Okay, I’ve been following your posts for a while, but never commented. Wanted to finally say I’ve been really loving getting to see your journey with Sandy. I feel like I’m seeing her grow into herself under your care and it’s honestly very sweet. Brightens my day whenever I see a post of yours!
this post was submitted on 12 Jul 2025
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I just wanted to use a weight tape on her to see what her approximate weight is and she just kept avoiding me and tried to get me to chase her until she realized it was way too hot for that shit.
She isn't grossly underweight for a horse of her age and breed, but she isn't where I want her to be. The brutal heat and humidity this summer has been rough on her, and I think she lost weight in the past month based on look and feel alone, but I'm confident I can get her looking better again. I'm gonna be getting her a salt lick because I suspect she's low on electrolytes from the heat.
Omg thank you! That means so much! She's definitely come a very long way!
Sandy is beautiful.
Thank you!
Awww those are "play with me!" ears!
Oh yes!
There was a nice shady spot in the pasture that pic was taken in. I usually put her in that pasture if it's open because it is the only one with shade. Her stall in the barn is also out of direct sunlight in the heat of the day. She wasn't outside for more than 15 minutes while I was there today, however. We both got way too hot for it. We did her stretching and grooming in the barn by the big box fan that was set up lol.
Sounds like a great set up. Thanks for answering and doing right by your horse. I should have known from her being so willing to horse around with you in the heat.
No problem! The barn and pastures could definitely be better, but they're good enough for the old girl's needs. She's actually not my horse, but her owner and ai have this deal going on where she pays board, and I make sure everything else is taken care of and do all the interacting with Sandy. Sandy's owner hasn't been out more than a few times in the past few years because of a lot of health and personal reasons. I started volunteering at the barn and then someone got me into contact with her when I expressed a desire to interact with Sandy. It's been good for all parties involved. :)
That's sweet, Im glad Sandy has someone watching out for her.
I love seeing updates on Sandy.
She needs a lick, you are right. Does she have any shade? A temporary shade spot can be a life saver for a pasture animal in the heat.
Sandy is beautiful, love her coat color.
...sandy, living her best life...thank you so much for this...
Horses are such pretty animals! Love seeing them in action!
Me too! They're by far my fave animal!
So pretty!
Does she get zoomies?
She gets zoomies every so often. She's really old, though. Most of the time when I put her in an outdoor pen, it's to do her exercises before she can graze and she usually tries to get me to chase her around a little as a form of play. She usually doesn't go any faster than a trot, though.
I gave her a bath a while back and she had crazy zoomies afterwards. She cantered around for a few minutes and had an absolutely great time lol.
I didn't expect her to wanna play chase today because it was so hot and humid, but I think she could tell that I had something I wanted to do and decided to impede my task for her own amusement lol. She can be very mischievous.
she sounds so sweet!
She is! She wasn't always sweet, though. When I started working with her about a year ago, she had no idea how to be loved or interact with people appropriately. She had just been standing in her stall with minimal human contact. She was so nervous of people and other horses and objects she had forgotten existed, like brushes. Now she loves when strangers visit her stall and say hi, and she gets excited when I show her my grooming bag.
She can still be a total bitch at times, however. Her breed is known for their attitude and she certainly has it. She seems to save her attitude for just me, which I'm thankful for because I know how to handle her if she decides to be unruly lol.
I am assuming you're in the USA, go grab a 50lb block of sulfur/salt (it's the yellow one) and some free choice minerals from the coop if you have one nearby. If not TSC works as well it'll be more expensive though.
If you're not in the USA, dunno where you can get those things, but they'll help her keep water in.
I am gonna get her a salt block and some electrolyte mineral stuff tomorrow when I pick up her weight supplement. My local TSC is the only place that carries her weight supplement reliably, so I have to ship there anyway lol
Grab her a UV rated flymask as well. Because she is gray, she has a greater risk of skin melonomas. Also sun screen on her nose, but the UV fly mask will help a ton.
https://ceh.vetmed.ucdavis.edu/health-topics/melanoma-horses
I'll definitely get sunscreen on her nose. She will probably have to be warmed up to a fly mask over time before she'll wear one for the duration of outside time. She's really picky about things touching her face.
If she is used to the halter she should be fine with a fly mask. TSC carries them but I'd just go online and buy one from Kensington. That's what my wife had for our herd. They make special ones with higher UV rating than in store brands.
These are what she has for our grey horses.
Oh neat! Thank you!
For a second I thought the horse was talking and the camera person was Sandy.
Lmao