of your good care.

[WashingtonBay]

Oh congratulations, I sure hope you can get this baby home safe! Go slow and easy... is it a trailer he can ride safely loose in? Just open the door and let him in... same at the other end.

You'll figure it out, you've figured out the others so far. Good luck!

On worming... I'd get advice from your vet as soon as he's home and you can better assess his condition.

[Petra]

Thanks Annie.
The horse will have to be wormed no matter what. I'll give him Ivermectin first. Than I'll have fecal done and depending on results I'll see what he will need.
I have never tried a daily wormer and I really prefer the paste.
If it's done on regular basis and right amounts it's safe. I'm not worried about the wormer itself hurting him but by the amount of worms he will be passing.
The only reason I'm worried is because he is much younger than my girls were.

When I got my girls they were in very similar shape...just this babie's hooves are worse. They were kept on a dry hard lot so they worn them down more. Springtime is always rainy in here. My horses grow their hooves like crazy in these conditions; they need trims every 3 or 4 weeks. I think that's why he looks so bad.


:) I would gladly help you with your puppy. Just be patient and consistent. You'll get there! Some dogs just need more time :) I'll send you an email later about the house breaking...I don't want to go to details here.

[FatSpottedAppy]

I can't wait to see pictures.. I'm glad he's going to a good home.

[ownedby7horses]

That's exciting for the little guy to finally be able to have a home where he's going to get the love and attention he needs and deserves. I don't think you're crazy at all! I think that people who take on rescue horses are hero's in their own right. It takes a special type of person to dedicate the time, efforts, and money to a horse who needs help. Congratulations on the newest addition to your herd and I'm looking forward to pictures and watching him progress in his health!

[XshadowfoxX]

Good on you for helping out =] Icant wait to see the pictures!

[Petra]

Oh congratulations, I sure hope you can get this baby home safe! Go slow and easy... is it a trailer he can ride safely loose in? Just open the door and let him in... same at the other end.

You'll figure it out, you've figured out the others so far. Good luck!

On worming... I'd get advice from your vet as soon as he's home and you can better assess his condition.

Thanks WB.
I haven't seen the trailer yet - not sure what kind they have. They are borrowing it from someone. I don't have my own yet.
I'll do my best. I'm sure I'll get him here safely.

Yes, I'm planning to call a vet and farrier as soon as possible.
I'll see how fast he learns. If I'm lucky, I may be able to get the farrier here tomorrow.
I'll stop by my vet's tomorrow to talk to him. Depending on his schedule he may be able to come look at him.
The poor thing has never seen a vet - she said their vet doesn't do house calls.:rolleyes:
I think that horse is pretty lucky to be still alive.
I didn't like the fencing he had, when we asked about it she said he gets tangled in the fence sometimes; they scared to go help him, but he always gets himself out!:huh:

[WashingtonBay]

Good grief. Is the mother still there? Their other horse? Is she being cared for any better?

[Peggy Sue]

Where are those pictures woman.... :)

[WashingtonBay]

OK - well tell them to go slow and drive slow. It's your horse now.

So far I trust your instincts more than what I've heard of theirs!

[Gliderider]

Can't wait to see his picture..He sure is lucky you came along. Poor Baby. Sounds a lot like my rescue pony colt. When you worm I would worm him a little under what you think he weights then worm him again in 2 wks for his weight. That is what are vet told us to do for are pony colt rescue and he had no problems that way.

[Remali]

Oh that is wonderful you are rescuing the poor colt, he sounds like he is in need of lots of TLC.
I can't wait to see pictures of him, and wow he is part Egyptian Arabian too?! Sounds gorgeous and exotic.

I am also considering a rescue horse, possibly adopting one actually.

Fingers crossed everything goes smoothly for your new colt and he arrives safe and sound!

[Gypsy Rose]

How wonderful for the little guy that you are able to give him a home! He's very lucky! You've done so well with your other horses, and this one will now get the best of care.

I'm also another one waiting impatiently for pics!:whistle:

[lisakaye]

Any update? Is he ok??? Pics??

[Petra]

Well my baby is home!
He is so nice! I don't understand why were those people scared of him??? He is as nice as it gets.
The plans changed. I kept calling them all afternoon never got a reply.
Than they finally answered the phone and told me that they already have him loaded and are heading here.
The whole family came - I think they wanted to see his new home. It was strange they didn't even attempt to try to pet him good-bye.
It sounds like someone told them that Arabians are not nice so they were not risking it I guess? I am positive they never tried to get to him, because he is very friendly!
Half-hour later I was already brushing him!
I spent with him few hours. I really want his hooves done so I figured I’d see if I could get him at least used to having his legs touched. LOL I am calling my farrier tomorrow. Took him little while to figure out that I'm not going to chop his leg off but we are not bolting or kicking any more!!! He will pick and hold all 4 hooves!!!
Maybe some Arabians are hardheaded and difficult - not this one!
When I was picking up the hair I brushed off of him he actually came to me and let me pet his face!

I am going to edit some pictures. Will put them up soon.
He is skinnier than it looks on the pictures. The huge tummy and winter hair hide the bones.

Oh and I cannot wait for him to be able to take a bath. He doesn't smell like a horse! He smells like rotten manure pile. I don't really mind the smell of manure but this is different. I don't know why they let him lay in it.

He loves our hay...unlike the one he was used to this one is actually green colored! :D
I'm off to edit the pictures...will be back soon :)

[Peggy Sue]

Arabs aren't hard headed they are just normally smarter then the people who are trying to work with them is why they got that reputation LOL and this is coming from a QH person :)

[Gypsy Rose]

I'm so glad he arrived safely, and that he's actually less of a handful than you were led to believe!

[farmers_wife]

I cant wait to see pictures of him.

[Peggy Sue]

Man woman you are killing us making us wait this long on pictures!!! LOL

[Petra]

Arabs aren't hard headed they are just normally smarter then the people who are trying to work with them is why they got that reputation LOL and this is coming from a QH person :)

Lol that made me laugh, but it sounds about right.

Gypsy Rose: I'm glad too. I was little worried, hoping he will not be all banged up. They did drive carefuly. He is just fine. I cannot even compare him to my two girls when I got them. I couldn't touch them for 2 weeks and he is already letting me hug him!

OK here come the pictures!
They were taken after I brushed a bunch of hair off. He already looks nicer. :)
He must have been so hot. The temps around here were in 90's lately.

Any name suggestions??? :)

Lol on second thought...save them I'll make a name contest again - that's more fun. :)

http://i114.photobucket.com/albums/n269/cattleya101/3-4.jpg
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[Peggy Sue]

AWWWWWWWWWWW I would have brought him home too....

his hooves really aren't THAT bad they are bad but I have seen alot worse... and getting him young they will be easier to fix with LESS permanent demage

[oursarge]

What a little cutie, that face is so sweet and looks so happy to have a good loving home now. Hugs to him!

[livaward]

He is SOOOOOO ADORABLE!!!!

[Gypsy Rose]

Oh, wow! He's a little sweetheart! Look at that expression! I love his color, too!

You'll have him looking tons better in no time!

[carla]

I miss a lot when I'm off for a few days! This little guy is too cute! I can't wait to see how he improves. You're awesome, Petra. :)

[WashingtonBay]

Aww poor sweetie. I'm sure glad you were able to get him.

[ownedby7horses]

He's a real little cutie, some groceries and he'll be looking sharp in no time!

In my experience (and we've had arabs my whole life) arabs are one of the easiest horse breeds to work with. Once they trust you, they'll walk through fire for you. You can't outsmart them though!! lol A team effort is a must with that breed! Very personable horses and the most beautiful breed in my opinion!

Congrats again on the sweetie and I can't wait to see him grow, up & out!

[42many]

What an adorable (and lucky!) boy!!! I'm so glad you found him :)

Stories like this make me want to go back into horse rescuing - it's just that I have a hard time letting go when it's time to send them to a new forever home :( We've had a rough financial year but are getting back into shape - maybe next year I can talk hubby into budgeting for a "project"!

[zoel_222]

Awwwww. Poor baby. I'd have scooped him up too if I were in your shoes. He's adorable. I can see already he's going to be a real looker once you get him back into shape.

[Remali]

Oooohhhh I love him, he has the sweeties face ever! You are going to love him, Arabians are wonderful to work with.....I've had Arabian most all my life and they are such people-pleasers, and what Peggy Sue is right on! lol.
Did they say what the pedigree is like on the Arabian side, like any names in the pedigree?

Looking forward to more updates and a name for your new cutie pie!

[Petra]

Thank you everyone!

I am amazed with this little guy!
I have cleaned his hooves, gave him some Ivermectin (small dose only, I'll repeat it in two weeks) and got a halter on him (had to rub him with it for a while, but that's all it took). He was not very pleased to be restricted but he got the hang of it already. I couldn't walk him around yet, but I will be able to hold him safely for the farrier. He tried to rear couple of times, and I had to hold the lead rope by the very end and walk where he went for few minutes. Soon he calmed down and I could turn his head on either side with just a slight pressure. He even managed couple of slow steps forward!
He is an extremely smart little guy.
If I really wanted to I could probably get info on his father. They mentioned something about him being registered. I really don't care about it though. I'm not planning to find him a new forever home. And to me papers mean nothing - I don't show and never will. And I'm planning to have him gelded.
Sorry about the pictures - it was raining on and off all afternoon.
http://i114.photobucket.com/albums/n269/cattleya101/IMG_8082.jpg
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[AppyLover]

I would have taken him in too. Bless your heart Pretra.

[pandorasmom]

He's adorable! It's angels like you that animals wait for for so long and only a lucky few find. :) He's blessed to have you and he looks like he's already in heaven. In that pic of him drinking water he looks like, "Cool clear water...the sweetest thing I know and have never known."

Bless you and him. He's beautiful and I think he'll go far with you. ;)

[Remali]

I love the pictures of you hugging him, he looks so happy and so comfortable with you already.....it's wonderful what you did for this little guy.

[Petra]

Thank you everyone so much for the kind words!

Pandorasmom speaking of water - I honestly think he never tasted fresh water before - there were huge blobs (about 10" big) of algae swimming in the water he had over there and the water was really dark!

WB you were asking about his mom. I haven't seen her. There was another horse I could see in a pasture but am not sure if it was her or not. It looked healthy from what I could see.
However there was another mare that was according to them supposed to foal 2 days ago.
I have a bad feeling she will not live through it - I do not believe I have ever seen horse so skinny! They seemed like they are really worried. Told me what they feed her and that was not the reason of her condition.
This is part of an email they sent:
"We have talked to the vet and he said that having a baby is really hard on a mare. Their butt muscels have to relax and get jello like feeling and the muscels sag around the back bone, about a month to a few weeks before the baby gets here. He says they look awful for a little while. But she will probably get better when the baby comes. . He said nursing a colt or fillie is also very hard on them. We will ask him what he says about horse wormer this close to her having a baby. She is already overdue if the people we got her from have their dates correct. She grazes in the driveway normally. Its just we had to put her up today since we had the gate open for you."

Their vet seems pretty useless. I told them that they really need to get a different vet and to be prepared there will probably be complications.
Gave them my vet's info. He is very experienced, and I'm pretty sure he will make a house call even though it's quite far. He is a wonderful guy.
They promised to call him first thing on Monday.

[PaintedDreamer_0110]

Aww he is sooo cute, I would have taken him home too. No way could I leave that. He is very lucky to have found you! I can't wait to see what he looks like all filled out and healthy agian. Good luck with him Petra, he's adorable! :)

[~*Domino*~]

Awww, he is going to be gorgeous. He has an very sweet face, and you hugging on him already is just priceless!:)

[Vibe]

You just have a way with animals!! Bless you, he is beautiful. I am so glad he is in your hands.

[PoniesRock101]

aww he is Adorable! :)

[Horseaholic]

those last set of pics are just so darn cute. Thank you for taking him. I'm sure he's thrilled to be with you as well. Bless his poor little heart.

[vicklynn]

OH my, what an adorable lil guy.
Not sure how I missed this thread.
That last set of pics, the one of you holding his head about made me cry. That is one touching pic.
Im glad you saved him.
I agree about Arabs being smart not stupid. People have to understand them and how they tick, and a great team comes out of it.

[cyb]

Very cute little guy! What color is he? Would he be considered a gray?

[Petra]

Thanks!

Cyb: I think he will be gray once he is done shedding.

[WashingtonBay]

Thank you everyone so much for the kind words!

Pandorasmom speaking of water - I honestly think he never tasted fresh water before - there were huge blobs (about 10" big) of algae swimming in the water he had over there and the water was really dark!

WB you were asking about his mom. I haven't seen her. There was another horse I could see in a pasture but am not sure if it was her or not. It looked healthy from what I could see.
However there was another mare that was according to them supposed to foal 2 days ago.
I have a bad feeling she will not live through it - I do not believe I have ever seen horse so skinny! They seemed like they are really worried. Told me what they feed her and that was not the reason of her condition.
This is part of an email they sent:
"We have talked to the vet and he said that having a baby is really hard on a mare. Their butt muscels have to relax and get jello like feeling and the muscels sag around the back bone, about a month to a few weeks before the baby gets here. He says they look awful for a little while. But she will probably get better when the baby comes. . He said nursing a colt or fillie is also very hard on them. We will ask him what he says about horse wormer this close to her having a baby. She is already overdue if the people we got her from have their dates correct. She grazes in the driveway normally. Its just we had to put her up today since we had the gate open for you."

Their vet seems pretty useless. I told them that they really need to get a different vet and to be prepared there will probably be complications.
Gave them my vet's info. He is very experienced, and I'm pretty sure he will make a house call even though it's quite far. He is a wonderful guy.
They promised to call him first thing on Monday.

Gah - how'd they end up with ~another~ pregnant horse if they don't want babies?

Dear lord, I hope they call your vet. And of course... DO what they should do.

[Petra]

Gah - how'd they end up with ~another~ pregnant horse if they don't want babies?

Dear lord, I hope they call your vet. And of course... DO what they should do.

WB from what I understood they got her when she was already pregnant...knowing she is pregnant.
I'm afraid my brain cannot process this well...it just makes my head hurt!
They already figured out that they cannot care for a baby...cannot get rid of it and yet if this foal survives it will be facing similar fate as my baby boy!

I don't have much experience, I may be wrong...I am afraid that the mare will never live through giving birth and will have to be euthanized. I know my vet will do what's right.
I did all I could. Despite of the strange logic, I think they do care. They seemed worried and grateful when I gave them my vet's contact.
If they didn't care I would have called animal control.

[WashingtonBay]

It's hard to predict what animals can survive and which can't. I'll hope for the best for now... we can only do what we can do. Hope they stay in some contact with you, that you can help them make better decisions. I don't think you want to take ALL her horses home.

[JetLagaside]

Bless you for taking him! He's a real cutie too :)

[peace_baby]

Awww, he's precious! I really like his color. I'm thinking he's going to be a handsome one when he gets older and sheds out that baby hair.

Ya done good. :)

[Gliderider]

Aww he is so huge able cute.... :) Bless you for taking him in.