RoleyPoley
Member
Hi all! I am a recent first owner of a weanling mini, and a lifetime horse person. I always knew I would work with horses, and have been an equine vet tech for 7 years now. But I know very little about mini's and recently have come upon this site, and I am so excited to learn from everyone!
My biggest concern has to do with a topic I read on here, gas or grass belly! When I picked up Napolean to take him home, I noticed his huge belly, and a spine and ribs you could feel very well. So I thought worms, but he was negative and my vet said he's too young to have a fecal show any eggs yet and just to deworm him every month. The breeder had dewormed him 3 times and he was 4 months when I picked him up. So, I thought maybe it was the grass she had him on, (tall and rich and all day turnout I think). But why was he ribby? When I brought him home, his paddock had grass, and I only let him out a few hours a day until I thought it was chewed down enough by my QH to let him have all day turnout. The first night after letting him be out for 6 hours I brought him in, it looked like he swallowed a football like that other person said! Geez guess it was still too much grass! By morning it was back down and by the next night it was back to almost normal. Since then I let my QH chew it down very small and its partially dirt now. I have had him out all day for the last week or so and started him on probiotics to help digest. He also gets 1/2lb Purina Miniature horse feed per bag recommendations. And only a handful of hay at night. But he still gets a big belly, it's wayyyy better than that first time, and when I brought him home, but he always looks better in the morning than at night after turnout. He is less ribby and has more meat over his back now, could that have just been because his belly was weighing on his back? Also, please can I have some suggestions to help him digest better? I read that someone likes brewer's yeast for belly's. Any suggestions? Soon I will be moving them to the new place I just bought that will be dirt, but I'd love to be able to turn him out on grass a little bit, even if he always needs a muzzle. Will he grow out of the belly?
Secondly, I was wondering what everyone does training wise with weanlings. My thoughts are to handle them alot, lead, pick up feet, groom. Is that all I should do until he's older? How about desensitizing? Anything else, or should I just let him be a foal for now?
Thank you for reading!
My biggest concern has to do with a topic I read on here, gas or grass belly! When I picked up Napolean to take him home, I noticed his huge belly, and a spine and ribs you could feel very well. So I thought worms, but he was negative and my vet said he's too young to have a fecal show any eggs yet and just to deworm him every month. The breeder had dewormed him 3 times and he was 4 months when I picked him up. So, I thought maybe it was the grass she had him on, (tall and rich and all day turnout I think). But why was he ribby? When I brought him home, his paddock had grass, and I only let him out a few hours a day until I thought it was chewed down enough by my QH to let him have all day turnout. The first night after letting him be out for 6 hours I brought him in, it looked like he swallowed a football like that other person said! Geez guess it was still too much grass! By morning it was back down and by the next night it was back to almost normal. Since then I let my QH chew it down very small and its partially dirt now. I have had him out all day for the last week or so and started him on probiotics to help digest. He also gets 1/2lb Purina Miniature horse feed per bag recommendations. And only a handful of hay at night. But he still gets a big belly, it's wayyyy better than that first time, and when I brought him home, but he always looks better in the morning than at night after turnout. He is less ribby and has more meat over his back now, could that have just been because his belly was weighing on his back? Also, please can I have some suggestions to help him digest better? I read that someone likes brewer's yeast for belly's. Any suggestions? Soon I will be moving them to the new place I just bought that will be dirt, but I'd love to be able to turn him out on grass a little bit, even if he always needs a muzzle. Will he grow out of the belly?
Secondly, I was wondering what everyone does training wise with weanlings. My thoughts are to handle them alot, lead, pick up feet, groom. Is that all I should do until he's older? How about desensitizing? Anything else, or should I just let him be a foal for now?
Thank you for reading!