Advice please condition, how is he looking etc etc ..... lots of pics

Bay_Beasty

Bay_Beasty

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Hey Lovely HHOers!!

Here are some pics of Ginger Jim. He is a 15 yr old exracer/ polo ponio who I have on loan for the summer. he is 15.2 ish and has never been asked to go on the bit in his life. He is doing great. I am schooling him twice a week, lunging him three times a week and I usually go for a hack after, and teaching him to jump.

I took him on 2 weeks ago and since then I have started feeding him

1 scp Happy hoof (this is what his owner provides me)
1/2 scoop top spec cool condition cubes
a good 200gms top spec leisure time balancer (he is a fine TB and weighs about 420-430kg, I dont want to give too much balancer due to in being as bad as having too much like fat soluble vits A, D and K which he will be getting in the cubes too)

Ad lib hay and net full of horsehage (blue) a day too. I would have him on all hayledge but the owner is at my yard rent free so is providing the hay at the mo, hence why he is getting hay. They are out at night and in during the day. Our grass is V brown and they are having hay in the field too.

So I think he has put on condition but I can still see his ribs. I dont want to give him much more protein as he gets lots already and was thinking of adding oil to this too. I would have him on Alpha A oil if he was mine but as she is providing the chaff its just easier to keep him on happy hoof.

Any way here are the pics from a few weeks ago. Condition score i am giving him a 1.5 in these.

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This is him now, I have wormed him too and I have pulled his mane and tail too to make him look smarter. I think in these he look a condition 2 on his bum but still 1.5 on neck, ribs, wither and shoulder.

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And one of his cute face just coz he's such a cutie

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He is much more forward going now which is lovely. I only ride him in a plastic loose ring snaffle so dont mine him going into a stronger bit if he gets a bit more forward going on more food. I was thinking of adding speedibeet, or maybe just biting the bullet and go with the aplha a oil. Your thoughts would be helpful!!

Teeth done, back will be done next week.

Thanks in advance and glass of wine, cocoa, chocolates (or all three ;) for getting this far

:) :) :)
 
Awww he looks lovely - poor guy ex polo and ex racing - does it get any worse!!!!???? So lucky he sounds like a really good egg and very genuine! I can't really see much change in condition, in fact, I hope you don't mind but I think he looks like he's got less condition in the second set of photos... but maybe it is just the different light??

The best thing at this time of year is loads of turn out cos there's so much goodness in the grass and it's what horses are meant to eat. However, for poor doers (of which I have one) I swear by the following:

Baileys Outshine - it's bloomin marvellous, almost guaranteed to put on condition.
Pink Powder - is a probiotic which increases gut efficiency which can often be depleted by changes in home and traumatic experiences etc.
Baileys #4 conditioning cubes
Speedi Beet
Alfa A Oil

Worked a treat for my guy who had been a life-long skinny before!!!
 
he looks MUCH better than the 1st photos. Id say hes a good weight, and now just needs more muscle :) i would say lots of lunging, and working long and low and also over trotting poles etc. but definatley an improvement :)
 
Yeah he does look differant in some pics , maybe how hes standing/light a little bit of a belly on some like my boy !What work are you doing with him now ?
 
He looks like he is a lovely boy bay_beasty:). The poor soul has had a hard start to his life - racing and polo!!:eek: Why is it just a loan for the summer? :confused:is there any chance you will get to keep him longer?:confused:

As you know the best way to get condition on him is fibre, fibre and more fibre - ideally grass but if your grazing is anything like mine right now there basicaslly isn't any as it so dry its like hay!!:eek: So I would say you have to just keep adding fibre - either speedibeet or the A&P Quiet cubes are good (high fibre and linseed oil) if you are trying to keep the protein low, Equi Jewel is also good (expensive but you only need a small amount every day) or if he can cope with more protien go for the alfa with oil option.

Look forward to seeing more piccies of him:) - whilst he needs more condition the shine on his coat means he is processing the food properly and he looks bright in himself. What was he doing before he came to you?:confused::)
 
Thanks all. The balancer has all the probiotics in and the cubes IMHO i think are better than baileys no 4, but I understand what you mean hels-bels. I do think the pics arent that good, he may have dropped, but i am not so sure. I should take some in the outdoor light. There is nothing in our grass ATM is brown and crispy. lol! Work wise I am lunging 3 times and then hacking after, schooling and grid/poles!! I think he has got less of a really bloated tummy. I was thinking of sending poos of for worm count!
 
hey slinky. I can have him longer but I ideally want a job somewhere else and so have only taken him on fir that time but can extend if need be. He did nothing before I got him. He is a spare polo pony for the owners son just in case one of his proper polo pony's goes lame. He did have a sharer for him but they left v suddenly and he feel into my lap and couldnt turn him down. His coat, eyes and attitude is soooo much better so he must be getting something something from the food. I only say low protein as the balancer and cubes have lots in already and I dont want him getting too much, but am thinking alpha a oil is the next step!
 
I would sort his feeding out tbh. Are you going to cut out the happy hoof? You are feeding conditioning cubes and happy hoof sorry but don't quite get that I take it your just useing up what his last owner give you? I would give him his full amount off balancer as the topspec cool condition cubes you are feeding have no vit/min contents as they are ment to be feed with the balancer just for condition.
 
If you think he had a worm problem that would indeed explain the extra belly in the first pics but I can't really see any ribs in the first lot and can in the second hence my comment about perhaps dropping some. Having said that his coat looks really great in the second set which would indicate the goodies in what you are feeding him are doing him some good (though in the first he had just been worked I guess which could dull him a little?).

Yeah, I understand about the cubes, it's the outshine that's key I find (it's expensive but works amazingly) and if he's getting a great probiotic in his supplement that's really great.

JD Chaser - I'm no bunny hugger, natural horsemanshippy type, but I do live in the middle of the north's racing capital and have a very serious polo player in the family and I wouldn't want to put a horse through both those industries in one life time!! Sorry!
 
Monsters, he is getting the right amount of balancer, as I am giving above the 200gms mark to make up the extra 30grams needed for his 430kg. but I dont want to give him 500gms as he is not 500 kg and as it says on the bag, too much is not good for him. I would give him Alpha a oil, but the owner offers to buy his chaff. But I think your right, I should just go with getting him that and cutting out the happy hoof as its not conditioning enough and I have had excellent results with Alpha oil in the past.
 
I don't think Topspec leisure time balancer has got pre/pro biotic in but the comprehenive balancer has all off it in and a far better spec than the leisure time.
 
Is the leisure time feed different to all the other topspec balancers? If he's 430kg in weight he should be getting 430 grams a day off balancer. It's 100 grams per 100 kgs off bodyweight. If your feeding 230grams he's not getting full amount.
Sorry could be me being thick I'm easy confused I'm blonde you see :p
 
yes I was thinking of putting him on the comprehensive, its got the MOS in as well as the probiotic more oil and more mins. hmmm, maybe when have finished this bag will put him on this.

Thanks Hels_bels. The first pics are taken before I wormed him, I should of taken some straight after as suddenly all his ribs appeared much worse. Poor little chap, I looked up his racing record and he was terrible, but they clearly liked taking him out as he did 5 seasons then I think had a year off and went into polo. He never did it at serious levels just good pony clubbers, but it has been a tough life for him, and its sad as he would of made an awesome eventer, his jump is brilliant. you could see them before but not as obvious. it made me realise how far I had to go. I think perhaps I just need to wait a few more weeks and take some more!
 
Oh bless him, it sounds like he is a real honest geniune type and they are worth their weight in gold. I'm so glad he's found someone who is really spending some time with him 1 on 1. He must think all his christmases have come at once!! Good luck with the weight, but I think he will be fine once he's settled in esp as you are providing a good stable home and clearly taking the time to get him in tip top condition etc.
 
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