More energy needed by LGL??? change/add to feed?

[tangosmum]

My 3.5 year old has just been backed and is finding it all very exhausting. He is literally being led in hand walking 2 or 3 circuits of the arena with a small jockey on his back. He also is long reined out in walk for 1 mile on a stoney track every other day when not having a jockey sit up on him.

He is exhausted! Bless him.

He is a very good do-er weighs 400-420kg (heavey weight gypsy cob type) but is at a perfect weight according to vets condition score.

He has 6-8kg of soaked hay per day, 8 hours of grazing, and Thunderbrook Pure essentials Balancer (1 mug).

He is a proven LGL case and so any introduction of feeds needs to be as close to zero sugars and very low carbs. Preferably not highly processed too as he is sensitive to chemicals in his diet. Also no lucerne/alf alfa as this can trigger his lami.

Any ideas? Someone on the yard suggested oil? I know nothing about oil in the diet though???

 

[Troylimbo1]

My 3.5 year old has just been backed and is finding it all very exhausting. He is literally being led in hand walking 2 or 3 circuits of the arena with a small jockey on his back. He also is long reined out in walk for 1 mile on a stoney track every other day when not having a jockey sit up on him.

He is exhausted! Bless him.

He is a very good do-er weighs 400-420kg (heavey weight gypsy cob type) but is at a perfect weight according to vets condition score.

He has 6-8kg of soaked hay per day, 8 hours of grazing, and Thunderbrook Pure essentials Balancer (1 mug).

He is a proven LGL case and so any introduction of feeds needs to be as close to zero sugars and very low carbs. Preferably not highly processed too as he is sensitive to chemicals in his diet. Also no lucerne/alf alfa as this can trigger his lami.

Any ideas? Someone on the yard suggested oil? I know nothing about oil in the diet though???

I was in the same boat as you, wanting energy but not calories. I use NAF EnerG and it seems to give something extra but without causing sillyness.
I take it there is nothing physically wrong. We ran bloods first just to check there wasn't a reason he was so lethargic. Good luck

 

[Boysy]

I would also run bloods first to check nothing amiss to be honest, i wouldn't expect him to be that tired even as a baby.

If that is all good then i feed Tiger Oats to 2 lami prone ponies without any problems even at maximum levels, i've also tried the Naf EnerG but feel the oats make a bigger difference.

 

[Ali2]

Speedibeet, Copra? High energy/calories (they are the same thing!) but low sugars

 

[tangosmum]

Thanks for the input.

Not sure if he is tired or lazy/ lacking energy. When I say tired, he is not sleepy tired, more just reluctant, sometimes behaves hungry....constantly wanting to eat grass. But then the forage he is on and the hours grazing seem generous for his size, and he is at a good weight for him.

I had thought of speedibeet, will look at tiger oats, Naf energy and copra in more detail and consider them.

Will have a chat with vet and ask about running bloods. Thanks for advice.

 

[fitzaud2]

My father in law always insists on feeding young horses oats, as he thinks they need all the energy they can get when they are been ridden for the first time. (Some people beg to differ, but i understand his reasoning). Given your type of horse, i think oats are the way to go, but what are tiger oats??? Never heard of them??

 

[teddyt]

There is no such thing as energy without calories, they are the same thing. Young horses tire quickly because it is alot for them to cope with mentally and physically.

Make sure your tack fits- that can cause 'lethargy'

Forget naf nrg- full of sugar. Oats also contain starch.

Check that your balancer is providing sufficient vits/mins for his needs. To add more slow release energy then unmollassed sugar beet is worth a try (speedibeet is processed- you can get long soak unmollassed sb) and copra may be helpful but it is much higher in calories and he may not need that much.

 

[Ladyinred]

He might be bored? Try varying the routine a bit; add a few cones to weave round, poles to step over. Our eldest lad got bored fast when we started him and we also thought it was lack of energy.

 

[Andalucian]

Thanks for the input.

Not sure if he is tired or lazy/ lacking energy. When I say tired, he is not sleepy tired, more just reluctant, sometimes behaves hungry....constantly wanting to eat grass. But then the forage he is on and the hours grazing seem generous for his size, and he is at a good weight for him.

I had thought of speedibeet, will look at tiger oats, Naf energy and copra in more detail and consider them.

Will have a chat with vet and ask about running bloods. Thanks for advice.

send a pm to CPTrayes on here, it sounds very much like a horse she had and cured. Its the ravenous eating trait that made me suggest this, its tell tale of insulin resistance.