Bo - One Year Later

It's hard to believe that we've had Bo for a year and almost a month now. I can't imagine the place without him, although he's definitely one that I worry about daily.

During late winter/early spring when the weather turned nice, I cut everyone's grain back. No sense in over feeding when the temps were so nice. Unfortunately, I can't cut Bo's grain ration...ever. I did start him on a different concoction to see if that helps better. I think it's helping but it takes months for him to pick up weight after he drops it. He has the ability to drop weight within a week so I have to keep a diligent eye on him at all times.

We didn't take him to the vet initially after rescue. I didn't think it wise to try and float his teeth immediately, especially because I didn't think he could even handle a trailer ride. I didn't figure he could handle much other than just time in front of food. Early summer we took him in to get his teeth floated but with how fast he dropped weight this late spring, I want to take him in again and have another thorough check to make sure we didn't miss any underlying symptoms like ulcers or a heart murmur.

I'm hoping Bo will pack on the pounds this summer once he's out on pasture and away from Ivan. Ivan has taken it upon himself to be Bo's tormentor at feeding time. I guess Ivan must think Bo has better hay piles and pushes Bo out. Don't worry. I leave lots of piles so when someone gets pushed out, they have three or four more piles to choose from and these piles are strategically placed so that they can get out of the way if someone more pushy Dude gets in and throws his weight around.

Sorry about the second picture. It's not the greatest but I wanted pics from both sides (just wish I wasn't in it). I need to start working with Bo more outside of the herd. He definitely gets his comfort from the herd and gets a little spooky when he's out. I'm hoping daily hand grazing will fix that. Now if I could only find the time to hand graze him every day, not exactly an easy feat when caring for 16 other horses, a husband, and working. At least the days are getting longer and we aren't coming in until way after dark these days. Thank goodness for daylight savings time.

I've never actually measured Bo. But if you look at the first picture, I'm 5ft3in. So that gives you an idea of how tall Bo is. He also doesn't have very good ground manners. Even in the barn, I have to keep a close eye on him. He doesn't understand the concept of where his head is versus where my head is. I swear I get hit in the head at least twice a week. But Bo gets so excited when it comes to grain time. I've had others get that excited too but he makes it pretty clear that I should feed him immediately instead of getting the grain out to Jim and Zeke first. But I have to feed those two first and Bo last because he makes such a mess. I have to leave the barn and let it be quiet while he eats, otherwise he takes a bite and then walks around or pushes his dish around, spilling have the grain on the floor and trots through it. Oh don't worry, he eats every last morsel but it's aggravating to watch him scatter his grain half way through the barn.

I'm hoping Bo will finish packing on the pounds soon so I can actually start showing him. I'll continue to give him time off until I think he's ready. He'll always be a hard keeper and will always need a close eye on him. It's hard to believe that he's only 11 and I'll have to keep a close eye on him from now on. I expect his past will catch up to him at some point when he gets older. I also think his normal metabolism will also cause him problems when he gets older too. But we'll play it by ear every day and do the best we can with what we have. Even though he causes me to worry every waking moment (and even in my sleep), he's worth it. I wouldn't trade him for anything.