My mare is flat/lethargic between June - August - ideas

B

Breagha

Well-Known Member
Joined
10 February 2017
Messages
401
Visit site
Hi all, my mare can be extremely flat between June to August. So I am looking for ideas to help this? She is extremely forward thinking now and not flat in the slightest.
I have spoken to a couple people and here is a few things that were said:

She could be lethargic as she is gorging herself with the good grass.. so to try taking her in during the day or at night.

Or it's the height of her seasons and that's the reason.

Been told to try her on red cell just for these months.

She is fed the same all year.
Topspec lite
Linseed mash
Top chop lite chaff
Competition mix

Thanks
 
I would have thought posting this in the month of June would be more helpful to you.

I would need a lot more info as well, age, need, workload.
If you feed the same all year that suggests you work her the same all year unless you adjust the ration?
 
Mine went exactly like this and he’s so forward and buzzy. I almost ran bloods as he felt really depressed and lethargic. Wasn’t being fed much if anything. I then put him on some good feed and voila, different animal. Think I’d underestimated how little there was left in terms of grass and he was lacking some minerals and vitamins.
 
It is highly unlikely she is low in iron mid summer so red cell would not be an appropriate supplement unless a blood test was done first and showed she was anemic, do you feed salt or electrolytes, if working hard, it could be she is getting too much sugar from the grass and competition mix.
I would actually be inclined to reduce the feed or the grass as the first step, add a good general purpose supplement with magnesium in it but as we are past the months in question it will be a long wait to find out what does help and it may be that next summer she is different anyway.
 
While it's good to get things checked, it could just be because of the heat?

She might be much more forward thinking now because the temperature has dropped a bit, it's windy, there's not much sun and lots of rain. Mine is like a different horse if the temperature is above 22!

Also most people work their horses a lot more in the summer even without realising, it's competition season and much easier to ride in evenings etc...could it be you work her a lot harder than you do in the colder months?
 
The-Bookworm said:
I would have thought posting this in the month of June would be more helpful to you.

I would need a lot more info as well, age, need, workload.
If you feed the same all year that suggests you work her the same all year unless you adjust the ration?
Click to expand...

To be honest I thought maybe it was a one off last year. But now she is a different horse, nothings changed, same feed, same workload etc.

She is 7, Heinz variety (cob type), workload ridden 4 to 5 times a week varied work.

I adjust the ration throughout the year.

Michen said:
Mine went exactly like this and he’s so forward and buzzy. I almost ran bloods as he felt really depressed and lethargic. Wasn’t being fed much if anything. I then put him on some good feed and voila, different animal. Think I’d underestimated how little there was left in terms of grass and he was lacking some minerals and vitamins.
Click to expand...

I had bloods done last year which came back fine apart from her CK levels but they normalised (of course after muscle biopsy)

be positive said:
It is highly unlikely she is low in iron mid summer so red cell would not be an appropriate supplement unless a blood test was done first and showed she was anemic, do you feed salt or electrolytes, if working hard, it could be she is getting too much sugar from the grass and competition mix.
I would actually be inclined to reduce the feed or the grass as the first step, add a good general purpose supplement with magnesium in it but as we are past the months in question it will be a long wait to find out what does help and it may be that next summer she is different anyway.
Click to expand...

Thanks - she gets salt every day plus electrolytes when she has sweated badly (she is kept clipped throughout the year)

I was strip grazing one of my paddocks this year due to it being rested for a while. She is in with my 2 geldings also.

greenbean10 said:
While it's good to get things checked, it could just be because of the heat?

She might be much more forward thinking now because the temperature has dropped a bit, it's windy, there's not much sun and lots of rain. Mine is like a different horse if the temperature is above 22!

Also most people work their horses a lot more in the summer even without realising, it's competition season and much easier to ride in evenings etc...could it be you work her a lot harder than you do in the colder months?
Click to expand...

I think the heat does factor into sometimes but had a lesson the other day and it was in the 20s and she was brilliant.

Thank you for all your comments
 
My first thought went to it being peak season, season and her becoming lethargic over this time. Then, towards the heat having an effect.
It could be if she's got more turnout over the summer months she might be tiring herself out in the field and saving her fizz for when she's stabled more in the winter.
If neither of those are the case, has she lost her sparkle in general or just under saddle? Reason I ask is if she's gorged herself on grass has her weight changed enough to impact saddle/girth fit.
 
thommackintosh said:
My first thought went to it being peak season, season and her becoming lethargic over this time. Then, towards the heat having an effect.
It could be if she's got more turnout over the summer months she might be tiring herself out in the field and saving her fizz for when she's stabled more in the winter.
If neither of those are the case, has she lost her sparkle in general or just under saddle? Reason I ask is if she's gorged herself on grass has her weight changed enough to impact saddle/girth fit.
Click to expand...

Hi thanks.

She isn't stabled in the winter apart from the odd day to give her a break.

I'm thinking it might be due to grass as when she has lack of grass she does become a little more bargy possibly. She generally doesn't change, not Mareish in the slightest.

She was a little fatter coming into spring this year due to being out of work back end of last due to a puncture wound on her foot getting infected. But once she is in work and fit her weight is normally relatively steady. She gets her saddle check regularly and it hasn't needed to be changed this year at all.
 
When do you vaccinate?

I thought the worst two seasons were the "first" in spring and the "last" now. I have put in quotes as my lass is up for it ALL year round!

Grass has possibly past it's best by August and she might have perked up with the September flush?
 
Could be a million things. Pssm, cushings, lowgrade laminitis, heat intollerance etc etc. My horse is exactly the same and i have found little to help it..hes had tests and injections etc and frankly i just put it down to the heat and in my own head some low grade laminitis that vet is not picking up on. He is better with a muzzle...but until the weather gets nippy he is a plod...when the weather turns he becomes a spark.
 
The-Bookworm said:
When do you vaccinate?

I thought the worst two seasons were the "first" in spring and the "last" now. I have put in quotes as my lass is up for it ALL year round!

Grass has possibly past it's best by August and she might have perked up with the September flush?
Click to expand...

She had her yearly injections last week plus a flu injection in February this year to make sure she could go places.

My old mare went into season all year round, people didn't believe me lol.

equi said:
Could be a million things. Pssm, cushings, lowgrade laminitis, heat intollerance etc etc. My horse is exactly the same and i have found little to help it..hes had tests and injections etc and frankly i just put it down to the heat and in my own head some low grade laminitis that vet is not picking up on. He is better with a muzzle...but until the weather gets nippy he is a plod...when the weather turns he becomes a spark.
Click to expand...

She has been tested for alot of things when we would checking before and all came back fine apart from the ck levels which again normalised.

I have asked more people and they think it may be due to hormones and to possibly try regumate for part of the year next year to see if it helps. Also to try keeping her in a little over the summer time.

The heat will definitely play a part at some points but I live in the highlands so we still have horrible days lol to which is doesn't help.
 
Interesting our Cob has just gone lucklustre too so was looking on this post for some inspiration.
The conclusion I have reached & trying is lack of protein - she is on good vit & min & electrolytes, but has been out competing all summer on just this & mainly hay not much grass - when I checked my hay analysis protein level was 8 percent. She too is full clipped all year & I have read that growing winter coat can take a lot out of them - I am adding into feed Linseed (carefully as can add weight!) & Agrobs Mash - after spending an hour at the feed store yesterday analysing all the protein levels this gives 13 percent without all the other rubbish like soya.
We too had the same last year although combined with a virus diagnosed after bloods & the vet did say then her protein level was ever so slightly low.
 
bubsqueaks said:
Interesting our Cob has just gone lucklustre too so was looking on this post for some inspiration.
The conclusion I have reached & trying is lack of protein - she is on good vit & min & electrolytes, but has been out competing all summer on just this & mainly hay not much grass - when I checked my hay analysis protein level was 8 percent. She too is full clipped all year & I have read that growing winter coat can take a lot out of them - I am adding into feed Linseed (carefully as can add weight!) & Agrobs Mash - after spending an hour at the feed store yesterday analysing all the protein levels this gives 13 percent without all the other rubbish like soya.
We too had the same last year although combined with a virus diagnosed after bloods & the vet did say then her protein level was ever so slightly low.
Click to expand...

Oh interesting - will need to look into the protein that we are feeding also. Always good to have other things to rule out and try.

I'm thinking hers is hormonal as shes so forward now, I was getting told to slow down her trot which is alien cause I'm normally pushing her forward etc.
 
Breagha said:
Oh interesting - will need to look into the protein that we are feeding also. Always good to have other things to rule out and try.

I'm thinking hers is hormonal as shes so forward now, I was getting told to slow down her trot which is alien cause I'm normally pushing her forward etc.
Click to expand...
I recall doing xc training and the RI shouting slow down. Because nobody has ever told me this I didn't think it could possibly mean us! We can be fairly forward or fairly slow.

Generally as the owner you know your horse best.
August mine sheds her coat and now she's in a big grump of a season. This year though she stayed her shedding in June.
Strangely October is spooky month, she celebrates her version of Halloween!

Hope you resolve it.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top