Natural Horse Care in an Unnatural World

After Kobeejo colicked (a strangulated lipoma, which is unpredictable and unpreventable) and they also found ulcers in his stomach, I decided I needed to look into this further. I have always been a huge fan of 24/7 forage and no grains (just a ration balancer) and was always taught that this would prevent ulcers in horses. Even at the vet hospital, I asked them "How can a horse on 24/7 free-choice forage get ulcers?" They had no answer. The head of veterinary medicine even said to me, "Everything I would normally tell you, you already do." So, as is my habit, I began to research... a lot! pH Levels in the Stomach: The normal "cut-off" for equine intestinal pH is >4.0. Neutral is 7.0. So 4.0 is acidic. But, in the bottom layer (glandular), pH levels are naturally going to be low because that is where hydrochloric acid is produced and stored. Kobeejo's ulcers are located, typically, in the squamous (upper, or non-glandular) layer of the stomach. ...

Today was the big day. Kobeejo came home!! 😀 The hospital people were sad he was leaving, as he was everyone's favorite, but happy he was going home. He was known as "the famous Kobeejo" up there, which is ironic, because when he used to show, he had the moniker. Dr. Minuto, the Resident in charge of Kobeejo, walked out to the trailer with us. As usual, he got right on. Once he was home, he was all wide-eyed with head as high as it would go, ears propped forward. I think he was in awe that he was home. I placed him in his stall and he immediately tried to come back out. He ate no hay on the way back and he was not interested in the hay in his stall. He just wanted to know that he was not the only horse there as all others were outside. He was weaving and anxious, as you can tell by this video . So, I took him outside to see his friends in their paddocks, grazed him for a bit in the field, and once a couple horses came in, I put him back in his stall. He was still a...

Usually, the vet calls me every morning with a progress report on Kobeejo. This morning, as always, I kept waking early, waiting for that phone call. By noon it had not come, so I climbed out of bed, knowing I had a long drive. I drove myself up to see Kobeejo, as my usual rides were not available. My mom came with me, which helped tremendously. I am a nervous long-distance driver. Fortunately, the traffic was light. Having my mom to talk to made the trip quicker and easier. I took the highway all the way up, but perhaps tomorrow, if Wendy is not available, I might take I-84 to Rte 20 and follow that way up. It's only 6 minutes longer. Not a big deal and I can avoid the tolls and traffic of I-90. We arrived a bit after 2pm. There was a trailer parked in the unloading area and the parking lot was packed! Busy day, I assumed the vet had not called due to emergencies (and I was correct). We had to wait a bit longer than normal in the waiting room and there were more people there...

Though the Sunday hours at the vet hospital are 1-4, I am allowed to visit as long as I call first, anytime during the day. We arrived at 4pm. The first thing I noticed when walking toward his stall was that there is now another horse in the stall across from him... a tall dark Warmblood gelding. I knew that would make him happy. They told me when they were walking the new horse down the aisle to his stall, Kobeejo perked and nickered at him. I'm sure he was thrilled not to be the only horse there, as he has been for 4 days. Though I don't know why the other horse is there, I am assuming from the tube in his nose (as KJ had) and IVs, he was also a colic case. Though he obviously did not need surgery... his belly was not shaved, nor did he wear any bandages. Kobeejo had been rushed into surgery immediately. KJ's spirits were good. He was happy eating from the hay bag they put up, as he did not like the metal bin the hay was placed into. Up until today, I needed to wear b...

photo copyright Christine Church all rights reserved Grass! That green stuff (or brown, depending on the weather) everyone associates horses eating. Let me give you a scenario; You look out at your green one-acre field and see your three horses out there, heads down, picking at the grass. You wonder, however, why they have lost a bit of weight in recent weeks. After all, they have grass, right? It's all green out there and some looks pretty tall. I can tell you right now, your pastures are overgrazed! You NEED to start supplementing with hay right now! photo copyright Horse Journals I can't tell you how many times I have heard people say, "I don't need to throw hay out there. He/she has grass!"  Ugh. 😧🙄 Upon easy inspection, however, it is plain as day that the "grass" is mostly weeds that horses don't eat and the edible parts of the paddock or pasture were eaten to a nub (see photo above). Don't forget, horses on their ow...