What About Pig?

We can't forget this pretty boy!

A ton of people have asked me about Pig after I announced Bast's move. While Pig did stay at the old farm, he did have some important changes to his every day routine.

See, Pig has been on field board since I moved him here last November. At this farm, field board is very basic. It does not include feed or blanket changes (except in emergency or drastic weather changes). There is also no shelter in the fields, only a tree line and hills.

Pictured, the sheltering tree line.

When I moved Pig here, this wasn't a big deal. He had been on field board for the last 8 years, and has always been tough as nails. He eschews shelter and hates blankets. He almost never was cold and drinks very well. He was also a pasture puff, fat on the glorious grass pastures of the Maryland area.

Then this year happened.

No longer an easy keeping pasture fluff.

First he came down with a tick borne fever last winter. While that resolved easily, I've begun to wonder if it messed with his internal thermometer. Like most chestnuts I've known, Pig has always had a body temperature similar to that of the blazing sun. He would never, ever, get cold. But this year, I have found him multiple times standing in the field shivering in a warm rain. Each time it's taken whole meals of hay/hay pellets to warm him up, as well as fleece coolers and rub downs. When Pig is cold he's a giant asshole, too. So the whole process of warming him up is obviously extremely pleasant ... not.

The amount of rain we've had this year has made this occurrence way too common for my liking.

Also, Pig started losing weight and experiencing issues relating to nutritional deficiencies this spring and summer. I ended up needing to drive out the barn every day to feed him an increased diet of grain, beet pulp, alfalfa, and ration balancer to keep his health good. The pasture quality is not great, fine for the draft crosses and heavier breeds he shares with, but really detrimental for him.

I had his teeth done and blood drawn looking for reasons his coat, hoof, and general condition were failing. All tests came back normal, indicating only that he needed more fiber and calories in his diet.

So much time this year has been spent watching this old man slowly finish his grain. Slowly. So slowly. He is the slowest.

All year I flirted with the idea of moving him somewhere with better pasture. Still, my finances weren't there and his location close to home and with Bast made visiting him regularly work out fine. I knew with the advent of winter round bales he wouldn't rely on my feedings any longer.

All this to say, he did quite well through the late summer and autumn, gaining back much of his lost weight and characteristic bright coat.

Once my move with Bast came together, I started thinking about Pig. Was now the time to move him? Instead I decided to try to keep his stress levels as low as possible for the winter, and possibly save myself some stress as well. 

Dusty, big bellied, lacking all topline, but not doing too bad. Also, notice how clean he is? I haven't touched him with a grooming implement in months. He just naturally abhors mud and stays clean. I wish he would teach that skill to Bast.

I asked the barn manager about moving Pig into Bast's vacated stall for the winter. This way he would get fed regularly as much as I needed, without me always needing to come and do it. With my schedule picking up, this is a huge time saver for me.

The same day Bast moved to the fancy barn, Pig moved into the stall.

"I iz inside. Plz send help."

So far he seems to be adjusting pretty well. The fact that it was pouring down chilly rain on the night he moved in probably helped him stay happy in there. I figure his stall will be a horrible pit for at least the first month. He has always been a big drinker and continues to believe in peeing non-stop in his stall. I don't miss cleaning up his messes at shows.

Bast and I miss spying on the old man during rides.

I'm hoping to get him back to field board over the summer, but am still unsure where I will put him. I worry that too much time standing in a stall will negatively affect his, already failing, soundness. For now, Pig is a stalled horse again. Meanwhile I am paying out the nose for my boys to live in luxury, and trying to enjoy my newfound ability to stay home and clean my house every once in awhile.

Love you, old man.

Anyone else make decisions for your horses that might cost more but are overall less stressful for all involved?