Re: RC: gangly Arab

[Linda Flemmer <bluewolfranch@yahoo.com>]

Sounds like he's in that "ugly duckling" stage right
now.  We got Razz as a 4 yo and he was gangly looking,
too.  He literally ate 3 times the amount of feed that
the other horses normally got plus beet pulp, oil,
free choice orchard/timothy pasture and free choice
hay, yet he never put on weight. He was wormed and had
his teeth done with little change.

He grew nearly 2" in 6 months.  As his growth slowed
down, he really blossomed.  He just turned 5 and now
he looks so sleek, you wouldn't recognize him.  We've
cut his grain by half (down to 1.5 lbs twice daily),
stopped the oil & cut back on the beet pulp.  

Be patient.  It sounds like he's putting a lot of
energy into growth rather than filling out.  Oil has
always been our next choice to add calories after
pasture/grain/beet pulp.  If you feel he is too thin,
start with just a dollop and slowly increase it to max
of 1 cup of oil twice daily.  The type of oil doesn't
really matter, but ours liked corn oil best.  Remember
to keep the oil closed tightly since it spoils
(oxidizes) when exposed to air.  We bought a pump like
you see used to dispense catsup at a fast food
restaurant.  It fits the 1 gallon oil jug and keeps us
from constantly opening the container. 

Linda Flemmer
Blue Wolf Ranch
Brueton Mills, WV
--- David & Vicki Wheeler <dwheeler@icx.net> wrote:
> I need help/advice.  Spellbinder is my first Arab &
> he looks awfully
> *gangly* to me.  

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