Feeling rubbish at the moment

L

littlen

Well-Known Member
Joined
17 August 2006
Messages
830
Visit site
Just need a little whinge as nobody else understands :(

so I am currently really struggling with my boy. I do love him but god is he difficult!

He has dropped quite alot of weight over the past few months due to having to be kept in a paddock with very little grazing. Moving him is not an option for a number reasons and it's the lesser of 2 evils for him to be in there.

I noticed his weight loss and have gone put of my way to stop it. I stopped riding him and started feeding a good diet of conditioning mix, sugarbeet,oil and chaff. He also comes in at night to get a large net of equilage haylage and one net of hay.
He has put on weight steadily and looks loads better but it has come at a cost.
In short my loving willing horse has become a snorting bucking rearing idiot.
In the past week he has reared over 10 times and bucks like mad in anythig faster than trot. He also has started sticking his head right in the air and bolting. I literally have no control or brakes and might as well not be there. He flings his head about and jogs on the spot.

I tried lunging before riding but I can't ride too much ad he drops weight so I'm in a catch 22 situation. He is starting to scare me quite abit, I can deal with the naughtyness but not the bolting, i am on edge for the whole ride as is he.

I am pretty sure it's his feed as he didn't behave like that before but how will I know which part of the feed to cut out, and if it will effect his weight gain?
I also can't ride him more as he will drop condition?
He finds schooling even harder and throws huge tantrums. I have an instructor but havnt been able to get lessons as he is only in light work to keep him ticking over really.

I am at a loss as to what to do for the best really and I have had many comments on my yard with people bitching calling him emaciated and saying I don't feed him, neither is true. He is a very stressy boy anyway and the slightest change knocks him for weeks.

Suggestions I have had are a bit change, martingale, market harborough and draw reins. Would any of this benefit me?
He has been seen by a physio and dentist in the last 2 weeks and had a vet check with bloods at the start of his weight loss, there's nothing physically wrong.

I am just feeling a little deflated and rubbish at the moment. All liveries have told me to sell him but who would buy a bolting,rearing horse with a list of medical issues as long as my arms!

Maybe I need a calmer? Do they actually work?!
 
Have you tried Baileys Outshine, it is a high oil balancer which helps weight gain however the energy is slow releasing so they don't fizz up. I can't recommend this stuff enough, the difference it has made to my girl is amazing. Give their nutrionists a call to see how much to feed etc and what else to feed with it, my girl gets half scoop nuts and scoop chaff plus a cup of outshine twice a day as hard feed and does her v well (she is an ISH).

From your post I would be inclined to look at his feed first as reading this, the change in behaviour occured around the same time as the change in feed.

Have you also though about a probiotic to help his digestion and make sure that he is getting the most out of his feed.

I would be inclined to change feed to basic with the addition of Outshine (I don't work for Baileys I am just so impressed with this product) and then look at getting him back into work but instead of lunging, long reining but wouldn't jump into changing bits etc and certainly wouldn't go down the draw reins route, feel these can do far more harm in the long run especially if it is something that could be just down to change in feed.

Sounds like you have had all the regular checks done, although you haven't mentioned whether or not the saddle has been checked.
 
My lot are Winergy low energy. It has put the weight on with out the high jinks, but it takes time. It cost me £55 per week for 4 horses, plus carrots and apples. I have found you don't have to feed the amount they say, in fact less and they seem to do well.
 
I think haylege can make some horses fizzy, mine seem to be ok on it but I have heard of it blowing the brain of some horses?

Try taking him off the haylege - just give him as much hay as he can eat. Can you leave him out at night?

I have my 'fizzy' horse on chaff, a handful of basic mix, speedi beet, blue chip, and pink powder once a day if I don't ride him, twice if I do, he came to me as a skinny, snorting beast - he is so chilled out now - he's lovely :D he has put on loads of weight, his coat is all shiny and he is chilled :cool:

I did have him on a calmer when I first got him, it did work to a certain extent, but he is off it now.
 
when my older boy started dropping condition I was recommended Equitop Myoplast by the vets - you don't have to change feeds just add this on top of normal rations. The difference in mine was amazing. There is a voucher on their website for money off http://www.equitop-myoplast.co.uk/. Also myy vet recommended a very high fibre diet and actually less concentrates (sounds mad but worked for mine!) and I fed him 4x a day so that I could feed him more but not overload his tummy. Hope all goes well.
 
Also - you said he's been seen by a physio and a dentist - have you tried a saddler? Even though he is now in good condition again is it all in the same place? I usually but 99% of bucking (if it's not their normal game) down to a bad back or a badly fitting saddle!
 
The suggestion about the saddle fitting is an excellent one! Is he wild in hand or just when ridden?

I would also add that conditioning mix usually has a lot of barley in it - I have a horse who is VERY silly on high levels of barley - he's on conditioning cubes and is sensible again.

High levels of sugar - molassed mixes, sugar beet and haylage - may also be contributing to your boy's excitement too - think of a toddler with free access to a sweet shop!

There are lots of conditioning feeds on the market you can try - high fibre and oil may be the way to go with him - keep him off the sugars and barley - but TBH the only way you'll know what works is to experiment - see what suits him

If he's on limited grazing, can you give him hay in the field too, or is he sharing his turnout?

What would worry me is why he loses weight when you work him? I haven't seen your previous posts - how old is he? Does he have underlying health issues? It isn't normal to lose weight quite so quickly and dramatically :( I can understand that being out on limited grazing would lead to weight loss - but it seems quite dramatic if people are saying he's emaciated??

Can you post some pics??
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top