New minis have hay bellies and poor toplines.

[Gayla]

Dewormed with Safeguard and giving #1 coastal hay and have a brown salt mineral block. Whats the best way to get these 9 yr old girls in good condition? They are both trained for driving but I want them looking better before I start driving them. Dentist is scheduled July 14th.

 

[chandab]

How big are they?
Often forage plus a ration balancer is just right for most minis, typical dose for a mini is 1/4-1/3# for maintenance (which for most is about 3/4-1 cup daily, a few are more dense so the volume amount is less). Don't let the high protein content of a ration balancer scare you, they are fed in small amounts, so don't add as much protein as it sounds.

 

[Gayla]

How big are they?
Often forage plus a ration balancer is just right for most minis, typical dose for a mini is 1/4-1/3# for maintenance (which for most is about 3/4-1 cup daily, a few are more dense so the volume amount is less). Don't let the high protein content of a ration balancer scare you, they are fed in small amounts, so don't add as much protein as it sounds.

30 and 32 inches tall

 

[Gayla]

 

[Taz]

They're cute! Are you sure they're just hay bellies? Hahahah! Sorry, have baby on the brain. I'd worm again in a few weeks and have them on a vit/min supplement. They look like they need a bit of time on some good quality hay.

 

[Gayla]

First thing I did was ask if they could be bred and they assured me that they weren't. They have been on that hay for 2 days and been dewormed and I started them today on 16% protein grain. Thank you for your reply.

 

[Pitter Patter]

View attachment 41589View attachment 41590

Oh my word! Our girls look like sisters! LOL It's hard to tell from the angle of the pics. Could be pregnant. How tall is she?

 

[Willow Flats]

I'd start exercising them too before you start with the driving.

 

[Cayuse]

I have a gelding with a pot belly. He hasn't hatched yet but if he was a mare, there are times when you'd think his time was near. What helps with him is what Willow said. Exercise. I'd start out with alot of walking and when their condtion strengthens, add some poles for them to walk over. Let them drop their head walking over the poles so they can stretch. Not too many poles at first so they don't get sore. I scatter a couple around and ground drive over them. Go slow and inrease their activity a little each week so they don't get stiff and sore.
Another thing that helps with their core strength is an excercise where you reach under and "tickle" their belly (about at the center, behind girth area) and they will tuck their stomach muscles in and raise their back. Just be careful the first few times that they don't react and kick. You may have to experiment with the amount of pressure to get a reaction. This is another exercise to go slow with as they will be using muscles they have forgotten.