The poor Obester. Last week, I'm sure she thought she hit the jack pot when the new guy started feeding. I'm not sure how many feedings she had gotten before I caught the mistake...but he was feeding her three times MORE grain than she's supposed to get. She only gets a little more than a handful, mostly to get her to eat her supplements and to have a few extra calories. She was getting nearly a quart from the new guy. Needless to say, her belly was upset for the whole week...and she chose to express it in "creative" ways. I'll let her explain...
So, I've heard that humans sometimes get these treats called sundaes. They're rich and tasty and huge...and they taste amazing at first. But, if you eat too much, you get a tummy ache. Well, I think I understand about sundaes now.
See, the new guy fed by himself a few times last week. When he first came to my stall to dump in my feed, I couldn't believe my eyes. Seriously, he dumped in a mountain of grain. I had to swallow REALLY hard to keep from gasping in amazement. I didn't want him to know that I wasn't supposed to get that much! Oh, man...it was so good! I ate and ate and ate some more...it was like the grain just kept coming! I could hardly taste the two powders Mom puts in my food (one is for my joints and one is called magnesium...I don't know what it does). I just KNEW I'd never get a meal like this again, so I took my time and enjoyed every bite!
I almost whinnied with delight when I saw the new guy feeding the next day. I couldn't WAIT to get my mountain of grain. I was dancing in place and shoving my nose out the feed access in the bars of my stall. He dumped the grain, and it was like a sundae all over again...man, it was so good!
Then, Mom came out to ride.
I don't know...once we started working and I started moving around, that sundae didn't agree with my stomach so much. I hate to admit this, but I was so gassy. Seriously, I'm a lady, and I know that ladies don't typically make those sorts of noises, but I just couldn't help it! Trotting and cantering just shook it out of me. Then came the cramps. Oh, boy, the cramps. I finally had had enough, and I needed to make Mom stop. So, as we were cantering along one long side of the arena (in this stupid move she calls "counter flexing"...it's hard), I bolted and bucked as hard as I could. I ALMOST got her off my back, but she managed to stay on...I'm not sure how. Anyway, after that, she was MAD. She made me keep working, but I was hurting so bad I didn't want to relax my belly and my back, so I held them tight the whole time. That was NOT a good ride.
Maybe sundaes aren't a good idea. But, man, are they good! *sigh* Mom eventually found out about the sundaes and she put a stop to it with a permanent marker. She marked a BIG LINE all the way around my feed bucket to show how much grain I get. It's a pitiful amount, really. Oh well...it's better, I guess. It took nearly a week for all the cramps and farts to go away.
So, that's Obe's story. Yes, she almost got me off with her massive bucking, and yes...I was angry. But, once I found out about the over feeding, I felt sorry for the poor girl. She's been back on her normal amounts for a week now, and last night she was much better for me. I'm hoping to take her off grain completely soon...just feed the Empower (rice bran) and alfalfa pellets for extra calcium and calories. If I do that, I will do all the measuring and have her meals pre-packaged for her. I don't want to risk having this kind of thing happen again. I've got too much to do this winter! We have shows to go to next year and Bronze Medal scores to get! ;)
No comments:
Post a Comment