Cresty pony- Advice please. Pictures.

[Elvis]

My sisters pony who we've owned for 9 years has previously been a poor doer but has caught us all out this year by ending up rather fat. He is now muzzled when turned out over night and then only has a small haynet when he's in during the day. He is already exercised a decent amount and is actually pretty fit. I'm not sure there is much else we can do to try and help him lose weight, although we are open to suggestions.

But the thing I'm really worried about is how cresty he has become. His top line has developed considerably over the last 12-18 months, but then he's also become very cresty. Which has worsened with the weight gain. Could this be a sign of cushings? He is 18, but has no other symptoms. What can we do to reduce his crest?

Sorry the photos aren't the best, but if you look at the middle of his neck you can see the horrible wobbly section of his crest.

He has also developed some rubs on his face presumably from the muzzle and head collar. They are both sheep skin lined as he's a bit sensitive, but still rubbing, apart from sudocream is there much else we can do to help this?

 

[Red-1]

Difficult to tell from a photo, but are you sure he has not caught ringworm?

 

[Elvis]

It would be peculiar if he had, the rubs are only on his face, and he hasn't gone anywhere recently, there is a new horse in the field next to his, so I suppose they could have had contact over the fence, if the new pony does have ringworm it has not been noticed by the yard (riding school pony)

 

[_HP_]

Considering his age, the cresty neck and the fact that he has gained weight easily for the first time I would have him tested for Cushings and EMS. They may show one or all of the symptoms .
This is a very useful site
http://www.thelaminitissite.org/ppid.html

I've seen it suggested that Mag ox can help with cresty necks.

 

[Elvis]

Thank you. I've just had a read of that, he seems to have more symptoms of EMS than Cushings but since the lab results are still free, it is worth testing for both.

 

[fusspot]

Def worth checking for EMS- my boy had cresty neck,fat pads on back and shoulders.Was very fit,went down with Lami overnight-diagnosed after bloods as no Cushings but EMS.Diet change from Hi FI Lite to Hi FI Molasses Free,Hi Fibre Nuts and Lo Cal Balancer.Vet wanted to do off exercise and diet-hay soaked min 6 hours,no sugar at all,only treats were Sugar free polos,turned out with muzzle as you are doing.Would def do the test.Mine also has the rubs this year with padding etc,have left alone and they are no worse.

 

[Elvis]

Is it just a blood test for EMS? Other than diet and exercise is there any other way to control it? Touch wood he hasn't ever had laminitis.

 

[BlackVelvet]

Agree with the above posters and get him checked for EMS. In the mean time please be extra careful with the grass, you wouldnt want a lami case! I found out the hard way!

 

[fusspot]

Mine had never had Lami either!.Couldnt believe it.He was blood tested for Cushings first which was Negative,tested for his Insulin Levels and that was ok,then did the Glucose Test where he was starved for 6 hours then fed a bag of Glucose which I got from vet in some chaff-as low sugar as poss and as little as poss which is hard as there is a lot of Glucose!.They should then be Blood Tested 2 hours after Glucose given.I booked the blood to be taken at about 9 am as he then had the glucose for his breakfast as had not eaten for a few hours as stabled at night and finished his hay,They are also more likely to eat it then as they are hungry!.The levels should be around 80 and he was 200.The glucose and test was not expensive even if you have to pay and the Metformin if they need it is Cheaper than Cushings medication.There is a programme on Horse and country TV being shown at the end of July-vets trying to raise awareness that Lami doesn't just come off Grass and to encourage testing for Cushings and EMS,my boy is on it as the success story for EMS recovery.

 

[Elvis]

Posted twice.

 

[Elvis]

Thank you, my sister will be contacting our vet to ask for both a cushings and an EMS test. For now he's out at night but with a muzzle and the grass is no longer lush. During the day he has a small haynet which he eats very little of anyway so hopefully we will avoid a lami attack.

 

[catkin]

If it's EMS it can often be managed.

You're right, diet and exercise are the keys - however, go through his diet with a fine toothcomb, check the sugar/starch levels of any food carefully, consider feeding him a forage balancer which will ensure that he's getting enough of vital minerals (something like ForagePlus or Progressive earth supplements are a good starting point and these companies will give advice on what is likely to suit). Remember that a diet is likely to take months rather than weeks though.

Think about his exercise program- what you are looking to do is to use up the fat being stored, best way to do this is to make sure that you incorporate lots and lots of brisk walking/slow trotting which will utilise the glucose in the adipose fat (fast work takes energy from different sources). Daily (or very near daily) exercise is a must.

If you have access to a grass-free turnout area or sand school give him mooching time in it everyday in addition to his exercise and any grazing he's allowed - the more he's moving about the better.

It's hard work - but well well worth it to have a healthy horse.

It may also be worth discussing with your vet the possibility of hind gut issues like acidosis which can set off the whole metabolic stuff.

 

[Elvis]

If it's EMS it can often be managed.

You're right, diet and exercise are the keys - however, go through his diet with a fine toothcomb, check the sugar/starch levels of any food carefully, consider feeding him a forage balancer which will ensure that he's getting enough of vital minerals (something like ForagePlus or Progressive earth supplements are a good starting point and these companies will give advice on what is likely to suit). Remember that a diet is likely to take months rather than weeks though.

Think about his exercise program- what you are looking to do is to use up the fat being stored, best way to do this is to make sure that you incorporate lots and lots of brisk walking/slow trotting which will utilise the glucose in the adipose fat (fast work takes energy from different sources). Daily (or very near daily) exercise is a must.

If you have access to a grass-free turnout area or sand school give him mooching time in it everyday in addition to his exercise and any grazing he's allowed - the more he's moving about the better.

It's hard work - but well well worth it to have a healthy horse.

It may also be worth discussing with your vet the possibility of hind gut issues like acidosis which can set off the whole metabolic stuff.

Thank you for such an informative reply! Unfortunately I know all weather turnout isn't a possibility as the yard has an arena but is also a riding school as well as a livery yard so the arena is always in use. However he's out every night from 4pm until 8.30 am with a muzzle on.
My sister already rides him 4-6 days a week but could include more brisk walking and slow trotting.
I'll speak to the vet about hind gut issues too.
My sister is very conscientious when it comes to ensuring the best for her pony so I know she'll follow the vets advice to the letter.
Thank you again.

 

[firejenson]

Have a look at http://www.freestepsuperfix.co.uk/ I have a very cresty pony also lately just a touch footy on stoney ground. started on this on monday afternoon. The crest already feels softer and footienes is gone! Worth a try

 

[Elvis]

Thank you for that link! Looks like pretty amazing stuff.

If our pony does end up being diagnosed with EMS which looks likely, I'm guessing that if he is prescribed metformin he'll drop weight considerably, as his glucose levels will be back under control. So I'm presuming he'll return to being a poor doer, so then how do we keep weight on him without involving any sugar?

 

[rara007]

Oil.

We have a poor doer who came down with Lami whilst in medium-hard work and light. Bit of a battle now she is in hard work to keep the ribs covered.

 

[catkin]

If our pony does end up being diagnosed with EMS which looks likely, I'm guessing that if he is prescribed metformin he'll drop weight considerably, as his glucose levels will be back under control. So I'm presuming he'll return to being a poor doer, so then how do we keep weight on him without involving any sugar?

Once you have a diagnosis be guided by your vet as to his diet.

The exact feedstuffs will depend upon your circumstances and the pony himself - most of us have ended up having to experiment a little to find the best combination.

The basic principles are likely to be low sugar/starch, plenty of forage, good quality protein and a mineral supplement, maybe an oil based energy source. Be prepared to nag feed merchants and feed manufacturers for full analyses and keep your calculator handy- you're gonna need it to work out percentages!!!

You may find that when you get his condition under control that the right kind of forage (for him) will provide nearly all of his needs. Quite often mixing your own rations from straights is the best (and most economical) way.
Once you get into the swing of it you'll be fine, it becomes fascinating.

 

[Exploding Chestnuts]

non molassed sugar beet pulp [quick beet and others] is less than 5% sugar, you can feed this, also Fast Fibre, but this tends to slim rather than keep weight on.
There are some special diet feeds, eg Saracen, but they are expensive, and any way you need to find out as much as you can about any condition your pony has.
Micronised linseed oil.

 

[Exploding Chestnuts]

Freestep Superfix: looks amazing information, the only thing that puts me off is the writing ....... not well punctuated, erratic capitalisation [is that a word] a small thing but worrying that they don't seem to know the basics.

 

[FreshandMinty]

Have a look at http://www.freestepsuperfix.co.uk/ I have a very cresty pony also lately just a touch footy on stoney ground. started on this on monday afternoon. The crest already feels softer and footienes is gone! Worth a try

sorry to hyjack, Im interested in this.. Ive not heard of it before. Im naturally skeptical until convinced otherwise, I cant see any list of ingredients?

 

[PollyP99]

sorry to hyjack, Im interested in this.. Ive not heard of it before. Im naturally skeptical until convinced otherwise, I cant see any list of ingredients?

Ditto the above saw an adver oft it in horse and rider this month, anyone got a pack can tell us the ingredients? Agree that the website is not very professional looking.

 

[Mince Pie]

Regarding feed would saracen re-leve be any good? It's designed for competition horses which are prone to tying up so is low sugar/starch.

 

[Elvis]

Well the vet is booked for Monday, I'm guessing the first test will be cushings, since he hadn't mentioned anything about fasting Valiant before his blood test, then the EMS test after. I'm going to try and be there too as my sister can get a little overwhelmed with information.
Thanks everyone for all the information about feeds. Val's current feed is included in his livery but won't be appropriate if he's diagnosed with EMS, so looks like we'll be doing some research!

 

[WelshD]

Ditto the above saw an adver oft it in horse and rider this month, anyone got a pack can tell us the ingredients? Agree that the website is not very professional looking.

ditto this. Seen a LOT of people on forums say 'hey try this! its excellent/fabulous/a miracle' but never say what the hell it is.

 

[firejenson]

ditto this. Seen a LOT of people on forums say 'hey try this! its excellent/fabulous/a miracle' but never say what the hell it is.

Will have a look at my pot tomorrow and see if it sheds any light on ingredients. I'm normally very sceptical about these things but as I've had a friends who had great results on it thought to give it a go (it is expensive but so far so good!)

 

[brighteyes]

The above posters have it covered. Good luck with him.

 

[OldNag]

Freestep Superfix: looks amazing information, the only thing that puts me off is the writing ....... not well punctuated, erratic capitalisation [is that a word] a small thing but worrying that they don't seem to know the basics.

Mmm and unless I am being thick - I couldn't work out from the website how long a pack would last. Though if it really us good I will give it a go.

 

[firejenson]

Mmm and unless I am being thick - I couldn't work out from the website how long a pack would last. Though if it really us good I will give it a go.

Mine has started on really high loading dosage but in maintenance the 1kg lasts 12 weeks I believe. Give them a ring, she was very helpful and patient answering all my daft questions

 

[firejenson]

Checked my pot and ingredients listed are botanical extract and MgCo3

 

[FreshandMinty]

Checked my pot and ingredients listed are botanical extract and MgCo3

hmmmmmm... thanks for checking.