Underfeeding related to behaviour?

dreamcometrue

dreamcometrue

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Someone at our yard has a just turned 5 year old cob about 15hh. He has had him a year so has just gone through his first winter with him. He has underfed him all winter. They are stabled full time and he gets less hay than he needs (no hard feed). He doesn't look thin but it is hard to tell with his hairiness.

Is it a coincidence that he has started rearing, bolting and doing huge bucks when ridden. The owner is a novice and this doesn't help but could it also be tetchiness due to being hungry?
 
Probably becasue of being stabled all the time.
Unless worked a lot every day, most cobs don't take to a stabled lifestyle, esp young ones with novice riders.
He should not need hard feed, but loads of hay and a general supplement instead of hard feed.
And preferably, turn out for at least a few hours a day.
 
How do you know he is getting less hay than he needs? Most cobs will eat non stop and carry the weight to their own detriment. Most cobs require their hay to be restricted for their own welfare. And most certainly do not need hard feed. I competed a cob eventing on no hard feed at all and limited hay in winter and limited grazing in summer. He was fit and sound and slim.

I would be more inclined to put his behaviour down to 24hr stabling. It is totally unnatural but may not be the sole reason - you have to discount badly fitting saddle (if he is losing weight then his saddle possibly won't fit), back problem, feeling fitter as he is slimmer, lack of respect for the owner, bad handling.
 
We can't have winter turn out but most of us exercise our horse each day, even if it is just a walk along the lane. This cob rarely gets that and they spend little time with him.

He gets maybe 4/5 slices hay a day, much less than any of the others at the yard including my (not fat!) Haflinger.
 
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This cob rarely gets that and they spend little time with him.

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Well, if they can't get there to take him out each day in daylight, and even if they could , he would better off at a yard that does have winter turnout.
We have two cobs who would be unrideable if they were kept n for months whislt we were at work all day. They compete off grass, hay and a balancer.
and a lot of rising 5 cob types are far too cheeky for a novice rider.
 
cobs are really good doers and genelly dont need alot of food but must have hay in replace of hard feed .
i have a cob mare who i just feed a handful of chaff and a scoop of vitamins so she aleast still gets vitamins even then i only feed it because i have to feed my pregnant mare .
she lives out 24/7 all year round without rug just supplemented with a round bale of hay .
even then she doesnt lose that much weight which i have to put a grazing muzzle on to stop her getting over weight through spring grass .
bulshness and nicking other horses food could be a indecation of him being hungrey but not bucking etc when being ridden
.
I would get checks done etc teeth , back or possible look at the fact it may be the rider as you say there novice .
They can actyally play up when they know this
or just because hes being stabled .IT could be either one of these but i wouldnt of thought feeding
 
Sounds like he's just bored. Cobs scoff hay like it's going out of fashion, so being stabled is very boring if he eats up straight away. A small holed haynet will make his hay last longer and keep him occupied. But is not replacement for turnout and exercise, which is what it sounds like he needs.
A 5 year old cob won't need very much food at all, mine used to just have a handful of chaff and vits, and hay if stabled at night. But then he was turned out in the day and lived out in summer.
 
My large 16.2 cob gets through 3 slices of hay a day, chaff and a scoop of oat and some oil. He is turned out for most of the day, although there is very little grass and he is schooled for 45 mins 4 times a week and he is still on the tubby side at 700kg. I would hate to ride him if he was stabled 24 hours a day and would imagine that 3 slices of hay is OK, although I would want to weigh tape him and condition score over time to be really sure.
 
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We can't have winter turn out but most of us exercise our horse each day, even if it is just a walk along the lane. This cob rarely gets that and they spend little time with him.



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That will be his problem more so than the hay... a horse his size (guessing at 600 - 700 kg) should have 12 - 14 kg of hay a day which I think you'll find, if you weigh it is not far off what he is getting at the moment maybe less a section... I'm all for adlibbing but for a fat horse this just isn't healthy...
 
I agree with everyone else, I dont think it is a problem with his feed, its probally due to being stuck in all day.
Cobs are usually really good doers my old cob mare used to only get 3 sections of hay a day and no hard feed when on box rest and that used to do her fine.
4 to 5 sections is approx 1/2 a bale and to me that is fine for a cobby type x.
 
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