Disclaimer: I have already spoken to the vet, this is just to see if anyone else’s horse is as weird as mine. 😜
I have a 16 yo Shire mare, who is incredible in every way. I’ve noticed though, she has an anxiety inducing poop schedule (meaning *my* anxiety). If she’s in her stall or her dry lot (she is free to come and go as she pleases), she poops consistently every 2-4 hours. Her manure is a normal consistency and I can set a clock to it.
The second she’s out in the pasture though, it’s like she forgets to poop. Her last poop this morning was around 7 am. It’s closing in on 2 pm and I haven’t seen any poop in the field-we have cameras and I check them a few times a day. She does this every day and has since we resumed 24/7 access to turnout a few weeks ago. I’ll usually find only 1-2 piles in the pasture daily, and she is thoughtful enough to leave 6-8 piles in her paddock/stall.
She has normal gut sounds on both sides, she’s drinking plenty of water, no fever, gums are a healthy pink, and she has zero signs of pain. She will come in from the field around 7 pm on her own and that’s when she’ll resume pooping on a more regular schedule. She rarely goes back in the pasture past 7 pm, preferring to rest in her stall and eating her hay.
I’m a lifelong horse girl and was always taught anything beyond 5 hours can be a sign that something is wrong. I’ve had the vet out twice thinking it was early signs of colic and the vet said she was perfectly fine.
Does anyone else’s horse do this-go longer without pooping in the field? I’ve only had her for about a year and I doubt her former owner was on poop patrol the way I am.