Feeding lazy horse

Gloi said:
But why? It's hard enough to reduce sugar consumption as it is without actively adding it. What good do you think it is doing?
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Hay has 10% sugar, grass has 15%. Hes lost a lot of sugar, which is most likely why he’s tired. The treacle won’t even replace it in full, so he’s still on less sugar than he was all summer.
 
For comparison, mine’s on a sub 5% sugar in his hard feed, based on nutritionist advice. Horses have a different metabolic system to ours and more sugar isn’t good for them.

OP If you don’t mind me saying, when you get consistent info when asked, perhaps it’s worth thinking about it again, rather than dismissing it out of hand?
 
Bernster said:
For comparison, mine’s on a sub 5% sugar in his hard feed, based on nutritionist advice. Horses have a different metabolic system to ours and more sugar isn’t good for them.

OP If you don’t mind me saying, when you get consistent info when asked, perhaps it’s worth thinking about it again, rather than dismissing it out of hand?
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I do wonder why some people bother to ask for experienced, knowledgeable opinions when they already know what they are going to do, regardless.
 
I'm afraid I'm another that thinks that that is light work, but I'll throw something else in to consider. My cob happily copes with up to 10 hours a week of a mix of schooling and hacking, and we have access to a beach so there can be a lot of cantering, without running out of energy at all on grass through the summer and haylage only through the winter. He suffers from equine asthma and quite often the only sign that this is bothering him is a running out of energy feeling so think about a physical problem?
 
Personally I would be against adding sugar to the feeding program of a horse which has 'a big barrel', you said he is not fat, but a barrel tummy to me would indicate that he is overweight and is carrying it on his belly. I know it is not easy, my new boy came to me with a barrel underneath, and at first tired very easily. As we have worked on his fitness and weight he has become better in this respect, but they need to work hard to be fit, and hacking for an hour or two should really be counted as a day off unless it is coupled with proper training on the same day. To me the thing with food is to make sure that it is balanced with the amount of exercise, just adding oats and sugar to an overweight and unfit horse is not likely to do the trick, but adding some very small amount of hard food along with putting him into higher intensity work would probably have a big impact. Sorry if this is not what you wanted to hear, but from what you have written this would be the first thing I would try.
 
I was building up the fitness in a wizzy little cob who has been on maternity leave when I began to feel there was no fuel in the tank. Turns out she has some form of asthma (under vet currently) & apparently different spores / pollen can affect at different times - might be worth a thought.

At coat change times though I do make sure mine have a boost of protein. Tri Aminos bought for the PSSM one but they all get a bit now.
 
My_old_warmblood said:
Hay has 10% sugar, grass has 15%. Hes lost a lot of sugar, which is most likely why he’s tired. The treacle won’t even replace it in full, so he’s still on less sugar than he was all summer.
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Sugar is a disaster in my opinion.

Another thing that I think is no good is oil. I loath it. I have nothing against feeding linseed jelly or some freshly crushed linseed, but I don't feed oil. It's unbalanced, too heavy, and weighs us all down.

I know how sugar and fat affects me. I feel like a tub of lard on a morning walk if I've made a hog of myself at the trough the previous evening.

It's very interesting about coat change making horses a little lethargic. I know that when budgerigars are moulting, they not only look their worst, they also act a little weird. It's not a good time for them.

And I find it very interesting what's been said about fitness. It makes sense.

Re extras, I'd add some oats if I wanted to add something, and start off with only a little.
 
Lois Lame said:
Another thing that I think is no good is oil. I loath it. I have nothing against feeding linseed jelly or some freshly crushed linseed, but I don't feed oil. It's unbalanced, too heavy, and weighs us all down.
.
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I don't understand you here LL. Many horses are fed oil and do very well on it, much better than they do by upping grains, pulses, etc It's often very helpful for horses that need calories but won't eat volume from a bucket.
.
 
Winters100 said:
Personally I would be against adding sugar to the feeding program of a horse which has 'a big barrel', you said he is not fat, but a barrel tummy to me would indicate that he is overweight and is carrying it on his belly. I know it is not easy, my new boy came to me with a barrel underneath, and at first tired very easily. As we have worked on his fitness and weight he has become better in this respect, but they need to work hard to be fit, and hacking for an hour or two should really be counted as a day off unless it is coupled with proper training on the same day. To me the thing with food is to make sure that it is balanced with the amount of exercise, just adding oats and sugar to an overweight and unfit horse is not likely to do the trick, but adding some very small amount of hard food along with putting him into higher intensity work would probably have a big impact. Sorry if this is not what you wanted to hear, but from what you have written this would be the first thing I would try.
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this is what i do, very well put
 
I've fed linseed oil in the winter with good results. As well as other oil over the years when I've had a horse that needed it (mostly my TB's). When I, myself, eat oil, such as a good quality oil on a salad for example, I don't feel like a tub of lard ??‍♀️
I think it's about the oil and the quantity. Some horses do well on a high fat and high protein diet, and oil can be a useful addition.

Some oils have a better Omega 3 and 6 balance then others.
 
My_old_warmblood said:
Again, not light work. Was recently seen by physio and most of ridden world is trotting.
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i would think it depends on the hay, some hay is like fire water, well ours is! some is`nt.

i`ve had horses who appear to be lazy, so i give them loads of warming up time, and ride in a very un demanding way for about 30 mins min, using school movements and they have gone from sluggish to working nicely without using strong aids, it took me by surprise the first time, when the `lazy horse` many years ago started to work very nicely, don`t know if it would work for you though.

if he`s trotting a lot he should be fairly fit, i find trotting alone makes mine fit, with bursts of canter, i look at the flanks after trotting cantering to gauge the fitness, puffing expansion of the flanks or lack of it gives an indication

mine only have small feeds based around oats, monitor feed, work regularly, and see what happens, be interesting to know you how go on ?
 
My old boy has perked up since I changed him from Pink Mash to Saracen Releve and a scoop of grass nuts. I’m not sure entirely whether that was the reason as the weather cooled and we had some rain which made the grass grow too. However it does seem to have carried on even though it’s dry again and the grass has been eaten down.

If grass is what gives him oomph try grass pellets or grass chaff.
 
the level of work is light, this is the kind of schedule I give the eventers in winter on their holidays just to keep them going. by the sounds of it your guy isn't fit, if he is doing roughly the same amount of work each week (even if it does include trots up hill) his body will have adapted to the workload and he won't be getting any fitter. to get a level of fitness you would need to be increasing the duration, intensity or speed over time, otherwise he just sticks at a low level of fitness. it sounds like he has base fitness. so he's in light work and wouldn't need much hard feed.

it sounds more like his coat is changing and he's probably a bit run down. a good vitamin , mineral supplement might perk him up. did you get bloods done? they might pick up something?
 
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