My Horse Fudge

Fudge is a very cute chocolate bay Quarter Horse gelding, grandson of Zips Chocolate Chip. He was well-bred in Ohio, and sold as a yearling. I know this from contacting the breeder on his papers. What happened to Fudge over the next seven years is a mystery. His papers were never transferred to another owner. Fudge was purchased for his very quiet demeanor.

© EPMhorse.org  Fudge laughs at the world

We were looking for a horse for my daughter to ride in hunter paces, and to be a husband-safe horse. He was to be a quiet trail riding companion to the green Mustang that we are training. I saw Fudge on a DreamHorse ad from brokers located near Bart, PA - Paula Derby and Jim Whiteside of LazyDAcres. We looked at him twice in December, and trailered him home January 2, 2009.

There are many details of this sale that I would like to share, but I am trying to keep this page on a positive basis. The short version is that the first night Fudge showed odd movements of the lips while eating, and dropped a lot of food.  By the end of the week he seemed weak behind.  In three weeks time we had a horse with a major neurological disease that wasn't safe to ride.  The vet gave a neurological exam and pulled blood January 23rd. We explained to Paula Derby that researchers believe it takes several weeks to two years for an active case of EPM to show physical symptoms, and certainly not one hour.  Lazy D Acres would not allow us to return the horse, so Fudge is here to stay.

We only have stalls and pasture for three horses, so purchasing another horse is not an option. One of our horses is retired and blind, the other one is green. We needed a healthy, quiet horse so that my daughter or husband could ride with me. Fudge should not be ridden, sold or trailered at this point, and I do not believe in taking horses to New Holland Auction to dump them.  We will try to rehab Fudge, and riding will have to wait for better times.  Follow along with the blog to watch the EPM rehab process.

February 2009

Fudge Updates

If you have owned Ima Fudgeaholic Too would you please contact us on the blog?

March 2009.  Two months of medication has now ended, but Fudge will be on supplements for many months.  He is feeling better, has a lot of energy, and is no longer at the bottom of the herd.  We were unable to obtain much information from the seller, so we are left to guess about Fudge.  We now believe that he was lethargic - not quiet - both times that we looked at him in December.  When the immune system is under attack, the horse can be lethargic, a symptom of EPM.  We test rode Fudge, but never saw him eat.  The loss of feeling in his lips is probably another symptom of EPM. 

April 2009.  At the end of April, Fudge's symptoms are beginning to subside, but we have not ridden him since the diagnosis.  His turns are better and he is more stable on his feet.  He must be getting the feeling back in his lips, as he is not dropping as much food anymore.  Given many months of rehab and rest, we are hopeful that he will be safe to ride again.  At his current level of energy, we do not believe that Fudge is an appropriate choice as a children's horse. 

 

Fudge's Blog