Feeling ribs?

[BriarwoodAcres]

I have a mini stallion whos about 33.25" and has loads of his fluffly hair! i was doing my weekly body feelings when I got to him he felt kinda ribby at the top. but is nice and round, good hip. Hes always been a struggle to keep weight on as he is semi-high strung. I am feeding Triumph Complete feed as it has more forage in it for them. he gets 3/4 scoop (of a mini scoop) 2x a day with about a tsp of ground flax. and about 3/4 flake to 1 flake depending on the size. I'd rather over feed a bit then under in the winter.

should I be concerned? I am worried about going into winter. He had his teeth checked about 2 months

ago and his teeth were floated last year. (they get yearly checks)

 

[disneyhorse]

If you can feel spine/hips you need more protein.

If you can feel ribs you need to feed more calories.

Adding more hay (if he will eat it) or soybean oil is a good way to add calories.

 

[BriarwoodAcres]

We just have grass hay.if i added vegetable oil would that work? any ideas? Its a 12%

 

[chandab]

With winter coming, I'd probably start with adding more hay and see what that does for him. [The process of digesting hay produces heat, which helps keep them warm in winter.]

 

[BriarwoodAcres]

If I bump up his hay do you guys think I should get alfalfa pellets or possibly add corn oil to his grain? A bale of alfalfa is 12-$15 a bale right now and its cheaper for cubes or pellets!

 

[lucky seven]

I love your photos, especially the second one. Hope everything turns out okay for your guy.

 

[Lori W]

Since hay is a bit scarce in our neck of the woods, I've added alfalfa pellets to everyone's ration. The amount varies - the fit and the chunky minis get less, the hard keepers get more (this is addition to their grain and grass hay).

I've also found that Uckele's CocoSoya does wonders in putting weight on horses. It's my 'go-to' whenever we take in a thin horse; it's especially good for our older ones.

 

[LAminiatures]

My stallion is a hard keeper . I add soaked beet pulp to his feed two cups with his night feed He eats 2 cups of Strategy in the morning and evening as well with 1 flake of hay in the morning 1/2 flake for lunch and 1 flake in the evening.