I noticed he had lost more weight than usual in January and that, on top of Chesney's soft and sore feet, made me decide it was a good plan! The weather is usually horrible and I never feel very inspired to ride at this time of year anyway.
I slowly added to his feed, he now has almost half a scoop of the HiFi Senior with his Healthy Hooves. He will be 16 years old in May so I may change him on to this totally. I also started giving him soaked sugarbeet. Chesney usually has this in the winter but the sugars have made Basil a bit too fizzy in the past, however, giving him February off meant I didn't need to worry about that.
He is also having some oil added to his feed BUT he is not keen and tends to push his food around the bowl. Basil has always been a bit fussy as he won't eat food with Bute added (although he does eat it with Ventipulmin). This means that really I can't give him enough oil to make a big enough difference :(
I have not noticed an increase in his weight - I have been weigh taping him every week - but he has not lost any more weight, so that is good.
Tommy has spent more time galloping around in the field this month. As usual I have no idea why, he seems to just do a few laps for fun. A few days ago I arrived to find him up by the gate - stuck between the gate and electric fence - he was not supposed to be there. The fence was all still up so he must have jumped. He had also managed to rip his rug quite well, even by Basil's standards!
As I said at the beginning of today's blog, Chesney's feet were quite soft and the soles a bit sore at the start of February. With a few weeks off from running up and down when I ride Basil and having the special foot dressing on them every day he has improved. He has also been getting extra painkillers/anti-inflammatory drugs for his arthritis as he struggles more when it is really muddy.
I am planning to start riding again this weekend - perhaps a lunge first though! Thank goodness I can now see a few signs of Spring around and the mornings are getting lighter - HAPPY DAYS!
Have you seen yesterday's video 'Nearly Spring' on my You Tube channel?
Horse Life and Love. Please check it out and SUBSCRIBE.
You can also follow me on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter for updates on Chesney, Basil, Tommy and Daisy.
Until next time!
Jo
No comments:
Post a Comment