Re: keeping weight on

["cookie hickstein" <cookieh@trib.com>]

Tina,

I would suggest first off to have your vet draw blood to check to see if
Tony has an iron deficiency problem and to check his teeth to see if the
need to be floated.  We give my husbands horse who has trouble keeping
weight on 9cc of B Complex every three weeks, 1 cup of corn oil in the
grain daily along with the daily vitamins, grain and all the hay he will
eat.  Another thought is to be sure he is wormed on a regular schedule.  Do
you feed any bran?  It is a good protein source?  Also is Tony fed by
himself so you know that he is getting all of his food ot if another horse
is helping him?	

cookie 

----------
> From: Tina Hicks <hickst@nichols.com>
> To: ridecamp@endurance.net
> Subject: keeping weight on
> Date: Thursday, March 05, 1998 2:51 PM
> 
> I need some ideas....Tony does not maintain his weight well
> when being ridden seriously and my spring ride schedule is
> more intensive than I've done before - I'm worried about him
> carrying enough weight into his rides. Part of it is
> temperment - he stresses over anything :) so he always drops
> weight hauling to a ride tho he's an experienced hauler. The
> other part of it is he's an angular built horse so he's
> gonna tend to show some "angles" when he gets fit. 
> 
> *However* even with all that I want him a little rounder
> than he is now going into the rides.
> 
> He's on 8lbs corn/oats and 2 buckets of beet pulp per day
> split between 2 feedings. I'm not real comfortable putting
> too much more grain in him and I don't think he'll eat any
> more salad <g>. He's on Excel vitamins, probiotic, biotin,
> full turnout, and grass hay.  Not currently on corn oil tho
> I have had him on it - didn't see a tremendous amt of
> difference with his weight while on it.
> 
> What is the current wisdom on complete pelleted feeds for
> weight maintenance? What about Equine Senior?
> 
> Comments/thoughts welcome privately or to the list
> 
> Tina
> Tony - a little too svelte these days
> hickst@nichols.com