Bit of advice for a project horse please.

Doormouse

Doormouse

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I very sadly lost my boy a couple of weeks ago and have been staring at an empty stable and wondering what on earth to do with myself ever since. I have been offered another horse out of training and although I know I can't replace Tom it will help fill the awful void that has been left behind.

I am off to see this horse on Saturday but I have already been warned that he is in a pretty bad state, he has been out all winter and not well cared for so is thin, hairy and dirty. I am not going to ride him for a bit but just let doctor green do its best over the next couple of months.

However, the grass is not yet significant with us and I was looking for some advice from others, who have had horses in poor condition, about the best things to feed for weight gain without sending them off their heads.

Also, if he is very dirty and hairy, bathing is going to be a problem. Is it too late to clip him. I sort of feel it is but has anyone else any experience of clipping this late?

I am not planning on riding but would it be worth very gentle lunging with a pessoa to help build some muscle? Wouldn't want to do much more than 10 minutes really of any work.

Thank you in advance.
 
speedibeat, calm and condition, I wouldnt clip if hes not going to be working much as he'll need his coat if hes a skinny lizzie. Id get his teeth checked asap to make sure thats not the reason hes thin as hasnt been eating.

Just take it slowly, dont rush, give him plenty of time to settle in and enjoy him :)
 
I am so sorry about you boy! A new project sounds like a good idea, it will give you something else to focus on and a sense of achievement when you bring this horse back to full condition.

I wouldn't clip him or bathe him unless he is absolutely a welfare case with dirty cacked on him. I would just let his summer coat come through and he should be fine!

As for brining back to work personally I prefer hacking in straight lines in walk. Lunging in circles is too much for a totally unfit horse as a start and a pessoa will make him work to hard at this stage. Give him a month of hacking in walk and then consider doing more. I also think that this kind of gentle hacking is not going to harm him (you may need to keep an eye on saddle fit as he changes shape) and he is more likely to put on weight and muscle with this kind of gentle exercise than just sitting in a field.
 
So sorry to hear you lost your horse :(

Ditto whats been said up there, hacking or walking in hand in straight lines rather than circles, and if he is thin don't clip if you can help it.
I do hope you bring him home :)
 
When I got my boy who had c**p caked on him and was quite underweight at the time (february 2008) I simply worked away at the coat with my fingers - particularly in places like armpits and belly... occasionally using a bit of warm soapy (wasking up liquid) water to do really stubborn bits... It took a few weeks to get his coat looking good but it was worth it.

Feed wise I began by giving him add lib hay but with yours being out of training you might want to start with more hard feed and then gradually swap the balance so he is getting more hay... Obviously introduce everything gradually but I think if you start with something fairly basic, you'll be suprised at how much he improves... I'd go with a good chaff and a basic cube and then if that doesn't do it, change to a conditioning feed...
 
Rest him. Haylage him. (good quality stuff). Turnout with a stable friendly group, plenty of shelter, rugs (if you have to clip him/thin coat). Reassess in a month. If putting on weight could start to do some light work but if he's difficult to work he will stress off any weight.
I wouldn't lunge him, 10min in a pessoa is quite hard work. Put the weight on, then slow and steady hacking will build the muscle.
Of course if he is just a bit dirty and a lower than ideal condition score, you might find he picks up v. quickly and you can crack on with work.
 
Plenty of good quality forage should start getting the weight on him. Would agree that lungeing is probably not a good idea. If you're planning on leaving the ridden work until he's settled in and gained condition I'd do lots of work with him on the ground - starting the ridden work will be much easier if you already have a good bond with him and have voice commands and basic yielding/lateral work etc established. When you do get on lots of hacking - all in walk to start with - should help to build him up before you ask for anything more.
 
Some good advice on here. I agree 100% with what Booboos says.
Feeding - plenty of fibre. Hay, speedibeet. Calm and condition may help, but just occasionally it has been known to send the odd horse off its rocker. Haylage too can sometimes have an effect on temperament, which could be quite hard to judge if you don't already know the horses temperament very well. So you'll need to do the best you can to watch out for feed-related temperament changes.

And I don't need to remind you to worm him/do a worm count, do I?

Good luck - I hope it all works out for you and that this horse, who obviously desperately needs a loving home - can fill the gap in your heart.
 
Thank you everyone. I was feeding Tom calm and condition and it seemed to keep him very well but I will watch the temperament as he is known to be a bit sharp apparently.

I have booked the physio as I have been told he was cold backed when in work and have the dentist booked as well. Wormers will be bought online tonight.

I think some ground work would be an excellent idea as he has barely been touched in a year so is probably a bit ferral atm. I don't think he has had a bad experience of humans in so much as he has been well treated when in work just been rather abandoned for the last year. Luckily my OH's horse is coming home next week and he is a fab companion, very quiet and sensible so may do a bit of ride and lead very gently if he is not too poor.
 
I'm sorry to hear about your boy. :(

Getting a project horse does sound like a good idea. You should get his teeth done as soon as you can as they most likely won't have been done for a long time. This, along with worming him should make eating easier and help him to gain weight quicker. I would recommend Blue Chip for Weight Gain, as I know a lot of poor doers who have been fed this and their owners have noticed a real improvement in their condition.

As for ground work, little and often is probably best. Don't try to do too much too soon as you don't want to scare him. Having recently bought a nervous project pony of my own, everything has been a slow process (she was terrified of something as small as me taking my hand out of my pocket! :() but she is slowly beginning to trust me and becoming more confident with being handled. It is very rewarding, working with a nervous horse but you need to have lots of patience.

Good luck with him and keep us updated! :)
 
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