Two Thoughts

I've had two thoughts running through my head for the past couple of days.

The first is that I don't know if Flower is going to make it. I've changed her feeding program so that she gets grain mash twice a day (and so does Queen but she's not in as rough a shape). I also plunked a round bale in the pasture last night. I don't know if there is any decent grass left in that pasture so I figure I'll see if they go after the round bale. They didn't touch it last night but this morning all three mares were hoverng around it. I think maybe they were using the bale as a pillow rather than as dinner. We've had Flower for a month and I've seen no weight gain. I'll keep plugging along at trying to increase her weight but that terrible thought is now in the back of my mind.

The second is Savanna. I simply don't know what to do with her. My last option is a cribbing muzzle. I will order one tonight. I have to electric fence any piece of wood I don't want her to crib on but there's only so much I can fence off. She'll even crib a corner of a building if she wants. She should be in a pasture that's all electric. Ideal but not feasible. If she cribs through the muzzle or breaks it, I'm not sure what my options are. Who wants a grade five year old broodmare that has no riding education that cribs like it's going out of style? I now totally understand why Savanna was at the auction. She cribbed right through 30 year old gear oil, although I didn't paint it on thick but it was slathered on. I think she licked that nasty stuff off. If I could find some peppermint spray and coat the fence with that I might be able to keep a rail or two. It wouldn't be so bad but I have "monkey see, monkey do" horses. Rain and Maverick are watching her and they are now starting to pick up on that bad habit. Luckily Rain is at the neighbors and away from the bad influence. Maverick is a closet cribber anyway but he's out in the pasture away from Savanna. I need to keep Savanna far, far away from those two otherwise I'll be fighting a losing battle. I'm at whits ends and almost in tears. I hate to even say it, but Savanna needs to find a new home. Once Prize is weaned, I'll be heavily promoting Savanna. The problem is I'm up front with all her bad habits and who wants a bad cribber. But she is a good horse. In my irritation I tightened her cribbing collar and she simply stood there while I tugged on everything. Maybe if she had a special someone to love on her, dote on her, and treat her like the princess she is buried way down deep maybe then she'd slow down on the cribbing. But as it stands, the cribbing seems to be getting worse, not better.

Maybe I'm obtuse and shouldn't admit it but is heaves hereditary? We put that round bale out for Flower and Queen but Mayhem is in with the old mares. I have to tie Mayhem up while the old girls eat their morning and evening grain mash meals. While Mayhem is tied, she coughs. Not exactly sure what that's all about. But Mayhem's momma, Rabbit, has heaves. She's ok now while out in pasture and off grain. But with the round bale in front of Mayhem's nose all the time, I'm not sure if that's the cause for the coughing or if I just need to move the mares off the road pasture. It's yet another thought to ponder.