I’ve had a bunch of people send me messages about Moody to ask how he’s doing or point out that he’s cribbing in that video of him drinking water, so I just wanted to make a post to let people know how he’s going: his gore wound is looking fantastic, and he hasn’t cribbed since that video was posted as we’ve since introduced him to toys and a slow feed hay net, and he gets to come out with the other boys during the day.
He has a few other medical problems that weren’t anticipated, however, and we’re working with a vet to combat them. Once he’s in the clear he’ll be out 24/7, no longer confined to a pen at night. Right now that’s just for his safety.
His previous owners surrendered him as he was gored by their bull and they either didn’t want to or couldn’t afford to get a vet out to see him, but that’s just the tip of the iceberg: he was kept in an extremely small paddock with no grass and had no access to fresh water so he was drinking septic run-off, there was barbed wire everywhere and he has several leg cuts that weren’t healing correctly, he’s been known to choke in the past (we had an endoscope done and there was no blockage, and he had his teeth done yesterday, so we have to look into that further), his heartbeat is slightly off, he had conjunctivitis in one eye, and he breathes super oddly. He’s had the full spectrum of blood tests, poo tests, and urine tests (we’ll get the urine results on Monday), and we’ve had him vaccinated. So far he’s improving and our vet is hopeful that he’ll keep getting better.
He’s my third rescue horse and each horse presents new challenges and problems, but I like to think I have a good handle on things as I learn from my past mistakes, and we have a super reliable vet to help us out along the way. I posted that video of him cribbing as a kind of fun video I thought people would find amusing, but I also showed it to my vet to prove he was cribbing. I guarantee that any silly videos I post online are actually taken seriously IRL and I do all I can to keep my boys healthy and happy.
I’m not an equestrian, but I have worked and lived with horses my entire life, and I’m fairly certain Moody is doing well. If his cribbing had continued we would’ve been concerned and taken further measures, but it was just a lack of stimulation which we’ve since combated. He’s a mischievous and intelligent horse who is finally in a place where he can get the attention he deserves.
So thank you Tumblr and Horseblr for caring so much - I genuinely am glad to see so many people enjoy the video and also show concern for him. But rest assured, he’s a happy, friendly guy who may be quirky as heck, but we’re here for him all the way.
