Mazie's Wild Horse Diet

MAZIE
Mazie, a two year old mini mare, came to us on August 4, 2023 from my dear friend and fellow horse lover, Pam.
Pam has not only been a friend but a long time customer (12 years or so?) and introduced minis to me, which I have wholeheartedly fell in love with - especially since I no longer am able to ride. Mazie was sold to Pam as a weanling, and unbeknownst to both Pam and the breeder, was found by Pam to be completely deaf! Pam was having difficulties with Mazie and reached out to me for help. I suggested to her to bring Mazie to us so I could work with her and in the end, we asked that Mazie join our very “special” herd.

MAZIE’S ISSUES:

Deafness

Back issues

Hormonal issues

Weight issues

Princess attitude

Deafness: This obviously was a birth issue, and cannot be healed but as I have not had a fully deaf horse before, it’s been a challenge to learn “horse sign language” so that we can communicate with her. Pam had already started her in this direction so we’ve used some of those hand signals but also had to come up with a few more. We still talk to her and you can tell there are times she “feels the intention” but mostly its just habit. She has become very bonded to our laminitic mini mare, Nina, and treats her very much like a big sister. Nina keeps an eye out for her but at the same time, doesn’t let her get away with anything!

Back Issues: Mazie came with what is known as a “table” or “plank” back, which means it was very flat and had no motion to it. This can come primarily from high levels of stress, digestive issues, hormonal issues or injury but is usually a combination of reasons for this issue. In Mazie’s case it was a combination of all these issues. Mazie is naturally a “self stressing” horse. She is young, a mare, and very highly emotional. Her housing situation before she came to us was being close to a gelding she didn’t get along with, a diet that wasn’t quite what this high stress filly needed, and unfortunately Pam was in a barn/life situation that did not lend to meeting Mazie’s needs (which is how she ended up in her care). Pam is a fabulous horse owner, but we all hit those rough spots in life, and it didn’t lend itself to the right situation for Mazie. The diet aspect was easy enough, tweaking the hay, adding additional herbs to address hormonal issues (Pam was already giving digestive herbs), pain and calming herbs. These all came by testing her with our Herbal Sampling Kit and I also increased nutritional content as she is what I like to call a “mineral hog” so what normally would work for the average horse, was not working for Mazie. I also called in Laura Herman, my massage therapist, and Gene Crampton, our chiropractor. One session with Gene and 3 or 4 sessions with Laura, a whole lot of turnout time in a big pasture and Mazie’s back is how it should be with a nice curve, softness, and flexibility.

Hormonal Issues: With all of the fertilizers and additives in today's feeds, it is very easy for hormonal levels to be out of whack! Add stress and a “teenage” mare and you have a very over the top mare attitude! Fortunately, we were heading into fall when Mazie arrived so we have her hormonally back in balance for spring which means we don’t have her screaming for the boys and obsessed with staring at them all day long! Though she was on her own blend of herbs, I did top that with a half dose of Too Much Mare to help boost in that department.

Weight Issues: Mazie was getting pudgy on air, mostly due to the out of balance hormones and stress levels due to her previous environment. She also went from being in a small environment to a big open environment, which has been very helpful since she is a very high energy young horse. She also now has a playmate closer to her age, Kaia, who is about to hit her first birthday (On May 1st,2024) As of today (March 25th, 2024) Mazie’s weight is looking really good, though since we are just coming out of winter, she could still use a bit more exercise to balance out her muscles.

Princess Attitude: I added this section because the difference in Mazie’s attitude from when she arrived until now is very different! Mazie went from her momma, to sharing a divided stall with a somewhat grumpy gelding, to living in a herd of mares. Those mares are Sandlee (the grandma and sweetest personality in the herd), Nina (who “mothers” her, and disciplines her when she gets too aggressive with Sandelee), Taffy (Kaia’s mom, who tears after Mazie when she gets too aggressive with Kaia…or breathes wrong) and Kaia (baby “sister” who wants to play but still needs a bit of protection). Mazie had no understanding of “herd dynamics” and thought she was in charge of everyone and could act however she wanted and not be corrected. She learned wrong. Taffy every day reminds Mazie that she is NOT in charge and had better mind her manners! I often see Mazie try to boss around Sandelee and Nina gets in between Mazie and Sandelee and isn’t opposed to giving Mazie a bite if she won’t listen and leave Sandelee alone. I think Kaia and Mazie will soon be great friends… when Kaia gets a bit older.

LAST THOUGHTS

In the almost 20 years that I have owned horses, Mazie is my first completely deaf horse and it’s been a learning curve to adjust to her handicap. Fortunately, though she is a high energy horse, she doesn’t generally tend to be a spooky one. That in itself could cause a lot of issues. She is also very used to being loved on, and handled by people, something I can only accredit to Pam and her handling of Mazie. She also was starting her into training for the show ring, which means her basic training was attended to. Though I have no intentions of showing her (that might change in the future, just for kicks and giggles) it's wonderful that she is so easy to handle, tie up, trim with clippers and all those little details important for basic handling of a horse. Now I just need to do all those things with Kaia… I guess I’ll give Pam a call for a bit of help! =D

 

MAZIE’S DIET FROM AUGUST 2023 TO MARCH 2024

Endless Low Sugar grass hay in a slow feed hay bag plus a few hours of late afternoon graze time most days.

In the Bucket (twice a day, approximate amounts as she shares her bucket with Nina)