Jazz with a friend

Jazz

In the spring of 2003 Eye of the Storm got a call about a pony named Jazz who needed a home. Nineteen year old Jazz, a cross between a Shetland and a Morgan, had been living with an elderly couple who could no longer care for her. Because Jazz has Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD), also known as heaves, she had trouble finding a new owner.

When Jazz arrived at Eye of the Storm, she found herself in unfamiliar company with other horses. At the sight of another horse Jazz pulled back her ears and whinnied. Nina felt Jazz would be less anxious in a setting with fewer horses. Luckily a Harvard family had offered a single stall space to a horse that might need a home. They have several acres of pasture, two sheep, and room in the barn for one small horse or pony. Since horses are herd animals this would not usually be an optimum situation for a horse. However, it turned out to be the perfect placement for Jazz, who is used to being on her own.

On a cloudy day in May, Jazz was taken by trailer to her new home in Harvard. At first she shied at the sight of the sheep, but within days she had befriended them and soon the three became inseparable.

We read up on COPD and found out that dust, bacteria, and fungi in the barn and hay stimulate an allergic reaction in horses with COPD. Reducing a horse’s exposure to these allergens can diminish the coughing and breathing difficulties associated with COPD. We spray Jazz’s hay with a hose and hang it in a hay net. Rinsing the hay cuts down on dust particles. Eating from a hay net means she doesn’t have to nose around the dusty floor for food.

The barn has sliding half walls, which are left open to maximize air circulation. The stall door is left open so Jazz can come and go as she pleases, even at night. To help Jazz through bad days when her breathing is labored, the vet recommended a daily dose of TriHist (an antihistamine in powder form). We haven’t given Jazz the TriHist since July because her breathing has improved so much.

Jazz’s daily care includes grooming, practicing tricks (stretches) for treats, and a short walk on the lead line to improve her cardio vascular condition. When the grass is gone, Jazz’s winter diet will include Purina Equine Senior, Blue Seal Racer, linseed meal, vitamins C and E (with selenium), daily wormer, and brewers yeast.

Jazz has become the leader and protector of the sheep with whom she shares the pasture. She even lets them nose around her feed bucket. One day this summer a coyote came out of the woods. The sheep ran for the barn, but Jazz put her ears back and walked toward the coyote. It quickly retreated back into the woods and hasn’t been seen since. Recently, the pasture has also been home to a great blue heron, which seems to be feeding on small rodents.

Jazz has adapted nicely to her new environment and new friends. We hope she will have a pleasant life in the pasture for many years to come.

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