Starting to worry about my mare any ideas?

Queenbee

Queenbee

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Eb's has always kept condition during the spring/summer/autumn months and lost a bit during winter due to stressing in her stable. This year she was turned out on feb 1st with ad lib hay, evening feed rug and field shelter, when it came to about 8 weeks ago I remember looking at her and thinking how well she looked. About 4 weeks ago I stopped riding her due to hurting myself and having to wait for shoes because we were riding a lot... Again condition was good. When she came in week later that week her coat had dulled off and she'd lost some condition, I checked her teeth... Diastema not back, eating in field and hard feed normally so I put it down to a combination of moulting crap weather and possible worms... She started having 3 cakes of haylage (normally shed have 2) a scoop of sugar beet and lg scoop of
Alfa oil x 2 daily (winter rations normally half, summer none) wormed with equest... Nothing even though youngster had roundworms. Kept her rugged on any bad days and waited to see how she did. She's on 2.5 acres of old dairy land, last year she and Ben were on less than half that in summer and nothing else. Ben is looking fine. Her temperament is still good and she is no different to ride. Today I had a good check and if anything she's lost more condition, probably a 'moderate' as opposed to a 'good' I am petrified now! I was planning to have dentist out this month to check them both as Ben is due to be backed and wanted to check for wolf teeth. I plan to get vet out on Monday and have him do a full check, bloods etc. I am petrified I just looked at her and she just never loses condition like this! Anyone got any ideas suggestions, similar experienced good or bad? Any specifics to as vet to look for? I would sell my soul for this mare and I have some horrid stomach lurching feeling that this could be something really bad :(
 
Don't really know what to suggest other than to call the vet as you are doing. I hope it is something easily treatable. Maybe she has jsut suffered abit in the horrible weather we've had lately? Good luck.
 
Pmp: that was kind of my original thought, which was why I started her back on 2 feeds, haylage and rerugged her, I'm just perplexed as she's seems to have lost more :( I am loathed to change feed or anything, first stop vet for full and thorough check up, but it's so abnormal for her, normally she's not fed, or rugged at all and still looks fabulous spring through to autumn :(
 
Sorry to hear about your girl but do you think it could just be the crap weather we're having at the moment?

I went on holiday at the beginning of April and both of mine were looking pretty good. I was only away for 10 days but in that time the weather changed and my TB had noticeably dropped off. During April she started to look worse & worse and on the advice of my instructor I had to up her feed.

She was on 1 meal a day plus grazing but is now back on to full winter rations plus haylage and is rugged again even wearing a winter rug some nights. I have also added EquiJewel to her feed and she is just starting to bulk up again although her ribs are still clearly visible.

I think they are all out of sorts with having winter weather into mid May especially when we had nearly 3 weeks of gorgeous weather in March!

Hopefully this is all it is and your mare will soon be back to normal.
 
I'm keeping my fingers crossed that's all it will be but I hate seeing her like this :( we've asked the neighbouring farmer if we can graze his land while my field is fertilised and rested for a bit so maybe a bit of new grazing will perk her up a bit but still getting vets out and dentist just incase it's something more sinister
 
Hopefully the grass will do the trick and the vet will find nothing wrong.

It is a worry though especially when it's only one of them going downhill, my cob x is looking rather too well despite the weather and has had all feed except balancer removed whilst the TB is having her feed doubled!

Good luck x
 
have to agree that keeping my Tb and TBx up to weight at the moment has meant i've had to go back to winter rations for them both,a month ago they looked great, this wet weather seems to have washed all the goodness out of the grass!!!
 
Sorry to hear that others are struggling to keep the weight on theirs although it's somewhat helpful to hear that we aren't the only ones! She's also 18 and bens only 3 they are both tb x but it could be her showing her age a bit too, hopefully the vet will give her the all clear and her weight will creep up. Thinking of adding equivite body builder to her feed to help with weight gain and condition never used it before but heard some really good stuff about it.
 
Condition wise she has gone from a 3 to a 2 but in terms of weight I'd be hard pushed to say as I lost my weight tape when I moved yards she has far less muscle but then the weather hasn't been conducive to riding these past few weeks! I can post some pics tomorrow of how she is looking now and how she was about 5 weeks ago but will have to wait till I'm on a computer and not on my phone.
 
There are a few in our yard that have lost condition...this weather is miserable, one minute they are cold, next they are sweltering under rugs that were put on because of rain. Hope the vet can help.
 
If its just the effects of the weather I can cope with that, I reckon I just need to hear it from the vet that there isn't anything else, it's just so frustrating trying to get weight on a normally 'good doer' in the summer months! Gawd! Well, will see vet and what he has to say on Monday but don't like the sound of the fact that so many horses are struggling with their weight when they don't normally.
 
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