The story of Tuppy. Finally rugging her will try mud and sulphur again. Pink feeders for Rick Gore.

I purchased Tuppy when she was pregnant from a horse meat dealer, known colloquially as a "dogger". She was underweight and covered in whip and hit marks, some of which have left permanent scars.Show more

She was dangerous, she would turn her butt to kick and double barreled many horses and injured them. It took time and patience to earn her trust, which I earnt in spades. She has such an attachment to me, that I describe as loyalty, but am not sure. that is the best word to describe it. She will wait for me at the gate, even though I only come to give her treatment and feed another horse, not her. She will stand with me for hours. She follows me around like a shadow and is a sweet natured horse. Although I would not trust her with most people and do not allow people to wander through her paddock.

She doesn't require harsh correction, but will move for me with the gentlest pressure. It's important to build individual relationships with horses and not treat them all the same. She does not respond well to harsh or strong pressure. It invokes a primitive fear reaction in her and makes her potentially dangerous. I most cautious who I allow to handle her. You can be firm without being harsh.

Tuppy's foal, Dyani was born during the most vicious winter storm of the season and suffered exposure. She needed plasma infusions, as she missed out on her mother's colostrum. But we worked hard and she had a great relationship with her mum and was soon on her feet and suckling. We strove not to interfere with the mare or the foal's natural scents of bonds and when bottle feeding the baby, would stand her at her mum's teats. It took 24 hours to get her suckling, but she still needed some help to get up and down. After a few days she was like any other foal. Though we kept them stalled for the first two weeks overnight due to the number of wild dog attacks on the property at that time.Not ideal, but a precaution we thought was prudent. Tuppy was given plenty of access to hay and several hard feeds a day, so that she had constant food in her belly.

When Tuppy's foal, Dyani was 3 months old, Tuppy kicked her and broke her leg. This was my own mismanagement of the horses. I put her and her foal back in with the other horses, as wild dogs were sighted on the property. There were cases of them chasing and attacking horses. Tuppy was food aggressive from being starved. Although I had several piles of hay out, she hunted the other horses away and when her foal approacher her from her blind spot she kicked out and broker her leg in several places.

Dyani needed to be stalled for three months to rest the leg and so needed to be weaned, as there were no facilities that would take mum and foal without the risk of mum being cast. Which she had done when Dyani was newborn.

So Dyani ended up being paired with our old mare, Penny. Who was used as a brood mare most of her like and discarded at the sales. Our luck. Dyani was the only horse that was beneath Penny in the pecking order. Dyani had such a gentle nature and Penny is so gentle it proved to be a most successful pairing.

They were sometimes in paddocks with Tuppy, but Tuppy tended to stay with Cleo, the boss mare and it broke my heart to see Dyani approach her mum and her to be shooed away. I don't think it was malicious on the mum's part, but to ensure she didn't try to suckle again. A part of the growing up cycle.

Anyway, Dyani was an amazing horse and people commented on how special she was. She was the horse you'd introduce to people who were scared of horses. So gentle and truly lovely.

One day my son was mowing the lawn and someone told him to throw the clippings into the paddock for the horses. which he did. By the time I found the pile Penny and Dyani had been gorging on them.
40 hours larer Dyani needed to be put to sleep, as she had a perforated gastrointestinal tract. It was devastating. Dyani was 18 months old. Close to 15 hh. I lay on her body and sobbed. I really don't know how it has affected the horses emotionally, except for my observations. How much is my projections or coincidence I do not know.

Penny lost weight and developed an allergic skin condition. The vet though she was dying. Tuppy developed a dreadful skin condition I still cannot control.

The first time Tuppy went into Dyani's old paddock, she immediately went to Dyani's grave and nibbled the soil. For some time the horses would stand near her grave.

Since I got Penny a new companion, a pregnant mare who, although she is more dominant than Penny, defers to Penny in every way, the way Dyani did. Penny's health has improved.

With Tuppy, I am focusing on spending time with her every day - at least an hour, as I think this is helping her. She is attached to her human. I may bring our two year old brumby back into the paddock with her as she enjoys grooming him, he can go between paddocks through the dam, so it is something to consider. She is with her bestie, Cleo who she adores.