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Karen S
| | Posted on Wednesday, May 5, 1999 - 6:58 am: |   |
I've just bought a Hanovarian x Thoroughbred filly, who is 6, rising 7, and rather skinny at present. She's tiny, at 15h2, and fine-boned for the breed. The ribs-and-hips might be attibutable to the bad colic she had a month ago, but it's possible her nutrition has not been optimal. The "measuring trick" shows she has as much as 2 inches to grow yet but I'm aware that warmbloods mature slowly.
Her sire is pretty small for a Hanovarian - only around 16 hands, and her dam was apparently 15h3.
A friend who has done some breeding recommended that I feed her a 16% growing ration once she's in my care. Is this a good idea? I don't want to get killed by a mad horse, and she's already a nervous ride, having been frightened by her previous rider.
I've given the yard a vitamin and mineral supplement to add to her feed, and they have been feeding her up - her condition has improved - but her coat is still a bit dull.
Any advice appreciated! Thanks. |
Teresa A
| | Posted on Wednesday, May 5, 1999 - 8:33 am: | |
HI Karen,
Congratulations on your purchase. I'm not terribly familiar with the breed but do they continue to grow past 7 years? If she is still growing then it's not unusual for horses to go through a "gangly" stage in growth. The only advice that I have is that my horse was underweight in dec. Upon moving him to a new place I began to up his feed in small increments until he reached an energy level I could cope with. Of course he's a QH so he's not as potentially high strung as yours (and yes I know it varies so don't think I'm overgeneralizing). I kept him at that level and watched his weight. Since he seemed to be gaining I kept him at that. I also made sure he had lots of turn out to work out his energy on his own and I lunged him before riding. My experience was that he also needed to learn to cope with the extra energy the feed provided. Now I have a horse in good condition, well fed and lots of energy. It did open my eyes because the previous barn manager informed me that he just "lazy" to explain the lack of energy. I now know it was being underfed.
good luck
Also could you tell me the "measuring trick"????
TeresaA |
Chris Mills
| | Posted on Wednesday, May 5, 1999 - 5:52 pm: | |
Congrats on the new horse.
I would be surprised if your horse got much taller at this late date, even as a warmblood. Sometimes with work, the muscle structure may develop such that you can find an extra inch with a stick ...
But as far as weight gain. You might want to be sure your worming program is in effect. Rather than adding protein, I'd probably look at making sure the horse had plenty of hay and perhaps add oil to her grain ration, or augment it with beet pulp. I would not want fast weight changes, but plan for slow development with correct work. Measure her girth with a weight tape every week or two so you can track progress. Have your vet check her teeth so she can chew well, too. If you can break her rations into more frequent, smaller feedings, that may help also.
Too much protein is evident in urine that has a strong ammonia smell - it is merely being broken down and passed through the body.
Watch as she gains weight and condition that her saddle does not begin to pinch her. This is a common problem that surprises folks when their horse developes a sore back.
Good luck with her. Dr. O has some nutrition articles, too. |
The Advisor Vet, RN Oglesby DVM
| | Posted on Thursday, May 6, 1999 - 6:58 am: | |
Hello all,
The percent protein of the concentrate needs to be matched to the protein in the grass or hay. If the quality of those are excellent a 9% or 12% protein feed is fine for a 6 year old. However if the hay is poor even a 16% may not be enough, it all depends on the quality of the hay.
DrO |
Karen S
| | Posted on Tuesday, May 11, 1999 - 4:01 am: | |
Hi again and thanks for the replies.
Dr O, forgive the dumb question, but how would you know the quality of the grass or hay without sending a sample away for analysis? And wouldn't it change according to the season?
Incidently, what we feed as hay ("oathay") is very different from what I've seen in Canada and the UK. It looks like straw, but it has stalks with the kernels of oats still on it. We also get alfalfa (lucerne), but it's expensive and used more commonly as chaff.
Teresa, the "measuring trick" is used to tell whether a young horse is still going to grow. Use a leadrein or a long piece of baling twine, measure the length from the point of the elbow to the fetlock, where the hair comes to a point on the fetlock, about where the chestnut is. Then, holding your hand on the elbow, swivel the other hand up and compare the length to the wither from the elbow. If your rein reaches to above the wither, that's how much your horse will still grow.
I can't vouch for it myself, but some people swear it always works! |
The Advisor Vet, RN Oglesby DVM
| | Posted on Tuesday, May 11, 1999 - 9:21 am: | |
There are several qualities to look for in hay but properly identifying the stage of growth and odor are very important and require a little experience.
From a practical standpoint you can divide grass hays into two groups: those cut during early growth and those cut when mature. Mature hays have seed heads in them. Early cut is leafy. Legumes, like alfalfa, bloom quickly and can be divided into early and late bloom. With the late bloom being distinctly more stemmy.
I have heard said, "you can judge a hay by how enjoyable the loose hay would be to sleep on" and that sounds about right. Hays should have a mown-grass-laying-in-the-sun odor and not musty smelling. The softer and finer the stems the better. The hay should appear clean and weed free. When a bale is cut open and the flakes separated there should be no smoky appearing dust, a sure indication of mold spores, in them. When you open the flakes have the bail lying in the sun to detect tale-telling smoke. No amount of mold should be tolerated. Color alone is misleading as a hay left lying in the sun may bleach to a yellow but still be nutritious. There is one thing color is a good indicator of and that is vitamin content. Generally green hay is richer in vitamins than yellow hay. If everything looks good depend on odor for judging quality.
Assuming the hay passes the above tests, these are approximate protein values:
Grass,
---growing: 10 to 14%,
---mature: 6 to 9%
Alfalfa,
---early bloom: 17 to 20%,
---late bloom 15 to 18%
Oat hay,
---growing: 9%,
---mature (straw): 5%. If the oat straw still has the oat in them the protein will be higher, the amount increase will depend quantity and quality of the oat heads.
These values are based on medium to excellent quality hays and no older than last season.
DrO |
Karen S
| | Posted on Sunday, May 23, 1999 - 2:44 am: | |
Hi again. Just an update to let you know how my no-longer-so-skinny warmblood is doing... :-) She's still on the stud and it looks like a while before the quarantine is lifted, maybe not before the end of winter.... grrrrr! But she's putting on condition slowly but steadily, still a bit ribby, the hip bones not as sharp and obvious as before. And her top line is already starting to come up with the work I've been doing with her.
I've decided that once she comes to me I'll stick with the 12% warmblood mix but add alfafa, particularly if the hay looks a little inferior. Thanks for the extremely helpful analysis, Dr O!
And oh, what a joy she is to ride! Completely unlike my other horse, she's naturally supple with flowing movement, soft through her back and finds the work easy. Which raises another subject for conversation.... when looking for a horse, take the time (and spend the money if necessary, even if it means waiting and saving) to find the RIGHT horse for what you plan to do with him or her! That's the only way to be fair both to your horse and yourself... |
Serenity Farms LLC
New Member
Username: Laddie
Post Number: 1
Registered: 8-2003
| | Posted on Friday, Aug 1, 2003 - 3:18 am: | |
Dr. O
How do you know if the "smoky" stuff in the hay is mold spores or just plain dust? I live in Northern California and have noticed dust in just about every bale we've opened. I buy about 18-30 bales at a time and the feed store I use is one of the best in my area. |
Robert N. Oglesby DVM
Moderator
Username: Dro
Post Number: 8868
Registered: 1-1997
| | Posted on Saturday, Aug 2, 2003 - 7:22 am: | |
Welcome SFL,
We have a whole article on the subject to help, see » Care for Horses » Nutrition » Moldy Hay, Heaves, and Horses. It should answer your question and more.
DrO |
