Meowy Catkin
Meow!
Mare is on field rest and is not eating up her food. Any ideas of a very palatable and high energy feed to tempt her with?
Hight energy/nutritional feed help please.
- Thread starter Meowy Catkin
- Start date
Oberon
Well-Known Member
What food is she on? How old is she? Does she have access to hay if the grass is poor?
Meowy Catkin
Meow!
She has ad-lib hay and out is 24/7 but I hardly ever see her at the hay feeder. She has Pure easy and Speedi-beet but for the last few days she has stopped eating after approx one stubbs scoop of feed and not the whole bowl full. I was wondering if there was a feed that could get more nutrition into her before she stops eating? She has done this before when she was on box rest and the only thing that got her to eat again was turning her out in the sand school with the filly for company.
She has always been a stress-head but she is being totally silly at the moment. I moved the horses down to the low paddock (with grass) and she wouldn't settle. In the end I opened the gate so that they could go back into the top field. They are staying up the top all the time. If she spots something that worries her, she stops eating and marches up and down watching it. I often have to wait for her to calm down and then re-present her with her feed, which she will then possibly eat.
She is much better (calmer) when she's in work but it will be the spring/early summer before she's ready to be ridden again. She's 13.
She has always been a stress-head but she is being totally silly at the moment. I moved the horses down to the low paddock (with grass) and she wouldn't settle. In the end I opened the gate so that they could go back into the top field. They are staying up the top all the time. If she spots something that worries her, she stops eating and marches up and down watching it. I often have to wait for her to calm down and then re-present her with her feed, which she will then possibly eat.
She is much better (calmer) when she's in work but it will be the spring/early summer before she's ready to be ridden again. She's 13.
Persephone
Well-Known Member
Maybe add some Magnesium to her feed along with something nice like Mint to tempt her?
ETS High energy feed could make her even worse surely?
ETS High energy feed could make her even worse surely?
Meowy Catkin
Meow!
Well, I used to feed her a fair amount of oats when she was in work and it never heated her up.
I just want to get enough nutrition into her in a small amout of feed. I'm hoping that the windy weather has something to do with her stressing.
I just want to get enough nutrition into her in a small amout of feed. I'm hoping that the windy weather has something to do with her stressing.
Persephone
Well-Known Member
Would she settle in a stable for a couple of hours? long enough to get a feed and haynet down her?
emmab13
Well-Known Member
Cannot reccomend TopSpec Conditioning Flakes enough. They got our stressed, fussy 18.2hh worker fit and fat enough to qualify for HOYS, and he is terrible at eating. As you can imagine, he has a big frame to fill!
Meowy Catkin
Meow!
No. 
Boxwalking at speed or kicking the **** out of the door are the options.
Boxwalking at speed or kicking the **** out of the door are the options.
Meowy Catkin
Meow!
Thanks, I'll look them up.
JenHunt
Well-Known Member
or ready mash extra?
or a balancer and alfa a oil?
or balancer, with full fat soya meal (sunlustre) and sugar beet
all conditioning and high fibre options. the fibre is supposed to help them feel less stressed too.
or a balancer and alfa a oil?
or balancer, with full fat soya meal (sunlustre) and sugar beet
all conditioning and high fibre options. the fibre is supposed to help them feel less stressed too.
Meowy Catkin
Meow!
Thanks BDH. I'm really hoping that once the winds die down, she'll go back to her normal less stressed self and eats up her feed.
Oberon
Well-Known Member
Is she poor? If she is managing well on the feed then just stay on it and add fenugreek seeds (appetite stimulant) and mint (digestive settler). Both palatable and very cheap
http://www.cotsherb.co.uk/culinary-herbs-and-spices/whole-seeds/fenugreek-seeds/prod_692.html
http://www.cotsherb.co.uk/culinary-herbs-and-spices/culinary-herbs/mint/prod_573.html
If she is so stressed, you could try adding more magnesium to see if that is what's causing her anxiety
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/MAGNESIUM...r_Equipment&hash=item4160a98fb9#ht_1296wt_952
and I would add some yea-sacc to settle her stomach down
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/YEA-SACC-...ar_Equipment&hash=item3f0e7db469#ht_924wt_952
The problem with 'conditioning mixes' is that they tend to deliver grains, starch, sugar but little nutrition that is helpful to the horse.
Given she is so stressed - I would worry about feeding grains (oats are a different matter) or sugar and starch.