Tired Horse

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turpsamd

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I've got a 6 year old warmblood and although he isn't the most energetic, he has lately been feeling really lethargic! He gets two big feeds a day with Alfa A Oil, HDF Power Cubes, Top Spec, salt... and still he feels tired. He has had his first season this year and is 17hh so a big gangly boy, mentally more like a 5 year old. he has done 7 Intros this year and just completed his first Pre Novice. I am planning on turning him away for a couple of months at the end of September but wonder if anyone has any advise on how I could perk him up a little bit so that I can end the season with him feeling a bit more energetic :-) I was wondering about feeding him Red Cell or something to boost his system. Any thoughts or tips gratefully received!
 
my 12 year old horse used to be like that (for years) so I tried the EPSM diet just to see if it would help (was willing to try anything within reason)

so he's on no hard feed, ad lib haylage, happy hoof, 1 cup of sunflower oil a day, pink powder and selenium/vitamin e supplement.

he's very much better, more energy, a better weight, better muscle development.

really pleased with how well he's responded.

i'd say it's well worth a try just in case it helps as it's so easy and if it doesn't help him you haven't lost anything
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Thanks for that... trouble is that he is out in the summer (due to lack of facilities) and a friend was convinced that he needs a stable so he was kept in for most of last week and still had no energy for the competition at the weekend... so I am not convinced a stable is the answer either! I'm guessing though that the ad lib haylage could be replaced with ad lib good quality grazing? will have a look into it. Thanks :-)
 
I would cut down on his 'big feeds' immediately and give him something easily digestible and lots of fibre. Could be that youre overloading his system and hes toxic. bet you any money that if you start cutting down and give him as much time as is pos out in a field he will perk up. Most horses are waaaaay over fed for the work they do and it shows. M.
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I would cut down on his 'big feeds' immediately and give him something easily digestible and lots of fibre. Could be that youre overloading his system and hes toxic. bet you any money that if you start cutting down and give him as much time as is pos out in a field he will perk up. Most horses are waaaaay over fed for the work they do and it shows. M.
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i agree - my horse started getting lethargic so i upped his feed. turns out he has a virus and his liver was suffering and the last thing it needed was more protein!
 
One of mine has seemed a bit flat lately, and then he started coughing, so it looks as though he has got the virus that is going around.
He has been on Red Cell for a week now, and is starting to perk up already.
 
I would also be checking bloods to rule anything underlying out.
I have had a horse like this in the past and he responded to 3 months of just being turned out and roughed off.
He just needed a rest after a busy season each year.
 
Thanks everyone for advise :-) It's funny but I rode him last night and he felt better and I had kind of slept in and not given him his usual breakfast (bad mummy) so perhaps I'm just feeding him too much, think I will get some red cell or other booster stuff to see if that helps. Thanks again. Am new to this forum thing but so far finding it very useful!
 
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