# WENT TO PICK UP NEW PONY......CAME HOME WITH "BONUS" PONY!!



## drdoolittle (Sep 23, 2019)

So.....hubby and I have a young miniature gelding..not broke...except to "lead", if you can call it that!  He's newly geldded (2 months ago), a complete BRAT when asked to do ANYTHING that isn't his idea!
But we ADORE him and his personality....he really is a loving guy.
Hubby and I agreed to add a pony....former pony-ride pony...to have something safe for our granddaughter (3 years old) to ride.  I found an ad 2 months ago by a woman getting out of the pony-ride business and went straight out to pick my pony and place a deposit.  I pretty much got my choice as only one of six was spoken for.  I chose Sam....a 12-13 year old gelding, a SWEET guy who just wants to please!
Fast forward to yesterday when a couple who are good friends with us borrowed a trailer and picked me up to go get Sam....once there, the owner told me only one little pony had no buyer...one I had considered buying along with Sam....so my friends loaned me the cash and we loaded BOTH ponies!!  
I'm over the moon to have both Sam and Wilbur as new friends for Toby (our mini horse), hubby not so much, LOL!


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## secuono (Sep 23, 2019)

No pictures??
The audacity!!

Congratulations!


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## frustratedearthmother (Sep 23, 2019)

How cool!  Agree that we need pics!!


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## drdoolittle (Sep 23, 2019)

I know, I do need to get pics of them!  I wanted to give more info about the situation (partly why I couldn't leave Wilbur behind), but didn't have time this morning.

When I originally called to set up a time for my friend and I to go look at the ponies, the lady said, "I just want you to know that they are all kind of thin and not in the best shape right now.  I had a hard time getting hay this winter."

I thought, ok, a little thin.....nothing to worry about, she takes them in public to local fairs, right?  WRONG!  These ponies....all except the fat one she was keeping....were EMACIATED! I could see their ribs and spines!  Their hip bones were jutting out with barely any flesh on them!  I was COMPLETELY sickened! On top of that, she hadn't wormed or vaccinated ANY of them in over a year!  I don't know HOW she cpuld get away with all this when she was taking them to fairs!  I know one thing is probably certain, I'm sure she NEVER let the public see them with their saddles/pads off!

In spite of their condition, the ponies all seemed alert and Sam especially wanted me to love on him.  I fell for him w/in seconds!  The only issue was that the lady had contracts with fairs up.until this past weekend, so I couldn't take him until then.  I put down a $100 deposit on him (leaving a $400 balance) and let the lady know I'd also be buying his saddle and pad for another $125.

Wilbur was in the worst shape of all the ponies and hadn't completely shed his winter coat....their were pieces just hanging off him all over.  I seriously looked at him and thought, "That little guy will be dead in a month!"

The lady told me several "cute" stories about each pony, but wasn't certain of exact ages and had no paperwork on any of them.  She had other animals, a "Juliana" pig.....really a starved pot belly (I know because I raised pot belly pigs for years....a lone rabbit in a wire cage with NOTHING to get off the wire (JESUS!  Put an f-ing piece of cardboard in there if that's all you have!).....ROTTING vegetables with flies all over them was all it had in the way of food, a few sheep (maybe 5) one of which she said was sick. 

I wanted to get Sam out of that place then and there!  And call the sheriff on her about the others.  But I know from experience that it is difficult for those in authority to do much of anything for "livestock".  That's just the way it is.  So I decided to bide my time and just be thankful she was getting out of the business!  Oh, and her excuse that the ONLY pony there that was in great shape was the one she was keeping for her granddaughter: "She's at the top of the herd and pushes all the others away from their feed."  "OK, BUT IT'S YOUR RESPONSIBILITY AS THE OWNER TO MAJE SURE THAT CAN'T HAPPEN!",  I wanted to scream in her face!!

As my friend and I were driving away, I was SEETHING!  Then my friend asks, "Did you hear her telling me that one of the ponies starved to death this winter?"  OMG!!!  I had not heard the woman say that, and THANK GOODNESS or I may have given her a piece of my mind, after which she would have thrown my $100 in my face and told me to get off her property.  But I wanted Sam....and was HOPING I could convince her to give me a deal if I bought 2.....

The other thing that bothered me that day is that it was 4 in the afternoon.....the woman had stated, "Well, you can see they have hay they are eating.  I fed them a bit late today."  At the time, I was thinking, "Don't you mean you fed them EARLY?"  I thought she had just given them their 2nd meal of the day.....WRONG!  I fpund out when kicking them up yesterday that she must have only ever fed them ONCE a day!  It was 2pm and she told us, "I haven't fed them yet today."  WTH?!?!  Any person who knows anything about grazing animals knows they MUST be fed at the minimum of twice a day!!!  I was so disgusted with her yesterday, I coukd have punched her face!  She cared NOTHING for these ponies except what they could give her financially!  
That's why I just COULDN'T leave Wilbur behind!  Both ponies still look a little rough. The woman did manage to get weight on them....too fast if you ask me....but their toplines don't look good.  I can see and feel their spines and hips.....but their bellies are big.  Wilbur has loose stools....actually I think they both do.  She excused it by saying, "It's from me feeding them straight alfalfa."  BULLCRAP!  I believe she was feeding crappy hay and TONS of grain!  And they probably have worms!  
I wormed them both tonight and vaccinated Sam for Tetanus and West Nile (I only bought vaccines for him as I didn't plan on bringing a 2nd pony home).  I'll get Wilbur vaccinated for those and realize I need other vaccines as well.....
It's going to be a long road, but I believe they will be so much happier (and healthier) here.  All the other ponies went to their new homes....only the one she kept for her granddaughter and a miniature mare (also in better shape) remained.  I'll pray for those two....


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## drdoolittle (Sep 23, 2019)

Oh....I'll get pics tomorrow after work...


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## B&B Happy goats (Sep 23, 2019)

Thank goodness that you got them to a safe home, please keep us UTD with their progress.....I know they will be much happier with you and your family


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## Mini Horses (Sep 23, 2019)

If they have obvious spine & ribs, with big bellies, it's more likely malnutrition.   So, while they need the calories and nutrition, go easy on grains at first or they will be in trouble.  Get the BEST hay you can find, some alfalfa in it is best, or use some alfalfa pellets.  In 10 days, worm again.

So glad you got them both out of the situation they were enduring.   They will be great in a short while!     Actually 3 is a good number.  Then, if you take only one out for your granddaughter to ride, they other two will be company for each other.  

Did she have pasture for them??   Once a day haying is ok ONLY IF it is enough to LAST all day, or have good pasture to graze.  I'd say this was not her way of doing it.  


ETA:  I read your disappointment with not getting a mini stud you had been inquiring about.  But, these two needed you to find them SO MUCH more!!  The "right" ones did come along!!


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## Baymule (Sep 23, 2019)

I am so glad that you got those two. They have hit the jack pot! Start them on feed S L O W L Y. We got a starved horse not so long ago and I gave her feed 1 cup at a feeding, slowly increasing it. She got free feed grass hay. She didn't stop eating hay for weeks. She was so starved and in such bad shape that I waited for her to put on some weight before worming her. When an animal is BAD wormy, the massive die off releases toxins and can make the animal sick or even die. We took our mare to the vet to see if she was strong enough to be wormed. 

https://www.backyardherds.com/threads/meet-pearl-new-horse.38633/#post-576362


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## drdoolittle (Sep 24, 2019)

Mini Horses said:


> If they have obvious spine & ribs, with big bellies, it's more likely malnutrition.   So, while they need the calories and nutrition, go easy on grains at first or they will be in trouble.  Get the BEST hay you can find, some alfalfa in it is best, or use some alfalfa pellets.  In 10 days, worm again.
> 
> So glad you got them both out of the situation they were enduring.   They will be great in a short while!     Actually 3 is a good number.  Then, if you take only one out for your granddaughter to ride, they other two will be company for each other.
> 
> ...




Thank you for the great advice!  I do buy very good grass hay from a farmer near me, and I was already thinking I needed alfalfa pellets.  I got a horse several years ago (who since went to a new home) that was so starved she could barely hold her head up.  I researched putting weight on starving horses and by the time she went to a new home 2 years later, she was so BEAUTIFUL!  
No, the woman who owned these 2 ponies did not have them on pasture.....just a dry lot.  Which is what we have here, but I feed my animals properly.  
And yes.....I was already planning on worming again in 10 days....I am just so disgusted that people treat animals this way.  
After getting home I looked at the saddles I bought with the ponies more closely ($125 each) and am upset with myself for buying them.  I'm not sure she even gave me the one for Sam that she originally showed me.  I was just in such a hurry to get the hell out of there.  (And she made the comment that she'd probably be bugging me about how they're doing and want to come see them!  NO WAY IN HELL!
I'm a bit nervous....thinking I'm going to be overwhelmed with 3 and these 2 needing so much care, but I'll take it one day at a time.


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## drdoolittle (Sep 24, 2019)

I'm planning on spending most of this next weekend brushing out the ponies and using a dry shampoo on them.  I will also be cleaning up their saddles/pads as much as possible.....she did not take care of thise at all either.


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## Bunnylady (Sep 24, 2019)

I am glad that the owner recognized that things weren't working, either for her or the ponies, and decided to sell them. I am also glad that you have the heart and the means to give these boys a much better life. But while the cause of Wilbur's incomplete shed_ could_ be a lack of the nutrients needed to grow replacement hair, since he is probably middle-aged or more, I'd have to consider Cushings as a possibility.


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## Baymule (Sep 24, 2019)

I hope they don’t have Cushings. But if they do, they now have a good home.


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## drdoolittle (Sep 24, 2019)

Wilbur is only 7 years old.....don't know if that means he might or might not have Cushings.....I don't know much about it....


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## drdoolittle (Sep 24, 2019)

Ok...I promised pics and here they are.  I hesitated to post these, because our livestock area is SO muddy and a complete mess right now.....we had 2 days of pouring rain Saturday and Sunday night into Monday morning....Please know that it's not usually like this.  There's quite a bit of poop just from the past 2 days.....I did scoop a lot of it after I got these pics, and do keep it much cleaner (I normally clean all the manure up on weekends (more during summer when I'm not working).
I hope I am not too harshly judged for the appearance of the pen....
I added a couple pics of my mini horse, Toby, for comparison.  Yes, he's a tub right now.  I'm hoping with the addition of new friends that he'll be more active and slim down a bit.
First pics are Wilbur, then Sam and last 2 are Toby.


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## Mini Horses (Sep 24, 2019)

I expected a lot worse condition wise from your prior description.  They are thinner than need be but, look to be able to rehab without a great deal of issue.     Lovely, all.     And mud?  Hey, it happens!  

See you are in Wilmington NC, not far from me -- 75 ish miles.   It's warm -- why dry shampoo?   Use a hose and some Mane & Tail shampoo & conditioner. A rubber scrubber and go for it.  You will get out old dirt and grime that the dry won't touch.   I used to wash, rinse and add back to leave in a little conditioner in their mane/tail to help with the coarse hair issue, breakage, less dirt collection.  Plus, it keeps those features silky & so much easier to comb thru.    Hey, a day at the "beauty shop" gives you a good feeling!!  They will prance.

Saddles? wipe off well with warm water then apply a good leather conditioner, let it soak in!   Leather is normally willing to forgive a lot of neglect, once treated a few times.


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## drdoolittle (Sep 25, 2019)

Mini Horses said:


> I expected a lot worse condition wise from your prior description.  They are thinner than need be but, look to be able to rehab without a great deal of issue.     Lovely, all.     And mud?  Hey, it happens!
> 
> See you are in Wilmington NC, not far from me -- 75 ish miles.   It's warm -- why dry shampoo?   Use a hose and some Mane & Tail shampoo & conditioner. A rubber scrubber and go for it.  You will get out old dirt and grime that the dry won't touch.   I used to wash, rinse and add back to leave in a little conditioner in their mane/tail to help with the coarse hair issue, breakage, less dirt collection.  Plus, it keeps those features silky & so much easier to comb thru.    Hey, a day at the "beauty shop" gives you a good feeling!!  They will prance.
> 
> Saddles? wipe off well with warm water then apply a good leather conditioner, let it soak in!   Leather is normally willing to forgive a lot of neglect, once treated a few times.



Thank you!  I don't know why it shows I'm in North Carolina......I'm in northeast Indiana....but it is still warm enough to bathe them with water, so I think I will!
You're right.....they probably aren't as bad as it seems to me.


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## Baymule (Sep 25, 2019)

They are thin, but not skeletal. Your pen makes me jealous, wish we had rain to settle the foot deep dusty sand! Beautiful ponies, you will have them fat and sassy in no time.


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## Mini Horses (Sep 25, 2019)

MY BAD!!  I was looking at Bunnylady's  post at bottom.      BUT...you are right, get a warm day and be done for winter.   They will appreciate the beauty treatment -- bath & massage.  

It's mid 80 here today, low 90 for tomorrow --- I immediately thought "it's plenty warm".


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## secuono (Sep 25, 2019)

They look wormy, with no topline, but otherwise fine.
Last one looks similar to my silver black girl-


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## drdoolittle (Sep 25, 2019)

Thanks everyone! This may be a dumb question, but can I use the hose (cold water) to bathe them or should I take buckets of warm water (or hot to mix with water from hose) out to use?


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## Mini Horses (Sep 25, 2019)

Not dumb -- If really a warm day, hose is fine.  I then used a scraper to get most off, the some towel & brush them  If not windy & tied in sun, they dry pretty quick.   NOTE:  do not let them loose wet, they WILL ROLL.  Then all the hard work is for nil.   Also, I have used warm water while washing and the colder to rinse.   A lot depends on the weather that day. 

If you haven't bathed on in a while...reminder, start water with light pressure, at the shoulder area and work slowly.  They normally are ok with that not just hard hosing and not at head first.   I start shoulders up neck most of way, and work back slow over rest of body.  Wet, lather, rinse.   

Scraper -- if you don't have one, is cheap at any feed store that has some horse supplies.    AND many curry comps are toothed on one side, smooth on other, that can be used to scrape the water off.   Life squeegee on windows.   Start at top of sides, down hips, legs and belly last.

These guys will probably be fine.  Now, that younger one may be a PIA...he looks a little antsy.  I'd do the two new boys and get him later.


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## Mini Horses (Sep 25, 2019)

Not dumb -- If really a warm day, hose is fine.  I then used a scraper to get most off, the some towel & brush them  If not windy & tied in sun, they dry pretty quick.   NOTE:  do not let them loose wet, they WILL ROLL.  Then all the hard work is for nil.   Also, I have used warm water while washing and the colder to rinse.   A lot depends on the weather that day.

If you haven't bathed on in a while...reminder, start water with light pressure, at the shoulder area and work slowly.  They normally are ok with that not just hard hosing and not at head first.   I start shoulders up neck most of way, and work back slow over rest of body.  Wet, lather, rinse.     Wet cloth to do face if they get upset with hose/water on face.   that's normally the most problematic.

Scraper -- if you don't have one, is cheap at any feed store that has some horse supplies.    AND many curry combs are toothed on one side, smooth on other, that can be used to scrape the water off.   Life squeegee on windows.   Start at top of sides, down hips, legs and belly last.  Do one, tie him up short, so he can lay down, give him a hay bag, so he can eat and dry while #2 gets his treatment.

These guys will probably be fine.  Now, that younger one may be a PIA...he looks a little antsy.  I'd do the two new boys and get him later.

OK -- TMI....but, if you haven't done it in a while, may be nice to get a refresher.    Of course, a helper be nice.


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## Bunnylady (Sep 27, 2019)

Horses that live in the lap of luxury (like the Arabians around the corner from me) have access to a wash stall with hot and cold taps, plus radiant heaters to help them dry off comfortably. My crew are not so blessed.  At this time of year, my girls are well on their way with their winter woolies; since I don't clip them, bathing at this time gets to be quite a production. Just getting them wet is a challenge, because that winter coat sheds water like a sheep. Once I get them all soaped up  I have to rinse, rinse, rinse to make sure I get out any soap that made it all the way down to the skin. Then I probably will have to wash and rinse manes again - I don't know how they can stay grimy right at the roots, but they do (Blondie's a palomino, so her mane is cream-colored, Syd's mane is mostly white). I have used a shedding blade as a scraper to get most of the water off. If the outside temperature is below 70°, Blondie may wind up shivering; I have used armfuls of old towels to rub her dry (well, dry-_er_) and even a hair dryer to speed up the process. Last time I used it, "wig-out-first-ask-questions-later-Syd" had issues with the hair dryer (she frequently spooks at things coming over her back), so I wound up turning her bath into a de-spooking session. I'm so glad nobody saw that - me waving the hairdryer this way and that way and over my head, tapping on it with the brush; I looked like I was doing a routine from_ Hairspray_.

But yeah, when you compare the new boys to tubby Toby, they do suffer a bit, don't they? I'm sure with a bit of good grub and routine care, they'll be lovely in no time. Just remember, though people hate to see a thin horse, horses (like people) aren't meant to be fat. There are a lot of animals (especially ponies) with chronically bad feet because well-meaning but overly-generous owners maintain them in a chronically overweight state. This is Syd, at what I consider good weight:



 You can probably see her backbone and tail head to some degree. If she did any real work,  she might put on enough muscle to fill her back out a bit, but (being mostly a yard ornament), additional weight usually just thickens her "waistline."


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## drdoolittle (Oct 9, 2019)

Bunnylady said:


> Horses that live in the lap of luxury (like the Arabians around the corner from me) have access to a wash stall with hot and cold taps, plus radiant heaters to help them dry off comfortably. My crew are not so blessed.  At this time of year, my girls are well on their way with their winter woolies; since I don't clip them, bathing at this time gets to be quite a production. Just getting them wet is a challenge, because that winter coat sheds water like a sheep. Once I get them all soaped up  I have to rinse, rinse, rinse to make sure I get out any soap that made it all the way down to the skin. Then I probably will have to wash and rinse manes again - I don't know how they can stay grimy right at the roots, but they do (Blondie's a palomino, so her mane is cream-colored, Syd's mane is mostly white). I have used a shedding blade as a scraper to get most of the water off. If the outside temperature is below 70°, Blondie may wind up shivering; I have used armfuls of old towels to rub her dry (well, dry-_er_) and even a hair dryer to speed up the process. Last time I used it, "wig-out-first-ask-questions-later-Syd" had issues with the hair dryer (she frequently spooks at things coming over her back), so I wound up turning her bath into a de-spooking session. I'm so glad nobody saw that - me waving the hairdryer this way and that way and over my head, tapping on it with the brush; I looked like I was doing a routine from_ Hairspray_.
> 
> But yeah, when you compare the new boys to tubby Toby, they do suffer a bit, don't they? I'm sure with a bit of good grub and routine care, they'll be lovely in no time. Just remember, though people hate to see a thin horse, horses (like people) aren't meant to be fat. There are a lot of animals (especially ponies) with chronically bad feet because well-meaning but overly-generous owners maintain them in a chronically overweight state. This is Syd, at what I consider good weight:
> View attachment 66432 You can probably see her backbone and tail head to some degree. If she did any real work,  she might put on enough muscle to fill her back out a bit, but (being mostly a yard ornament), additional weight usually just thickens her "waistline."



I agree, horses/ponies should not be fat. I'm hoping to get some weight off Toby...I don't think Wilbur and Sam's true condition really comes across in the photos.....


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