bitting and feeding probelm!!! (long)

[aldato_daz]

hey all...

having another problem! just a bit of background info first...my 5yo was only broken last year so hes a real late comer. hes done nothing in terms of competing and was schooled for a few months by a very good rider who lives near me.

with me hes very heavy handed and his trot is not very exciting...he has a far nicer more energetic canter. he hasnt been jumped since i sent him away to be schooled and hes just started work again after been out for the summer for about 3months (before he went our he had turned really sour so i was told it would be best to turn him out).

so before he was turned out i was feeding him about 3scops of cool mix a day, divided into 2 feeds along with conditioning cubes. on this i found him very easily distracted and very fresh!! so up until he went out 2 the field i had cut it down to half a scoop twice a day.

sooooo...during the summer i was chatting a a baileys rep and she suggested that i fed him their lo-cal (just this with lotsof haylage). im so unsure now about feeding this as i have had a couple of comments from other people saying that it wasnt enough! even though the rep told me it was providing him with adequate vits and mins.

soooo....last week whilst riding i felt that he was very stiff and a bit sluggish so i had a masseur out to him who performed Equine Muscle Release. she told me that he had 2 ribs out of place and a vetebrae in his neck out of place!!! she has since corrected it and i rode him this morning for the first time since he had this massage done...he still seems very sluggish and bored and doesnt seem to have any energy!

i lunged him before hand however and for the first time in a while he seemed a lot freer in his movement and let a few bucks etc etc... but his riding is still the same...

could it be now i am not providing him with enough energy in his feed at all?? would i be going against the aim of low cal if i was to feed him so conditioning cubes with it? (he badly needs some condition).

im going to get an instructor out every week as soon as i can and i am also going to join my local riding club...maybe this will make him a bit more interested??

as far as my bitting problem..i hav started riding him in a waterford baucher as he is very heavy handed and can be quite strong and unresponsive and i was advised to try him in it...he is usually ridden in a loose ring french link snaffle...since using it hes very responsive and not as heavy in my hand! however my YO made a commen today that he would never use one in a young mouth as it makes them hard gummed?????? i only intend on using this bit for a little while!!!

i think i will end here lol....im getting a bit carried away!!

so to sum it all up...does any1 hav any suggestions as what he would be better fed on and should i be riding him in a waterford baucher?? r there any other nice bits that would help??

sorry bout this long post!! thanks for reading!!!

Carrie

 

[AmyMay]

Agree that what you were feeding him previously was far too heating. Sometimes you do have to fiddle around a bit to get the right balance of not too much energy, but enough for what you want to do.

All the youngsters at my yard are fed on either cool mix or spillers slow release cubes. The amount is varied for each horse depending on their individual requirements.

It may be that now you need to feed a little more to get the energy levels back up (you don't say how much you are giving). However, you don't say what level your own riding is at - could that be a problem?? Are you not able to create the energy through your own riding skills? This could also be one of the issues regarding him being heavy in your hand - and I agree with your YO about bitting. However, a good instructor can help you with these issues.

Also - how much 'fun' does he have? Do you go hacking - do you plan on hunting etc?????

With regards to your back person - sorry but the one word that springs to mind is B***cks!! Don't waste your money stupid people like this. Always make sure that they are McTimothy registered, or at least thoroughly recommended by your vet!!

 

[luie123]

Hi,

I'm not a feed expert but what about alpha a oil and unmolassed sugar beet. They should help with condition but are slow release energy.

Good luck

 

[aldato_daz]

hey amymay...well at the mo im feeding 1 and a half coffee mugs of that low-cal. it says on the bag that for a horse of his size he should be getting 3 coffee mugs a day so im following that...

as far as my own riding experience...im no expert and have probably bittne off more than i can chew with him howevee i may finish what i have started...i have no intentions of selling him. i used to ride all teh time when i was younger however as i ahve got older my confidence had failed a little bit. sometimes i think my horse bullies me rather than me bullying him so to speak.

i have recently started hacking him...he gets very tense and sees a lot of monsters and would be tempted to just swing round on his quarters and try and head home...i dont really have anyone else to hack with me either.

i used to hunt myself on a horse belonging to my friend. this horse was very experienced in hunting. id love to hunt Al however, my confidence is lacking.

what do you feed your slow relase cubes with?? apart from with haylage. would you recommend these? i would like to feed him something quite traditional and simple...i think i get pulled in very easily by all of these reps offering these amazing feeds which are meant to change my horse!!! i think im quite gullable!!

thanks, Carrie

 

[AmyMay]

I'd be tempted to leave his feed alone. Sounds as if he is probably getting exactly what he needs - and some of the problems you are experiencing could now be down to your own inexperience and perhaps confidence (??).

What kind of yard are you on - are there others there who will hack quietly out with you. You've got to be able to enjoy your horse in whatever you want to do with him - and it sounds as though at the moment it could be all a little difficult.

Get yourself some friends to hack out with and a good instructor. These will help you so much in getting your confidence up and enabling you to have some fun with your lad.

 

[aldato_daz]

I think I am just making things to complicated for myself to be honest...i think i just need to get my backside into gear and do something more consistent with him!

Maybe I should be feeding him something more simple and traditional...i might try those slow relase cubes or the slow release mix?

there are others on my yard yes but like myself are students at the equine college i go to so finding a time that suits us to go out is hard...to be honest i have never seen anyone go hacking...

why is owning a horse so complicated...or like i said before do i just make it complicated myself???

 

[AmyMay]

[ QUOTE ]
why is owning a horse so complicated...or like i said before do i just make it complicated myself???

[/ QUOTE ]
I'm not sure it's complicated - but it is certainly one big learning curve!!!!

If you really want to simplify things then you could use something like the slow release cubes (don't use mix) with a little chaff or hi fi. You can always add a little sugar beat if you feel it's not enough.

But - if you are at equine college surely there must be some great advise available there for you???????

 

[aldato_daz]

No actually...there isnt much great advise here! awk well there is..just hard to get it out of the lecturers without getting down to the really scientific stuff...really all i want is some practical simple help. the instructor i intend on using is actually from the college...shes a great help...will be getting her out soon.

as for my bitting problem...do you reckon i should go back to using my loose ring french link?

why shouldnt i use the slow relase mix...is there much of a difference?

 

[AmyMay]

[ QUOTE ]
as for my bitting problem...do you reckon i should go back to using my loose ring french link?

why shouldnt i use the slow relase mix...is there much of a difference?


[/ QUOTE ]

Personally I like a KK lozenge bit - but if you don't have one of those then yes perhaps the french link would be better, as long as you feel you are in control and happy to move back to the milder bit without talking with your instructor first.

As for the mix - well we have found that it can make some of the horses a bit 'sparky' whereas the nuts don't.

 

[PoppyPony]

I'd get on to the feed helpline at dengie they won an award for being the best feedline (or something along those lines) and I found them really helpful. A fibre-based diet, IMO, is best and will get the best results out of your horse.

As for the bit look at mylers, I've found them to be brilliant for different problems (put simply too fast and too slow!) and my horse is (and my old pony was) very responsive in it. I feel very confident hacking in it and there is the opportunity to put a curb on it if necessary. The hooks mean it can be used as a normal snaffle or with a bit more poll pressure.

I think you seem to be doing everything right and don't give up hope the more you hack out and school the better your horse will get and the more fun you will have.

 

[aldato_daz]

hey poppypony....do you feed dengie yourself? i have never tried it and i dont think it is common around my area.

regarding the myler bit or the kk bits i really dont think i can afford to buy them...especially if i end up wanting to sell them again if they dont do the job!!

with Al it seems like im always on ups and downs with him...i dont seem to be able to do anything right! buying another horse would probably be best but i dont want to do that and really dont think its an option i would even think about!!! I am just so determined to be able to ride him correctly and to get the best out of him but i dont seem to be getting anywhere!! it puts such a downer on me....

Carrie

 

[filly190]

I think from what you have said, yes to slowing, calming him down as its hard to school an excitable horse. Due to him lacking engery, has he found a new way to resist.

I have/having an exact same problem with my young horse aged 6. I found by using a stronger bit, she slowed right down because she was avoiding any pain etc and had found a way to avoid any discomfort. From going like a race horse she became a donkey overnight and her trot is still appalling.

My instructor who I rate very highly has told me to keep her feed right down, change the bit to a french link (not loose ring as it pinched) and ride her forwards. She was previously very much a forward going horse that would charge round, do a horrible choppy trot and now she is doing all of that in slow motion.

As she was broken at 5, she is resisting in every way she can think of, not knowing why and not getting the message that there is an easier way. She is lovely, but difficult at everything I do.

The problem I have is, she knows her own strength and has been started late, so hence the resistance to change.

I dont know if what I am saying strikes a chord with your problems, but reading your post, I felt the problems were very similar.

Because of her age, strength and maturity I have been advised to really crack on with her, have a few little battles of will and strength and ride as if I mean it, taking no nonsense.

This method has been working, I am following my lessons and seeing an improvement happening really quickly.

I really wish you luck and success

 

[aldato_daz]

hi filly...

yes our problems r very similar...i thought i was the only one with this silly problem lol!!

what stronger bit did you use that actually slowed your horse down...this could possibly be my guys problem! i really hope i havnt ruined him!!

i really need to start my lessons asap...i think i am hanging around to much and there is absolutely no consistency in his schooling! but saying that i think he is sooo bored....mainly because i i really dont know what i should be doing next.

having someone on the ground is so valuble...my dad doesnt seem to understand the need for one but i have tried explaining to him that even top riders have trainers! as none of my family have any experience in horses i really need someone on the ground telling me what i or the horse are doing wrong!

 

[Louby]

Hi, I feed low cal too, mainly because my boys overweight but I like to know hes getting what he needs???
Hes a spooky horse but lacks energy, if that makes sense, think he falls asleep and then suddenly sees things, wakes up and spooks irrationally and feed really affects him in negative ways.
Ive tried the slow realease, cool mix, infact most mixes and they are not for him. He just channels the extra feed into being more spooky.
I rang the feed manufacturers who were great and said for a little extra sparkle I could feed another feed along side the balancers. D & H were fantastic and very informative.

What do you feed with the lo cal. Maybe try some Dengi Alfa A as it deffinately adds condition and is a good slow release energy source.
Sugar beet, Speedi beet etc sent my horse loopy.

 

[Bossanova]

Mine was broken earlier this year at 5 and if it's done properly, dont really see that that should be the prob!

As far as feeding goes, keep it simple- a basic cube/mix and some alfalfa/hi-fi will provide a good base diet and you could add in a balancer plus some oats if you really want to get more energy in. Unfortunately some horses are just naturally laid-back and I'd try a bit more variety in your work first off.

 

[Clodagh]

You say that he badly needs condition, which IMO means that lo cal is not right. I feed Baileys no 4 and have never found it heating, so would recommend that!
His laziness may be a way of being naughty, or could be that he isn't sure how to use himself properly yet.
Find someone to hack out with! youngsters go so much better if they have company sometimes, even if you still ride out on your own, too. At least you can take him on a familiar route that you and he knows isn't scary!
Rescue remedy can be used for horses as well as peeps, I give it to my sons exciteable welsh A.
Have regular lessons,if possible.
(I have a 5 year old who had done nothing when I got her, she is now hunting, although still a bit babyish under pressure, so I do know where you are coming from.

 

[aldato_daz]

hey all!! thanks for your posts!! every one seems to have different opinions.

the thing thats annoying me now is that i went and bought two bags of that lo-cal at £20 each so i dont wanna waste it! should i buy a different feed anyway and just mix the two to get rid of it???