A normal start to the day....chores and turnout.
Once again we tried Maggie and Angel with the other girls.
Yesterday went pretty well and we were hoping for more progress.
Karen and I were standing by with lead lines and crops.
Then the body language started.
No pictures of the action, as we were trying to stop it.
Moon turned her butt to Maggie (which she has done to Abbe and Berlin...who moved away) and the kicking started. It looked like two bucking donkeys going at it and we ran right over. The horses all moved and didn't it start up again in the paddock. We separated them immediately and checked out the damage. Maggie already had a bad left hind, got skinned up a little and was then polticed and wrapped. Moon needed some attention as Maggie connected with her several times. Things are not looking good for them to be together unless someone is out there babysitting or they are on a lead.
At 10:30 it was time for class. They have to put up with me in my barn clothes frequently.
When it was over, Tina went out and picked some apples for her ponies.
This afternoon I switched the horses around for awhile.
Both Angel and Maggie went into the back run-in and seem quite comfortable.
An early dinner tonight.
Made a quick salad and defrosted some of my leek soup.
Gary and I both love to put bean salad on top of our regular salad. Do you? It's so good!
Evening chores...still pretty warm out there.
Poor Berlin is still a disaster, but seems ok. Now these spots are weeping. Suggestions?
As per usual, the girls were happy to be tucked in.
Tomorrow is another day.
Night all.
11 comments:
Washing with a solution of warm Epsom salts would likely help Berlin. It will help dry up and draw out any infection/irritation and the hot towel treatment will feel good and reduce swelling.
I wouldn't give on the turn out for your girls. I figure it generally takes a group of mares about a month to sort everything out. One thing you could do that might makes things go smoother is to break up the groups a little, ie Moon and Maggie in a paddock neither of them frequent. It helps eliminate the territorial stuff.
Glad they are all doing well.
It might just take time, Lori. We had some horses that reacted very badly when put together, but I would split the paddock with an electric fence and after a few weeks they could all go in together.
Maybe once the mares stop coming into season things will settle down more, too. Those hormones do weird things!
Actually they will sort things out themselves, but you have to let them spend the time together to get it done and accept that there may be some scrapes and cuts as a result. That's how mares decide things - kicking contests are the norm, but then you probably already know this. You might try adding one horse at a time to the new girls, if your paddock arrangement will accept it, starting with the least dominant horse, then adding a second horse, then the most dominant horse - that way the new girls will have made some friendships and will be partially introduced to the herd. Sometime's it's very worrying to us how they act.
For Berlin's oozy spots, you might try something soothing, like aloe cream, or if you think there's a little infection going on, perhaps from bug bites, something like Eqyss MIcrotech medicated spray - all herbal - might help.
Yikes I hope they can work out their differences. Sometimes you have to wonder what they are saying to each other. The artwork is magnificent. Hug B
So Moon and Maggie don't get along? Dang.
I'm sure you have put them next to each other in paddocks to get used to each other.
I rarely see any of our stock actually land blows when they are 'arguing'. These two were serious weren't they.
I saw the comment about the weeping spots on Berlin...couldn't help but think of Calamin lotion?
Don't know if it works on horses!
You have a good day!
Beautiful sky shots!! Maybe some medicated soap would help Berlin. We used an iodine based soap for Eco when he had an allergic reaction to some bug bites that weeped. It dried the spots up. It took two or three treatments.
Beautiful skies, so dramatic!
I hope eventually the girls can learn to get along with each other. That would certainly make everybody's life easier.
Poor Berlin. I don't have a solution but maybe some sort of topical ointment would help.
We typically have a new horse in a separate paddock with a shared fence line so they can get all the dramatics done with a fence in between. It was six months before we could let Kalvin out. Some take no time, and some take forever. Of course, I've never had mares and they are a "bit" more opinionated than geldings.
Incredibly DRAMATIC skyscapes Lori!
We've had to introduce 2 new horses (separately) into our very close-knit herd in the last couple of years. We took 5-6 months to accomplish it, and they were always able to sniff noses and squeal across a safe fence. That helped a lot. Then when they were together, it was really no big deal. I'm not in agreement with letting them "sort it out", as that usually ends up with someone getting seriously hurt and an expensive vet call. Take the time it takes, and don't rush them is my best advice. About those oozy, itchy spots...there's many topical anti-itch creams/treatments (1-2% hydrocortisone ointment works well), but if you really want to zap it for good - call your vet and see if you can get some dexamethasone powder. You give 1 pkt. (usually 5 gms) on the feed once a day for anywhere from 1-4 days. It is a steroid, but it works very quickly, and in many cases the body stops reacting to whatever it dislikes in a day or two. They probably won't return until whatever was the cause returns again next season. ie: bugs, plant etc.
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