Re: Putting weight on extremely finicky horse

["Susan Garlinghouse" <suendavid@worldnet.att.net>]

Some of the best advice ever given to me about nutrition for horses was from
an old Saddlebred trainer who told me to find out what the horse likes to
eat and then give it to him.  Several very expensive degrees in nutrition
later, it's still the best in-a-nutshell pearl of wisdom I ever got.

My advice would be to put out another bale of hay to ensure he has free
access to it and isn't being chased away, and then let him have at it 24/7.
If you have access to grass hay other than bermuda---timothy or orchardgrass
would be my top picks---then provide that.  Bermuda is a semi-tropical hay
and not as digestible as the temperate zone hays.  A small amount of alfalfa
wouldn't be out of line either.  And be sure to put out free choice salt,
preferably loose.  Doesn't have to be fancy.  Just salt.

Susan G


----- Original Message -----
From: <guest@endurance.net>
To: <ridecamp@endurance.net>
Sent: Wednesday, July 12, 2000 9:57 AM
Subject: RC: Putting weight on extremely finicky horse


> Tamara Woodcock twoodcock@lendleaserei.com
> First let me apologize for the length of this message...
>
> I asked here back in May for info on interpreting blood tests I had done
on my horse.  (Got real good info BTW, thank again to all that responded!)
But I'm still having problems and need some ideas.
>
> My horse Roo is a 10 yo Arab, around 14.3-15 hands and right now about 950
lbs (according to the heart girth/body length measurement formula).  This is
very thin, around a condition score of 3.5.
>
> Roo is on turnout about 14 hours a day with a 2yo stallion and a yearling
filly.  The turnout has very little grass, but a round bale of top quality
(weedfree, nearly stem free, and about 40 days of growth) bermudagrass hay.
The turnout area is subdivided, but all areas are open to the horses,
totaling some 5 acres.
>
> At night Roo is stalled in a 12x12 box stall, and adjacent to his stall is
a 12x24 run-in pen where the stallion and filly are kept at night
>
> I would prefer to have them all loose 24x7, but without the stall time, I
can't get Roo to eat at all.  He will eat hay, as much as I would let him
have, but he will not touch any form of concentrates except as a last
resort.
>
> In order to get him to eat, I have to place his complete concentrate
ration in the stall and pray it's gone by morning, though usually there is
still some left.  If I give him hay in his stall, almost all of the
concentrate will be left.
>
> I've tried various pelleted feeds, various sweet feeds, and am now trying
cob.  He refused anything with even a hint of oil on it.
>
> I'm also now starting beet pulp, but so far no success getting him to eat
it.  Maybe I haven't found the exact "wetness" level yet.  H will eat his
Sunday evening bran mash (made with 3-4 lbs of bran and a handful or so each
of sea and beet sugar) so I know he will eat "wet" feeds.
>
> I've tried wetting his cob, adding liquid iron supplements (this worked
for about a week, but only at double the maintenance dose), feeding no
supplements, mixing the cob with chopped dehydrated alfalfa (he scopes
everything from the bucket trying to sort out the alfalfa).  Tried
supplementing with ABC's Plus, Detox, Iron Horse (liquid), sugar, syrup,
honey, molasses.
>
> I had the blood tests mentioned above run to see if he was having any
problems, but none were detected except somewhat low iron/hemoglobin.  Teeth
checked by old vet and new vet, wormed regularily (ivermectin every 6
weeks), appt scheduled with new vet in two weeks to scope (?) for ulcers.
>
> I've put up ABC's free choice minerals system, have also salt blocks
(idonized, sulfur and trace mineral) available.  Going to start adding
Pro-bi and a rice bran base supplement.
>
> In short (or long rather) I've tried everyting I can think of to encourage
Roo to eat with no success.  Please help!  If I though incense and chanting
would work, I'd try it too.
>
> I really want to start Roo in endurance, but I'm afraid to push his
conditioning too much farther until I can add some weight.
>
> Thank for the help!
>
> -Tamara
> (PS:  I get ridecamp at home, so if you have some thoughts good for the
list, you can post it public)
>
> "I am free, no matter what rules surround me. If I find them tolerable, I
tolerate them; if I find them too obnoxious, I break them. I am free because
I know that I alone am morally responsible for everything I do." Robert A.
Heinlein, The Moon is a Harsh Mistriss.
> http://www.mindspring.com/~nis75p06/
> nis75p06@mindspring.com
> twoodcock@lendleaserei.com
> AOL Instant Messenger: Conthesis
> ICQ: 49294214
>
>
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