Ahrena
Well-Known Member
Okay so I have a pony who I'm (again/still) having problems with. I DONT WANT ADVICE ON HOW TO DEAL WITH IT - she's in the process of being sent away for schooling hwoever thwere isnt a vacancie for a couple of months so meanwhile I want to make sure she's gtetting the right diet as she seems t oget a lot of feed and I cant help but wonder if that makes the issue worse.
ATM she gets dengie chaff (the version with extra stuff in it for weight gain), fibrebeet and spillers slow release energy nuts. Also several supplements including global herbs calmer. I think she gets about a scoop of chaff, half a scoop of fibrebeet and half a scoop of slow release energy nuts twice a day. All that conditioning feed PLUS a field full of a lot of grass has FINALLY meant she's at a weight where I'm happy with her - usually she's too lean for my liking.
Now I'll tell you about her physically, mentally and her work load.
She's 14.3hh, 8 year old welsh cob x hackney.
(that was when I wasn't entirelly happy with her weight, she's now rounder underneath her belly and on top of her bum but cant find a picture which shows it. She isnt overweight either though, just a good weight now).
She's FULL of adrenaline and very hyperactive - the reason why I dont just cut down her feed and see how she is on nothing is because 2 years ago she used to get almost no food, and we had problems. This was purely us being thick/novicey and assuming that as our other cob could do anything on a handful of feed, so could she. She got very nappy and stopping,
HOWEVER at the same time she was still hyper when i jogged her, like would go off the lightest leg aid, would jog, at pc camp she pulled my arms out and bucked and reared and generally misbehaved all week, so it just didnt occur to us the problem was feed. We spoke to spillers and as soon as we started feeding her their slow release energy nuts she changed.
So due to that napping, I wont just cut down her feed loads because I'm worried that'll happen again.
Her work..She's worked generally 6 days a week, alternates schooling and hacking. Hacking ATM is 1 - 2 hours, occasionally a longer one, occasionally a shorter one. Usually a mix of walk trot canter, once in a while she gets a gallop but not every ride, sometimes we only walk or only walk and trot, I ALWAYS mix up where I canter and change that as she gets very hyper before the start of a possible canter spot (jogs, and in 1 spot she started cantering on the spot sideways). Schooling session sare basic walk trot canter trying to get her to rrelax and behave really, and they dont tend to last for more than 20 mins. One a week or every 2 weeks or so I jump her, again up to about half an hour. She jumps 3 foot 3/ 3 foot 6 and doesn't have a problem at all with that at home.
She then competes sometimes too, once or twice a month really, two classes SJ or 1 class XC, and as its heading to that time of year maybe an ODE or two. She also tends to go to a couple of stay away shows a year hwere she does 2 classes a day for 2 or 3 days. ATM she's got Cricklands derby show coming up where she'll (hopefully!) jump 2 derby classes on both days.
So thats her really. I dont want any help with her problems, PLEASE - I've tried asking online before and it just ends up with tonnes of people giving very helpful advice, but somehow it always ends up conflicting, and by the time I've tried every suggestion, the orginal problem is usaully gone and shes doing something else naughty instead!
However just so you know for the feeding, she is getting nappier and nappier, stopping at fences going away from home then going ballistic when you ask her to jump again (vertical rears touch down then straight up again), and also occasionally does that when hacking out and at home.
HOWEVER I MUST STRESS that is the MINORITY of the time, the rest she's fine, though still very hyper but I'm tempted to think thats just how she is..on the other hand, that might be her diet.
ATM she gets dengie chaff (the version with extra stuff in it for weight gain), fibrebeet and spillers slow release energy nuts. Also several supplements including global herbs calmer. I think she gets about a scoop of chaff, half a scoop of fibrebeet and half a scoop of slow release energy nuts twice a day. All that conditioning feed PLUS a field full of a lot of grass has FINALLY meant she's at a weight where I'm happy with her - usually she's too lean for my liking.
Now I'll tell you about her physically, mentally and her work load.
She's 14.3hh, 8 year old welsh cob x hackney.
(that was when I wasn't entirelly happy with her weight, she's now rounder underneath her belly and on top of her bum but cant find a picture which shows it. She isnt overweight either though, just a good weight now).
She's FULL of adrenaline and very hyperactive - the reason why I dont just cut down her feed and see how she is on nothing is because 2 years ago she used to get almost no food, and we had problems. This was purely us being thick/novicey and assuming that as our other cob could do anything on a handful of feed, so could she. She got very nappy and stopping,
HOWEVER at the same time she was still hyper when i jogged her, like would go off the lightest leg aid, would jog, at pc camp she pulled my arms out and bucked and reared and generally misbehaved all week, so it just didnt occur to us the problem was feed. We spoke to spillers and as soon as we started feeding her their slow release energy nuts she changed.
So due to that napping, I wont just cut down her feed loads because I'm worried that'll happen again.
Her work..She's worked generally 6 days a week, alternates schooling and hacking. Hacking ATM is 1 - 2 hours, occasionally a longer one, occasionally a shorter one. Usually a mix of walk trot canter, once in a while she gets a gallop but not every ride, sometimes we only walk or only walk and trot, I ALWAYS mix up where I canter and change that as she gets very hyper before the start of a possible canter spot (jogs, and in 1 spot she started cantering on the spot sideways). Schooling session sare basic walk trot canter trying to get her to rrelax and behave really, and they dont tend to last for more than 20 mins. One a week or every 2 weeks or so I jump her, again up to about half an hour. She jumps 3 foot 3/ 3 foot 6 and doesn't have a problem at all with that at home.
She then competes sometimes too, once or twice a month really, two classes SJ or 1 class XC, and as its heading to that time of year maybe an ODE or two. She also tends to go to a couple of stay away shows a year hwere she does 2 classes a day for 2 or 3 days. ATM she's got Cricklands derby show coming up where she'll (hopefully!) jump 2 derby classes on both days.
So thats her really. I dont want any help with her problems, PLEASE - I've tried asking online before and it just ends up with tonnes of people giving very helpful advice, but somehow it always ends up conflicting, and by the time I've tried every suggestion, the orginal problem is usaully gone and shes doing something else naughty instead!
However just so you know for the feeding, she is getting nappier and nappier, stopping at fences going away from home then going ballistic when you ask her to jump again (vertical rears touch down then straight up again), and also occasionally does that when hacking out and at home.
HOWEVER I MUST STRESS that is the MINORITY of the time, the rest she's fine, though still very hyper but I'm tempted to think thats just how she is..on the other hand, that might be her diet.
but the napping 2 years ago WAS purely feed related - she was tired and due to her adrenline cover she didn't seem it and napping was how to tell me. How else can it be explained that a week after changing her diet she stopped napping entirely when before she was stopping, rearing, spinning round and trying to run home at every turning, and we changed nothing else?
