After losing my pony a few years ago I acquired ‘Dollie’, an Anglo Arab filly. At first she didn’t trust people and was very scatty but with in 6 months she became almost bomb proof in the paddocks and you could do anything with her.
In fact, a learner was practicing on her, picking out her feet. She had been saddled and bridled, and she was so good everyone was amazed. ‘Dollie’ was a pleasure to have around right up until we moved her to more permanent grazing. Something sent her CRAZY! It was like someone had put a different horse in my paddock but painted it the same colour.
I couldn’t get anywhere near her without her BOLTING for the fences! Or running and hiding behind the tree. She was near dangerous to be around, (even on the other side of the electric fence). Any noise would set her off, even the sound of our gumboots walking towards her would send her galloping straight towards the fences. This all happened within one week of grazing on the clover. My first thought was that someone had gone into the paddock and beaten her or tried riding her. Any noise or movement what so ever would trigger her mad running.
Then I thought she must have rye-grass staggers because the vet had told me: “There is no such thing as a magnesium deficiency in horses, only dairy cattle after calving, got it”.
He told me to lock her in the corner of a paddock, electrify the fence and take her cover off so she won’t run through it. I was horrified to be told to lock a young filly in a small area without a rug in June!
So I went to McKenzie’s Saddlery (NZ) and they gave me Jenny’s number. I rang Jenny that night she talked to me about how they get a form of ‘Grass Tetany’ which renders them drastically deficient in magnesium. Little did I know I had been ‘pouring fuel on the fire’ by feeding her Lucerne which, like the clover, is also high in potassium nitrates. We dropped that from her feed.
Jenny suggested I try a tablespoon of SOS plus the Premium Horse Minerals (Supreme Vit & Min – Aust) along with a tablespoon of salt, which I did, and the following day there was a DRAMATIC change in her. This was less than 18 hours after giving her the first dose of SOS. If it wasn’t for this advice I really think I would either have a HUGE vet bill for her running through a fence, or she really wouldn’t be here with us today.
Jenny came to my paddocks the following day to check my grasses, was very helpful and gave me a diet to follow. Now she is on the way back to my girl I had 2 weeks before. She did have a couple of minor relapses but is now completely back to normal.
It fits that ‘Dollie’ was suffering serious electrolyte imbalances caused by potassium nitrates entering her system. During the cool, wet, cloudy, sometimes frosty autumn conditions and in spring pasture ‘spikes’ in potassium and nitrates at the same time becoming very low in sodium. Getting rid of the nitrates from the body involves them latching on to calcium and magnesium and being excreted, leaving the horse no where near enough of these vital minerals to run their nervous system and muscles. It is that simple. The solution was to reduce the potassium nitrates entering her system by feeding loads of hay and no lucerne at the same time replenishing her system with large doses of SOS magnesium and sodium (salt).
Spring is just around the corner so keep an eye out for the symptoms like Dollie’s, any obvious short stepping with the hind feet, plus other symptoms such as suddenly going lame in the back legs, may point the hind toe like they have a hoof abscess, have trouble getting up or in extreme cases can’t get up.
