 |
[RC] Supplements and Feed Question - Willowmere Farm ArabiansHi, Everyone, I have a question regarding one of my endurance horses and a supplement. Here is the long background info. My seasoned endurance horse (she has the experience - I'm still learning) had some health issues about a year ago. They presented as behavioral problems and at first we dismissed them, as she can be a difficult horse to begin with. She did end up having back problems due to poor saddle fit, and we fixed that. Got her back worked on by an equine vet certified in chiro and acupuncture, had a master saddler do a saddle fitting for her, bought a saddle specifically fit for her, etc. Things seemed fine for about 2 weeks, then she went back to the same problems as before. The vets were stumped, and we began treatment for ulcers, thinking that might be her problem. She went through 2 months of treatment and then was placed on a daily maintenance supplement (U-Gard 2x). Soon after we started the U-Gard we were recommended to another veterinarian who found what appeared to be a granulosa-theca cell tumor on her right ovary. After several months where I was unable to ride her (she wanted to kill every living thing in a 30 mile radius!) while she went through numerous ultrasounds and other various treaments, it was decided that we would have her right ovary removed. That was successful, and she is now able to be ridden, etc. like normal. We're still working out bugs (she's trying to remember that she doesn't hurt all the time and doesn't have to kill us, she's remembering that she likes us even on the ground feeding her or just being around her, etc) as we are slowly going back to work and conditioning, working muscles that haven't been worked for several months, and trying to get back into shape. There is one LD ride I *may* take her to in October, if she is ready for it, but other than that, we're not planning on doing anything big until the Spring. My question for her is, is it okay to keep her on the supplement while we are training for rides, during a ride, etc? Since we aren't sure if she ever had ulcers or not, she probably doesn't need to be. I figured after investing so much in the treatment it wouldn't hurt to keep her on it, and may act as a safe-gard if she does need it. My concern is that the U-Gard 2x is mostly calcium based, and I had heard that giving excess calcium to endurance horses isn't such a good thing. Her diet is good quality grass hay, a teeny amount of soaked beet pulp pellets and a small handful (literally) of barley to mix in with her supplement. Will I have problems giving her the supplement at rides or during conditioning rides? I'm not familiar enough with the rules to know if it is legal either. I don't want to hurt her, but also don't want to do anything that could get either of us disqualified. My second question is regarding senior feeds. We have a 23 year old horse that my husband would like to condition for his first ride. (He thinks. He's still pondering whether or not he wants to spend that much time in the saddle!) Daf is Crabbet-bred mare who acts like she is 5. She's one of our best school horses, and anyone of any age can ride her and have a great time. (Walk/trot lessons, schooling eventing shows, hunter/jumper classes, costume demonstrations, cantering/bucking around the back pasture, etc) She gets alfalfa hay and no grain currently. She has no health problems, no lameness issues, no food issues, etc. but is getting a bit on the thin side coming into winter. (What I would consider thin, given her age.) If it were any other horse, I wouldn't worry. Due to her age, I don't want her body to spend excess energy on staying warm, etc when it gets colder. She has her teeth floated/checked regularly (every 6 - 12 months, depending on the last visit's exam), dewormed, vaccinated regularly, great hoof care, etc. and we have blankets we can use for her when it starts getting colder. She also has the best paddock in the barn - the one that converts to a vet stall for anyone sick, etc. and it is right next to the tackroom where she can beg for cookies. I would like to get a senior grain/feed for her, to give her in addition to her alfalfa hay, but I'm not sure what might be best for her. (Given the fact that she is on alfalfa, and also given that my husband may want to use her for lite endurance riding.) And would it be a good idea to mix whatever the senior food is, with beet pulp pellets? (We love that stuff and feed it to most of our other horses) I'm sure it would depend on what the senior grain ended up being, but I guess I would like to have input from anyone that has done this before. Most of the advice given from my vets in the past has been, if they don't need it, don't give it, regardless of their age. Well, now that she's 23 I just want to make sure that I am doing the best that I can for her, especially if she ramps up in her activities. Any help would be greatly appreciated! Shawnee Urano _____________________________ Shawnee & Dave Urano Willowmere Farm Arabians (970) 330-3982 / (970) 381-3365 galahadd@xxxxxxxxxxxxx http://www.willowmerefarm.com =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- Ridecamp is a service of Endurance Net, http://www.endurance.net. Information, Policy, Disclaimer: http://www.endurance.net/Ridecamp Subscribe/Unsubscribe http://www.endurance.net/ridecamp/logon.asp Ride Long and Ride Safe!! =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
|