can anyone help ??

D

dane07

Well-Known Member
Joined
26 April 2007
Messages
184
Location
wirral
Visit site
i have a 17 hand lighweight hunter, hes 11 and hes ridden 6 days a week, mixture of hacking and schooling so hes fairly fit.... but .... we have this huge lack of energy !!!!
hes fed 3/4 a scoop of alfa oil, scoop of instant energy mix and joint formula ... but nothing seems to work ...
can anyone recommend anything ?
confused.gif
 
is that one feed a day? how is he weight wise?
maybe try feeding him more?
a bowl type scoop of alpha a weighs less than a Ib, the same scoop with a mix weighs roughly 2 - 2.5 lbs (depending on the brand), so he's probably getting about 3lb of hard feed a day, not much for a 17h hunter working 6 days a week
 
Is it worth getting a blood test to check he is not anemic or suffering from a low grade virus. Is he overweight? If so get the weight off. If all this is ok try Equine America Propell which is excellent for additional energy.
 
Feed a whole scoop of the alpha oil and mix twice a day. Perhaps add some sugar beet as well.

What is his grazing like? And could he benefit from some electrolytes?
 
yes he gets that one feed a day, he is carrying a little weight but not excessive, we have cut his grazing down and he does bloat up quickly on good grazing, i just worry cos he deos put the weight on quickly and worry that i amy over feed him giving him 2 feeds a day .....
 
Some horses do lack energy but he may also be lazy. Try and sharpen him up when riding lots of transitions and get him really moving off your leg - make life fun. I would be cautious about over feeding.
 
working 6 days a week should keep his weight down so i wouldnt worry about doubling his feed, he doesnt sound to me as though he's getting enough calories on his present ration.
 
yes unfortunatly hes out 24/7 at the min as he does not have a stable till i move him to his new yard ... he does like his creature comforts and yes he is lazy but i took him to a show yesterday and he was worse than ever !
 
So riding him from the field is probably not helping then.

I'd be inclined in that case to keep everything the same, and just bear with it. Once you are able to stable him for an hour or so before you ride I am sure you will notice a difference.
 
Why don't you ring one of the horse feed helplines (they all have them). I have use D+H's one a few times now. They are incredibly helpful and the advice is a bit more scientific - they are all staffed by equine nutrition experts. Worth a try - doesn't cost anything other than phone call.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top