Hi all.  I'd just like to ask for some motivation and prayers for a rescue Thoroughbred mare I recently took on.  She's skin and bones and I cry everytime I see her beautiful face.  She is as sweet as can be but even in her racing years, you can tell she's never properly been cared for or loved on.  My hopes are for her to become a jumper and to have her bred to a Warm blood stallion.  

I'm just a horse momma needing some help. :(  

I'm sure she's in a better place with you to take care of her than wherever she was before - take that as motivation. :) Did she have any success on the track? Depending on how old she is and what the climate is like in your area, hopefully she'll be able to pack on some weight before it gets too cold this winter - I'd recommend a calorie supplement like Cool Calories, Calf Manna, or Cocosoya in her feed to help fatten her up faster. If you're not already in it, check out the "OTTB Connect" group on Facebook; people talk about diets for skinny Thoroughbreds all the time and would probably have a lot of ideas for you!

If you're ever feeling super unmotivated I'd recommend looking back at "before" photos to compare with her progress - I know looking back at old clips of my riding helps me when I'm feeling down on myself or like my progress has stalled!

Other than that I'd say don't put too much pressure on the situation! You've already made the biggest step of getting her out of a bad spot and into a better one - don't worry yet about big end goals like proving herself in a discipline or being a worthy broodmare. I'm sure she already knows she's in a better place. ^ ^

Hang in there! I worked at a TB rescue for over 12yrs...the condition some of the horses came in was AWFUL. We actually used to get the SPCA called on us because people didn't realize we just saved these horses from a bad life, we didn't do it to them, but the SPCA would just call us and be like, "you guys get a new rescue?" "yup." "Okay we figured, we had a call." lol. So it's going to take a LOT of time and groceries but it'll eb worth it in the end. I've seen so many of these guys go from skeletons to plump little jumpers (we actually turned them into hunters/jumpers, some trail horses, some pasture pets). Just make sure you're working with a vet and dentist, and she'll slowly transform :)

She had a wonderful start to her career but I'm assuming that once they stopped feeding her properly, she started to give up.  I'm sure she could've continued on racing.  Hope is 8 years old and we have pretty much mild winters in NC compared to the winters I endured in NJ.  She's getting a slight belly after almost a month of owning her and there's a light jiggle to the butt! :D  Currently the woman who picked her up, feeds grain twice a day and she has hay all day while she's stalled just to ensure she eats all of her food.  

It's sad I got her and now I'm looking into a 17.3 mare and 16 hand mare that are both Thoroughbreds lol.  I have a slight buying problem.  *face palm*  

Cool calories is amazing. I also have a very skinny horse Fancy who I have been battling with for quite some time to put weight on as she is 29 years old. I have her on a diet of alfalfa Tim hay cubes, beet pulp with molasses as well as a horse feed called surmount it has helped her a bit but unfortunately not enough. She is still skin and bones and it's getting cold. I fear our days are limited. Hopefully you have better luck with your mate. I also hear rice bran is great but can't get it here.

I just want to thank you so much for taking them on, god bless you for helping the horses

wish more people would do the same for other animals of any kind