Rug and Girth for standardbred in poor condition

Pinkvboots

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He really doesn't look that bad a few weeks of decent hay and grass he will look totally different, I do agree about the pramox I have known a few horses to have a bad reaction with it, I think I would worm count and its about the time of year now to worm for tape so might be worth doing the saliva test for that as well and then your not filling him with pointless wormers if his clear, it will be interesting to see him in a month he will look like a different horse I am sure.
 

Cobbytype

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Sounds like a good plan. I think that the 5 day wormer is more gentle, but no point in doing it if he doesn't need it.
Good luck with him, he looks sweet.

Thank you Regandal :) He's not handsome at the moment but if I get my way, he will be lovely in time.

For the moment I have lots of good grazing, which hopefully isn't too rich now were in October and I will let Mother Nature take the reins for a few weeks. He'll be turned out tomorrow and will stay out to relax and unwind until the weather dictates otherwise. I'll rug him at night and when the worming dilemma is sorted out he can join the donks at night to share their paddock and large field shelter. I'm itching to tidy him up, but I think his other needs are more pressing than a tidy forelock and tail.
 

Cobbytype

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He really doesn't look that bad a few weeks of decent hay and grass he will look totally different, I do agree about the pramox I have known a few horses to have a bad reaction with it, I think I would worm count and its about the time of year now to worm for tape so might be worth doing the saliva test for that as well and then your not filling him with pointless wormers if his clear, it will be interesting to see him in a month he will look like a different horse I am sure.

Good idea re the saliva test.

Yes my horse was really poorly when he had Pramox. I asked my vet about it and he said he'd treated a lot of horses that had experienced an adverse reaction to it.

I'll post pics of him as he (hopefully) progresses. I'm so used to chunky cobs that look a little too well that the new boy's condition is out my comfort zone.

Whilst he plonks on the weight, it's time for me to shed a stone so I don't squish him when it's time to ride.
 

Cobbytype

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Is there any indication of breeding or a name on it? Or a breeder's name? Just that I may be able to find out some of his history that's all :)

There's nothing do to with his breeding, just male bay horse. Just the previous owner's name in Bishop Auckland with no further details apart from markings. The veterinary practice is one in Richmond, N. Yorks.

Part of me thinks he's a pure standardbred, part of me thinks there's a splash of native in the mix. I guess when he starts to fill out a truer picture of his breeding will emerge.
 

gothdolly

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Ooh another standardbred! I hve a lovely bay standie who drops weight over night if cold, he needs to be kept warm and does best on ad lib hay. I don't think his body condition is too bad really, on the lean side certainly but it looks like he needs a lot of muscling up rather than fat. I think his weak neck makes him look worse than he really is. Mine fits best in Horsewear Amigo rugs, and definitely a neoprene girth, I use either a professional choice Ventech or the Dever girth with comfort gel inserts. I have found he is very sensitive and thin skinned and liable to rubs/marks very easily from tack etc. I'm vigilant with my tack keeping it clean and supple and well fitting, but he's still got a little rub from the bridle :(

Regarding saddles, I had a devil of a job finding a saddle to fit him and this seems to be common amongst standardbred owners. I had saddlers telling me they were designed to be driven not ridden etc and that the only option was made to measure. Currently we have a HM FlexEE which is leather treed.

Good luck, I would love to see how you get on with him! Mine is a great hacking horse and I have seen several on the Sport Endurance fb page :)
 
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Cobbytype

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Has he been checked for a microchip? If he's had a STAGBI passport at somepoint - even if it's been lost since you could use this to trace his history.

He only arrived last night so we've not had chance to do anything with him apart from a very quick brush last night, but it didn't work in getting the mud off - his legs are plastered. Once he's on the mend he'll need his jabs so I'll ask the vet to scan him for a chip.
 

Cobbytype

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Ooh another standardbred! I hve a lovely bay standie who drops weight over night if cold, he needs to be kept warm and does best on ad lib hay. I don't think his body condition is too bad really, on the lean side certainly but it looks like he needs a lot of muscling up rather than fat. I think his weak neck makes him look worse than he really is. Mine fits best in Horsewear Amigo rugs, and definitely a neoprene girth, I use either a professional choice Ventech or the Dever girth with comfort gel inserts. I have found he is very sensitive and thin skinned and liable to rubs/marks very easily from tack etc. I'm vigilant with my tack keeping it clean and supple and well fitting, but he's still got a little rub from the bridle :(

Regarding saddles, I had a devil of a job finding a saddle to fit him and this seems to be common amongst standardbred owners. I had saddlers telling me they were designed to be driven not ridden etc and that the only option was made to measure. Currently we have a HM FlexEE which is leather treed.

Good luck, I would love to see how you get on with him! Mine is a great hacking horse and I have seen several on the Sport Endurance fb page :)

Well he's gone without a rug today because I'm afraid his bones will rub if I leave one on him all day. I'll rug him tonight and hopefully he'll fill out enough in the coming weeks to have a rug on most the time. I took him out in his stable rug this morning because he looks so thin and I didn't want anyone in the village getting the wrong idea.

Oh crikey, the saddle thing sounds a pain. I've got all that to look forward to.
 

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Five days in and Job looks a little better than when he arrived last Sunday. His coat looks less dull and his barrel and rear end have filled out a little. His front end has some way to go.

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I don't normally leave head collars on but the photo was taken during introductions with the donkeys and I wanted something to grab if needs be.

He's very sweet natured and easy to handle but can be difficult to catch in the evening as he doesn't like wearing a rug. Can't say I blame him as it just hangs off his skin and bones at the moment. He whickers when he sees me or my husband which is nice.

A low worm count meant that yesterday we put the donks in with him for a couple of hours. They all seemed to be getting along so I sauntered back to the field shelter to skip out, only to emerge a couple of minutes later to see Job running around the donks gleefully kicking his heels up (thankfully not at them but nevertheless the donks looked worried). Today's mixed grazing was a more peaceful and harmonious affair. Victor, my 10hh donk has taught Job the finer art of thistle scoffing by showing him to go over the top of them and snap their tops off. Victor also bucked vertically yesterday when Job got cheeky and caught him under the chin. Not nice to watch but it seemed to settle down a party that was in danger of becoming too wild. I'd like Job to spend more time with the donks but their dietary requirements are so different at the moment so he has to make do with a tarty mare next door who is obsessed with him.

I'm not giving Job much in the way of hard feed - just a little Safe and Sound with a splash of oil and a desert spoon of salt; it sounds like a mean diet but he seems to be doing okay and I want a safe weight gain. I may give him a general vitamin and mineral supplement later in the year but I have a good mix of meadow grasses and various 'weeds' in the paddock so I want nature to provide the nourishment and nutrients for the moment. I'm a bit old fashioned with feeding and like to keep things simple.

Next up is the dentist to check out an eruption bump on his mandible. I've a feeling that he's nearer 4 than 5 - I'm not sure how accurate vets are when they do the replacement passports (he's down as a 5 yo).
 

Exploding Chestnuts

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My boy looked very similar though not as thin, he had had a summer on grass, but I fed him all winter and even in summer, when in light work, he got minerals, he filled out and grew an inch, but he was very slow to mature, not sure if that was due to poor nutrition early years, but he looked superb when he left me, a lot of slow hill work in his first two years with me did the job. He got micronised linseed, non-mol beet and minerals, which sorted his itchy skin, and it kept his summer coat really dark and glossy.
 

Cobbytype

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Your boy's issues sound so similar to Job's what with poor skin and slow maturity. I'm hoping Job will grow a little more; I'm sure a padding of muscle and fat will make him look bigger and more robust.

I'm aiming to increase the oil content in his feed as the weather deteriorates and he'll go onto 2 feeds a day. We have a local haylage producer who does a high fibre version and I may switch to that if he looks like he's losing condition in the colder months.

Glad to hear your boy came good with no major long lasting ill effects from a poor start.
 

MrsMozart

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I found that Saracen's Equi-jewel and their Re-leve worked well at putting on weight without causing silliness. Fed in fairly small quantities, so doesn't work out too expensive and isn't an issue for fussy eaters.
 

Cobbytype

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I found that Saracen's Equi-jewel and their Re-leve worked well at putting on weight without causing silliness. Fed in fairly small quantities, so doesn't work out too expensive and isn't an issue for fussy eaters.

A friend also recommended Equi-jewel, so if his weight looks like being a problem over the colder months I'll certainly look into that. He's a good little eater so my gut feeling is that he'll be one of those that keeps weight on reasonably well once he's gotten over the initial neglect. He looks so much better already and thankfully I've loads of grazing at the moment.

If we get an wet winter like last year I won't be doing anything with him for months as we're on clay here and it gets very muddy. I'm contemplating putting him into livery at some point to get him professionally re-started, but my husband is trying to persuade me to keep him at home because he's so settled. If I do the latter I'll have an instructor who I already know help me get him back to work.
 

Cobbytype

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11 days since this boy arrived and he improves day by day. I think he's going to be a good do-er as his weight gain is only down to 1 modest feed a day + hay and good grazing. His skin and coat are still not great, but his battle scars are fading. He's a people person which is very humbling considering what he's been through. Pic 1 is the day he arrived a week last Sunday and pic 2 is earlier today.

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Cobbytype

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He's coming on nicely! What a difference already. Appears to be fluffing up as well. Handsome boy.

Thanks Regandal. I'm rugging him at night, but as his skin in so poor that he's naked in the day to get some air to it. He's not as fluffy as he looks in the pic and close up his coat isn't thick at all, but one step at a time.
 

gothdolly

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He's looking so much better! Well done! I bet he has axlovely summer coat next year :) my dentist said mine was a year younger than his passport said too.
 

Cobbytype

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Thank you :) He's changing so much at the moment. I cut his hay back last week because he was eating and pooing too much and a few of his droppings were on the verge of cowpats. As a result he hasn't gained anymore weight but his Amigo rug fits him better around the neck and shoulders, so hopefully he's starting to build a bit of muscle.

The timid side of him that made him difficult to catch has been replaced by a certain amount of cheekiness and he sees being caught as a bit of a game. I've tried various methods and plonking the unattached lead rope around his neck is the most effective and least dangerous. He has the most incredible temperament which I keep expecting to change, but so far so good. He always comes to say hello and likes to have a gentle stroke. The farrier came to trim his feet today and he stood as good as gold whilst the apprentice worked away quietly on his hooves. He likes being groomed which is a bonus as he really needs a good brush regularly to help remove the build up of scurf.

He has some peculiar bumps along his bridle path and slightly beyond - they feel like grains of rice and I initially thought they were lice eggs, but the bumps are in his skin rather than on it. As a precaution he's been treated twice for lice but the bumps remain. I think it might just be a build up of dead skin or maybe some sort of scabbing due to being tethered? Whatever it is doesn't seem to itch him; there's been no improvement in the bumps but I keep brushing the area to loosen the scurf in the hope that it will eventually improve. He could do with a good bath but it's bit nippy for that.
 

gothdolly

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He's very lucky to have found such a good owner! I don't know what the lumps under his skin could be but it sounds like everything is going in the right direction :) Does he pace or trot, or have you not seen him really move yet? Mine does both but paces when he's over excited or keen.
 

Cobbytype

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He's very lucky to have found such a good owner! I don't know what the lumps under his skin could be but it sounds like everything is going in the right direction :) Does he pace or trot, or have you not seen him really move yet? Mine does both but paces when he's over excited or keen.

He's a trotter - I've seen no sign of pacing so far but he has a problem with his action in walk in that he overreaches a bit. He hasn't cut himself doing it and I'm hoping the problem will go away as he strengthens up, but he's very short in the back so maybe it's just him having longish legs on a short body?

Er yes I've seen him really move when he flicked his heels up at me and cleared off around the paddock last week when I went to put his head collar on :) He moves nicely - has a long stride in trot. He's quite flexible in his body and can stretch his neck around and nibble his spine because there's no muscle to get in the way at the moment.

It's very much a learning curve for me as I'm so used to cobs and he's nothing like a cob in temperament. He's very green in every way and almost foal-like in his wonderment at 'normal' things like going for a short walk in hand. I take him up the lane to have a change of scenery, but he's a little afraid of the horses in other fields and shows no interest in meeting them. He's content to graze in hand and potter back to the donkeys when I turn around. I don't think he's been in a paddock previously apart from his short time at the dealers. He spent the first 2 or 3 days at the bottom of my paddock as far away from people/horses as possible and just grazed and couldn't work out where to go for a drink, so I kept having to take water to him. He does have a look of fear about him - as though it's all going to come to an end - I guess time will help heal those scars that can't be seen.
 

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It will be four weeks tomorrow since Job arrived. He's doing remarkably well considering what he's been through. Each day he looks a little different; he's is a very peculiar shape at the moment with a big belly and skinny shoulders. I can still feel his ribs just a little and his spine still sticks out, but is improving day by day. He eats and poos for England still.

He's still incredibly sweet to handle, goes to sleep when groomed but hates having his turnout rug on, so it takes me a few minutes to walk him down and catch him for that little ritual. The farrier and his 2 apprentices came on Tuesday to trim the donks and Job - I was busy with one of the donks and turned around to see Job being trimmed, standing perfectly still without a lead rope in the paddock. What a good boy!

It is looking as though he may adopt me as his human if my trial period continues to go well. I obediently took him for a walk yesterday morning when he walked to the gate and asked me if I'd care to join him for a little stroll along the lane. The teddies were thrown out the cot later when I took the donks for their walk and he was left in the paddock. He can certainly buck!

Everything about him healthwise is improving apart from his scabby bridlepath which I treated again with an insecticide just in case it is some sort of mite/lice issue. I think it might just be scar tissue from being tethered. His sticky eyes are improving and he likes having them bathed and his ears are shedding loads of scurf but they look better. He hates being kissed or cuddled - it's totally alien to him, so we make do with a pat on the neck.

Here's a few pics of this odd little horse which I took yesterday.

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Crosshill Pacers

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Few horses bond with their human quite like a Standardbred. They are incredibly intense about it and it can be quite exhausting!

Amen to that! Tried to take photos of Ace today for a photography project and all I got was muzzle in lens, and my camera strap getting chewed. She wasn't grasping the concept of 'stand' as I tried to back away from her - every step I took back, she followed me. I gave up in the end! Personal space is not a concept any of mine understand anymore, although they do at least wait patiently for their turn to get their ears scratched!
 

Cobbytype

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Few horses bond with their human quite like a Standardbred. They are incredibly intense about it and it can be quite exhausting!

He is an odd little chap and I can see that 'things' are going to be different with him - I just hope the riding partnership works for both of us; he's so contented in every other way, it would be such a shame if we aren't on the same wavelength.
 

gothdolly

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Few horses bond with their human quite like a Standardbred. They are incredibly intense about it and it can be quite exhausting!
. Yep. I agree with that. I have only had Bilbo for 6 months and he neighs and calls for me every time I disappear out of sight on the yard. Also, its quite hard to tack and boot up with his nose stuck in my face all the time!

Job looks amazing, he's got quite a belly on him now, and Im sure as you gain confidence with him on the ground that the ridden stuff will come. I only have limited experience with the breed but it seems they are quite willing and forward thinking horses :)
 

Cobbytype

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. Yep. I agree with that. I have only had Bilbo for 6 months and he neighs and calls for me every time I disappear out of sight on the yard. Also, its quite hard to tack and boot up with his nose stuck in my face all the time!

Job looks amazing, he's got quite a belly on him now, and Im sure as you gain confidence with him on the ground that the ridden stuff will come. I only have limited experience with the breed but it seems they are quite willing and forward thinking horses :)

Ha, ha - I'm glad Job isn't a mare as I'd be quite concerned about that round tum containing an unwanted pregnancy. I'm the first to admit that he looks a bit weird in the body department at the moment :)

Glad you're enjoying the new relationship with your Standardbred/stalker gothdolly :) Do you know much about Bilbo's past?

My concern initially was that Job would be too small for me, but I think he'll be on the stocky side of the breed once his muscles reappear. I hope his quiet, accepting nature transfers to ridden work as I won't cope with a hacking buddy that's lit up like a Christmas tree, but I do like a sensibly forward ride.

I get the distinct impression from all you Standie owners that they can be a bit 'needy'. This has been demonstrated with Job today, whose world has apparently ended because the donks don't do bad weather. They've hardly ventured out of the field shelter today because it's cold and windy, and although Job is free to go and see them during the day, he's chosen to stand in the paddock looking lost and forlorn, uttering the occasional high pitched, pathetic whinny.
 

gothdolly

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Hmm, yes, I would say Bilbo is "needy" too. He's very very attached to my son's welsh pony and very quickly formed that attachment.

I don't know much about his history, the woman I bought him from had him for a year for hacking and fun rides, and before that he was with a dealer who is the first name on his passport. Although he's very forward going he's pretty sensible, good in traffic etc. I thought about trying to trace his history but decided I would rather not know, as he seems so lovely, and I don't want to find out anything negative that might shake my confidence in him or make me worry about his health!
 

Cobbytype

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Hmm, yes, I would say Bilbo is "needy" too. He's very very attached to my son's welsh pony and very quickly formed that attachment.

I don't know much about his history, the woman I bought him from had him for a year for hacking and fun rides, and before that he was with a dealer who is the first name on his passport. Although he's very forward going he's pretty sensible, good in traffic etc. I thought about trying to trace his history but decided I would rather not know, as he seems so lovely, and I don't want to find out anything negative that might shake my confidence in him or make me worry about his health!

A year's 'good' history is okay and Bilbo sounds like a good sort.

I too wonder about Job's past and whether it's all been bad or just recently, and like you I think some things are best left a mystery. All I know is that he's been passed around the travellers and that he was found cowering in a corner by the dealer who went to look at a cob and ended up buying the cob and loading "the thing in the corner" on the trailer too. He was covered in horse bites which are still healing and some nasty bruising to his hips from tight fitting shafts. I like to think it shows the kindness of his character in that he is still willing to place his trust in me, albeit tentatively.
 
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