Ginn
Well-Known Member
Tilly is kept with a laminitic (not ideal but there is only the 2 of them so no other option and I am very happy on my yard so moving is not an option).
At the moment they are on a half acre paddock which is now pretty well grazed! Imo she doesn't look underweight (though it certainly wouldn't hurt her to put some more on!!) but the last few days she has appeared very hungry, snatching for her feed (something she's not done in 18 months!) pawing the ground when worked in the schooling paddock which is very lush with grass and snatching at the grass in there too when worked - all bad manners that I won't let her get away with so we have had a few arguments over it!
Today I decided I'd pop her in for a few hours with a big pile of hay which she seemed to be wolfing down (again, not usual for her!) and this confirmed my suspicions she is hungry, especially as she is now in light work which must up her energy demands. (She is also up to date with worming).
I could put her in with hay everyday, and may well do this but she really doesn't like being in so this may not work. I can't turn her out in the schooling paddock as she is destructo-horse and YO obviously wants it kept intact for schooling and the rest of the grazing is being used for hay, which is behind this year due to the odd weather. Cannot put hay out as laminitic is a thug and even if he is muzzled he won't let her eat it!
Would upping her hard feed to a high fibre, high oil, low starch mix work (have tried soaked oats in the past and they were a disaster) and feeding her 2-3 times a day be a good place to start? She currently has a small scoop of hi-fi chaff and a handful of H+P mix once a day as a few weeks ago she was looking porky. I was thinking of switching her to a high oil chaff and some conditioning cubes but at the same time I don't want to blow her brains as she is a baby and now being ridden???
At the moment they are on a half acre paddock which is now pretty well grazed! Imo she doesn't look underweight (though it certainly wouldn't hurt her to put some more on!!) but the last few days she has appeared very hungry, snatching for her feed (something she's not done in 18 months!) pawing the ground when worked in the schooling paddock which is very lush with grass and snatching at the grass in there too when worked - all bad manners that I won't let her get away with so we have had a few arguments over it!
Today I decided I'd pop her in for a few hours with a big pile of hay which she seemed to be wolfing down (again, not usual for her!) and this confirmed my suspicions she is hungry, especially as she is now in light work which must up her energy demands. (She is also up to date with worming).
I could put her in with hay everyday, and may well do this but she really doesn't like being in so this may not work. I can't turn her out in the schooling paddock as she is destructo-horse and YO obviously wants it kept intact for schooling and the rest of the grazing is being used for hay, which is behind this year due to the odd weather. Cannot put hay out as laminitic is a thug and even if he is muzzled he won't let her eat it!
Would upping her hard feed to a high fibre, high oil, low starch mix work (have tried soaked oats in the past and they were a disaster) and feeding her 2-3 times a day be a good place to start? She currently has a small scoop of hi-fi chaff and a handful of H+P mix once a day as a few weeks ago she was looking porky. I was thinking of switching her to a high oil chaff and some conditioning cubes but at the same time I don't want to blow her brains as she is a baby and now being ridden???
