New book review

I was so amazed and overwhelmed yesterday to see a new book review by Linda Ann Nickerson posted on Facebook, for my first book, Sometimes a Woman Needs a Horse! Thank You Linda, for your kind words and very thorough review of this book. You captured my purpose so well! I guess it's ok to talk about the book on my MARE blog, because the horse in that book was a very special mare! Fanny was my first real riding horse, and I've learned a lot since then. That book is still doing quite well in sales, more than 5 years after it was published, and even earned an award last year: first runner-up in the Eric Hoffer awards, in the Legacy Nonfiction category (of older books published).
OK, here's a link to Linda's book review: http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/2737403/book_review_sometimes_a_woman_needs.html?cat=38

A Mare with Fluctuating Weight!

I would like to share a friend's situation and see if anyone out there has some helpful advice before she invests in expensive lab work. Her 7-year-old TB mare had a foal about 11 months ago, and since the foal was weaned (about 5 months ago), the mare's weight has fluctuated from week to week. One week she looks good, the next week she will look ribby. You can definitely see a difference, the owner tells me, especially since it's been winter! She is in a pasture with 10 other horses, and they have 3 large round bales available at all times (orchard grass/alfalfa mix). This mare is pretty high on the pecking order and is not being pushed away from the hay. She was getting 3 or 4 pounds of grain in the summer and doing fine, but now she is getting about 8 lbs a day during these winter months (complete feed) to keep weight on. The owner tells me this mare loves attention and has a great personality, not a nervous type. She has a good winter coat, no need to blanket. In good health, good hooves, UTD on shots and worming. It's not like she has lost weight and stays that way, but her weight goes up and down, week to week. Anyone else have this kind of experience?