It has been awhile since I posted last. I have been so busy. Zeus is doing well. The areas on his shoulder and face he rubbed out due to allergies have really filled back in well. I have also been putting iodine on the shaved area of his tail and mane and it has really helped. I don't think he is rubbing anymore. I haven't seen any new rubs and I haven't seen him rubbing on poles and posts. He does look better but is still underweight. I really think he needs his teeth done. He slobbers terribly while eating and I am quite certain he has probably never seen a dentist. Horses naturally have very sharp teeth. They are covered in sharp points that will literally make holes in the their mouths over time. It isn't harmful and very natural. All wild horses have been found to have the exact same findings. There is an old wives tail that horses will eat rocks and dirt to wear their teeth down. This is silly and very untrue. There is no need to wear down their teeth any sooner than eating grasses and old age will accomplish. However, in the domestic horse world, there are two factors that create problems with the natural wear of teeth. One, tack such as bridles, halters and bits. These can put pressure on the sharp points of the teeth and create sores that wouldn't be there otherwise and just create overall tenderness. Second is the wide use of hay. Hay is a LOT easier to chew than diets found in the wild so domestic horse teeth do not wear down as well and the points are much more drastic. If irregular teeth wear is an issue for an individual horse, it could make eating hay very difficult causing the animal to eat much less efficiently which most often causes weight loss, due to the fact that less calories are consumed and the hay bites that are consumed are sometimes so large from lack of proper chewing that they just pass right through the animal without being used by the body. It is recommended, though most people do not follow through, to have your horses teeth "floated" once every six months until the age of 5 and then once a year there after. Vets can do this but I prefer an Equine Dentist who is more well learned in this area. I have my dentist come out once a year to do Major. He is due in the next month or so to have his teeth done which means that Zeus will as well. Hopefully afterward he will put on weight at a steadier pace and keep it on. It is so important to keep an eye on their teeth. A lot of people do not realize a good portion of "training issues" or "badly behaved" horses are actually reacting to problems in the mouth. I have seen this first hand and personally how a horrible behavior such as rearing or bucking can melt away in a single day once the teeth have been seen by a knowledgeable dentist. Also, if an improper wear of a tooth is not taken care of it can cause lifelong problems for the horse that can not be fixed if left unchecked too long. I have also ordered and received some herbs; some for allergies, immunity and others things. Hopefully they will start to help. Major will eat his just fine in a nicely made mash...Zeus won't so I have to find some other creative way to get him to take his "meds". Most likely will end up being a large syringe and a wash over the tongue and straight down the throat. ;) We also purchased a very special salt lick for the boys. Salt is important for any living creature and horses are no different. Some processed salt licks contain additives like molasses and sugars which I do not want my horses to have. Others are just bleached, white salt and again, I don't want my horses to have that either. James and I found a product called a "Trophy Rock" which is an actual, all natural chunk of mineral rock mined from the mountains here in Utah. It is a product used by hunters to attract deer and used before the season to give the deer an extra boost in minerals resulting in larger antlers. It is all natural and just a big chunk of salty minerals. Looks just like a big rock, not a processed square block. Not only does it provide the salts they need but lots of trace minerals as well. It in my opinion is the best you can do since this is the exact thing they would look for themselves in the wild. They love it. I can attest to its saltiness, James and I both gave it a lick before putting it into the horses pen. :) We are working on some feeders that will help the horses eat all day long. This keeps them from developing ulcers and spikes in blood sugars due to long periods of fasting and also gives them something to do throughout the day. Yesterday I asked James if he would like to hop up on Zeus in the round pen so we could just get an idea of where his mind is. He said he was game. I threw my bitless bridle on him which he seemed completely cool with and James climbed up the side of the round pen and lightly seated himself aboard. Zeus wasn't pleased and did a small rodeo around the round pen. I was scared to say the least, I thought I may have just killed my hubby. James literally slid off like an elf and collected Zeus at the head, calmly as ever walked him back to the side of the round pen and got back on just as calmly and gently as before. The only thing he asked for was Zeus to stand quietly and relax...which he did so James got off, gave him a love and that was his lesson for the day. Zeus is broke to ride but I am guessing this was the first time anyone has climbed on him bareback. It is a much closer contact than a rider in a saddle and some horses are very unsure of the sensation at first. I think it won't be long before he is fine with it and I was so proud of both my boys. Zeus for understanding quickly we meant no harm and James for keeping his patience and loving Zeus through the exercise as opposed to getting impatient and angry which would NOT have helped. Plus he is really cute and awesome when he does acrobatics off of bucking horses. ;) Well, I think that is about it for now. LONG post I know, I guess that is what I get for putting it off for so long. Photos are a week after original ones we took and there is a before and after shown of his bald area on his right shoulder. The shoulder shot where you can see his head is the before. Open the photo on its own and you can see how it is just clean, black skin. The after shot (photo where you can only see the shoulder) it is dirty from him rolling but you can see how it looks more "flat" and dull in coloration. This is the new fuzz coming in over the skin. You can see how well it has filled in. I have also included one of Major from 2008 when his dentist came for a visit. They have to be given a mild sedative (hence his funny stance) and the contraption on his head opens his mouth wide so the dentist can get in there and do what she needs too. :) The horses actually like it and will move their heads to the places they want points removed from even though they are drowsy. My dentist told me it has never failed that when they start wriggling around and placing the file to where they want, she will find a large sharp point they are asking to be removed. :) Who says horses have no brains?
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