Building a top line
- Thread starter PandoraLipizzaner
- Start date
ycbm
Einstein would be proud of my Insanity...
Judging by this and your other thread your first problem is not that she needs top line but that she has been starved. I would say feed her for gradual weight gain with a high protein diet until she is a reasonable weight, then start exercises for building muscle.
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ycbm
Einstein would be proud of my Insanity...
This is the photo from your other thread, she is seriously under weight even before you realise that she's a Lipizzaner who should be a bundle of muscle.
https://forums.horseandhound.co.uk/attachments/8a5078df-270a-49ac-82c7-38831a42e8fa-jpeg.81467/
https://forums.horseandhound.co.uk/attachments/8a5078df-270a-49ac-82c7-38831a42e8fa-jpeg.81467/
Pearlsacarolsinger
Up in the clouds
And please, please be careful to take it gradually. I had a mare who had been starved by the owner before the person that I bought her from (breeder had bought her back). She had then been fed up quite quickly and because of that, she developed adverse reactions to cereals and refined sugar which caused her (and me) serious problems all her life.
AmyMay
Situation normal
I think the first thing you need to think about is getting her to a healthy weight, then you can think about working her, which in turn will start to develop her top line.
ycbm
Einstein would be proud of my Insanity...
Awful, PaS, and unnecessary. I have also heard anecdotes that putting weight on starved horses too quickly can kill them.
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Mule
Well-Known Member
Refeeding syndrome.
Equi
Well-Known Member
Just as a time line for you, it took me 2 years to get my horse who was in a slightly worse state than yours to “peek” weight/muscle. It’s not a quick fix.
paddi22
Well-Known Member
It’s a very slow process if they’ve been starved. Good forage all the time and a good vitamin are best. No riding at all. Just lots of slow in hand work, walking over raised poles, hand walking up and down hills is great for building muscle. But I wouldn’t want her doing any more work until she has more weight on. It’s a very long slow process to build muscle.
Gloi
Too little time, too much to read.
Is she eating a good quantity of hay well and without any problems with dropping chewed hay from her mouth while eating it? It's going to be a while until she is in good enough body condition to start working her. Best to base her diet on as much good hay as she can eat and make sure worming and teeth are 100% . Hopefully next summer's grass will get her back in good shape providing she has no underlying health issues.
ycbm
Einstein would be proud of my Insanity...
People giving advice might need to know that the horse has been in work and has had vet investigation for bucking. Vet's advice was to use a western saddle and continue to ride as it was "behavioural". Horse is in Romania, according to the OP.
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Gloi
Too little time, too much to read.
How old is she, do you know?
PandoraLipizzaner
Member
Yes, she eats well. We’ve had her wormed and her teeth have been checked, all good!
PandoraLipizzaner
Member
Our vet said around 10-11
PandoraLipizzaner
Member
I am aware
PandoraLipizzaner
Member
Attachments
AmyMay
Situation normal
She’s going to be beautiful once she’s fully recovered.
ycbm
Einstein would be proud of my Insanity...
Are you still asking for tips and exercises?
Your horse is, in my opinion, not fit to do any form of structured exercise, and it is very shocking that anyone told you she was fit to ride and even more so that a vet told you to do so.
She will be lovely when you have got her rehabbed back to health, but I think that's going to take a long time.
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Equi
Well-Known Member
My tip is don’t ride. She is not fit to be ridden yet.
Feed her well, take her on short walks on a leadrope. Come back to us next year and let us see how she’s progressed then we can give exercise tips.
Feed her well, take her on short walks on a leadrope. Come back to us next year and let us see how she’s progressed then we can give exercise tips.
PandoraLipizzaner
Member
I wasn’t asking for tips and exercises, I replied to my original question so that I could add pictures of her front and back.
Goldenstar
Well-Known Member
How much turn out is she getting ?
ycbm
Einstein would be proud of my Insanity...
I responded because of the text above your photos which looked like you were still asking for hints and tips. You didn't need to quote your question again to post more photographs.
I know you haven't owned her long, do you know how she got in that state?
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ycbm
Einstein would be proud of my Insanity...
Daytime out on the scalped paddock in the photos with one hour in an alfalfa paddock, from the bucking thread.
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Pearlsacarolsinger
Up in the clouds
It is a long time ago, I think the breeder meant well, felt guilty that she had sold the filly into that home and actually was quite seriously ill herself, so knew that she couldn't offer her a long term home. The 4 yr old was a good weight when she was advertised.
I think we have all learned a lot about feeding horses since the early 1980's, I know I have and actually a lot of what I have learned was because of Poppy. I have a lot to thank her for, as because of her issues, I started to suspect that food was making me ill, too. I was eventually proved right through allergy testing.
tristar
Well-Known Member
hi pandora,
i would feed her, four times a day small haynet of best quality hay, soaked for 20 minutes, not too much, enough to eat in one hour, and more at night, twice a day damped oats and soaked sugar beet, if you can, cooked linseed 3 times a week, and a good complete spectrum of vits and minerals , all very small feeds, the idea is basically to feed a high fibre diet in small quantities at set times, to let her digestion start working efficiently and not risk colic
i would for the topline stuff, take her for a walk out, on the road and woods for 20 minutes twice a day, the road will be good for her feet, the trip out will be good for her mind, as she starts to walk out, or step out and use herself she will stretch her neck forwards, swinging in walk can help the topline, and when you get back on board you and her will have developed confidence in each other for hacking, traffic etc.
after the walk you could let her graze grass and hedgerows in hand, and pull a few handfuls of grass thoughout the day for her
i would go with the wise old saying, a little and often
she needs to process what she eats then rest, dont overload her system, its functioning below par now, so take time and it will all happen naturally
in a while you could put on a saddle like a lightweight synthetic saddle with a thick pad done up just enough, for when she does her walks out etc
i would feed her, four times a day small haynet of best quality hay, soaked for 20 minutes, not too much, enough to eat in one hour, and more at night, twice a day damped oats and soaked sugar beet, if you can, cooked linseed 3 times a week, and a good complete spectrum of vits and minerals , all very small feeds, the idea is basically to feed a high fibre diet in small quantities at set times, to let her digestion start working efficiently and not risk colic
i would for the topline stuff, take her for a walk out, on the road and woods for 20 minutes twice a day, the road will be good for her feet, the trip out will be good for her mind, as she starts to walk out, or step out and use herself she will stretch her neck forwards, swinging in walk can help the topline, and when you get back on board you and her will have developed confidence in each other for hacking, traffic etc.
after the walk you could let her graze grass and hedgerows in hand, and pull a few handfuls of grass thoughout the day for her
i would go with the wise old saying, a little and often
she needs to process what she eats then rest, dont overload her system, its functioning below par now, so take time and it will all happen naturally
in a while you could put on a saddle like a lightweight synthetic saddle with a thick pad done up just enough, for when she does her walks out etc
Goldenstar
Well-Known Member
You need IMO to get her moving by leading her .
She clearly suffered from lack of care and not enough to eat .
She needs good quality forage .
If she eats plenty forage I would see if that’s all you need to do .
I would also give her a pelleted balancer .
I used to be a welfare officer and most healthy horses will gain weight on forage alone .I have seen skeletal horses come right on just forage and a balancer and they can do it very quickly
You need to get her teeth checked if it not been done already .
You need to check her worming status and take advice on getting that up to date in a safe way .
You need to keep her warm enough there’s no point in a thin horse using energy to keep warm .
You need to check that she has no other small issues that cause discomfort any discomfort can cause a horse gain less condition.
Thrush is very common on horses in poor condition so check that as well.
I would use a weight tape on her weekly if after a month she not gaining condition on forage and a balancer I would think about adding some thing extra .
BTW I would feed the balancer at the rate for hard work and I would introduce gradually over several days .
She clearly suffered from lack of care and not enough to eat .
She needs good quality forage .
If she eats plenty forage I would see if that’s all you need to do .
I would also give her a pelleted balancer .
I used to be a welfare officer and most healthy horses will gain weight on forage alone .I have seen skeletal horses come right on just forage and a balancer and they can do it very quickly
You need to get her teeth checked if it not been done already .
You need to check her worming status and take advice on getting that up to date in a safe way .
You need to keep her warm enough there’s no point in a thin horse using energy to keep warm .
You need to check that she has no other small issues that cause discomfort any discomfort can cause a horse gain less condition.
Thrush is very common on horses in poor condition so check that as well.
I would use a weight tape on her weekly if after a month she not gaining condition on forage and a balancer I would think about adding some thing extra .
BTW I would feed the balancer at the rate for hard work and I would introduce gradually over several days .
PandoraLipizzaner
Member
All day, in at night. She has hay in her paddock and access to the hay in the stable too. She now gets 2 hours a day ( morning and evening)in the alfalfa field as well.
PandoraLipizzaner
Member
Th
Thanks for the advice!
Goldenstar
Well-Known Member
If she getting standing alfalfa I would defiantly not give any other food in the way of grains beet things like that until you see how she goes and I would drop the balancer to the amount for medium work .
If she out eight hours plus she does not need any extra work but it might be nice to lead her a little and hang out with her, groom her and just be her person .
Let us know how you get on .
If she out eight hours plus she does not need any extra work but it might be nice to lead her a little and hang out with her, groom her and just be her person .
Let us know how you get on .