GOT MY MINI!

[RU2U]

For all who supported/enabled my previous post "Thank YOU" I got my pony. She was a starved, blind in one eye, unable to catch, pretty much good for nothing kinda pony, but she is ours.

We have had her two days and she is adorable. She is slowly coming around to being more friendly. We discovered a pretty much natural attraction for carrots so that is helping. She is very skittish on her blind side, well reg. side, head, rump, pretty much everywhere you touch. When you get her halter on the side she naturally spins around and bolts as fast as she can. But she is ours! She is getting the idea of leading and hand grazing. Obviously we chose the "Through the belly training method". She is a fast learner, so I anticipate much progress!

We have named her Daisy! Its Daisy time here in Oh. She is a silver dapple with white mane and tail, has nice confirmation for a mini. She was starved (ribs and vert. showed), people who rehabbed her put weight on too quick/too much so she actually has a beer belly that jiggles when she walks!

If someone can post pictures, I'll take some this afternoon.

Her eye is completely missing, looks alittle red/white skin showing I am going to call the vet today about getting it stiched shut. While I don't mind the look, I worry about infection. If anyone has experience in this area I would be curious what you did with open eye vs. stitching it shut.

Thanks for all your support!

[TrueColours]

Oh she sounds adorable!!!

And of course we'd love to see pictures of her as well ... :)

[FalseImpression]

I am so glad and relieved you got her!!! Thank you... Last I had read, you could not get a hold of her owner... Can't wait to see pictures.

And thank you to your husband for being such a good sport. I am sure this little one will win his heart very quickly...

[equineartworks]

OH YAY!!!!!!! I am sooo happy for you!!!!

Email or pm Lori at Sunkissed Acres. She has been through the eye issues many times and I'm sure she would have some thoughts to share :)

[ljc]

Congratulations ... and hugs to you for rescuing the mare. Please feel free to PM me if you ever have any questions about minis.

I promise, you will be rewarded in many ways for giving Daisy a loving home. And don't forget - when she's feeling settled and comfortable, you can always sneak another mini into the herd!

[chai]

I'm so glad you decided to take her in! How kind of you. I hope you will post pictures soon. She is one lucky pony to have found you. :-)

[li'l bit]

You are a very special person for taking this mare in. I hope she gives you many warm moments in return. She is indeed a very lucky little lady to have crossed paths with you.

[RU2U]

Good news. Vet came out today her eye does not need to be sewn shut. In fact a wee bit of the eye is still there and she can see shadows. The eye is very atrophied. The eye blinks. This is why she is so skittish on that side. She sees a shadow, just can't tell what it is. This morning she actually came up for her handful of grain. While eating hay I practiced moving close/walking away and she did very well. She knows we are not going to hurt her. I can't help but wonder if she has been hit though as yuo tap on her side or pat her rump and she acts like she was beat. Petting she is better for. Its amazing though at how she is making such great progress.

[susanne]

I am so happy to read this! Congratulations and thank you for taking her in...I can't wait to hear how she thrives in your care!

As for the belly...many, many minis exhibit the "pear" shape of large belly and exposed backbone. Some people think they're fat, but it's actually a matter of not enough of the right nutrition. I've found beet pulp works wonders for filling out the toplines without the belly. Mine get orchard grass, beet pulp, LMF feed (just a small amount for the pasture pets, more for my driving gelding), black-oil sunflower seeds, and limited hand-grazing. All have good toplines and trim bellies.

Just a couple of mini-specific things that not all vets are aware of:

worming (Quest is very risky for minis, unless you have an exact weight and dose precisely -- weight tapes are not accurate for them),

Bute (be very cautious of even allowing your vet to use it, as minis are extremely sensitive to it and Bute toxicity can kill them).

Be sure to check out L'il Beginnings forum for lots of good mini info.

But most important, have fun and enjoy her!

[SLW]

Yeah!!!! :)