FinkleyAlex
Well-Known Member
Hi all - looking for some advice for my 14.2 PBA ex-lammi who is currently out on loan. I've owned him for eleven years and he got injury-related lammi about six years ago but has been fine since with careful management. He is not a good doer (but not poor either) and under the vets advice has never needed his grazing restricted or a muzzle and is out from 8am-4/5pm all year round. He then comes in and has a large soaked hay-net with small holes overnight. He maintains a nice weight (slightly just on the leaner side which I prefer given his past) and does not need hard-feed as is only in light work. He does have arthritis though and gets a small handful of happy hoof to put his medicine/supplements in at the start of the day. I know happy hoof is controversial due to the molasses but our vet recommended it years ago when he first came down with lammi and it has never triggered him so I'm reluctant to change it if its not causing a problem (and he won't eat other chaff).
I will re-iterate that he has never had a problem in six years following the above management, EXCEPT in February when his loaner had been hospitalised for weeks due to ill-health and the yard took over his feed, increasing it until he was having more than I have ever fed my fit show-jumpers in the past (literally HUGE feeds - I was livid when I found what they were planning on feeding him) and giving him ad-lib hay (not soaked at the time) until he became overweight. One day he came out of his stable footy - vet was called who said he was overweight etc and I drove the 200 mile round-trip and implemented a strict routine again - limited soaked hay, no turnout and back to a handful of happy hoof until his weight came off, whereby we increased the amount of hay he got and increased the amount of time he spent in the field until he was back to a normal weight. Staff were told off and YO apologised on their behalf (loaner was very upset as she had been in hospital trusting them the whole time).
He is now back to his correct weight and back to his usual routine. His loaner had a nutritionist come and look at him (from Allen and Page as she was doing the whole yard). The nutritionist said his weight is good and body scored him just under 3 (where I like him to be). However she wants him to have a whole scoop of fast fibre morning and night instead of the handful of happy hoof and adlib hay (not soaked). There's no way he can have ad-lib unsoaked hay and not put on weight and he's never had that much feed in over six years, even though I know its low sugar/starch I'm really worried he would put weight on where I can't be there to keep an eye on him and risk having another attack. He doesn't actually need the hard-feed for weight, and has grass all day and un-soaked hay all night so as far as I'm concerned he has enough fibre. Is it worth ignoring her advice and maintaining what has worked for him for so long? With his recent scare and the sheer number of horses coming down with lammi at the moment I'm absolutely terrified of doing anything that might trigger it, but I feel bad that my loaner has paid for the nutritionist's services and that I'm blocking any changes to my boy's feed at the moment until I have some other opinions!
I will re-iterate that he has never had a problem in six years following the above management, EXCEPT in February when his loaner had been hospitalised for weeks due to ill-health and the yard took over his feed, increasing it until he was having more than I have ever fed my fit show-jumpers in the past (literally HUGE feeds - I was livid when I found what they were planning on feeding him) and giving him ad-lib hay (not soaked at the time) until he became overweight. One day he came out of his stable footy - vet was called who said he was overweight etc and I drove the 200 mile round-trip and implemented a strict routine again - limited soaked hay, no turnout and back to a handful of happy hoof until his weight came off, whereby we increased the amount of hay he got and increased the amount of time he spent in the field until he was back to a normal weight. Staff were told off and YO apologised on their behalf (loaner was very upset as she had been in hospital trusting them the whole time).
He is now back to his correct weight and back to his usual routine. His loaner had a nutritionist come and look at him (from Allen and Page as she was doing the whole yard). The nutritionist said his weight is good and body scored him just under 3 (where I like him to be). However she wants him to have a whole scoop of fast fibre morning and night instead of the handful of happy hoof and adlib hay (not soaked). There's no way he can have ad-lib unsoaked hay and not put on weight and he's never had that much feed in over six years, even though I know its low sugar/starch I'm really worried he would put weight on where I can't be there to keep an eye on him and risk having another attack. He doesn't actually need the hard-feed for weight, and has grass all day and un-soaked hay all night so as far as I'm concerned he has enough fibre. Is it worth ignoring her advice and maintaining what has worked for him for so long? With his recent scare and the sheer number of horses coming down with lammi at the moment I'm absolutely terrified of doing anything that might trigger it, but I feel bad that my loaner has paid for the nutritionist's services and that I'm blocking any changes to my boy's feed at the moment until I have some other opinions!
