Starved horses??

Do they need to have their teeth checked for uneven grinding surface?
 
Some pro-biotic to get their digestive system working? 
 
Do they have ulcers? (Miracle Clay, a Dynamite product would help heal and prevent future problems.
 
I would suggest your vet be called just in case the owners were "mistaken" about what their vet said.  It doesn't sound like they know how to or are capable of providing basic care.
 
If you wish, PM me for a link to my Dynamite supplement dealer.  She has sucessfully rehabbed starved rescue horses.
 
It is very generous of you to take in their horses.  Good luck.

Barrelracer,
I PMed her email address.  Hope she can help.
 

Some pro-biotic to get their digestive system working? Do they have ulcers?

My two guesses.
 
A horse's stomach (you probably know this) doesn't retain a little balloon shape like ours when it's empty.  It's more like a balloon that's had all the air sucked out.  Flat.  Like when you slide out from under the covers, they lay flat, they don't stay puffed out.  The digestive juices start working on the stomach lining right away.  It's always good to have free choice something!
 
Probiotics are ALWAYS safe!  Can't overdose on that stuff!
 
I'm glad you're doing what you can.  It's very sad. 

I'm going back home monday i have sent word to the owners i want all the vet papers and a new neg coggins on them when i get there since they have said they have it all if they don't then monday i am calling the vet and the law and getting what needs to be done before theses horses die or have to be put down. i talked to a friend that keeps an eye on my horses while i'm gone and she said they still look bad.
 

OK i went home yesterday to see the horses they look worse one mare you can tell is pregnant now all she is is belly and bones the other horse is just bones were we live there is no animal control or nothing we live in the middle of no where.. so i ain't sure who to call i really need help on this one i live in ms what are the laws on it??? Please help and or advice... Thank You
 

Call or email your county animal control.  They have to cover your area in some way.  If you can, take pictures.  I did this once and it got a pretty quick response.  If you have a local newspaper, take pictures in to them and see if you can get them to report on it, shame these people into taking better care of their animals.  Goodluck to you,

[quote=barrelracer91]

OK i went home yesterday to see the horses they look worse one mare you can tell is pregnant now all she is is belly and bones the other horse is just bones were we live there is no animal control or nothing we live in the middle of no where.. so i ain't sure who to call i really need help on this one i live in ms what are the laws on it??? Please help and or advice... Thank You



Your county sheriff's office can also handle animal neglect complaints, if you don't have an animal control dept.  Call them on the non-emergency line, tell them the location of the horses, and then the problem, they will send a deputy out to investigate it and press charges if necessary.  Here they look for availible food/water and the condition of the animals.  Sometimes they will call out a vet to get a professional opinion particularly if there are dead animals on the property.  Good luck.
 
*tip: try to be as level headed as possible and remember the person answering the phone could be a dispatcher, not an officer, she doesn't need to hear your life story, just the facts.  Location, problem, your name, your contact info.  Also, if there is no complaintant (ie, you want to be anonymous) then they will have a harder time pressing charges.

Many horses once starved develop anorexia. It can take a really long time for them to put weight on, and often it requires supplements, daily exercise (which they would get on a big pasture) often muscular/skin stimulation as often as can be afforded.
 
My mom boarded two of our horses with a friend who took our hay and fed it to his horses (along with the rolled corn we provided for these aged animals over the winter) and put our horses on a bare pasture. It took almost a year of INTENSIVE care to bring them back up to weight. One gained more quickly than the other. It took supplements, free choice grass hay, daily turn out, twice weekly THOROUGH grooming...i.e., muscular/skin stimulation to bring them back up to weight.
 
My mom, who is a true horsewoman, said horses can get anorexic if they're starved, and it can take a lot of work to bring them back...and sometimes they don't come back.
 
Try mild exercise, supplements (our horses were aged, we were using msm...or whatever that stuff is called...and something else) rolled grain and lots of attention. This was before extruded feed was readily available. Neither had tooth problems, though, they did well on alfalfa and free choice grass hay...plus the supplements, exercise and stimulation via grooming.
 
We sold one...the one who gained back easily, as a lesson horse, he was ready to go..
 
The other we still  have. She's 31 and in a horsie retirement home and doing fine for her age and assorted other ailments (arthritis, old cutting horse).

The only reason I don't have her with my horses for my kids is because despite her age and arthritic infirmities, when you get on her, she's a cutting  horse. She moves fast, wants to buck a tiny bit, and is intensely sensitive to how one holds the reins.
 
If she were sound, I'd have her with us, swayed back or not. But she's not sound. She's never gone down, but it's a risk.