Help with horse's tummy!!

[DellaMoon]

Please help or at least put my mind at rest!

Got my mare in poor condition in Feb this year. She was very ribby, hairy, had mud fever and sores. She gradually put condition on but suffered from a dodgy belly. With the vets help this settled and all of a sudden she had a big belly but was still a bit ribby. She has had regular worm counts and been wormed accordingly. Nothing found so just spring and autumn tape worm. She's only three and when she was backed the bloated belly seemed to go down. She has now been out of work since July and the belly is back! It goes up and down depending on grass and also randomly.

At the moment she still has a belly but you can feel her ribs just running your hand over her side. She was on about 11kg soaked hay a day and tiny feed with pink powder. She has minimal lightweight rugs so has to keep herself warm. And now according to the weigh tape she's put on 20kg in the last month! I have upped her hay since the cold and she's having it steamed instead of soaked. I'm just not sure that I'm doing the right thing!! Please help, what would you do in my position?

Thank you!!

 

[JenHunt]

i think you're doing the right thing... IME the belly is from the amount of fibre she's getting, but the fibre will be keeping her warm through this weather so don't stop it.

If you think she's starting to drop a bit of condition, try putting a warmer rug on her and/or try giving her some sugarbeet to give her a few more calories.

 

[DellaMoon]

Thank you jenhunt! I'm not worried about condition at the moment, she seems very well in herself! I'm hoping the tummy tones up when I get her back in work. She's 15.2 with a fair amount of bone and comes up at 540kg on the tape so no worries about calories at the moment!

 

[JenHunt]

definitely sounds like the fibre then! think how zebra's and feral horses look and it's just the same!

She'll defo tone up when she starts to work.

 

[DellaMoon]

Thank you! It's one of those things that just nags on my mind. Can't wait to get started so she stops looking like a brood mare!!!

 

[DellaMoon]

Bump!

Anyone else had a similar issue? What would you do in my position?

Thank you

 

[Bug2007]

You got her in Feb?

Sure she isn't a brood mare?????

Not unheard of for horses to be in foal when sold on. You might end up with a surprise.

Look at Lady La La and Starla

 

[Nocturnal]

Agree with Jenhunt, sounds like a grass belly Work will get it down. Keep an eye on it, and if your worried have a chat with a vet or nutritionist. Sounds perfectly normal, though .

 

[DellaMoon]

Sammii I did think that earlier in the year! She had an exam by the vet and he said she definitely wasn't.

 

[Bug2007]

That's good then...just a grass baby then.