lack luster cob

[jaynedoc]

Hi

I am wondering if anyone has any advice on my cob.......she is a good doer and I really have to strictly monitor howmuch grass she eats as she is a greedy guts, she can get a touch of laminitis is allowed to eat too much grass over the summer.


I have her laminitis and grass consumption under very good control and she is her perfect weight. she is shiny and healthy (she is 16yrs old)

BUT.....it's like riding a donkey at the moment as has been for a while now....she seems to have no energy AT ALL...her chin is practically on the ground, if I don't actively keep my leg on she just stops dead.

I realize I can't turn a cob in to throughbred through high energy feeds....but she never used to be this bad before.....it's like she can't even be bothered to pick mher feet up to walk.

I know i'ts not a physical thing as out hacking if she is frightened by something she comes alive with head up and loads of energy and a spring in her step.

Will changing her feed to something that will give her some energy help any and if so what should i feed her....in the winter she is fed happy hoof and alfa a original.

any advice gratefully received

 

[Sparkles]

I'd just throw some oats in maybe as and when she needs it? And when schooling, do lots of snappy and direct transitions and poles work to wake her up. And tap up with the schooling stick or spurs to make sure she moves off straight away.

And if it's a new thing, I'd be inclined to get her blood tested to check if she's aneamic or has a virus or anything similar in there, plus to maybe check for arthiritis too if she's fairly chunky and getting on a little bit now?

 

[Patches]

Sounds EXACTLY like my cob at the moment.

I seem to recall I often end up putting her on Red Cell type supplements over summer. It's hard....she doesn't need the grass so is very restricted, like your cob but seems to need more than she's getting for energy. Hard thing to balance.

Tiger Oats worked wonders for mine last year, but I had to take her off them when we started hunting as she was a little too sparky in that environment.

 

[mazziek]

i give mine a handful of slow release energy cubes seems to help him. i also ride with spurs. mine is muzzled and is maintaining great weight with that on! hope something works for you!

 

[MochaDun]

Mine's been a bit the same for a few weeks, I've put it down to the heat and muggy weather. As on odd occasions (jumping lesson or cool late evening hack) he's picked up a bit. I've just increased his vitamins and minerals a bit and he's also on a breathing supplement as he does have a bit of reaction to pollen in the summer when we're out and I worry that effects his lungs.

I think the grass has been so burnt back over several weeks that even with a bit of rain and a short flush through of green that there isn't much goodness out there which I'm quite happy about as mine is a very good do-er but I just worry he's not getting enough of the good stuff to give him actual energy. He just gets his supplements in a non-molassed handful of chaff. He's got a shiny coat though, is still unfortunately carrying some extra kgs but they're coming off slowly. It's very hard though to get very active exercise underway when he feels so sluggish but trying to ride 5 to 6x a week even if it's just gentle hacking.