Health ~ Past, Present & Future

PAST~
Frankie came to me about three and a half years ago. It was one of those love at fist sight things. He was a very healthy energetic, eight year old.  His feet were extremely healthy as well. He had only been in shoes for a year because of the very rocky environment of his previous home so I had no worries he would be fine without them. After I got him home and settled in I had the shoes pulled off and he has done wonderfully without them. 
 
One thing I did not realize until later was that his very gassy, noisy stomach was not as normal as I thought it was. With the exception of some small gas discomfort and one very mild colic he was OK for the first two years because he had pasture mates and more room to move about. The problem came to a head when I moved him to my house and he was in a smaller area with only a goat for a companion. I can not in any way shape or form afford another horse so for now the goat will have to do.
About four months into his move to my property Frankie sand coliced. The warning sign were all there but I just did not understand them (I do now!). The vet came out and we got him healthy again until just three months later and he coliced again, badly. We got him OK again and it became my mission to keep this from happening again.


PRESENT~
Frankie is now on a free choice diet of grass hay (round bale), no grain, a one cup serving of his soaked alfalfa pellets. He is on a product called Assure and Assure Plus. The Assure is given every morning and has a ration of probiotics, molasses, a small amount of psyllium and some other ingredients for the large colon. The Assure Plus is given one week out of the month and it is mostly a quality psyllium product in a pelleted form. I keep him off grass that is too short and ride him as much as possible. He has been colic free for a little over a year and his gut has good sounds but is not OVER active and he seems much healthier with more energy.

On the down side, Frankie is cooped up in his approximately 20' by 60' paddock and run-in with some pasture turn out. He can get a little over weight if I do not ride him enough and this winter has been one of those times. I also feel he needs a horse friend and I have great hopes to get him a buddy some day. Frankie and Emma are good together but I know he needs MORE in his life.

FUTURE~
I hope to see my animals in a living environment that is mentally and physically stimulating. I hope to be able to not worry so much about Frankie eating dirt out of boredom or letting gas build up in his tummy because he is not getting enough exercise. I would love to have a boarder with us so he has another horse to be with. I have not had the room for that at all but maybe with the Paddock Paradise tracking that is a possibility!