Pony in very poor condition after loan

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Sauerkraut

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Hi everyone,

I need some advice please. My livery brought her 21 year old pony home from a loan home and it is in very poor condition. Poor ****** and I am so angry!!! How can someone let a horse get in such a state??! Shame I was not here when they delivered her or she would have had some right b*** of me. But that's a different story.

Now it's more a question of how we can get her weight on as quick as possible without risking health. She is a 1-2 on the scoring chart I would say and that at the end of July! I never had to build up a horse in such a poor condition.

Teeth will be done asap and we will get her wormed. I just feel sorry for her and don't want to think about how long she has been like that.


Many thanks guys.
 
I would not try to rush the weight gain however bad the pony is, get the teeth, worming done, give adlib fibre and small regular meals and let the weight pick up gradually that way it will be safer and once on will usually stay on, there is plenty of time to get her looking good before winter.
I would avoid build up type feeds for now, use something like speedibeet or fast fibre as a base with calories added by micronised linseed and a good supplement or balancer, feed as many tiny meals each day as possible, ad lib hay and some good but not too rich grass and as long as she is not suffering from an underlying problem you should see slow and steady improvement over the next month or two.
 
micronised linseed is very good, maybe get some advise from the feed companys too, but make sure she is checked by a vet to make sure nothing else is wrong
 
be positive said:
I would not try to rush the weight gain however bad the pony is, get the teeth, worming done, give adlib fibre and small regular meals and let the weight pick up gradually that way it will be safer and once on will usually stay on, there is plenty of time to get her looking good before winter.
I would avoid build up type feeds for now, use something like speedibeet or fast fibre as a base with calories added by micronised linseed and a good supplement or balancer, feed as many tiny meals each day as possible, ad lib hay and some good but not too rich grass and as long as she is not suffering from an underlying problem you should see slow and steady improvement over the next month or two.
Click to expand...

Excellent advise, this is what I would do too
 
I agree with the others who've said slowly slowly.

Just looked in my lovely new equine nutrition book edited by Pat Harris and Geor and Coenen.

For starved horses, they say starting point is checking for underlying disease via blood tests, which sounds a good idea, especially if horse is thin in the middle of summer.

Comments in the section on feeding a thin horse are:
- offer more food up to maximum dry matter intake
- avoid rapid introduction of cereal-based hard feeds - because the resulting insulin response can be counterproductive
- Large amounts of concentrates are likely to upset the foregut digestion and also impair the reestablishment of hindgut health
- alfalfa could be added to the hay/grass diet (because of its higher protein content and electrolyte composition)
- adequate vits/mins

Great book by the way, for anyone who is a bit hooked on nutritional stuff.

Sarah
 
So sorry to read this... there are so many ignorant "horsey peeps" out there.

Yup, slowly, slowly - I can highly recommend Topspec products if that is any help.

Do let us know how things go - and photos please !! x
 
flintfootfilly said:
I agree with the others who've said slowly slowly.

Just looked in my lovely new equine nutrition book edited by Pat Harris and Geor and Coenen.

For starved horses, they say starting point is checking for underlying disease via blood tests, which sounds a good idea, especially if horse is thin in the middle of summer.

Comments in the section on feeding a thin horse are:
- offer more food up to maximum dry matter intake
- avoid rapid introduction of cereal-based hard feeds - because the resulting insulin response can be counterproductive
- Large amounts of concentrates are likely to upset the foregut digestion and also impair the reestablishment of hindgut health
- alfalfa could be added to the hay/grass diet (because of its higher protein content and electrolyte composition)
- adequate vits/mins

Great book by the way, for anyone who is a bit hooked on nutritional stuff.

Sarah
Click to expand...

Sorry to hijack - what is the name of the book please?

Thanks
 
Is she normally a good doer? Ad lib hay and lots of grass worked wonders for my toastrack. He also had sugarbeet and blue chip-no-one seems to recommend this anymore :confused3: but it worked fabulously for me and within 6 weeks he was his ideal weight again.
 
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