Kathleen's Rescue and Rehab

05/30/2023

This sweet pony had been pulled from the Sugarcreek auction several years back and rehomed with a wonderful family. Long story short, she ended up breaking her leg and was not sound to ride and could only be pastured on flat land. The owners completely rehabbed her and then made a tough decision to rehome her, only to find herself back at another auction AND bred 😕. I’m glad they are posting her as not riding sound, however, I wish they wouldn’t have posted pictures of her riding as well as not labeling the full back story. Poor thing. Hopefully she ends up in good hands! We closed our doors some time ago with the rise in costs, but we always strive to stay in touch with the horses we’ve rescued and rehabbed here ❤️

06/15/2022

Do you feel like your pumping an endless amount of hay and / or grain, supplements and oil into your horses diet and they still don’t look the way you want them too?

Maybe a dull coat or a poor top line?

The general rule of thumb for most horses is that they are to consume 1.5-2% of their body weight per day. That means an average 1000 pound horse should consume around 20 pounds a day between grain, hay, and/or grass.

On another note, keep in mind that some horses may require the extra calories so adding additional oils or fat supplements may be necessary.

Regardless, making sure to feed the proper grain for said horse(s) and to follow the bags feeding instructions is very important.
For example, if you decide to feed less than what your bag of “complete feed” recommends,.. this could almost be a useless feed for your horse unless it’s being used along with something such as a ration balancer.

Why would your grain be useless if not fed according to the bags recommendation?

All grain is fortified with a certain amount of vitamins, minerals, protein, fat, etc. With that said, if you underfeed the amount the bag recommends, the grain you are giving to your horse(s) isn’t giving them the proper amount(s) of what they need in their diet.

So is grain the right choice?

Some horses need the extra calories or maybe they just need the extra daily pounds they could be lacking between grass and hay consumption. In this case, yes, a complete feed may very well be necessary. However, FOLLOW THE BAGS FEEDING INSTRUCTIONS.

Do you have an easy keeper who just lives on hay?

That is great news! But your horse(s) still need vitamins and minerals they may not be getting from their hay. Look into a ration balancer. Most feed companies have their own form of a ration balancer. Again, follow the bags feeding instructions.

Older horse who can’t chew hay well?

Complete senior feeds are great! But again, most are meant for horses who don’t consume much hay. Therefore, the bag generally recommends a higher amount (lbs) to be given in order to meet their daily nutritional needs.

I personally recommend adding soaked alfalfa or Timothy cubes to my older horses diet as he can’t chew hay very well. This also helps horses who need the extra calories or just to add to their recommended (2% body weight) daily intake.

All aside, the best thing you can do for your horse is to check your hay quality and QUANTITY. Your hay may look, feel, and smell great but it may not be easily digestible resulting in your horse(s) not getting what they need out of it.

Hay quantity is also very important - between grain, hay, and grass your horse(s) should be getting 1.5-2% of their body weight per day.

So what should you do?
Get a hay analysis done! This is very simple to do AND cheap! Yes, I said it, CHEAP!

Also, weigh out your grain and hay! Don’t forget to factor in grass consumption as well.

What’s next? Talk to an expert. Talking with a Nutritionist can be the best thing for you and your horse(s).

Whether you are just getting started or have an already established feeding program, all of us fellow equestrians or farm owners can benefit from educating ourselves by a professional.

Here at Rolling Acres, we work closely with a Nutritionist to make sure each individual horse is getting exactly what they need.

- Rolling Acres Ranch LLC
Mantua, OH

04/02/2022

Let them be horses.

Turn them out, let them run.
Let them buck, let them leap, rather in the field than the arena, right?

Give them a herd, even a herd of two.
Let them be with other horses, what’s a life without friends?

Give them downtime, not just days off riding, but days to enjoy life.
Happy horses are trainable horses.

Take the rug off, let them feel the sun.
Let them roll in the mud, a little dirt never hurt anyone.

Escape the arena and explore, don’t stick to the well worn path.
The most beautiful places are usually found by accident.

Showing them how much you love them doesn’t have to come from buying expensive things.

You can buy every rug, all the boots, the best tack, wash them, groom them, feed them, put them in the best yard, with the best facilities and wrap them up in cotton wool, but one day you’ll realise the best thing you could possibly do...
.. is just let them be horses.

02/16/2022

Spirit is a 14 year older grade 15.1hh quarter mare.
I pulled her from a lot in Texas roughly two years ago. She is a fairly easy keeper, very neat in her stall, and low on the pecking order.

She is 100% sound with no maintenance, however, she has an enlarged knee from a previous unknown injury that limits the mobility in that leg (front). So with this, she can only be ridden at the walk and maybe a little trotting.

She LOVES to be brushed. She’s very quiet and sweet. Kids could easily handle, lead, ride her around the farm (lightly). She one hand neck reins, turns, stops, etc.

Her pasture buddy is currently a completely blind mare, however, shes been with pigs, goats, donkeys, and other mares/ geldings.

A good friend of mine had her as a pasture companion for their other horse but they now plan to put their home up for sale.

With that being said, Spirit is looking for a new home.

If you are looking for an easy going mare for the family to love and brush on and maybe plot around on in the field, Spirit is your girl.

Located in Louisville, OH

01/13/2022

I seriously can’t get enough of these two 💙

Rio was a rescue a few years ago that we got off of a killbuyer through Before the End Of The Line.

We had him a few months, put some weight and miles on him, and then he found his forever home with this little girl.

I mean, LOOK at this PERFECT duo. Aren’t they the cutest?

I personally love the Arabian breed and have a 27 year old retired Arab. They are just so kind, sweet, and versatile and it looks like Rio is proving all of these things to be true of this beloved breed.

01/07/2022

How cold is too cold to ride?

Let’s start with your horse’s respiratory tract. The horse’s respiratory tract is designed to warm and humidify air by the time air reaches the lungs. Intense exercise (anything more than a walk) speeds up and deepens breaths so that air is not as warm or humid when it reaches the lungs which can cause damage to the lower respiratory tracts. It has been discovered in multiple studies that respiratory tracts in horses can become damaged by breathing cold air starting around 23 degrees Fahrenheit, damage to lower respiratory tracts was found 48 hours after exercise, including elevated white blood cell counts and inflammatory proteins as well as narrowing of the tracts.

Moving on to your horse’s cardiovascular system (heart). The cardiovascular system react to cold by increasing the blood pressure and heart rate. It also reduces the amount of blood that flows closest to the skin in order to preserve core body temperature. The reduced blood flow to the skin can lead to frostbite. This lack of blood leads to the eventual freezing and death of skin tissue in the affected areas. Again, it is probably wise to reduce the intensity of your ride so that your horse’s heart does not have to work so hard.

And last but not least your horse’s muscles and joints. Muscles take longer to warm up in the cold weather and arthritic joints may ache and need more time to loosen up. During exercise in the cold, your horse’s muscles require more energy at a faster rate in order for them to function as they would under less extreme conditions. The cold temperature effects the temperature of your horse’s muscles greatly affecting the muscles’ ability to contract. This can leave muscles more vulnerable to fatigue and strains, as cold muscles are less elastic and don’t absorb shock or impact as well as warm muscles. Cold muscles are also less responsive to signals from the nervous system so movements are less coordinated.

So in conclusion it is best to avoid exercise (trotting, cantering and jumping) when temperatures are under 20 degrees F, stick with walking and make sure to properly cool your horse down.

01/06/2022

Oscar Mayer Weiner aka Oscar has settled in quite well.

I don’t think I made an initial post, but Oscar has been here several months.

I was at a local sale and came across Oscar as he was ridden into the sale arena. He was noticeably lame but still did everything the rider asked of him.

He was such a good boy even though he was lame, shaking, and scared. But the look in his eye… I couldn’t turn away.

He ended up being a no sale. I waited and watched other horses come through.

I couldn’t help but keep thinking about the big chestnut that was ridden through.

By the end of the sale, I walked into the sale barn, and there he was. Standing in a pen with his lead rope dangling to the ground. He had those pitiful scared eyes, but very gentle eyes.

I found the owner and made him an offer. Needless to say, he was on my trailer.

I knew he was going to be a bigger expense than he appeared. And after a vet visit and some X-rays, that confirmed it. A bigger expense. He will need maintenance for the rest of his life, however, he is still 100% rideable and comfortable now.

It took Oscar a long while to truly settle in. He was very nervous and on edge ALL the time.

But recently, I’ve noticed Oscar now lays down inside and outside. He runs around the pasture, plays halter tag with all the other horses. He even lets me catch him in the field (this was a huge challenge before).

Overall, Oscar has made a total 180 for the better. He’s finally figured out he’s in a safe place and won’t be dumped off at the next sale.

Don’t get me wrong, most sales anymore are good sales especially if you have a good horse. And the sale I was at doesn’t typically bring in kill buyers, however, this horse doesn’t belong there. And I know it will take a special person for him.

Until then, he’s happy and healthy and living his best life here with us 💙

And yes, he’s still that big, quirky, sensitive, “weiner” of a gelding. But we still love him anyway.

01/06/2022