Is there anymore I can do - feed question

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Annette4

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My 2yo is a very badly put together, not bred for any of the right reasons coloured pony who I got via a rescue. Her mum is a 12hh cob type and she's already 13.2hh-ish so god knows what dad was. She always looks worse when growning but she honestly looks awful at the moment. She's wormed to date and worm counted as having none recently and had teeth checked with her last Vacc but going to get them checked again soon. Her hind quarters and neck just look awful atm but she does have a good all over covering if that makes sense and shiney coat etc.

She's out 24/7 due to a sticky stifle, on two feeds a day (one alfa a and speedi beet and one the same plus Bailey's youngstock cubes) plus LOTS of hay and the grazing is ok (no better than I would expect at this time of year). She has pink powder (RDA spilt over the two feeds). She needs to build up her neck/top line without getting fat so loathed to feed her anymore (but maybe a change?). She's in a medium weight which does come off when it's nice but there's not masses of shelter where she is so am rugging her to help her keep warm. Do I wait it out until she's doing some work next year and hope she builds it up then or ia there anything else I can do now?

She does seem to have a pony belly, cob head and trotter bum/neck....I doubt she was bred for conformation or with any for thought ;) :rolleyes: Do I just resign myself to having a cut and paste ugly duckling and hope the correct work once she's 4 will help as much as she can be helped. I do think it's purely muscle tone....she has that look of the young trotter types you see on Dragon Driving if I'm honest despite my best efforts!
 
Your ugly duckling may well turn into a swan when she gets her full growth! She sounds like she is just all out of proportion at the moment.

If you haven't already do make sure you worm for encysted red worm - it won't show up on a worm count. The Pony Belly could be conformation - but it could also be redworm so do just cover that base.

But otherwise if she condition scores as OK the carry on as you are.
 
When you say wormed for redworm do you mean encysted redworm, ie Panacur Guard or Equest?

If all bases have been covered the chances are she's just a 2yo. My now rather nice welsh cob looked like a part bred yak at two, and I'm not even sure what the other part was!!!!!!
 
I think she's just going through an ugly gangly stage and if her parents were badly matched to start with, that's not actually going to help her look pretty while she's growing.
She's only two and had a bad start so just give her time to mature naturally, don't force her and I certainly wouldn't be working her next year; with her bad start she'll need extra time to recover.
Does she actually like alfa a as my lot won't touch it with a barge pole, they find it too stalky and bitter by the faces they pull so they have soaked grass pellets instead? I think the Bailey's youngstock cubes might be a bit rich for her given her breeding, she is only a pony x after all and you don't want to be giving her growing problems, I'd probably put her on something more like either a cool mix or H & P cubes with the Speedibeet but you know her best of course.
 
LOL ! You should see the bum on my well bred cob baby ! I'm still hoping her front will catch up ! She just gets hay, & I haul them in about 3 times a week for hi-fi lite with some speedibeet, linseed oil & bailey's lo cal balancer. They both look great on it. I fling in a bit of mint as well & a teeny bit of seaweed just to help hooves ! Your wee lass looks much nicer than your description of her ! :D
 
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I wouldnt worry too much many two year olds can look odd and weedy, she is not ribby and it sounds like your feeding enough give it a couple of years and she will look a different horse I am sure, she looks fine in the pictures for a two year old, my arab at two had a huge head skinny neck, fat belly and no bum his 8 now and looks great lovely muscled neck and the bum is getting there.
 
As others have said really as at her age she is likely to look out of proportion. You could look at using a youngstock balancer instead of the pink powder and youngstock cubes. Something like Saracen Stamm 30 or Baileys Stud Balancer would be possible choices. They will enure she's getting enough of the correct nutrients (ie protein, vits and mins) without giving her too many calories that she will prob be getting from the youngstock cubes.

http://www.saracenhorsefeeds.com/western/76-stamm-30-balancer

http://www.baileyshorsefeeds.co.uk/whatproduct/stud/studbalancer.htm
 
Thanks.....had some foul comments from someone on another forum and it made me second guess myself.

Nari - She was done with Equest....and the Pancur 5 day before that.

Maesfen - By working her I mean long reining more than once every few months and walking out on the road once a month. Possiblely a 5 minuet sit with someone much lighter than me at the end of next summer but that's it. She gets naughty and bored if I don't do anything at all with her but we tend to faff....do leading work to ensure the manners still work, playing with tarp etc....brain work rather than body work ;) She seems to quite like the alfa...but then she's not fussy with her food at all, a bit like her owner.

I'll try and get some photos at the weekend if I can get someone to take some but it looks to be like badly bred and growing out of proportion rather than anything else.
 
Ignore any negative comments people can often be harsh, I used to walk my two year old out quite a bit in the forest around the fields he loved it, he will go anywhere now on his own I think it really helps them to be independant and see a bit of the world while there young.
 
I've got a 4 year old NF gelding and from a yearling until about 3 months ago he looked exactly like you describe your girl.

We keep him just like you do, rugged, fed, hay etc and he certainly was never skinny. We tried every feed going to get him to fill out and all it did was make him fat, so we gave up and now he has Alfa A oil, copra and calm and condition, plus hay.

I'd just keep doing what you're doing. Ignore any negative comments you get. We used to joke about 'my little pony, skinny and bony' and now he's turned into a really gorgeous boy and I can't wait to get him out in the show ring this year.

She'll come right, and I'm sure correct work when she's ready will do wonders to build up muscle.
 
Not the best but this was today....you can see what I mean about her conformation...her neck's too short, head is too big, back legs turn in at the hocks slightly lol. I know her neck and back end aren't the best but her coat has never looked better....she's also two inches taller behind again.

18222_432053856860389_1926195768_n.jpg
 
She's going through the fuglies at the moment, like most youngstock do. Try not to look at her conformation too hard, just keep on looking after her and see what you get when she's five+. I bet she'll look so, so much better and you'll be very pleasantly surprised. :)

Don't let others get you down. Also you're not alone - I was told recently that my youngster looks better now than he used to (he's temporarily levelish), only they phrased it like this - 'he doesn't look like something that you would be ashamed to own any more.' Cheeky sod. ;)
 
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