Chrome's Monthly Progress Report

Date: 9-19-10
Age: 16 months
Height: He is now 14.2 (58 1/8th inches). He's finally a horse!!!
Height Gain: 5/8ths of an inch.
Weight: Approx 700lbs (317.5kg)
Weight Gain: About twenty five pounds.
Progress: Chrome is doing very well. His growth is steady. I'm cleaning out his hooves everyday except for the occasional missed day when my back just can't take it. While cleaning out his hooves today I found a place where the thrush has eaten out a bit of his frog so I think I'm going to treat the fungus more aggressively for a while and then use the salt to maintain/prevent further thrush. He acts a tiny bit sore in that spot but he's perfectly sound. There is no heat in his hooves or joints so we're good right now lol. Who knows what will be next with a yearling hehe.

I'm also slowly adding beet pulp back into his diet to supplement his roughage because the summer heat has killed out most of the pasture. I'm planning to wean him very slowly off of the Safechoice and put him on a ration balancer to cut out the starch/sugars in his diet (to prevent future insulin resistance and/or laminitis issues). I've spoken at length with people who have used it with growing horses and I can see their horses with my own eyes to know they matured perfectly fine on it. :) Don't laugh. Decisions that some people make easily I agonize over for ages before I convince myself to do it lol. Lots of research.

Goals: My goals for this month are to continue working on his hooves to beat the thrush and get him trimmed. I still think his heels are too long. I'm also going to get his diet change under way when I get low on Safechoice. I want to make the transition slowly to prevent any problems. I want to continue walking him occasionally and get back into clicker training as the weather cools off. No specifics because I don't want to pressure myself. :)

And here are a couple more pictures from the modeling session. Do you think Chrome can make the big time as a model? I think he's kind of a diva. ;D

Chrome - "How's this mom? You're really worried about one ear??"

Chrome - "What about this? What do you mean I'm angled toward
the camera?? If you want a different angle move your stupid camera!"

Chrome - *SIGH* "Who would have thought
modeling could be so much work?"

Me - "Oy Vey!"