12/2/06
Feb 17, 2007 (I just took her blanket off, which is why her coat is so messy like that, and she is shedding and rubbing the coat off her face, this is typical for her at this time every year).
March 17, 2007
Whinney | April | Lakota | Jen | Leroy
This page is to document the changes in Whinney, a 20+ year old Shetland pony, on the VitaRoyal program. Whinney has been in the same amount of no-work all through these years, she is a retired sour school-pony.
Brief overview (history and details below)
| 9/28/06 |
11/2/06 |
12/2/06
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Feb 17, 2007 (I just took her blanket off, which is why her coat is so messy like that, and she is shedding and rubbing the coat off her face, this is typical for her at this time every year).
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March 17, 2007
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HISTORY AND DETAILS:
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 Whinney July 2004 -- still losing slowly (Triple Crown Lite) |
(Triple Crown Lite) |
April 2006 -- losing some topline (withers) (Beet pulp w/balanced minerals to hay analysis) |
Whinney May 2006 - withers and spine protruding. Switch to Triple Crown Low Starch. |
Whinney June 2006 -- looks pretty good! |
Whinney August 19, 2006 - 3 weeks after coming home from trainer (on Buckeye Cadence) losing more..... |
Whinney's brief history is that I bought her in 2000. She weighed approximately 700 lbs. and is 12H. She remained cresty and overweight for many years. In September of 2003 she (along with the rest of my herd) all had some sort of hoof "event", and all had some pretty severe white line stretching. The last three years has been 3 steps forward and 2 back with regards to the separation.
Whinney is also sour under saddle, pig-rooting, dropping her shoulder, etc. She is better with some clicker-work, and seems happier going straight rather than circles. It will be interesting to see if this changes.
In November 2005 I switched the horses from Triple Crown Lite to Beet Pulp with alfalfa pellets and a custom mineral blend to balance my hay. In January 2006, Whinney came down with a pretty severe case of diarrhea (squirting water, messy behind, etc.). A 2 week course of Flagyl cleared it up, but she lost weight and condition, and hasn't picked it up again. I switched all the horses to Triple Crown low starch in May which they seemed to do better on. Then a friend begain dealing Buckeye, so I agreed to try them on Cadence. They were at her farm for a month, and I brought them home in early August. Within a week, both Whinney and Joe dropped condition and started looking very poor. I switched them to Gro N Win thinking they were not getting enough protein.
Whinney has continued to lose condition, developed a bloated pot belly, her winter coat is coming in very coarse and dry, and she appears depressed.
I started her on VitaRoyal on 9/28/06 (Thursday). Her basal temp was: 98.4 (note this is about 1.5 hours after beginning hay meal, on weekdays while I'm getting the kids to school, my hubby hays the horses at about 5:30/6 am, and I've been heading out around 7:00/7:30 to give their VR).
Pot belly, loss of topline, odd stance
(she can't, or won't, stand square) On Buckeye Gro N Win w/ Ultimate Finish
fat (32% protein)
Note the protruding abdomen and splayed front feet. Also note the dry, poor haircoat with bald spots
Note the odd "raccoon eyes" look. She has never grown in her winter coat like this before, with the dark areas around her eyes. I don't know if this is significant or not, but it makes her look sad and depressed, and she is acting sad and depressed.
White Line Separation, atrophied frogs since September, 2003
Left Front / Left hind
Right front / Right hind
September, 2006
Left Front
Left Hind
Right front
Right hind
9/29 (Fri -- had hay for 1.5 hours before reading) Temp. 99.0 -- Ambient temp 59F and overcast; Barometer 29.69 falling
9/30 (Sat -- true basal temp, empty stomach) temp 98.0 -- Waxing crescent moon. Ambient temp this morning was 37.4F and clear; Barometer 30.19 rising.
10/1 (Sun -- true basal temp, empty stomach). Ambient temp 57F, slightly drizzly 94% humdity, steady barometer 30.05
10/2 (Mon -- had hay for about an hour before temp. taken). temp 98.7 ambient temp 45F, barometer 30.11, slight drizzle, 100% humidity, moon waxing Gibbous.
10/3 temp 97.2 -- added oatmeal, he hates his VR. He'll eat it with oatmeal. 46F, barometer 30.30, clear/calm.
10/4 temp. 98.5 - clear & warm weather. Ambient temp. 54F, barometer 30.12
10/5 temp 98.1, rainy. Temp. 48, barometer 30.09.
10/6 temp 98.3, overcast. Temp. 44F, barometer 30.36
10/7 temp. 97.5 - clear & cool. Temp. 44F, barometer 30.41
10/8 temp. 97.8, clear & cool. Temp. 39F, barometer 30.36
10/9 temp. 97.3. Temp. 48, barometer 30.17, humidity 100%.
10/10 temp. 97.0. Temp. 53, barometer 30.06, 70% humidity.
10/11 temp. 97.2. Temp. 51, barometer 30.04, humidity 88%. Llanding heel first!
10/12 temp. 98.3. Temp. 59F, barometer 29.56, 100% humidity.
10/13 temp. 97.6, clear & cold. Temp. 30F, barometer 29.87, humidity 86%. Was a little shivery this morning.
Missed evening VR meal -- was out too late and hubby hayed but no grain.
10/14 temp. 98.0. Temp. 30F, barometer 29.86, humdity 93%
10/16 temp. 97.9. Temp. 30F, barometer 30.28, humidity 93%
10/18 temp. 98.6 warm & humid. Temp. 60F, barometer 29.83, 100% humidity.
10/20 temp. 104. Seems a bit depressed. Ambient temps. 98.6 rainy, warm & humid. Temp. 60F, barometer 29.55, humidity 94%.
Barometer dropped severely between 11 am & 1 pm, from 29.60 down to 29.28.
Whinney body temp. 102.7 @ 1:30 pm
Body temp. 101.3 @ 6:30 pm.
Ambient temps dropped from 60F at 7 am to 40F by 6pm and 30F by 9 pm. Blanketed at night due to the rain then cold.
10/21 Temp. 101.3. Temp. 39.5F, barometer 29.85, humidity 81%.
10/22 Temp. 97.3. Temp. 30F, barometer 30.04, humidity 93%.
11/2/06 ~ Whinney's attitude is back to her usual pony self. She is no longer depressed and melancholy, and is back to her old tricks of trying to snatch hay from my hands and steal grain from the buckets when my back is turned. Her winter coat is filling in better, and her topline is filling back up as well.
| 9/28/06 |
11/2/06 |
12/2/06
|
Feb 17, 2007 (I just took her blanket off, which is why her coat is so messy like that, and she is shedding and rubbing the coat off her face, this is typical for her at this time every year).
|
March 17, 2007
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November, 2006 -- Whinney bucked my daughter off! I guess she's feelingbetter, the little brat.
December 4, 2006 -- Triple dose of Strongid. Whinney has gained about 50 lbs. She isn't yet as built up as I'd like, but she is getting there, and her attitude certainly is back to what it was. Her butt looks much less angular now.
February 17, 2006
Due to some unforseen personal circumstances, I have been unable to keep them on the Untie, and have been unable to put them on Xenodetox. They have been on the Hi-Pro Balancer only. I hope to begin that portion of the program in a few months when things stabilize here at home. In the meantime, my trimmer said that there is now absolutely NO sign of white line separation, wahoo!!!!!!! Whinney is no longer taking any nonsense from April (the mini), and is moving back up to #3 in the herd.
March 17, 2007 -
Its hard to tell in these pictures because I couldn't get her to stand straight anywhere with no helper. But her topline has definately improved, she is looking great now.
June, 2007. Whinney looks fabulous!!!! She is no longer grossly obese, and has regained her topline on 1.5 lbs/Hi Pro/day with 1/2 cup of oat groats. She is also on a Hyluronic Acid/Condroiton joint supplement, as the dentist feels she is about 25 years old, and is losing teeth. We actually found one of them in the front yard after a rainstorm washed it off the hill. She looks fabulous considering she can't chew hay very well, and she is now happy to work, and my daughter has her trotting easily now for a coule of laps around the pen (whereas before she would drop her shoulder and dump her). And best of all, no more flaring or white line separation, which we have been fighting with her since September of 2003!
These are just my favorite pony/kid pictures, I had to share just for fun ;-) Can you tell how much I just love this pony?
clicker training the sour pony
