Starved yearling.

[little rodeo]

This little guy is nothing but bones. I started him on good quality grass hay, mini feed, and alfalfa pellets. We just picked him up today from a rescue. His coat is like a woolly mammoths. Should I clip him? Should I feed him differently? I’ve had tons of horses but this is my first mini. We have wormed with ivermectin and the vet is coming out tomorrow. He also appears to be very cow hocked and his front feet toe out. Is there any exercises I can with to help with that because he is so young?

 

[Capriole]

Congratulations!! He's adorable!!! What a pretty color !!
I'm afraid I'm useless as far as answering your questions, since I've never had a baby that young.

Unless it's really warm where you are I don't think I would clip him, especially if he's thin....but, I'm sure someone with more knowledge/experience will weigh in

Have you decided on a name for him?

 

[Taz]

Thank you, thank you, thank you for giving him a good home.
I wouldn't clip him unless it's really warm there and he's having problems with it, he will shed out when he's ready. He probably has more hair to try to compensate for being so thin plus these little ones get really hairy in the winter especially their first winter. I wouldn't change what you're feeding him unless your vet tells you to. Don't rush putting weight on him with a lot of grain even though it's tempting. I wouldn't worry about his legs being a little crooked unless you plan on driving him or doing something else like that, in which case change your plans, LOL! They might get better with some growing up, food and light exercise but that could just be how he's made. Really cute ❤

 

[kimbalina]

He is so cute and wooly just the way he is! He looks lovely! His horsey friends look very interested in their new tiny friend too!

 

[Kelly]

He is adorable!!

Why wouldn’t Little Rodeo be able to drive him in a few years even if he is a little cow hocked? If he were my horse I would eventually teach him to drive if possible and he didn’t show any signs of pain. Since he is undernourished and a little cow hocked, I would probably wait till he was a little older, maybe 3 and a half to 4, just to ensure he has developed properly. My opinion, just because a horse is cow hocked does not prevent them from driving or jumping or doing anything else you want to do. The sky is the limit!! Have fun!!

I would also wait to clip until temps at night are consistently above 50. Depending on the horse, you would need to blanket a clipped horse below 50 degrees. With him being so thin, I would definitely not clip too early, being cold can also make him loose more weight.

I’ve learned alfalfa hay is my friend when trying to add weight to a horse, but go slow. It should take several months to get weight on him. I have also added Manna Pro Weight Accelerator to thin Stormy’s feed over winter which worked really good for me.

Good luck to you! Can’t wait to see more pics

 

[Willow Flats]

Congratulations, He is such a cute little guy! I think the alfalfa pellets are a good addition. I would suggest soaking them if you aren't already. You mentioned your vet is coming out today. Let us know what the vet had to say about your little guy. He is most likely thin because it's cold and he wasn't being fed properly or he was low man not getting his share.

 

[little rodeo]

I am going to start soaking some cubes overnight and give him that in the morning. I named him little rodeo for my little cowboy. My son is three months old (yes he got a pony before he could walk) I would love for him to either be able to ride or drive him! I want to be able to spend the next two years making him happy and healthy so I can train and make him as safe as possible got my little guy.

 

[HersheyMint]

What a cute little guy. I love his eyes! I agree with the advice given. My vet told me, alfalfa pellets and beet pulp were a good weight gain combo. Have all your questions written down when the vet comes. If I don't write them down I always miss one
Please come back and let us know how he is doing.

 

[chandab]

If you are talking the Purina Mini and Pony feed, it's really not suitable for growing youngsters, it doesn't have the right balance for "babies". If you've already opened it, it'll be ok, just not quite nutritious enough for balanced growth; if you haven't opened it, return it and get something else. [What do you feed your full size horses, perhaps something you already feed will work in mini size portion?]
A good farrier will go a long ways in helping his legs by keeping his hooves balanced. Many young horses are cow hocked, especially if thin, as they don't have the muscle mass yet to help straight out; good balanced hoof trims, balanced diet and basic exercise will help (no lunging, circles are too hard on young growing joints), cavalettis are a good choice (straight line walk/trot).
He's thin, so no clipping until the weather is much better and/or he has gained some weight. Go slow with the weight gain, good grass hay and a little alfalfa will go a long way, and we'll figure out a good supplement/feed to go with the forage that will be appropriate for his age.

 

[Capriole]

"Why wouldn’t Little Rodeo be able to drive him in a few years even if he is a little cow hocked?"

I was wondering that as well....I knew Prince was cow hocked before I even went to see him (I could see it in the pictures in his ad). I didn't think it was a big deal as draft horses are frequently cow hocked and they are made for pulling. I researched as well and didn't find anything against cow hocked horses being used for driving (most of the articles pointed out that draft horses are often cow hocked). Prince also toes out a little in front, especially his left....I figured as long as he isn't interfering with himself it wasn't a big deal?
Neither his farrier or vet has expressed any concerns....actually they both complimented his movement (as he trotted away from us when we were trying to catch him ).
Is there something I should watch out for or do/not do to avoid injury or....?

 

[little rodeo]

He just seems like he’s lame at the moment. His hips move weird but maybe there is something else going on. The vet should be able to tell us! Just bathed him and his sister and holy moly live central! I’m afraid clipping is the best option right now as we have multiple other horses and donkeys. They will be blanketed and kept in a barn at night till the temp warms up. It’s 70 here now! We got them from a rescue so I’m a little upset they wouldn’t even be bothered to take care of the live issue or tell us about it. They came with 10 others so hopefully the other adopters are taking care of it as well or none of them are going to get much better!

 

[Capriole]

Are those fleas?

Where did these poor little guys come from (I mean before the rescue)? I hope whoever is responsible for this is going to be held accountable.

 

[little rodeo]

I was thinking lice. They wouldn’t come out and are stuck to the hair so I’m thinking they are Eggs. We just adopted them from a rescue. A crappy one I’d say!

 

[Taz]

Of course they can drive if they're cow hocked, I was thinking there was something severe going on, if I'm wrong I'm happy.
Lice sounds nasty but it's actually easy to get rid of, you're vet will have given you something to put on him I'm sure and ivermectin is good for it too. Sister?? Did you take two of them?????

 

[LostandFound]

Lice. I would use some of the spot on fly stuff...I like freedom 45 and then clip and re-treat in 2 weeks. If you clip and blanket you are just going to have them all over the blankets.

 

[Standards Equine]

Bless you so much!!!! Thank you for opening your heart and your home to this little soul. I have a couple thoughts to share after having several rescue horses.
Please be aware of "refeeding syndrome". In fact, giving too much nutrition too quickly can be damaging. Grass hay is good, a small amount of mineral introduction is ok, but it can shock his little system to get too much nutrition too fast - beware diarrhea.
My impression is you're bang on with the lice. Dirty buggers!
Deworming - depending on the area and parasites, Ivermectin is not my preferred type of dewormer. At least in my area (north-central Canada) we've got several parasites who have become very resistant to Ivermectin. However, your vet will be able to take a fecal sample and properly advise you to effective parasite treatment. That will also likely help with the lice. Also, diatomaceous earth. Mine LOVE to roll in it when I break open a bag from the feed store. Skin parasites hate it.

Oh, also, it's a bit of a secret, but often we observe that warmbloods that are a little cow hocked can canter pirouette all day... There's no reason why your cutie can't have a productive life for years to come!

Sending healing vibes your way! Again, thank you for what you're doing for him!!! <3 xo

 

[little rodeo]

I shampooed with medicated lice shampoo clipped and then put lice powder on him. I also worked him again with ivermectin. We will just have to wash his blankets weekly!

 

[little rodeo]

They are clipped and staying in the basement next to a pellet stove. They should be warm and toasty! The mare has hard lumps all over her and little rodeo looks so much thinner now

 

[Abby P]

I don't have much helpful to add since everyone else already said all the things I would say, other than that I wouldn't put much stock in looking at the conformation of a horse that thin. He has no muscle at all so he will probably transform beyond recognition as his condition improves. If you keep his feet trimmed in a balanced way his legs might still straighten up a lot (front and hind), since he's so young. And FWIW my horse is pretty cow-hocked and it doesn't seem to be a problem for him, he pulls really well and loves to go. He lifts his front end nicely when he moves out so he doesn't seem to hesitate to weight the hind end. Cow-hocked is definitely preferable to sickle-hocked.

Please keep us posted and thank you for giving them a safe place. They both have sweet faces and I love the peanut gallery lined up at the fence checking out the newbies. I have some questions about that rescue...whether they had them long or not, it's not what I have seen done at reputable rescues to adopt out animals in condition that poor.

 

[Capriole]

I think if the rescue is adopting them out in that condition they are lucky the OP got them!

Your little girl is very pretty, what a sweet face! Does she have a name yet?
I hope whoever let them get in that condition is being charged! Poor, little things.... they're very lucky you took them in.