Undersized TB yearling

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horsefixer

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Can anyone tell me how to post a pic of this TB filly? She was abandoned at 4 months, looking like she was about a month old. Although she is perfectly formed she is so fine she looks like a toy horse. She is now only 12hh. Her appetite is ok and her manure is normal but she loses and gains weight on a 2 to 3 week cycle. Both she and her dam were carrying a very heavy wormload when found but this has been addressed. Can anyone suggest what the problem is? And a solution.The vets are just scratching their heads.
 
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What are you feeding her and the dam, what's the breeding as different lines means varying sizes; what is your grass like and are they out 24/7 for a start, it will all help to give us a better idea?

I had a twin TB filly once that only ever grew to 14.2 in spite of her parents both being well over 16.2.

If you start a photobucket account (it's free) you can upload pics to that, the c & P the IMG code of the picture you want on to here. I think there's a guide sticky in the Gallery forum too.
 
Not quite getting the hang of this....
PIC_1826_zps825b360d.jpg.html
 
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I'm told she's on 10%mix beet flake maze alfa. Don't know breeding because she was dumped and is at a rescue centre. Out on grass 24/7 but I don't know anything about the quality.
 
I right clicked and 'copy image url' and then posted that with the image tags like you did before.

I had to pretend to be quoting you to see if I could get enough of a link to work to take me to the right place, can't help with your question though am sure others will be able to :).
 
Gosh, she is a spindly little thing isn't she, op, I'm no good for advice here... I don't do baby tb's she looks spindly, too leggy for her age, just something odd, but that's to me... All babies look dodgy as hell at that age and I don't know enough about what I'm looking at with regards to tb foals... Would be interested to see other people views.
 
Gosh, so that would make her about 14 months old then. I had wondered if the weight loss cycle was due to the mare's cycling, but obviously not.

She has the right proportions for a yearling - and it looks like she still has a lot of growing to do. The canon bones don't grow any longer and you can see in the photo they are very long compared to the rest of her. I've not ever had to feed an underdone horse her age before, but if I were going to, it would be adlib hay (a good quality medow) or grass, and two small hardfeeds a day. They simply don't have the stomach capacity for just one big one.

I won't try for feeding details - becuase what is available here is of no use to you in the UK, but she will need good quality protein at around 15-18% of her diet and a good minerval/vitamin supplement. And she will probably grow up, before she puts on weight.

I don't have any other ideas re the weight loss/gain cycle of two or three weeks. She is too young to be cycling herself so it's not that. I'm assuming since the vets are scratching their heads, bloods etc have been done.
 
Queenbee said:
Gosh, she is a spindly little thing isn't she, op, I'm no good for advice here... I don't do baby tb's she looks spindly, too leggy for her age, just something odd, but that's to me... All babies look dodgy as hell at that age and I don't know enough about what I'm looking at with regards to tb foals... Would be interested to see other people views.
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Yes, she sure is. I've established that she is approx 15 months old. I, too, am hoping someone can advise on how best to deal with what seems to be a digestive problem. Unless it's metabolic. I doubt the rescue have had bloods done, there just isn't that kind of money available for expensive tests.Temperament wise she is very very friendly and confident around people.
 
That may sound stupid, but what about feeding her some mare's milk replacer as a source of easily digestible proteins and oils? I know horses are usually weaned at 4-6 month but apparently yearlings can still feed from the mare if she lets them and she probably didn't get all the milk she needed.
I have seen small thoroughbreds that made excellent horses Bonkers2, once the weight problem is sorted and she has grown up I don't see why this filly couldn't be a cracker.

ETA yeasacc/probiotics helps increase efficiency of digestion by providing good bacteria
 
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I wasn't thinking an expensive test - just basic vitamins/minerals/cell counts. It's a very quick way to do a "health" check. At her age she won't be able to digest milk type proteins and her system will be adapted to grass and grains. But she still needs the protein - she is getting hard fed - isn't she?
 
Palindrome said:
That may sound stupid, but what about feeding her some mare's milk replacer as a source of easily digestible proteins and oils? I know horses are usually weaned at 4-6 month but apparently yearlings can still feed from the mare if she lets them and she probably didn't get all the milk she needed.
I have seen small thoroughbreds that made excellent horses Bonkers2, once the weight problem is sorted and she has grown up I don't see why this filly couldn't be a cracker.

ETA yeasacc/probiotics helps increase efficiency of digestion by providing good bacteria
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Thanks.....I'll pass that information on to the rescue
 
Give the National Stud a ring and ask for their advice. They are a fountain of knowledge when it comes to TB youngsters. They will be able to advise what to feed and how much to feed, recommend any supplements et al.

vhttp://www.nationalstud.co.uk/
 
joycec said:
If she's weight cycling on three weeks has anyone considered the possibility of her being prematurely sexually mature?
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That's what I was thinking, and if she was a normal, healthy horse, then maybe at 14 months. But given her condition, wow, that would be unusual. Would love to know.
 
NZJenny said:
That's what I was thinking, and if she was a normal, healthy horse, then maybe at 14 months. But given her condition, wow, that would be unusual. Would love to know.
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Snap!

I know it's like a mantra with me but I've found D & H Suregrow the very best of all balancers for youngstock which are growing at different stages as it gives them everything they need without the calories; it's also incredibly useful as a general balancer for older horses, they all seem to do very well on it and it has the added bonus of being so very much cheaper than either of the more well known recommended balancers.

It sounds to me as if she could be having a problem with her gut bacteria so it wouldn't be a bad idea to feed her some natural yoghurt for at least a month (just usual supermarket stuff) to help correct this and keep her off any rich haylage too.
It would be interesting to know if the rescue have ever been used to feeding young TBs because as someone mentioned earlier, she doesn't look very different from 'normal' yearlings.
 
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