Horse bright, but not picking up condition?

Sparkles

Sparkles

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Friend has a yearling colt who has always been a bit on the smaller side, despite being well fed/ad-lib haylage/fully wormed from the start/etc.

He's currently on 3 feeds of copra a day along with codlivine supplement in it. Also has ad-lib hay or haylage.

Been re-wormed and now has also had a 5 day wormer put down him to be sure - passed nothing. He's kept in mostly and now rugged to keep a bit warmer as doesn't have the warmest of coats.

He's not pot-bellied or anything typically wormy - he's just lacking condition and not putting anything on despite the feed going into him! He's been very loose in his droppings and smells quite bad [Not due to feed change or wormer - he's been on hard feed since summer and has not 'firmed' up.]

He's bright and happy in himself - his coat is gleaming and shiny and he's happy and content enough....but for a cob, he's just not putting on enough for the amount he's being fed.

Ideas?
 
Ah forgot to say that...already on pink powder! Sorry all her horses are on pink powder by default...I'd forgotten about it :)

I thought about thrive....but not sure if you can pick that up nowadays!
 
As I am sure you know yearlings can look a little poor and all belly as they develop so it is hard to judge really.

I see pink powder is used. Does the colt have a salt lick? Might be worth adding magnesium, ever so cheap and another gut balancer. I think with the weather being so odd and mild a few horses are continuing to have loose droppings.

Is he given a young stock balancer with his feed? Perhaps his hard feed is too rich?
 
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He was on just grass and ad-lib haylage before the summer, and was still more or less the same. I know he's put on a bit since then when he was bought in but not enough for the difference that it should have made - he's not got a belly at all or pot bellied etc, just very light looking.

He has access to a rocky mineral lick.

I'll forward her the link to this thread :)
 
i know you have said he has been wormed but it may be worth getting a worm count done to make sure and maybe a blood test to check for tapeworm as well, and as already suggested have his teeth checked as well.
 
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