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Horsekaren

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Now this isn't me worrying, this is me thinking out loud :D

As a few of you know i moved my lovely horse and he is currently living his best life out 24/7 with adlib hay. He has been in this set up for about 10 weeks. He is happy... properly happy and content. He tries his best when working, the attitude is so willing but over the last two weeks the energy has gone, he feels very flat and tired.
His energy rocketed when we moved, he has a spring in his step but nothing buzzy, he honestly felt like he had came back to life and had a oumph to him, it was great.


He doesnt get a daily hard feed anymore, but he will have a bowl of grassnuts mashed or fast fibre a few times a week when he comes in to work.


I am wondering if the lack of energy is due to him lacking a few vits and minerals. I really dont want him in a routine of hard feed every day but id like to try and give him something, whether it in treat form of a cup full of wet mash i can give him by hand.
Any suggestions? or just leave as is?
This is for a cob, schooled 4-5 times a week, not competing so doesnt need anything high energy.
 
Energy doesn't come from vitamins or minerals.

Not knowing your horse I can't really comment, but I haven't fed a hard feed to any of my horses for at least 10 years - they get hay, straw and pasture and nothing else. They are always in light work (what a lot of people probably think is medium work), and have exactly the amount of energy they need for the work they are doing. They are healthy, sleek, good hooves, etc., etc.
 
I would say he is in very light work compared to your version of light work :)

We do mix things up, this morning i set up poles and had a buddy in the school as he usually enjoys that but nothing. We do hack a few times a month. He isnt the school sour type, prefers flat over jumping ect
Its hard to describe ... he inst un willing, he tries but just feels like there is now power in him.

He just needs a little more energy to perk up but where that comes from im a bit stuck
 
Pinkvboots said:
It can just be that his now living out it can knock the stuffing out of some horses especially if they are used to coming in overnight, it might just take him a while to adjust to it or it just might be that his feeling very chilled out with living out.
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Yes, that's my experience too. When mine start to stay out overnight, after being in at night over winter, they are actually quite tired and will lie down immediately when brought in for work in the mornings (I leave them in for a couple of hours so they can have a nap beforehand, little mollycoddlers).
 
When mine wintered out, I found they had more oomph when I brought them in with hay for a couple of hours before riding. I think it depends on the horse and the weather, but in a month or so, he may regain his spark.
 
Cortez said:
Yes, that's my experience too. When mine start to stay out overnight, after being in at night over winter, they are actually quite tired and will lie down immediately when brought in for work in the mornings (I leave them in for a couple of hours so they can have a nap beforehand, little mollycoddlers).
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I find my two get really grumpy for the first few weeks after they've been changed from 24:7 and back again. Its just a change in their sleeping habits - particularly Militaire. When he's out 24:7 he likes a midday snooze, a proper flat out 'dead horse' snooze, which he doesn't do when he's in overnight. The weather has been a bit miserable recently so overnight sleeping out in the field might have been limited.

Plus coat change is here and that can often drain horses. Again, its Mr M who feels it and needs extra rations to help him out.
 
If your horse is out in a large field with company they are getting stimulation and exercising themselves most of the time which is very different from having a stables horse where their ridden work provides most of their stimulation and exercise. My two live out all the time and sometimes at this time of year, especially if the weather is bad or windy, they can be tired when they come down for their morning haynet. Where is he in the pecking order if it is group turnout? That might also be affecting him.
 
I had exactly the same with my 14.1hh connie. He lives out 24/7 with a big field shelter for him and one other. They have hay, a small feed comprising of a small handful of fast fibre and oat straw once a day so I can get protexin into him. Recently, he was very lack lustre, not enjoying rides and I was thinking at 20, maybe he's ready to retire. So I spoke to my vet who recommended I just gave him some micronised linseed. I add just half a cup full to his food, and wow what a difference! He has energy and sparkle but no weight gain - important as he is ems and has had bad lami a few years ago. He also has hock arthritis and has annual injections but he is moving so much better.
 
Tarragon said:
If your horse is out in a large field with company they are getting stimulation and exercising themselves most of the time which is very different from having a stables horse where their ridden work provides most of their stimulation and exercise. My two live out all the time and sometimes at this time of year, especially if the weather is bad or windy, they can be tired when they come down for their morning haynet. Where is he in the pecking order if it is group turnout? That might also be affecting him.
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He is 3rd in line, there are two above him and one below. He is always allowed near the hay. Ive not seem him lay down but he is ever so muddy, not sure if thats from rolling or sleeping. When he is overly tired its really obvious because he gets sleep deprived and will do yoga type poses and almost falls over but i havnt seen him doing this since the move.

I'd have thought he would have been well use to living out now with it being 10 weeks. 7 of which he has been full of beans, just dropped off the last few weeks.
 
mustardsmum said:
I had exactly the same with my 14.1hh connie. He lives out 24/7 with a big field shelter for him and one other. They have hay, a small feed comprising of a small handful of fast fibre and oat straw once a day so I can get protexin into him. Recently, he was very lack lustre, not enjoying rides and I was thinking at 20, maybe he's ready to retire. So I spoke to my vet who recommended I just gave him some micronised linseed. I add just half a cup full to his food, and wow what a difference! He has energy and sparkle but no weight gain - important as he is ems and has had bad lami a few years ago. He also has hock arthritis and has annual injections but he is moving so much better.
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Ive toyed with this before but didint follow through for some reason. How quick did you see a difference? Where do you get yours from? my feed shops only sell linseed flakes which i believe is just full of the crap :/
 
Mine are out 24/7. The geldings spend so much time galloping around after each other I get tired looking at them. Perhaps your horse expends a lot of energy playing. Although I don't know why he would only be tired now rather than since he was first out.
 
I don't know about the rest of the country but the weather here has taken a down turn the last few weeks. Windy, rainy, frosty, snowy etc etc. Whereas winter up until then has been quite settled and mild bar the odd storm. He's probably just tired from being out in it and maybe starting coat change too. I don't think you need do anything... give it a week or so I think the grass is about to start.
 
this is a harder time of year from them than earlier in the winter-they're changing coat, there's not much left in the grass and the weather is changeable.This is the only time of year my ponies drop weight-thank heavens!And where I am I don't expect grass much before end of April.

I think whether you need to give him extra depends a lot on your grazing and your hay-although last year was a good hay year. I do actually give mine a little Equimmins Vits and Mins this time of year-and that has linseed in it. They only get a tiny feed of agrobs cobs, grass and a bit of oat straw when they are in.
 
MotherOfChickens said:
this is a harder time of year from them than earlier in the winter-they're changing coat, there's not much left in the grass and the weather is changeable.This is the only time of year my ponies drop weight-thank heavens!And where I am I don't expect grass much before end of April.

I think whether you need to give him extra depends a lot on your grazing and your hay-although last year was a good hay year. I do actually give mine a little Equimmins Vits and Mins this time of year-and that has linseed in it. They only get a tiny feed of agrobs cobs, grass and a bit of oat straw when they are in.
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that sounds ideal, I think im going to try that, last summer when the grass was dry he went a little loopy, spooky over everything. He was licking mud so i tried Equivite and it sorted him out within a few days. Think i'll try this, at worse i will be paying for wee full of vits and minerals he doesnt need lol!
Dont want to meddle too much but something is a little off.
 
Horsekaren said:
Ive toyed with this before but didint follow through for some reason. How quick did you see a difference? Where do you get yours from? my feed shops only sell linseed flakes which i believe is just full of the crap :/
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I was the same, kept thinking he would put on weight etc but in the end it was the best thing. Had heard of other people having used it but because he was ems, I was reluctant to try. But after the vet suggested it, decided to give it a go. Result was almost instant, by the end of a week on the linseed I had an energetic, sparkly pony. So much so I dropped him from the recommended 150gms to 100gms as he had a bit too much sparkle :p. I would add he is hacked daily - only hill work round the village and then longer at weekends, so I don't know if that helps too. Even my non-horsey friend commented on how bright he looks. I use Charnwood (google Charnwood Linseed - I would put the link but I don't know if that's allowed!). Make sure you get micronised if you decided to try it. You can buy small 3kg bags from Marriages feeds at Mole Valley, if you just want a small amount to try. I did this, and did not even finished the bag before the results were clear and so I bought a big bag from Charnwood.
 
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