feeding the lazy horse....

[KautoStar1]

sorry, I know this has been asked a few times and Ive looked at previous posts, but not sure I've found the answer to my particular problem....

Archie is a RID, rising 7, 16.2 , nearly 10in of bone and approx 600kg. He has come out of the winter a bit too well, dispite careful diet management. He is stabled at night and out during the day (with grazing muzzle). His hay is soaked and he is fed morning and evening - 1/2 scoop of dengie hi fi lite, dengie Alfa A balancer (amount as per recommended for horse his size) and 1/4 scoop of naked oats per feed.

I am working on shifting those extra pounds because I know he will have more energy once he's lost a bit. He's currently working for about 3/4 hr a day during the week (general schooling, lunging) and maybe 1-2 hours Sat & Sunday out hacking.

He's very laid back, almost nothing phases him and I am keen not to change that pleasent nature (you can take him anywhere and he remains the same calm happy chap). However, he is bone idle and schooling can be hard work. I don't want to nag at him, but if I take my leg off, he just grinds to a halt. I avoid carry a schooling whip as I find if I tap him up, it creates a negative response, he tenses up as you use it, but it has no forward effect on him. So I ride in a little pair of spurs instead.


When I got him he was quiet overweight and I sucessfully shifted the pounds last summer, but even then he wasn't very forward. I try and get him out on fun rides and will take him on hound exercise in the summer in an attempt to pep him up. BUT I feel that either a change of diet or something to add to his diet might help give him more energy.

People have suggested changing to blue chip or adding red cell to his feed, but I would appreciate the advise of other RID / ID cross owners. He just needs a bit more zing, I don't want him to grow horns.

Thanks
x

 

[NeedNewHorse]

I am working on shifting those extra pounds because I know he will have more energy once he's lost a bit. He's currently working for about 3/4 hr a day during the week (general schooling, lunging) and maybe 1-2 hours Sat & Sunday out hacking.

He's very laid back, almost nothing phases him and I am keen not to change that pleasent nature (you can take him anywhere and he remains the same calm happy chap). However, he is bone idle and schooling can be hard work. I don't want to nag at him, but if I take my leg off, he just grinds to a halt. I avoid carry a schooling whip as I find if I tap him up, it creates a negative response, he tenses up as you use it, but it has no forward effect on him. So I ride in a little pair of spurs instead.


When I got him he was quiet overweight and I sucessfully shifted the pounds last summer, but even then he wasn't very forward. I try and get him out on fun rides and will take him on hound exercise in the summer in an attempt to pep him up. BUT I feel that either a change of diet or something to add to his diet might help give him more energy.

People have suggested changing to blue chip or adding red cell to his feed, but I would appreciate the advise of other RID / ID cross owners. He just needs a bit more zing, I don't want him to grow horns.

Thanks
x

Bit of a catch 22, as when he is fit he will be more active but getting him fit is the problem.

OK, with regards to naggin him, don't. You will find he has probably shut down a bit. Get that schooling whip back and use it until he learns leg means go, no questions asked. My mare wont go forward perfectly with the whip as she has to say no first, just use it again (of course not wacking or anything like that, a flick) when you get the desired affect, take away pressure and away you go!! What I trying to say is ride through that tense bit, as you probably stopped the whip when he didn't like it and that was the end of that. OR... Use a whipwhop. It's a rope that you swing over their neck (the like of Richard Maxwelll reccommend it) and when they see the swishing motion they move away from it (forward) think cowboys with their reins, swishing them over the horses neck. Make sure he he lurtches forward you don't yank back on the reins though, as you will punish him for the correct command. You need to get to the point where leg means go until I ask for stop. Be firm and make it black and white.


Secondly do you go at speed on hacks? Make riding as fun as possible for the both of you, go out with friends and go a blast, get him thinking forwards... And lastly use pole work for schooling. Lay them anywhere and everywhere... Raised trotting/canter poles, make squares etc whatever really you can do so much.

With regards to food, don't know. I would shift the weight first personally if you want more buzz, as until he is fit you cannot feed him more so to speak. Hopefullt someone else can help. Maybe have him out 24/7 too, does he seem like he lacks engergy or does he seem dis-interest??

 

[MissSBird]

To be bluntly honest, you won't be able to feed the laziness out of him. A lazy horse will generally always be lazy as that is their natural manner.

You need to try and suss out whether it is a lazy personality, or not enough energy. My connie is quite lazy naturally and I have to work a bit to keep him forward. I recently found that during our schooling sessions he was suddenly dieing on me half way through because he lacked energy. You can really feel the difference between lazyness and lack of energy.

Lazyness can only be fixed by getting them fitter, which you are already doing, and retraining them to move off the leg. Both of these take time, so just keep going. It will come with patience.

If you do feel he is lacking energy, personally I would try changing your chaff before you start adding supplements. Hi-fi lite is really meant for horses in very light work. You may find a decent increase in his energy by changing to hifi or even alfa-a lite, as these are meant for horses that are a little chubby, but in medium/hard work. To remedy my boy's lack of energy I changed from hifi to alfa-a lite and it's made quite a difference, and doesn't appear to have altered his weight in a detrimental way.

 

[ThePony]

Hi there,
Bit of a tricky one with him being a little overweight. To help with that I was wondering why you choose to feed the alpha a balancer? It has more calories than the hifi one. Or, you could just cut it out altogether and just feed hifi lite with a powder vit suplement (I use pink powder which I think is fab)? That at least looses you some calories. He isn't going to be very forward going while he is a little on the chubby slightly unfit side, so a bit of a slow slog I'm afraid! I would try and make what ever you are doing interesting for him, esp with him being a bit of a baby he will find things dull quickly! With my mare (rather gobby with a 2 sec attention span!) I only school once a week. When we school I keep it short and sweet with a particular aim in mind - be that a good walk to trot transition, circles in walk without falling in or out etc. I also chuck poles about the place and try and add in popping a couple of cross poles as it really wakes her up as she loves it! Out hacking she is a little more forward going (but is v chilled, so isn't too excited by the idea of a nice hack!), we try and work forwards, hack with friends, change routes etc. Anything we can to get it interesting. Also you could add in the occassional fun ride just to add variety and interest to what you get up to. Big rule is totally no nagging though!! Sometimes tough to stick to when you just want him to GO!! With mine I squeeze, if no response then I nudge, if no response she gets a tap with a schooling whip with a leather end (she hates the string end ones and just gets stressed and bucky). If she responds positively to any of those steps then I don't move up the scale and I praise her. Even if the response is short lived or isn't as much as you would like you must still praise the positive effort. With time he will get the idea and be more responsive to less from you. SO important to stick to it ridgidly - if I have a rubbish day and don't stick totally we quickly go backwards in progress.
Loads of luck, he will improve, just a couple of tweeks I think will make a massive difference!

 

[KautoStar1]

thanks, some really helpful advise. I do try and make everything fun and interesting for him - lots of different work in the school mixed with hacking and 'days out'. I think his nature is such that its easy to assume he's lazy, when probably hes a bit lazy mixed with very laid back.
I will try a different chop like the Alfa A lite and take back my whip and use it positively (in a good way, of course) and ride through the tension.

Hopefully once his fitness improves that will help too. But apparently his weight is about right for his breed and size. So its just a case of building up his stamina.

x