critique please

[chevycouple]

I have been meaning to do this for a while now. This is my late (june05) yearling colt. Please give me your honest opinion about his comformation. If you need extra information please fill free to ask. He hasn't been worked at all lately with my summer schedule. I just changed his feed also because hay is so hard to come by. He is on Chaffhaye with oats and Necessity supplement. Now that I am home I am going to start long trotting him off the quad's everyother day to every three days with one rest and round pen work. Couldn't decide which was better

 

[minih]

I agree, his weight is a little under. Have you got him on a good worming schedule? I'm not saying he is wormy, but the only way then can get all the good from the food they eat is if they are not fighting worms for nutrition. I really do like his color. I am not sure about the feed you are giving him, haven't heard of it, but it does look like he could use a little more oats and some beet pulp thrown in also.

: Is he on any kind of grass?

 

[chevycouple]

I rarely use the round pen unless I'm working on clinton anderson type skills. I mostly use the quad for straight line long trots and walks. He doesn't have a stall mate so he doesn't "play" so if I don't take him out he doesn't do anything. I agree he needs to gain some weight but thats why I changed feed so I'm waiting to see improvement. I also feed that some muscle will help him look better. Yes he is on a regular worming schedule and actually he is due now. The Chaffhaye is an alfalfa. We don't have grass here because of the drought. We do now have tons of weeds from the rain fall in the past few weeks(while we were gone of course). He won't eat beat pulp at all. I love his color also. But can anyone give me an actual conformation critique. Thanks in advance

 

[GREENWOODMINIS]

Oh Chevycouple,

Your colt is extremely thin...I would not start any exercise program with his current condition.

Maybe consult your vet for a feeding program that will help him gain weight safely. IMO he really needs grocerys bigtime. I would think he may need wormed as well.

I do like your colts big dark kind eye...he looks like a sweetheart.

lis

 

[chevycouple]

I have spoken to my vet about the weight issue because all my horses have lost alot of weight. We as a team feel it was the non nutritional hay that I was getting. So here we are trying one more thing. I was feeding my big horses Nutrena XTN but I wasn't sure that would be safe for him. So everyone is getting double there hay as per my vet. And we are feeding the XTN and Senior and Oats depending on the horse. What would be a safe caloric intake for Pistol?

 

[minih]

I am not sure of the feed you are feeding, but how much are you giving him and how tall is he?

 

[Relic]

lf he were rounded out he would be fairly nice the way he is now is waaay to thin and to exercise him at this point wouldn't be to his benefit as you can't get muscle unless there is some meat under the skin. He looks like a little old man not a yearling. Good luck this was my honest opinion when l read your post and wasn't meant to put you down just what l saw and thought...

 

[chevycouple]

Thanks for your honest opinion everyone. I am not getting offended by anyones answers. I wanted honest so thanks. Conformations wise how about his shoulder line and how his neck comes out and length?

 

[kaykay]

there is no way anyone can critique this horse in his current condition. If he was mine no way would I excercise him AT ALL. I have found to get weight on horses this thin that stalling during the night is a big benefit as they arent burning up the calories you put into them. I am kinda suprised your veternarian didnt make up a feeding plan. This is just my opinion and what I do for underweight horses

Feed the absolute best hay you can buy. If fresh hay isnt available get some cubed hay in bags

Feed small frequent meals thru out the day 4 feedings per day would be best

Feed a complete feed such as equine jr or sr depending on age and amount of weight needed

get teeth checked

I would really work hard on getting his weight up before cold weather. I know it seems far off but its really not and putting weight on a thin horse is even harder once cold starts setting in

Good lluck with your guy

 

[chevycouple]

Thanks kay kay when I get the extra pound on him then I will post new critique pictures. With him being a yearling can I still feed him junior? I stopped after his first b-day. I know the cold weather will sneak up on us so I have been working on uping his feed after the change of feed. It's been a long process from the switching to the uping.

 

[CharmedMinis]

Just so you know..........Nutrena XTN is perfectly safe for minis. I feed it to all of mine, and none of them are worked. The easy keepers get 1/2 cup on up to 4 cups per day for the hard keepers.

I was told by a Nutrena nutritionist that because of the way the feed is put together that it's actually better for the younger ones than Junior, especially if they need weight.

 

[chevycouple]

Thats good to know charmed. I ran out while I was gone but plan on making a feed run tomorrow and will start him on it then...slowly. Thanks alot that will make it easier to by just one type of feed.

 

[chandab]

I'm not certain, but I think Mountain Sunrise products might be available in your area. [i checked their dealer locator and none are located in NM, but there are dealers in the surrounding states - I've had to have grass pellets shipped to me, but from a different closer company.]

http://www.mountainsunrise.com/pellets.html

You said good hay was scarce; Mountain Sunrise makes pelleted and cubed hay products (both alfalfa and grass). You may be able to use some of their pelleted or cubed products (I prefer pellets for minis) to help increase their daily fiber intake. Just an idea. [i special ordered grass pellets for my minis this spring as grass hay was so scarce and I have one that can't have alfalfa.]

Others have already done a pretty good job of answering your other nutritional questions, so I won't go there.

 

[^T-bird89^]

besides him being a little thin, he looks good to me! good luck with the new weight-gaining food program your trying for him!

 

[Becky]

That poor little guy needs a lot of groceries! It would be impossible to critique a horse conformationally in that condition. He doesn't need to be worked; he needs to be fed! He needs a lot of additional calories. I don't grain feed here at all, but my group is all fat and sassy (some too much so!).

He can be fed a jr feed or even a foal feed for extra calories. A fat supplement would benefit him too. That chaffhay will work if you are feeding enough of it. MIne are fed alfalfa pellets and they work quite well for putting weight on a horse. Alfalfa hay, a protein/vitamin/mineral supplement and a fat source would help him a lot.

I have weanlings up through yearlings here that are getting a milk based foal feed. I find that it is very beneficial for young, growing horses. You really can't overfeed a horse in a thin condition as yours is.

Good luck with him and post pictures again when he gains weight.

 

[evedex]

Often people mistake body weight (over/under) when evaluating their horses. I do agree this little guy is underweight, but you might find the chart posted on the Miniature Horse Club of Ontario's website of use.

Go to www.mhco.ca and click on the button for "Clinic Notes". Then click on #10. (Weight Method Comparisons) for the Body Condition Chart. It is the best way to evaluate your horse. You might find the rest of the article interesting as well.

 

[Sunraye Miniatures]

Like some here that have mentioned its impossible to do a critique on this horse. He is too thin. I bet ya he is probably wormy too and I would try to get a test to see if he is or not. You might want to put him on a daily wormer.

As for my yearlings they are still getting fed a Jr. type feed, which is high in protein and fat. I feed mine Omelane 200 and I heard Equine Jr. is really good for them too. Mine are stuck on the 200 until they become 3yrs old. I do have some fatties though and switched them to the Jr. and they all have done very well with the change, same high protein little lower in fat.

Also you said your horse gets bored since he doesn't have a play mate. Well besides excercising him, try halter obstacle with him.

 

[LindaL]

Like the others, I wont critique him in the condition he is in, but I did want to offer you another feed option that Ive found works...Purina Complete Advantage, which is a complete feed and also has beet pulp in it (you dont have to soak them, its shredded right into the grain and all my horses liked it). You can feed hay with or without it, too...altho I would recommend with, since horses really do need that "chewing/grazing" time that hay provides.

Also, watch it see if he chews his food and then "spits" some of it out... that is a sign that his teeth may need to be worked on and a reason he isnt gainning weight.

Good luck with your guy!

 

[Jill]

He really, really needs some weight. He is dangerously thin right now.

I couldn't begin to critique his conformation at this stage.

 

[Margo_C-T]

I agree with those who have said that this colt is in pretty poor weight and condition. I would go through all of the possibilities-teeth, worming needs(i.e., how long has he been on a 'regular' deworming program, what kind/type of dewormer(s) has he been given, how has the dosage been determined, has he had dewormings aimed at tapeworms, and/or encysted small strongyles(remembering, NO Quest brand, as there are other, safer-for-minis, and more effective, ways to deworm for those)-first.Though his ribs are visible, he appears to have a bit of a belly--which 'could be' the poor quality hay you alluded to, but could also be due to worms, and/or just to a generally poor nutritional situation. I would make sure this colt was getting a (concentrate)feed formulated to provide the protein and other nutrients needed by a young and growing horses-AND make sure that he is also getting an adequate amount of the right kind of fiber-I have heard good things about Chaffhaye, but am not sure how suitable it is for young stock? If you use pellets, be careful of the possibility of choke; soaking of pelleted 'hay' might be a good idea. As for exercise, I would likely just take him for walks until he has improved in overall condition, then perhaps start a gradually more vigorous exercise program-but NOT in a round pen, unless the pen is quite large, the footing is NOT deep, and the session is very limited in time(as in, not over 10 min., and not but about twice a week....).

I also agree that any sort of 'serious' conformational critique is not really possible with a horse in such condition. However, I do see that he has a short hip, a straight shoulder, and what we oldtimers called an 'upside-down', or ewe, neck-the neck may well improve in appearance with better weight and condition; the hip and shoulder angles, though, will not change. Can't really tell much beyond that, currently.

I applaud you for coming here for opinions and ideas.

Margo