Concerned

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Muddipaws

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i can't go in to too much detail, but I know of a pony that has been and still is quite poorly and riddled with worms. Anyway she is very thin, and the owner has been taking advice from how can I put this a "dealer" and has advised to put cornflour into its feed to thicken up her poop which is like cow pats.

I e googled the benefit of this and any long term affects this can cause on a horse and struggling to find anything

The point I keep making is, the owner is kidding himself by feeding the cornflour as it's not sorting the issue out inside. She was given half a wormer a month ago and loads came out, she is due another half tomorrow

What if anything will cornflour do
 
I was under the impression that corn is too rich in starch for horses, in which case if fed in too large amounts it will make the hind gut more acidic and the upset gut even worst. If fed in small amount it might help fatten up the horse but there are other feed that would do the job more safely IMO (alfalfa nuts, soaked grass nuts, unmolassed sugarbeet, ...) .
She would be better off feeding a good probiotic, like Protexin and plenty of good quality forage.
 
Corn is absolutely fine for horses in reasonable amounts. You'll find it in most commercially available mixes. Fed in large amount cornflour can cause issues - but otherwise is a massively energy dense source with the energy very easily available for the horse. It isn't balanced - you couldn't feed it alone. But as part of a balanced diet and with adequate roughage it is a good way to get energy in quickly. It would be better to feed micronised or flaked corn rather than cornflour. But if the horse will take it - and it isn't over fed - then it is likely to do exactly what the adviser suggests it will.

With the best will in the world - this isn't your horse. If you are on a yard speak to the yard owner about your concerns. If you have a real welfare based concern report it to World Horse Welfare or the BHS. (RSPCA are not too useful for horses.) I do understand your concern and appreciate that you haven't named the individual (who isn't me if anyone is wondering!) but you do need to be careful. We all have different views on what is the right thing to do for our horses and sometimes things can get over emotional.
 
In this situation I would contact BHS welfare who will likely send out an officer to advise the owner.
 
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