Advice needed on feeding an underweight horse + standard breed horses - Thanks!

[lauraheads]

Hello everyone I need some help on two issues with my new 4yo 15.2 standard breed horse!

1. I bought a underweight mare last week. She is on grass livery and I bring her in and have slowly built up her feed (which I bring her in and feed her twice a day) which is hi-fi and calm and condition. She is very "loose" to be polite! But she is getting better. She seems to have a large gut, but is not in foal but you are able to see her ribs. I work her for short sessions to try and build some tone up. Can anyone recommend any thing else to do, I know its early days but I want to do things right!

2. Being totally ignorant to standard breeds (sorry!) Do I need to do anything difference in her training? She was sold because she doesnt naturally pace. On the lunge she will now canter on command, which is abit short and choppy. Do I just carry on as normal?

Hopefully a picture will come up below!

Gold star for getting this far =)

 

[lauraheads]

Here is another picture - you get a better idea of her true condition here. She looks good on the other photo!!

 

[RSL]

She is lovely but I don't think she looks too bad, the best thing for her will be the green green grass but I would add some sort of beet to her feed in the mean time.

 

[twisteddiamond]

she looks just like my boy who is standbred x, i have mine on lo-cal balancer and alfa beet, he has a really short bouncy canter but it is improving with lots of lunge and school work my boy doesnt pace all the time but will if he gets excited, he is the chesnut in my sig

 

[lauraheads]

Thats reassuring to know! I havent seen her pace, although she can become disunited in trot sometimes. I will just keep doing what I am doing for now!

 

[twisteddiamond]

this was him this winter,

your girl looks pretty good condition wise, you will know if shes pacing, both legs on one side move forward/back together, its very odd to sit on lol

 

[ofcourseyoucan]

i would swap the hi fi for alpha a! and maybe a mug of blue chip and a glug of oil per day til fat and roound! taking that you have wormed and done teeth and wormed again~!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[Ali1963]

She looks lovely. I have had two standardbreds off the track, both fabulous, kind, unflappable horses but beggars to get a topline on, and can consequently it can be harder to get a good saddle fit.

All the exercises that you do to encourage self-carriage and build topline, transitions, poles, circles, will help prevent the wobbly trot. She will likely never have been asked to work this way before!

I found mine got very gutty looking just on grass/hay, they needed their calories! I used to really like Blue Chip when I was in the UK and I would use that if I could get it here!