Ever have a horse that you just couldn't get into condition?

[mydaddysjag]

I have had Domingo since mid march, and have been conditioning him since then. We were just working him every other day while it was cold and nasty outside, but have been working him 5x a week for quite some time, with the exception of the week I was was really sick.

Domingo is eating 2 cups of strategy, 1/2 cup alfalfa pellets (cant get alfalfa mix hay), I just switched him from Quiessence to remission, and I just switched him from a flax supplement to hooflex, and also 1/2 flake of grass hay twice a day.

He's being worked 5x a week. I have been round penning him at a strong trot, with a few minutes of loping each direction for 24 minutes (split in each direction) I also practice hunter with him, so he's working around 35-40 minutes. I work him in a neoprene neck and shoulder sweat, layered with a 4" throat latch sweat. When he is in his stall, he wears a fleece lined throat latch sweat.

He just isnt getting into condition. He is still overweight, with the dip down the middle of his back, and he looks wide looking down at him.

I'll add a picture of him from a show just over a week ago. It's not a great picture, but you'll get a basic idea.

Domingo does know how to drive, and I ordered a harness for him. I'm hoping that driving him will help him lose some weight.

What am I doing wrong? Should I be changing something in my feeding program, changing amounts?

He was on a different feed program before I got him (nutrena sweet feed and oats) however I'm unable to get it in my area.

It's just so frustrating because we are working so hard, and he's still not where I want him.

I guess I should mention he's a 9 year old 34" gelding, for those that dont know domingo.

He's the last horse in line.

 

[kaykay]

Sounds to me like hes just an easy keeper. Some horses get fat on air. I have to say he looks pretty good in that picture.

Im not a fan of strategy but I do know a lot feed it to show horses and love it. What percent protein is it??? With him being a mature gelding I wouldnt feed him a high protein feed.

Is the 2 cups am and pm??

I would probably start by cutting out the alfalfa pellets and see what that does

 

[Jetiki]

Strategy is 6% fat, you might want to look for something with a lower fat content. I wouldn't worry about protein. You may want to look into a ration balancer I know purina makes one, Enrich 32. Gets all the vitamins/minerals not the calories. I've always been told that trotting builds muscle and cantering tucks the belly muscles. Is he actually sweating under his wraps? I would suggest doing more cantering with him, and if he's not sweating under his wraps up his work time 5-10 mins gradually of course.

Karen

 

[kaykay]

Wow if thats right and strategy is 6 percent fat I would definitely get him off that feed

 

[MiLo Minis]

If by "last horse" you mean the one on the left I don't see that he is hugely overweight. He looks almost halter fit to me considering that the camera adds weight. I would either increase his work load slightly or decrease his feed, again slightly.

 

[The Simple Life Farm]

I agree, if he is the horse on the left, he looks good to me too. You have gotten some good suggestions here....

 

[krissy3]

Yea the one on the left looks like the one that needs to slim down ...BUT both look GREAT to me....I would send you a photo of my white mare that looks like a marshmellow. I cant post photos for some reason on this forum from my computer...dont know why , but no one can...

 

[muffntuf]

If he is the one on the left where the lady is standing in front - I would say he's not terribly over, he looks good. Do you have a recent photo or was this one recent in the past week or so?

You said: Domingo is eating 2 cups of strategy, 1/2 cup alfalfa pellets (cant get alfalfa mix hay), I just switched him from Quiessence to remission, and I just switched him from a flax supplement to hooflex, and also 1/2 flake of grass hay twice a day.

Strategy is 14% protein and 6% fat. Plus you are feeding 1/2 cup alfalfa pellets.

Here's my suggestion - If you are feeding the alfalfa pellets for a hay feeding, take one of the 1/2 flakes of hay away. Or take the alfalfa pellets away.

Are you weighing the Strategy? 2 cups of Strategy weighs how much? according to the feed program if he should weigh 250 lbs. he should only be getting 1lb. of Strategy a day.

How much does the flake of hay weigh (they can weigh from ounces to several pounds per flake)? The rule is generally 1 to 1.5% of body weight for hay. So-- if he should weigh 250 lbs. for his size then he should only be getting 2.5 lbs. of hay a day (adjusted for exercise).

Hope that helps!

 

[mydaddysjag]

Sorry, should have clarified.

The strategy weighs 1/2 lb, he gets it twice daily. The alfalfa pellets weigh 1/4 lb, he gets them twice a day as well. Saying he gets half a flake twice a day is a generous estimate. I board my horses, so I dint feed the hay. I do premeasure his grain so I know exactly what he is getting. He is supposed to get 1/4 flake of hay (large hand full) but if the barn manager is away and her son or husband feed the hay, im sure he gets about 1/2 a flake, despite the sign on his stall that says "please only feed me 1/4 flake of hay" the purposw of the alfalfa pellets was to replace some of his hay, since I cant get a alfalfa mix hay, and because he to try to help keep him tucked up.

If you were to switch his feed, what would you switch him to? I try to stay away from sweetfeeds, I have never had luck with them in the past.

I locally have Blue Seal, and Purina.

Blue seals "suitable feeds" are

strider, at 11% protein and 3% fat

Trotter which is still 14% protein, but 3% fat and it is more of a complete feed, it is 18% fiber, and low in starch

Purina has

Equine adult 12% protein and 3% fat, its a complete pellet and has 25% fiber

As far as ration balancers, on the purina website it actually says that for horses in moderate performance: The additional calorie and nutrient demands of such horses are better satisfied with products such as Strategy®, Omolene #100® or # 200®, or Race Ready® horse feeds.

 

[Jetiki]

What exercise he's getting is still considered light work by the feed standards. Moderate work would be a horse working 2 or more hours per day. Race horses and endurance horses are in the hard work category. 1 hour or less per day is not moderate work. We also have to think about the fact that our minis are extremely efficient at digestion and do it better than the big horses. I would still consider the ration balancer and add the alfalfa pellets if he needed more than just the feed and hay.

Karen

 

[Echo Acres]

That sounds like a lot of feed especially if he is a easy keeper. I would possibly cut him back 1/4 to 1/2 cup of Strategy or switch to something else. If your worried about his nutrition on that small amount we also feed the enrich 32 (used to be born to win) to a couple of ours that don't need much but want them to get the nutrition.

We feed Omolene 200 to our show horses and the most anyone gets in 1 1/2 cups plus beat pulp and they are exercised about the same as your guy. Our stallion gets 3/4 cup oats and 3/4 cup born to win. Why we decided to try that and not the Omolene 200 on him I don't know. Thought maybe he could use the extra nutrition because he might burn it off. He looks really good on it.

Another suggestion. You said he is getting a dip in his back. Have you tried beat pulp? That helps keep the back filled in. You could maybe replace your hay pellets with the beat pulp?

You can get a hundred different answers, and you none of them may be right for your horse. I have found for these guys it is trial and error. We tried several feeds before the program we are on now. So far we are the happiest with what we are at. Our horses did well showing last year and so we kept them on that program this year as well.

 

[mydaddysjag]

The dip in his back isnt a ridge from being too thin, its from being too thick. Doesnt need filled in, just needs to lose some weight to get his back "level". I used to feed midas beet pulp as a yearling when his topline was lacking, but it was to put weight on his topline. Wouldnt the beetpulp just add more weight, and make the problem worse?

The 2 cups of strategy was weighed out to be 1/2 a lb, twice a day. So, thats 1 lb a day. According to his desired weight (250) thats what he was supposed to get. I know thats just a rough guide, so I'm going to cut him back on the strategy and see if that helps. I just bought feed the day before yesterday, and the feed store wont return or exchange it for me, so Im going to see if I can make it work, since I have a bag and a half of strategy, and domingo is the only horse in the barn that eats it.

I'm not anti ration balancer, midas is on grow n win, however I don't think its going to work great for Domingo.

 

[muffntuf]

Yep start with cutting his grain in half. Then try suggestion of beet pulp for the alfalfa pellets or loose one of the hay portions in lieu of the alfalfa pellets.

I would also suggest adding in working (lounging) on a hill and adding in lounging over poles to help work the back muscles.

I would definitely add in a ration balancer or loose minerals to compensate for the lowering of the feed and hay.

 

[mydaddysjag]

For lose minerals, would it be alright to use redmond salt? It has salt, and minerals in it. I forgot to mention earlier, I do feed a little salf in grain in the summer to encourage the horses to drink enough. It I added this, I would cut the regular salt I add.

 

[susanne]

If you were to ADD beet pulp to his existing diet, he would likely gain weight. If you use it to replace some of the grain, he will be taking in fewer calories and will lose weight.

Are you primarily working him at a trot? Try working on transitions -- trot to canter to trot...trot to walk to trot...etc. My 9-year-old gelding can practically trot in his sleep, trots on and on without ever breaking a sweat or breathing hard. We do a lot of transitions when driving, but you could do it in the round pen.

Like others have said and as I said before, I think he looks good as he is. He's a mature horse, and just like with humans, bodies change with time. I'd work to build muscle and get him at his best, but recognize that this won't likely be the same as a three-year-old's physique.

 

[~Lisa~]

I think you need to take into consideration the build of your horse. He has a bigger build to begin with he has substance and is not willowy and very refined.

 

[Kira98]

I think he looks great if he is the one that is set up not the one needing feet placed etc.

If you are concerend about hime being to "fat" I would do like the others suggest and cut that Strategy back to half so a 1/2cup am and 1/2cup pm

That chart they give you is just a suggestion you have to adjust to each animal.

Or you could leave the Strategey alone and cut the alfa pellets back to 1/2 and leave the grass hay for something to do while he is in his stall.

I am a firm believer in the Purina Equine Jr Adult and Sr feeds as they are complete feeds - you could cut out the alf pellets completley and

leave his grass hay just as is !

also like someone mentioned there gelding could trot in his sleep in circles - I used to work at a farm and the horses got lunged for an hour each day

and I had 2 geldings that picked a pace adn you could just sit there in the middle not move they would trot 30min one way switch on their own and go 30 min the other way. they had built up such a tollerance that it was like nothin for them

You might switch it up a bit put in some jog poles and switch up the paces and do lots of transitions and having them stop and reverse alot just change it up

and if you decrease the feed etc then you should notice that you guy will drop pounds

I hope you find something that will work for you but if he is an easy keeper i bet that ration balancer with some oats will work for him to.

keep us posted

 

[minih]

Like others have said and as I said before, I think he looks good as he is. He's a mature horse, and just like with humans, bodies change with time. I'd work to build muscle and get him at his best, but recognize that this won't likely be the same as a three-year-old's physique.

I agree, an older gelding especially. He looks good to me in the picture weight wise.

 

[Royal Crescent]

I talked to a nutritionist about my overweight gelding. He had me take off the grain initially and feed just Stay Strong. I gave him a cup twice a day along with a little less then a half flake of hay and he did fine with it. This year, I did not let him get as fat over the winter, but he still needed to lose, so I gave him the Stay Strong with a cup of rolled oats with his hay. He has always been a horse that eats more then his share, and lick everything clean after he eats. Of course, you have to make sure you watch carefully and don't drop the weight too fast. As always, exercise is essential too.

Barb

 

[maplegum]

He looks like a healthy well loved horse to me. From where I sit, I don't see fat at all.