Bridleless Wyatt improves after binge, a Houdini

The aftermath of a binge-eating spree after escaping his stall. Wyatt is kept in ice boots to help protect against onset of laminitis.

The aftermath of a binge-eating spree after escaping his stall. Wyatt is kept in ice boots to help protect against onset of laminitis.

Bridleless Wyatt, known on racetracks far and wide as Donna Keen’s beautiful, “kill-pen save” who ponies racehorses without a bridle on his face, had a brush with illness last week after eating himself sick.

Wyatt, who has Houdini’s knack for getting out of his stall, managed to escape last week and find his way to an unlocked feed storage room.

After consuming three bags of feed—oats and two kinds of sweet feed, Wyatt lay down in the aisle of the shedrow and snoozed, and then later wandered about, checking on other horses, says Keen, who watched the episode unfold later while reviewing footage from the cameras she trains on Wyatt’s stall.

“We keep a camera on his stall because he’s a Houdini,” she says, noting, “I didn’t think he could get out of this stall. But, he had knocked his hay bag on the ground, and he was mad, so he began working to get out of his stall.”

Pushing his butt up against the gate, and with persistence, he used his weight to knock the door off its runners. Once it became unhinged, he used his neck to slide it open, and walked right under the guard chain.

Wyatt’s quest for a late-night snack triggered an immediate emergency response to prevent colic or laminitis, says Keen, adding, “I didn’t want to wait for him to colic. When I saw the feed room and what he’d been into, I called the vet right away to come flush him with oil.”

After several worrisome days treating Wyatt against the ill effects of a late-night raid on a feed bin, he is allowed a few bites of feed.

After several worrisome days treating Wyatt against the ill effects of a late-night raid on a feed bin, he is allowed a few bites of feed.

In addition to the feed, Wyatt consumed unknown quantities of a white powdery supplement, which, when flushed from his system, sank to the bottom of a collection bucket and hardened. This, more than anything, worried Keen. “This really scared us because we worried it settled so hard,” she says. “We worried about it causing an impaction if it settled in his intestines.”

In addition to tubing, Wyatt was also treated with a regimen of medications and electrolytes, and given plenty to drink. He is being sedated and kept away from all but a few bites of food. And his legs have been wrapped in ice boots, as he is forced to stand in ice to help mitigate any threat of laminitis, she adds.

“We’re probably looking at a $3,000 vet bill,” says Keen, a race owner and trainer and founder of Remember Me Rescue. “But he’s bright and perky now. We’re just waiting out the laminitis” by keeping his legs cold. If all goes accordingly, Wyatt will be back on the job soon, a little thinner. And Keen will redouble her efforts to keep Wyatt contained in his stall at night. “He’s a character,” she says. “There’s never a dull moment with Wyatt.” ♥

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10 responses to “Bridleless Wyatt improves after binge, a Houdini”

  1. alice fulton

    Donna Keen’s care of this horse is beyond exemplary. I hope there will be a follow-up story so we’ll hear how Wyatt is doing. He’s such a wonderful horse, and his trainer/owner is a wonder, too.

  2. cheri vaughan

    We are SO glad Wyatt is on the mend!! He is very cute and clever, but what a serious brush with illness!! We are wishing for a full, speedy recovery.

  3. Kathleen Burnham

    So happy to hear Wyatt is doing so well!! I will pray that the ice keeps him sound!!

  4. Jon

    He is very lucky after that pigout he is not dead. He is clearly a very lucky horse. Hide the feed in a vault!

  5. Sandy Carr

    An idea? If you can’t keep him in his stall, at least lock up EVERY single thing he could eat, short of hay. It’s easier to lock up a feed/supplement door sometimes than an active horse.

  6. Pam

    Poor Wyatt. What a rascal. Seriously, he’s lucky to be alive. Horses, like dogs, will eat themselves to death. I hope he fully recovers. We love hearing about Wyatt.

  7. Michelle Y.

    Oh no! Gosh Wyatt, was it worth it now that you got flushed with oil, have to stand in ice, and got all those medications?? I hope he recovers fully and does not develop laminitis. What a character he is, I would have liked to see that video of him getting the door off its runner!

  8. Fran Jurga

    So…did Donna have some special way to convince Wyatt that he should stay standing with both feet in the ice? Icing to prevent laminitis is a labor-intensive project. Kudos!

  9. marti

    Donna–So sorry to hear about Wyatt–do sincerely hope he is improving and will return to good health. Laminitis is such a terrible threat in an overeating incident. Obviously, everything possible is being done for him. Wishing you all the very best, and thanking you for all you do in rescuing so many deserving horses who have reached a turning point in their lives. You will find that I have joined your sponsorship, and urge all of those who write comments on OTTB to make a contribution along with their good thoughts.

  10. KWebers

    Good luck trying to stay ahead of this guy! I do hope that Wyatt will come thru this with no adverse results. Healing wishes to Mr Mischief.

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