im new from uk and have mini problems help

[debbies3minis]

hi,

I brought a miniature spotted pony who is 5months old , after having him nearly 2 weeks he developed a popping n both hocks and is now moving stiffly on both,

he did not move like this before as i brought him to show and break to drive , ive had feet trimmed back, have him on a joint supplement sometimes seems a little better

but is still not good, he is not lame and has a lovely trot.

I'm absolutely devastated as he was brought as a show pony, but i have become attached to him already as he was wild and has become such a good boy,

has anyone got any suggestions ?

in the uk mini's are not as popular and everyone just says he has been bred to small , he's not that small , dam was 28inch sire 32inch

hope someone has words of wisdom for me

This is a fab site by the way

 

[Marsha Cassada]

Welcome to the Forum!

Sorry you are having trouble. Mysterious things with my horses drive me crazy!

My first thought is correct trimming. A balanced hoof is so important; just taking off toe may not be the total answer. Hopefully someone here will have good ideas.

As to the joint supplement, there is a school of thought that giving that to young hroses will inhibit their natural production of joint support. Maybe something to discuss with your vet.

Good luck! I hope you get some constructive answers to help him.

 

[supaspot]

this might be helpful

http://www.thehorse.com/ViewArticle.aspx?ID=10546

 

[debbies3minis]

hi

he's stifle is not locking , he looks like he is double jointed when he is walking but only in the hocks .

Wondered as there seems to be a lot of breeders on here wether its a known

problem in youngsters, and can there movement change so drastically ?

 

[Riverdance]

I t is not that unusual for a baby to have locking stifles or clicking stifles. Sometimes they are growing faster then their joints can keep up. Give him lots of room to move around, do not lock him in a stall. Good chance he will outgrow it.

 

[JAX]

I agree with Riverdance, give him lots of room to excercise as he wants and I would also add not to work him in tight circles.

 

[debbies3minis]

fingers crossed then ,as he is a sweetheart.

i also am concerned about his belly he has a proper pop belly

he is on baileys stud balancer and hay and turned out 6.30am to 6.30pm

but restricted grazing, he was wormed 5wks ago

he's belly feels like it is full of air you can still feel ribs and is not fat on his neck

I have ordered baileys digest plus on the advice of there nutritionist to make sure his gut working properly.

Riverdance just been on your website your horses are fantastic !

 

[valshingle]

Pot bellies are pretty common in weanlings. I find they usually go away by the spring of their yearling year.

 

[AnnaC]

Hi Debbie (is it Debbie?) and welcome to LB!! You must be so excited with your first mini and you have come to the right place for any questions that you might have.

Where are you in the UK - I'm in Wales - hope you are well away from the areas that are suffering those horrific floods right now?

Does your little fella have a name and who are his parents - maybe we have some common ancestors??

The Baileys stud balancer is a good way to start - just make sure he is getting enough so he is getting all his vitamins and minerals at the moment, maybe you could also get one of those salt blocks for him too - but make sure he doesn't get too much of it! It is good that he is out all day - all babies need as much time out and space to move around in - how big is his night time space? Do you keep him at home or are you boarding him somewhere? Also, I have to ask if it is likely to be possible that you are thinking about getting him a companion - another little colt of the same age would be perfect as all the playing does help with strengthening up muscles and bones, plus beng good for his general happiness.

How long is it since he was weaned - we dont usually wean until 6 months here, so he may well be missing his Mum or his other companions, bless him. I wouldn't worry too much about 'restricting' his grass intake (unless yours is very lush and rich), the grass at this time of year is losing it's goodness, so I dont think it will do him much harm. Be sure that your hay is soft and leafy - hard stemmed hay is difficult for the little ones to digest and this alone can lead to 'big' tummies.

Good luck with your little man - would love to see a picture or two if possible.

Diane - bales of alfalfa are very difficult to get hold of over here - most of it comes in bags or mixed with other stuff in bags, so Debbie may have to just rely on leafy hay for now.

 

[shadelady]

Hi. We are in the UK too. Where are you based ? We would be only too pleased to help with any problems you may have if you would like to chat. Years of experience with minis and spotted ponies

You can find us on facebook ( Shadel Stud) or at www.shadelstud.com and I know that AnnaC would recommend us for help, we have shown many horses for her over the years . I would love to hear from you

I am not sure why you would think minis are not as popular in the UK. Having just returned from the biggest UK mini show ,Miniature Horse of the Year show , and having been showing and producing minis for nearly 20 years , I can reassure you that there is a large and enthusiastic population of mini owners here who will be only too happy to welcome you into the fold !

 

[ksoomekh]

Good luck with your new little one!

Karen

 

[supaspot]

I am not sure why you would think minis are not as popular in the UK. Having just returned from the biggest UK mini show ,Miniature Horse of the Year show , and having been showing and producing minis for nearly 20 years , I can reassure you that there is a large and enthusiastic population of mini owners here who will be only too happy to welcome you into the fold !

totally agree , there are many many minis and a busy show circuit in the UK with severl shows every wekend throughout the spring and summer , people from Ireland France , Holland etc travel over to compete , as Sharon says the miniature horse of the year show has just been on this weekend and in a few days time the Horse of the Year show will be holding classes for BMHS reg minis , I think you might find it helpful to join a society , the MHCGB for instance

http://www.mhcgb.net/

 

[debbies3minis]

Hi Debbie (is it Debbie?) and welcome to LB!! You must be so excited with your first mini and you have come to the right place for any questions that you might have.

Where are you in the UK - I'm in Wales - hope you are well away from the areas that are suffering those horrific floods right now?

Does your little fella have a name and who are his parents - maybe we have some common ancestors??

The Baileys stud balancer is a good way to start - just make sure he is getting enough so he is getting all his vitamins and minerals at the moment, maybe you could also get one of those salt blocks for him too - but make sure he doesn't get too much of it! It is good that he is out all day - all babies need as much time out and space to move around in - how big is his night time space? Do you keep him at home or are you boarding him somewhere? Also, I have to ask if it is likely to be possible that you are thinking about getting him a companion - another little colt of the same age would be perfect as all the playing does help with strengthening up muscles and bones, plus beng good for his general happiness.

How long is it since he was weaned - we dont usually wean until 6 months here, so he may well be missing his Mum or his other companions, bless him. I wouldn't worry too much about 'restricting' his grass intake (unless yours is very lush and rich), the grass at this time of year is losing it's goodness, so I dont think it will do him much harm. Be sure that your hay is soft and leafy - hard stemmed hay is difficult for the little ones to digest and this alone can lead to 'big' tummies.

Good luck with your little man - would love to see a picture or two if possible.

Diane - bales of alfalfa are very difficult to get hold of over here - most of it comes in bags or mixed with other stuff in bags, so Debbie may have to just rely on leafy hay for now.

Hi Anna,

his name is wrens zebedee, but i call him Elvis sire is cranleigh neptune dam is foldhouse looby lou he is spotted pony bred

his stable is approx 8ft by 10ft ,

I'm feeding him haysoft was a bit worried that may be causing the bloat but he loves it

i have 5 ponies 1highland, 1 welshx, 1 mini shetland and 1 standard shetland gelding who ive owned for 20yrs he is now 22 and was my show pony and driving pony

Elvis was brought to fill his shoes

elvis is turned out with my mini shetland mare, did try him with my gelding but he took a dislike to him and looked like he was going to hurt him ,so he's not turn out with him

thanks for all the info

Debbie

(Im in hertfordshire)

you can see a foal pic if you go on breeders website 'wrens stud'

 

[AnnaC]

Hey Debbie, before we made the long journey to live in the wilds of beautiful Wales, I lived in Sussex, not far from the Wrens stud although I never visted them, plus my late spotty stallion was Wantsley bred on his sire's side and we still have some Wantsley blood floating through my herd via one of his daughters that we retained.

Sharon (Shadel Stud) is not that far from you as she is in Wiltshire and do contact her if you need any help, she has so many years of experience, and as I well know, is very generous with both her time and advice.

Hi Sharon, hope you had a great time at MHOYS - did the mare foal (the one you left poor Derek behind on foal watch!)?

 

[BSharpRanch]

Are you sure that the popping is from the stifle? Sometimes if the hoof isn't trimmed correctly the baby will land toe first and cause the fetlock/pastern bones to misalign. Then when the heel lands the joints will "pop" into place. This can also just be a gowth phase.

 

[debbies3minis]

well it looks like his hock , when he was stood still you could actually rock the joint back and forward (only did this once , haven't tried to do it since)

he did seem to start having popping at the fetlocks but that has stopped since feet were trimmed, hoping it is a growth 'thing' he is from good dam/sire

so am shocked that this has happened

 

[jessj]

I'm no help with the clicking, but just wanted to say that he is ADORABLE!

 

[debbies3minis]

ahh thanks jess, i think so too,

not quite the standard of some the fab horses on here

but hopefully will get his lovely action back when he's grown up

 

[AnnaC]

On rare occasions young foals can be a little 'loose' in their hocks - gaining in strength with good quality food, plenty of exercise and well trimmed feet will certainly help your little man.