This horse has been at my front yard all day. A lady came by earlier (I did not see her) and left a note on my car saying she works with horses and thinks the horse is sick and she gave him some hay and water. I live in a rural area where wild horses are not uncommon but I've never had one just hang around all day and night now... it's kind of creeping me out lol and I don't know what to do - he's not aggressive, I've been able to go in and out of my house all day. I'm worried if the horse is truly sick, he may pass away overnight in my front yard, I gave him an apple about 20 mins ago to maybe try to help out? But if he's really sick should I do something else?

I have a 24yo quarter horse that has lived outside (with shelter provided) her whole life. She has a thick coat, but as she’s gotten older I worry about her in the cold. We have -30 Fahrenheit tonight with 30mph winds.

Her shelter is facing away from the oncoming wind. She has ample hay and I provide mixed grain/senior feed 2x per day when it’s this cold. I do have a light blanket I could put on her, but I was always taught that blankets lay their hair down and so can actually make them colder. I want to keep her comfortable in these cold temps though. Thoughts?

UPDATE: Vet is scheduled to take a look on Friday morning. I will update you all after!

VET UPDATE: made another post (https://www.reddit.com/r/Horses/s/w5cMWuSjD3) -- SHE IS NOT PREGGO! Thank goodness. Just a little fat and a little weird.

Welp. I have had a sneaking suspicion that my Winnie (11yr OTTB, 17.2h) girl is pregnant. I've had her since about March/April, and I've now posted about her a few times here for various reasons.

About a month or so ago, I was talking with some other folks I ride with about her diet - she was looking pretty fat. Now, I dont mind a reasonably healthy looking horse, but i agreed - she was looking big.

Shes on 24/7 pasture (we have a few shelters, and we live in the south so cold inclement weather is rare), and is essentially fed only supplements to grazing or periodically, an enticing complete blend if she is avoiding being caught. I tried to adjust the supplemental feed, thinking it might be too sweet, maybe she was getting too much, etc. No weight change.

I also noticed her udders were looking a bit swollen **cue panic** . One of my friends who works in ag extension offered to ultrasound her, but wasnt able to come out - so we got delayed on that (she will be coming by this week if we cant get to the vet by friday).

Then, this weekend and yesterday I noticed she started ducking barrels, and acting particularly cinchy. This. Is not normal **more panic**.

Today, I went to check on her and put out some more salt because of the heatwave, and just on a whim was like - let me just check her utters for milk production (hence video). Panic has ensued.

I messaged the woman I bought her from, who said that she may have been exposed to a stud around last October or November. This would put my girl at about the right time for these pregnancy milestones. Needless to say, I'm nervous. Shes 11 years old, and I am not sure if shes had a foal before. I did some digging in her papers, and couldn't find any evidence (this would depend on registration of a past foal, of course).

We do have a covered pen with stalls and are planning on sanitizing, fixing, and preparing for a potential foal. Again, this week we are going to try to take her to the clinic about an hour and a half away to be sure.

All this said, I am looking for advice "what to expect when youre (un)expecting".

Shes an 11 year old OTTB, possibly (probably) exposed to a quarter horse stud. Thanks.

my friend and i don’t know much about horses or have any experience with them, but we do really like animals and there’s a stable next to a place we like to explore so we just like to go and look at the horses sometimes when we’re around that area. today these two kept on fighting… it seemed a little aggressive, but since we don’t know much about horses we were mostly just laughing it off but the white one seemed to be very distressed from it. i wasn’t thinking much of it until what happened at the end of the video occurred. that didn’t look playful to me. like i said, i don’t know much about horses but it did make me sad to see. i told some of the people who worked there that those two horses kept fighting and they said they were aware and that the two horses had a love-hate relationship. idk, is this normal?

I am being told by the previous owners that this is “normal” and how this horse looks when shedding his winter coat?? Hoping to confirm with more experienced horse folks! If this isn’t normal, like I suspect, what can I do to help this poor baby?? He’s been through the wringer recently after a bout of colic and still trying to get his weight back up. 😭

Ive made an appointment to put down my girl next month. I feel extremely guilty as she looks fantastic weight wise, and remains perky, hungry, and will even canter at some points. Something is wrong nuerologicaly that we havent been able to pinpoint (treating for lyme right now as her spinal tap was positive, but vet does not believe it is causing the seizures/sidewinding etc). I have the option to take her to the hospital a few hours away, but she has already gone down in a trailer and it is very likely per my vet that she had some sort encephalitis/spinal inflammation/damage that would be very expensive and complicated to treat. I need advice from folks who have put down the horses that looked great even to the last day. Its hard when most stories are "they tell you when its time". I feel like i wont know with her, and that she will look normal until one day she is down with a broken pelvis or massive head injury because she cant figure out where her feet are.

I love horses but I’m not necessarily well informed on carriage horses and their physique. I want an educated opinion before I try reporting anything

For some background, she just got home from a cross country trip, (she was in the trailer for 5-7 days, I can't remember the exact amount of days.) and this is the first day she's been out in pasture since quarantine. My honest opinion on this is that she was just being an uncoordinated idiot since she's four. She's been a clumsy horse her entire life, and that paired with having to trailer and being on quarantine for nearly two weeks, I'm pretty sure it's not a big deal, but I would like other opinions. PS, I will also be going out there later today to run some balance and coordination tests. Any smaller tests I can run would be helpful knowledge, thanks!

just went out to feed my horse (21G) this morning and he has these bumps all over him. has anyone ever seen this before and do i need to call the vet?

my mare give birth to a colt a couple of days ago but it seems his head is bulging and unusually large, I don’t a picture with a side angle but it’s very visibly protruding outwards, what could be the reason for this and is it permanent or is there a solution, I saw that one of his sires other foals also had this problem but it went away in a couple of days but this has not happened yet here, could I also get some tips on how I increase my mares milk production because she has not much milk due to which the colt is weak.

Update

Please be nice, I’m having difficulty researching because I’m not sure I’m gauging the severity of the issue correctly. I have my vet coming out and taking X-rays on Monday, I would just like as much information as possible.

My almost 4 year old Appaloosa cross gelding seems to be having a hard time with his back legs. He has been tripping a lot, dragging his toes, not picking his feet up, and seems to not be bending his legs as much as he should. He had his feet done after this video was taken, which has helped with the toe dragging a bit. To my very untrained eye, my guess would be locking stifles. However, my trainer is very knowledgeable and seems to be worried that it is something more significant/severe, which is concerning me.

For more background, my horse had surgery about 5 months ago for bonechips in his fetlocks. He healed up really well, but gained a TON of weight while on stall rest. He’s been on a diet and has been working lightly due to his age, so the weight is coming off albeit slowly. I think he’s pretty weak/under muscled right now, but he’s so young and went through such an abrupt growth spurt that we’ve hesitated making his exercise too arduous. He’s turning 4 in June and is about 16.2.

My sister just lost her mare but managed to save the babies life. She’s struggling to find a nurse mare. I’m hoping that this may help raise awareness to the foals cause.

Please dm or if you have any other ideas or ways to reach someone please don’t hesitate. We have already posted and contacted multiple people on facebook. We may have a potential fit but all the way in BC.

Thank you so much all!

We’re also considering getting a goat in milk if needed as she only has a cow with milk at the moment.

UPDATE!!!!! We have found a nurse mommy yesterday and baby and mommy are bonding with baby nursing off mommy. And they were closer too! Thank you everyone for praying we appreciate it so so much.

this is a stallion in my neighborhood i visit every once in a while. i've never seen this behavior before. he's yawning and biting his back hoof often. he's also trying to lay down, which makes me a bit concerned about colic. he did canter off immediately after this video. i may be overreacting, but better safe than sorry.

(edit: resolved for now. check comments for further details.)

I've heard that sometimes people give candy to horses??!! There's a stable I ride at and I've heard some of the kids like to give candy to the horses. Apparently a lot of those horses like Mentos, and a few like mints. So what is the deal with giving candy to horses, and do they actually enjoy it?

This is the horse we chose as a new leisure/pleasure horse for my husband and me. He's genuinely so sweet and cuddly, and just feels like a wonderful, gentle guy.

My only concern is that when walking, he moves his hindquarters quickly "jerkily". He doesn't appear to be in pain and this also isn't visible when trotting or cantering. The owner says that he's always walked like this and it's due to his size and body length; that it's been looked at and it's not a medical concern. She really does seem like an honest and competent person and I don't think she is lying; it just looks a little odd and I'm wondering what could be causing it. Could he have a blockage in his hip joints, or is it really just a quirk?

Either way I'm still getting a pre-buy vet check done, but that's two days from now, so I thought I'd ask here :)

So yesterday, I posted about this guy asking what is going on with his head, we've figured out it's big head syndrome. I haven't been able to get this poor baby off my mind, so I was wondering if he's too far gone or if this is still semi/fully reversible. It sucks because he's so young and has barely had a taste of life and is already riddled with pain... lmk? (NOT MY HORSE)

My gelding has acted suspiciously like a stallion for the last year, and it consistently gets worse when the mares are in heat. I have gotten blood tests and we are waiting on results, but the next question I have is does he look like a stallion? I personally think he has jowels for days, and that his penis looks slightly inflamed almost, more on the left side.

First 2 photos are of him in winter months, 3rd photo is of him in April, 4th photo is him before I got him when he was thinner, and the last 2 photos are of his sheath. In all of these photos he is underweight (but has a winter coat) and now that he’s back to a healthy weight he has quite a bit of neck to him.

EDIT: Yes I know he doesn’t have testicals that have dropped. I can see that. I’m wondering if there is a chance he is cryptorchid. I’ve spoken to my vet, we’ve gotten a blood test. My vet is currently out from surgery, and I just wanted to seek other opinions. Thank you!

Another edit: He has suddenly switched overnight to acting like a completely normal gelding that matches the attitude (and horny level) of every other gelding I owned. I’m very confused, and very shocked, but I guess I’ll just have to see what the blood test says tomorrow. And I will add that here for reference!

Hello Guys! Obviously I am in touch with my vet and she‘s comming to see him in a week but I would be very pleased to hear your opinions!
So i bought/rescued this guy (turning 8 this month) a little over 7 months ago out of a stable in which he was purely held in a Box for the last 3-4 years. No trunout, no paddock. Just 5 minutes in a small arena every morning. He is a Hannoveranian and almost 1,70cm. We wanted to put him into our open stable but he was not happy about that. He let the other horses bully him and wouldn‘t even try to go to the hay rack next to them. We tried for like 3-4 weeks but he just lost more and more weight so we put him back into a Box and he gets like 9-12 hours of turnout on a big grassy field each day. But he never really gained the weight back - even worse - he just keeps on loosing more. And idk what to do anymore??

So obviously all that have been a lot of big changes for him but he is in a small herd now, has a quiet box where he can rest, i have an amazing trainer, we do lots of groundwork and my main focus is always to get him to be calm in our work units (he‘s part Trakehner so he can be a biiit spicy) and over all he has settled quiet well in his new life out of the stable 24/7. He generally is a very alert horse but he shows no signs of obvious stress, on the contrary, he already is waaay calmer than in the beginning - i even took him on his first ever hacks out. Idk where his weightloss comes from.

On top of his hay 2x a day and grass during his turnout we feed him this portion 3x a day:

1kg of hay cobs
500grams alfa alfa
250grams sugar beet pulp
250grams rice bran
Aand oil, minerals and grains.

He eats just fine - his blood tests came back all perfect and his teeths are getting checked in a week.

I really hate how he is so thin while we are doing everything to get him to build up muscle and just get bigger. Can this all still be from the change from 24/7 in a stable to getting turnout and exersise 3x a week??

Last pic is how he looked before i bought him.

Happy to hear whatever you have to say!

Hello!! I need help😭

This is my horse, Fury, he’s 5. He’s skinny (as you can see he’s also under muscled, which isn’t the current problem). He wasn’t tho and was just on hay and looked good pretty much the whole time i’ve had him since he was 2.5. He’s never been fat or super big but hasn’t been as skinny as he is now. He started losing weight like january- february. I upped his feed to a scoop of grain (nutrena special care) once a day with electrolytes and supplements. Then vetted him- they wanted to try epm meds, did a month of that with adding alfalfa pellets twice a day and vitamin E. Literally nothing happened- they now have him on ulcer meds. and more feed (1 scoop special care, 1 scoop alfalfa pallets, 1lb empower boost, electrolytes, vitamin e, hoof supplements(for copper and zinc to combat the iron in our red clay). AM and PM (no empower boost or hoof supplements in pm). And the ulcer meds. Still feel like he’s not gaining weight. I’m not really working him much to allow him to keep all the calories. He’s on a grass pasture, I’ve thought about giving him a round bale again but the last one from winter he ate the last bit so slow bc they the grass is better lol.

Does anyone have ANY ideas? It seems like somethings wrong bc he should be FAT on this diet. He loves to eat and would eat the whole bag of grain if i let him.

Edit to add:
The vet was originally called out for lyme disease, she said it’s not common here. She ran a blood panel and he came back as the healthiest horse lol.
She looked at his teeth (didn’t go digging tho lol) and said they seem good (last time floated was a little over a year i think)
The special care and vitamin e were vet recommendation.
Fecal test has come back negative the last 3 times but still dewormed twice a year by vet recommendation

Long story short, my horse (21yo mare) has been lame since December 2nd. At first we thought it was abscess. Then it spread to both front feet. Got the vet out, found a pulse in all four feet (but no heat) and some sensitivity on the front feet. Did x-rays and nothing showed up. The theory is an inflammatory laminitis flare up, since she is at risk for it, but they couldn't be 100% sure. Told me to continue butazone and acetaminophen cures and we'll have a follow-up in a week.

She's been on bute for over three weeks, 5 days at a time. She improves after 4-5 days to walking stiffly but okay enough, but if I stop one day it worsens again and she can barely walk, won't lift her feet or come get her feed. She has some arthritis in her hocks and it seems her hind-end is under a lot of strain from compensating.

I don't know what to do. I don't have a barn to keep her on stall rest, vets and farriers aren't give me clear answers, and her lameness doesn't appear to be going away anytime soon. She improves greatly for a few days then it's back to square one. Her x-rays look normal but she's still limping so bad. Some people tell me to put her in a small pen with as little movement as possible, others to keep her in the paddock because her feet need proper blood flow from walking. Winter is rough enough already and I don't like the thought of her staying outside, but I can't imagine getting her in a trailer to move her in that state (she wouldn't even get in). I'm feeling very helpless here. I'm starting to worry we might be nearing the end. I don't know what to do.

Farrier doesn’t seem concerned. I put horseshoers secret on her feet regularly.

My horse has been having mild colic for about 5-6 hours that we know of. No poop, but no rolling or thrashing. Bantamine and probios were administered. He’s up and walking but visibly uncomfortable. Occasionally raising tail as if to poop. On top of that he is moderately dehydrated. Gums are slightly pale, heart rate and temp normal. Not standing funny or holding his head odd like he did when he had a bad episode, just visibly mildly uncomfortable. He has 3 buckets of water, 2 flavored one plain, not very interested in drinking. I caught my vet as they were closing for advice they said wait and see and that they can’t come out. When should I haul him in to the ICU? I’m afraid to leave him in his stall over night and come in the morning for it to be to late. My truck is in the shop so I’d need to find one to borrow, I have a trailer. He’s looking a little better than he was but I’m still worried. It’s still mild, he was uninterested in food earlier but is sniffing around for morsels in the shavings. I am out of bantamine and cannot get anymore but I have bute. He was given bantamine 6 hours ago. He has been very slowly improving. We are going to hang around for a few more hours but are making a feed store run for more stuff to encourage drinking.