Update on Ranger

Update on Ranger

As Ranger approaches his thirtieth birthday, (we think), we are happy to report he is doing very well for his age.  Of course, he is retired, but he is as happy in his retirement as I am.  He goes on his walks with us every day.  You should see how excited he gets--or I should say; hear how excited he gets.  It could be because he gets a treat when we put his halter on, but he is still excited.

He still walks at a good speed, and when I feel ambitious, I will jog next to him so he could trot.

His appetite, which was a big problem over the summer, has rebounded.  He eats everything he can, with the exception of any hay that it too fine or too rough.  He has the teeth of a thirty-year-old, after all.  He polishes up his grain and wolfs down his hay cubes.  He has been fussy about eating in the past recent summers, and we were very pleased when his appetite came back; just as it had in the past.

Now that he is eating well, we are sure he is getting his Cushings medicine.  The results?  He has the best winter coat this year.  He probably was having issues with his hormones all along, though up until this spring, he shedded out like a normal horse.  Last year's coat was thick and rough.  This year, he has a thick coat--he always got one--but it is smooth and shimmery--and not as thick as it has been.  Shedding him out in the spring will not be quite the task that it was in the past.

Another thing we have noticed since he has been on his medication is that he doesn't seem to get as stressed as he was.  He still gets upset if Starry leaves him, but if he is just over in the spare stall for stall cleaning or loose in the indoor arena, he is dealing with it.  When Starry goes in the park, we give him a babysitter.  It is Dante unless Dante is going in the park, too.  Then we get Freckles--the other old guy in the barn.  They seem to be forming a friendship of sorts.  Ranger really loves to bully other horses, and I think that Freckles was put off by him in the beginning.  Now, he tends to play along with him.

And yes, Ranger is as cantankerous as ever--trying to bite at whatever horse he can reach, demanding his door be opened and insisting on being fed promptly.  He has always been the boss of the barn, and he reminds us every day.