Feed help- Suppliments for grass bellies?

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littlen

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Hi,

I am really struggling with my horse at the moment and would appreciate some advice.

So he has no fat pockets, no apple bum, no cresty neck and looks pretty average everywhere except his belly. He looks as though he is having twins and he is huge. Its rather embarrasing as I cant seem to do anything about it. I dont know if it is a fat or just bad digestion.

He currently gets a handful of happy hoof a day and is on restricted grazing as I didnt want him to put on more weight.
Is there a suppliment i can give that will help with his digestion without making him gain weight?
I thought about pink powder but didnt think it was for long term use so was trying to find something else.
What about things like seaweed etc do they make any difference at all?
Bearing in mind he is also lami prone.

He is currently out 24/7 unrugged, ridden once or twice a week usually but may be being turned away for winter.
blush.gif
 
The only supplement is work. He is out at grass and ridden occasionally, so not very surprising he has a grass belly!

I really wouldn't worry about it - if you have the urge to spend money, I'd buy a decent salt lick for the field, like a rockies 5 star. At least that way he can self administer the minerals he needs.
 
I know that he needs more work, but there isnt alot I can do about it at the moment unfortunatley.

I am getting comments about his condition constantly and I dont know what to do about it, it is embarrasing and i feel terrible as it is a sign of bad digestion isnt it?

I thought about feeding pink powder to see if that helps his digestion?
 
I have used pink powder long term for a mare who was prone to mild, gassy colics and it worked wonders. you could give NAF a call and ask them about it, i got some useful advice from them about my girl. Or they might suggest an alternative better suited to your horse.

I guess the only other thing is to see if you can find someone else to exercise him for you? The colder nights should help and once the grass stops growing he should start to lose some of it anyway.
 
Its horrible when you are at a yard and people are taking a pop at your horse. Just tell them to stop being ignorant, as the condition score is not done on the size of a grass belly. Also some horses just tend to be shaped that way - one of my youngsters has a huge grass belly hanging down and yet you can just see his ribs.

Its probably also linked to restricted grazing, so if possible you could try the technique I've seen on here of giving him a large ring (like grazing him in a little racetrack) if you allowed to - it means they have to walk further than being in a small square and should help with the exercise.

Otherwise tell them to b*gger off (see CotswoldSJ's guide on how to win friends and influence people)
 
that's a good idea gtom cotswoldSJ about the grazing ring - i call it a fatty track and had my mare on one all summer with only vits and mins in the form of equibites. really good at keeping them moving and may help his grass belly
 
I have heard some good reports about something called slimline (or something similar) it might be made by Naf? It is a white square box with pink writing on it, reminds me of the pink powder box I had (also by Naf).

Sorry that didnt sound very helpful at all - maybe you can try googling?

Think the track thing is a good idea - a sort of exercise driven paddock paradise thing that NH go on about. Or is that paradise paddock?

I apologise for the vagueness of this post!
 
Lol its a paradise strip.... like a little race track round the edge of a big field. (And NOT, as one helpful soul asked me a while ago, something to do with feminine waxing!)
 
Not quite. A Paradise strip has lots of different surfaces etc to help keep the hooves in good condition, not just to get them moving. I have used the racetrack system with great success. The NAF Slimline, won't help, as it is simply a vit/min supplement for thos on restricted rations, nothing to actually help weight reduction.

OP, just wondering, do you think he is getting enough fibre? Possibly on very limited grazing he needs more fibre to keep the gut fully active. Just a thought.
 
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