Putting on condition- the right way?

[mitchellk]

This is a bit of a rant (most of my posts are!!)
Went to see a clients horse today, she bought him in december and he was quite poor so she has been feeding him up, on limited turn out ridden three times a week (if lucky)
I got a frantic phone call saying that she couldn't cope with horse anymore as it was like a thing possesed as soon as she put her foot in the stirrup. Well I mosey on up to her yard to find she has been feeding it rye grass haylage, four feeds a day of (a scoop of each) barley, cooked linseed, Baileys No 4 and sugarbeet and is going out for 1/2-1 hr a day - omfg no wander it is blowing its brains. Why is it people no longer use forage and high fibre to condition horses, instead of shoving hard feed down their throats, is it because they want a quick result or just madness. This is the third horse this week that I have seen that is over fed, and seems to be one of the routes to all evil in their behaviour and I am getting fed up with teaching the rules of feeding!
Rant over......phew!

 

[Paint it Lucky]

I agree, stupid woman!

 

[tanflislibs]

wow!! it's funny when they buy horses and actually havent got the fantest idea

i know alot of horses that are completely overfed, and they've had horses longer than me!

 

[passie]

It's amazing how many people have absolutely no idea isnt' it! We put several horses out on loan this winter, and have received phone calls to go and pick up 4 because they were "uncontrollable" we turn up - and it's just overfeeding. and they were fat in the first place!!!! It's bonkers.

 

[Breezesbenefactor]

I feed mine grass and hay and she looks great

 

[Cobland]

Our thoroughbred was skinny when we got him, its took months of extra haylage and lunge work to bring him back into shape.