Very Lethargic / disinterested in winter...

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In the last few weeks my boy has become increasingly lethargic / reluctant to leave his stable to go back out to the field and even the last few days when he has been in during the day for hay (thinking he was probably hungry) he's still reluctant to go back out. He was a bit like it last winter too... just wondering if he could be lacking something? or if hes suffering from SAD? bless him... today we went for a wander round the yard and he just kept planting himself and stood looking all dopey...

ets he gets full dose of equivite with a few handfulls of hi-fi lite, alfa lite and a cup of nuts twice a day. he's 3 and 17hh... gets a good half bale of hay a day too...

any one elses horse like this?... it's very odd...
 
i would get some bloods run as a start. He is obviously still growing and going to be a big chap so i would review his diet. Why is he on lite everything? i would be looking at feeding him something with a bit more in it!! plenty feed help lines available. sounds to me like he just isnt getting enough out of his food as all diet stuff made for ones that store fat. he is a baby and needs to grow! tho i am a big believer in not force growing them, but wouldnt personallt feed lite to my babies. let us know outcome of bloods. have you done a worm count? whats his color like gums and eyelids? teeth? think you have got an under lying problem some where. mine are full of beans and turning themselves inside out!!
 
His half sister had OCD, which vets associated with diet, so I am quite careful about what I feed him. I dont like balancers as I feel they are to high in protein which encourages youngsters to grow in bigger spurts than they would naturally, predisposing them to growth problems. He also gets quite footy when the grass is rich which I put down to the increased sugar, plus I don't want him fat, hense the lite. He's getting full rations of equivite for his vits and mins plus seaweed for his feet.

I have upped his feed as of tomorrow and also changed the ratio so he's getting more alfa. So I will see if that makes any difference.

Gums etc are a good colour, had a worm count in August which was clear and was wormed Sept /Oct for tapeworm. Vet out for Jabs at begining of october for jabs, and was really pleased with him. Will give him a call on monday to see what he thinks.

As I mentioned, he was like this last winter but was fine over the summer...
 
my youngster is like that PLEASE NOT START THROWING FEED AT HIM OCD IS LAST THING YOU NEED not that you don't already know. we did bloods and all was well and vet put it down to the weather depressing her. maybe bring him in at night so he is getting plenty of sleep as maybe he is tired
 
Don't worry tikino... I will not be throwing feed at him! He is looking so well I know he really doesn't need it. i just added a dolop of speedibeet to his feed today so I'm hoping that helps fill his tum without piling on the weight.

He's been in during the day for the last few days and having a good sleep - big flat patch in his bed, so hopefully he will start feeling a bit better. May swap him onto nights in in the next week or so... I've just got lots on this week so it's not really convenient...

I took him for an in hand walk today and he was his usual exhuberant self so I don't think there's a hell of a lot wrong!!
 
hmmmm.... I wouldn't say half a bale was bugger all really!!! and I wouldn't say he was lacking calories.

He's got a good covering over his ribs and hips and is generally looking very well. As tikino sugested I honestly think he just doesn't really like winter. We'll see.
 
Maybe he's bored? There's not enough going on at this time of the year as everyone dashes in and dashes out, wanting to get home in the warm?

One of mine is off work at the mo, and I really thought she was ill as she was miserable and grumpy and staid.

But now she's gone to live with a friend who has a lot of spare time, to take pony for walks in hand, free schooling, ride and lead etc.

Pony is back to the chirpy, happy, active bubbly little girl she once was. She was bored!
 
Hi... very good point... he was quite perky on his walk yesterday so I think that did perk him up a bit, and I do try to spend time with him each day - having a good groom etc but I'm reluctant to do too much with him this winter as he's done the basics and I want to give him time to grow and mature before I back him in the spring... we'll see... maybe the odd walk out in hand will do him no harm...
 
My lad used to be quite lathargic too when he was younger it was something that played on my mind all the time, he'd go from one extreme to the other though, talk about mind games, anyway turned out he's fine, just put it down to his breeding and part of growing up.


Perhaps give him a snack ball, with some nuts in, my lad use to love that, he's also have it in his field as well, certainly perked him up, it was like a football match going off in his stable!:D...except they really churn the stable bedding up though, so providing you don't mind extra mucking out and wasting a bit of hay and bedding, get him one of those he'll love it.:)
 
hehe! I do have a snack ball for him but I've lent it to someone else who's mare is on box rest... thankfully though his stable is about 20ft deep with beddng down on the back 6 ft or so, so he has plenty of space to pay on the rubber matting at the front! et voila! a not so messy bed! :)
 
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