Owning a horse is so much harder then I thought

[RubysGold]

So as many of you will remember, Roo was obese a few months back. Now she's gone the other way.
Being around her every day I hadn't really realised, but the other day I noticed I could feel her ribs, but I don't know if they would be visible as she has such a thick coat.
Mum and Dad have been to sort her tonight because I'm poorly, and they have said she looks really underweight.

There is no grass left in their field so I have been bringing her in for a small haynet and sometimes a handful of mix.
I am now going to start bringing her in twice a day for a proper size haynet. (She should be starting to come in on a night soon, but don't know when) and I will increase her feed, maybe half a scoop?
Is this enough to get her back where I want her?
Nickie

 

[AmyMay]

Why can't you bring her in overnight so that she can have a substantial net?

 

[Slinkyunicorn]

You need to increase her fibre - does she have chaff? I would try and get as much fibre inside her - that fills them up and helps to keep them warm as it is digested slowly so won't be burning up her fat reserves.

Maybe try Hifi original or good doer - what sort of mix is she on? can she have hay in the field?

 

[Equus Leather]

Yup agree with above ^^^ needs more fibre. So up the hay as much as she will eat. Hay in the field, and bring her in at night and give her 2 full nets to munch on. Fibre like hay will put the weight on, much better than just upping the hard feed.

 

[RubysGold]

The YO decides when they have to come in (when weather is bad and fields are gonna get churned up) and all the liveries are saying they will keep theirs out as long as possible, (I don't want Roo in alone)
She is on Dodson and Horrell pasture mix. I could buy a bag of chaff and give her some of that instead if that will help.
I can't put hay in the field because one of the horses chases all the horses away from all the piles of hay, :S

 

[AmyMay]

Roo will be fine in alone - and you must put her needs first. As you say, being a horse owner is hard work.

Sounds like she needs access to adlib hay overnight, plus a feed. Neither of which you appear to be able to provide for her adquately whilst she is out.

The YO decides when 24/7 turnout ceases. Not when you can actually stable your horse overnight or during the day.......

 

[Aoibhin]

your best bet is to get a weigh tape & get her current weight, then phone one of the feed companys for advice.
i know Dodson & Horrell do free feed advice but think other like baileys & denegie do the same.

i contacted D&H and they were really good, they went through his breeding,size, weight ect & then his daily routeen (turned out 24/7, good grazing, current feed sizes ect..) they advised that i cut his hard feed down & stop feeding one item altogether. that was 4 months ago & he is now looking really good (still a little bit of a belly but its getting there)

good luck with her and dnt be afriad to ask for help, i have spent my life around horses (familys/friends/work) and still look for help from others, you will never know everything.

 

[Slinkyunicorn]

Definately start giving her some chaff then - add a big scoop of it to her feed - is she being fed once or twice a day? How is she with molasses etc? I would stick to HiFi lite, Original or Good Doer to start with - just add her coarse mix to it and dampen.

 

[Mavis Cluttergusset]

It won't do her any harm to come in alone overnight, she'll be looking forward to her dinner and will soon settle into a routine. It does sound as if you should be feeding her a sizeable amount of hay overnight; a lady at my yard expects her part TB to live on grass, improver mix (fed in tiny quantities) and a tiny net of 2 slices of hay overnight, and it's just not enough. She should be eating as much hay as possible if she is ribby already.

 

[RubysGold]

sallysmith: At the moment, she is having like a slice of hay in a haynet and a handful of feed once a day. So if I up it to a full haynet in morning and a full haynet in evening, surely that would be enough.
If she was in stable overnight she'd still have 2 haynets. So she should be ok to stay out shouldn't she?
The YO doesn't mind if they come in early, if you're sure her coming in on a night would be better then I'll do that. She is absolutely my priority.

Slinky: Don't I need to start her off with little amounts to stop colic? She's getting a small handful on an afternoon, and not every day at the moment.
What is molasses? (I'm not exactly knowledgable with feeds)
Will get some chaff tomorrow though

Nickie

 

[AmyMay]

[ QUOTE ]
So if I up it to a full haynet in morning and a full haynet in evening, surely that would be enough.

[/ QUOTE ]

Which equates to being in either throughout the day or overnight.

If she were my horse - I'd have her in. Hayed, fed and rugged. It sounds as if she simply is not getting enough grub. And by this I don't mean hard feed - but fibre. The grass is gone, therefore you need to replace it. And if it can't be supplied adequately by having her in for a few hours - I'd have her in overnight, where she can have upward of 15lbs of hay to munch on.

 

[Mavis Cluttergusset]

I guess you'd have to see how it goes. My mare (a 16.2 ish WB who is prone to getting ribby) eats 1/2 a bale of hay a night, this takes her from 4pm until at least past 11pm to get through, as someone goes out around 1030 to check and she always has plenty left (usually has a bit on the floor in the morning). This is what I would call 'ad-lib' - ie she has as much as she can eat. She is not ribby at all and she is not fed a massive amount of hard feed, two feeds of speedibeet, topline mix and alfa-a, plus pink powder in the evenings.

Perhaps start with two full haynets and a slightly upped hard feed (forage is the main necessity in a horses diet) and see how she looks after a week or two, if you are not keen to bring her in overnight?

 

[Hels_Bells]

I'm fairly certain you can nearly always feel a horse's ribs if you look for them even if they are a bit on the porky side so that's not the best indication of whether they are the right weight. But if you can see them, then they're definitely underweight!!

I would 100% invest in a weight tape as your start point. Then I think you probably need some professional feeding advice, i think your horse might need a bit of a diet overhaul.

It looks like you are in Yorkshire. I am in Yorkshire too, and when my horse couldn't gain weight i asked for advice on h&H forum and also went to my local millbry hill store that had a qualified horse dietician and I gave him a total diet overhaul. 1 year on he is doing great.

They recommended 2 Bailey's products for mine which are esp good for weight gain and have worked a treat, so perhaps if you aren't near a good feed store then Baileys could be a good feed co to call.

I'm sure your pone will be fine. In the meantime I think do as what the others have said. Bring her in overnight with oodles of hay and also start rugging her up day and night - that way she is not burning off any more calories than she needs to trying to keep warm. Feel free to PM me if I can be of any help.

 

[Mavis Cluttergusset]

You should be able to feel ribs - just not see them, especially through a winter coat. You may find that she won't eat chaff or chop on its own - it is pretty dull stuff for a horse to eat and in my experience, if there's nothing worthwhile to eat with it, they won't bother. Feed helplines are great, but as a starting point I would suggest hay is the way forward

 

[RubysGold]

Sallysmith and Mavis: In a week or two, they should definitely be in. Last year they were in now, but the weather has been good.
We use big round haylage bales in winter, so I may get one brought round now rather then using half a bale of hay every day.
You've highlighted a good point there though: it would take her forever to eat the haynet, so I sort of have to bring her in for all day or all night to give her chance to eat it.
I will bring her in Sunday night I think, gives me chance to get things organised (hay/feed/bed etc)
Thanks everyone for the advice

 

[ofcourseyoucan]

i would give her 2 feeds a day of alpha a and sugar beet (all long stem fibre) and a bit of mix on days she is worked, hay if in for any time. weather is very warm and ground is good for time of year, so would leave out at the moment but supplement the grazing. you need to find the ideal weight for her (use a weigh tape weekly) and try to keep her at a constant weight throughout the year!

 

[Slinkyunicorn]

She will be fine on a big stubbs scoop of chaff - she might eat ti a bit quickly as she is hungry but dampen with some water - I'm sure she will be fine. If you think how much grass/fibre a horse eats in a day if left to their own devices a stubbs scoop isn't much at all. If you start her on a scoop you can give her more over the next few days it is really important to keep her gut moving - which means fibre. If she was minne I would bring her in and give her her feed and a haynet and then put her back out if you would rather she was out with the others. Has she got a rug on?

If not a lw should help.

 

[Lizzie66]

Talk to your yard owner, tell them you're worried about your pony's weight. It might be possible for her to go in a paddock on her own, or failing that section off an area in the big paddock, then you can give her access to hay all the time.

As someone else suggested ring one of the feed companies and speak to one of their nutritionists. You might want to consider feeding chaff, sugar (or alfa) beet as well as the mix. Introduce any changes in her hard feed gradually over at least a week as you don't want to risk colic. If you can give her 3-4 smaller feeds rather than 1-2 large feeds as I seem to remember being told that horse can only digest so much hard feed and anything else just goes straight through them.

You may struggle to get the weight back on her once the winter is properly here, so you really do need to ensure this happens asap.

Also has she been wormed recently, if not this could contribute to her weight loss.

Good Luck

 

[f_s_]

I agree with the others more forage needed.

If I remember correctly she's a fairly big horse (hope I've got the right person) so, as I also have a big girl that drops weight quickly if there is a touch of cold, I would feed ad lib hay or haylage, and up feed gradually to two a day.

Chaff is a must, Hi Fi, or Mollychop etc, and perhaps a handful of mix, building up to half a scoop per feed, and a scoop of sugar beet (speedibeet, Calm & Condition) again split between two feeds.

I also add a dash of vegetable oil to feeds. Introduce it slowly though.

This regime seems to work for my girl, and she looks really well this year.

Hope this helps

P.S - check her teeth too, (if you have already done this, please ignore me!!)

Oh and make sure she is rugged for the weather conditions!!

 

[kirstyhen]

TBH before you start shovelling feed down her throat I would make sure she really is as poor as your Parent's have suggested. If they are experianced horse people then ignore me, but it may just be they are used to seeing a chubby horse and have their perception slightly off.

If you can see her ribs, especially through a thick winter coat, then she is extremely poor IMO, in which case following the above advice is definately necessary.

My horse doesn't do well during the winter, despite having fairly good grazing still, he is fed half a scoop of chaff and a quarter scoop of pasture mix twice a day, plus a slice (small bale) of hay and a slice (big bale) of Haylage overnight with a Snak-a-ball containing a quarter scoop of H&P nuts going in during late checks. He is only in Light work at the moment, however if he was in heavy work, he would be getting a lot more food to maintain his weight. He is 16.3hh and 16 years old and also rugged accordingly.

 

[RubysGold]

I just wrote a reply, and computer deleted it; Will try again.
Slinky: Thankyou for your advice I will go to the shop tomorrow and pick up the chaff.
I hate making decisions but I am now starting to think she is better off staying in overnight to give her chance to eat a full haynet as it takes forever to get through one. She doesn’t have a rug on as she looks like a wooly mammoth.
Lizzie: Unfortunately, my YO will not allow separate paddocks, don’t know why. Will definitely start feeding her some chaff, don’t know about sugar beet (it scares me, coz I know it can bulk up in her tummy if I make it wrong) I know its bad, but Roo hasn’t been wormed for a year, no one at my yard worms (or at least not routinely) so I didn’t think there was any point. However I did a post on here recently, and was told, that if she is wormed she will still be protected against worms even if other horses in field aren’t. Will get some equest pramox tomorrow (is that right stuff for this time of year) and then a worm count in a month maybe?

 

[brighteyes]

I'd be surprised if she is thin enough to be in a panic about it - she's a native type, isn't she? And thin is no bad thing for them, as, unless they are sickening for something (in which case no amount of feed is going to sort it) they need to be less rather than more.

Before you go mad giving her feed and worrying yourself to pieces, get a second and knowledgeable opinion as to her condition. Put some pics on here and just go for a slow weight gain with fibre, not mixes and buckets full of stuff.

If you panic and throw ad lib food her way, you might cause even more trouble.

Has she had a virus or been off colour in any way? Look at the bigger picture and don't go dashing in! Let us know and you are doing fine

 

[RubysGold]

F_s: she is a bigish horse. Shire x tb, 16.1hh. How do you choose between all these chaffs?! Lol there seems to be quite a few names of chaff in this thread. What does vegetable oil in the feed do? Had her teeth done around June/July time.

Hen: My parents don't have a clue about horses, but said they've not seen a horse that skinny in a while, it's the way the back end of her tummy dips, before bumping out for her hindquarters, if that makes sense?
I can't see if the ribs are visible because of her coat being so long, but they are really obvious to touch. She is 15 year old, and not rugged yet. Also in light work at the moment

 

[RubysGold]

Don't want to sound dumb, but aren't natives all little? Like a mountain and moorland? Roo is a 16.1hh shire x tb, is that native?
I will try and get some good pics of her tomorrow to show you.
She's not had any illness recently, so it can't be that, will increase what she's eating, but monitor it, so that she's not having too much fibre/feed

 

[Slinkyunicorn]

Chaff - go for something like one of Dengie's Hifi Original or Good Doer. They aren't heavily molassed (sugar) but will help fill her up and do the job you need. Just put the pasture mix on top, dampen a bit and mix then she will eat it!

 

[kirstyhen]

[ QUOTE ]

Hen: My parents don't have a clue about horses, but said they've not seen a horse that skinny in a while, it's the way the back end of her tummy dips, before bumping out for her hindquarters, if that makes sense?


[/ QUOTE ]

In that case, please get someone else to have a look at her before you go stuffing her with food. It could be that she is a perfect weight at the moment and your Parent's are over-reacting.

 

[Persephone]

Does she have a large tummy, with little coverage anywhere else?

If so that may well be worms.

Equest Pramox is due just about now so that's definately a good move.

I must say I didn't realise she is so big. I thought she was about 14hh lol.

At her height you should be expecting her to eat at least 1/2 a bale a day when she is. Believe me it sounds like a lot, but I bet she makes short work of it!

FWIW I find that HiFi is a better buy that the various chaffs. I would also advise Corn Oil from the supermarket rather than vegetable oil.

If you are worried about messing up Sugar Beet then don't! It's dead simple. Buy Speedibeet and it only takes 15 ish minutes to soak. If you are paranoid soak it in the morning then you can be 320 x sure it's ok lol!

I will be interesting to see a weightape reading and some pictures.

Main advice is don't panic! You know you can always ask here.

xxx

 

[f_s_]

I would:

Increase her forage Hay or haylage

Worm her

After she has been wormed wait 48 hours then start by giving her a small feed morning and evening.

A handful of Hi Fi, a handful of mix (at 15, 16+, or Oldfaithful) and a tablespoon of vegetable oil. You could add a small scoop of pink powder to this 1/2 scoop in each feed. Mix with a little water and wait until she eats it.

Keep her on this regime for a week then gradually start to up the amount of feed, if she likes it, and if you can see a small difference.

You need to aim for a slow and steady weight gain.

Oil is slow burning calories, without the fizz element!! Good for extra calories, coat, bones etc.

I would also rug, just a Lightweight to start with, it will help her conserve her energy.

I appreciate the posts saying you should look at your horse as a whole, and I do agree, but, in this situation, I think that the extra forage and small feeds will help. If she still isn't gaining any weight, monitor it closely, then look for other factors, and seek professional advice.

Oh, and don't be scared of sugar beet, most of the beet sold now is speedi types. You add double the amount of water and leave for ten or fifteen minutes. Really easy, and great for weight gain, and/or weight maintenance.

Hope this helps

 

[Hels_Bells]

I can't believe your YO doesn't insist on a proper worming programme and nobody else bothers - their horses could get seriously ill!!?? You must worm your girl asap - and yes, if your horse is wormed it doesn't matter that others aren't. However, if nobody is wormed in the yard, there will prob be a phenomenal amount of worms in the ground (unless they are spread accross an awful lot of acres which is doesn't sound like they are) you should keep a very strict worming programme for your girl to ward them off.

The more I think about it, a native breed with a good thick coat who was previously plump. She could have a bad case of worms... how long is it since she was last wormed? I think you can get worm test kits - perhaps get one of those when you get the weight tape??

 

[Katie__Connie]

As everyone else has said really! good luck with it..