Joe and Beet Pulp

I think I have Joe convinced he can and should eat beet pulp. He never turns his nose up to grain (unlike Jim). So I thought I would give it a try (it's how I got Sam to eat beet pulp too!)

I soaked a cup of beet pulp, mixed in some joint supplement, and threw in the soaked senior. I plopped the dish down and went to get Joe. I had Thor haltered and tied so he wouldn't eat Joe's grain. Joe took one bite and walked over to Thor. Joe gave me a dirty look! I'd messed with his yummy tasking soaked senior mash! I think he was a bit ticked.

But he must have thought better and went back and polished the entire meal. I'm pretty proud of him. I really think he likes his grain and even if it tastes a little off, it's better than nothing (which is what happened the night before). So I think I'll be able to help Joe pack on the pounds now (teeth floated, 24x7 access to pasture, and soaked senior/beet pulp mash).

From the one side he looks pretty good. But from his right side, he looks terrible. That hip of his looks awful. I am going to have to prepare myself that he could only be around for this summer. I'm not sure if he'll be able to handle a winter.

But I'll put him on the joint supplement I have Queen on. I had Jim on it too but he doesn't seem to need it. I havent' ridden Jim so I don't think his joints are bad any more. They haven't gotten any wear and tear since I brought him home in December.

We'll see how Joe progresses. I'm also considering pulling him out of his current pasture and putting him on the lawn so that he doesn't have to walk around on the hills. We'll see if I get that far. I really hope the joint supplement will help. But I do think there is something serious going on. Unfortunately it's going to have to wait. I got the bill for the teeth floats. Yooouhza.

I really do need to become a non-profit and figure out how to get bills like that paid for. Now that Thor and Joe have been here more than a week, I think they are used to me enough that I can get some decent pictures of them. Maybe I'll try for that tomorrow! I'm also thinking of hauling a couple horses to Madison so I can ride around in the pastures and fields. I'm really itching to ride. It's been WAY too long!