Photos of Sugar

[spindleberry]

Just thought I would share photos of Sugar. I got her last July. She was really wormy. And then she got sick in October and again in Jan. She ended up coming out of winter pretty thin. I think she looks much better now. Does she look too heavy?? I never thought she did, and if I run my hands over her ribs, I can feel them. They aren't protuding or anything but I can feel them. That's how all of my horses are. I cant feel pockets of fat on her.

 

[disneyhorse]

She looks on the thin side to me. A healthy horse, you shouldn't really see the hip bones like that, or the back bone as much. The big belly she has is indicative of parasites or perhaps a feed program too low in critical nutrients such as protein.

I would definitely not call her heavy, as she is underweight in those photos.

Andrea

 

[GypsyMoonMinis]

She looks on the thin side to me. A healthy horse, you shouldn't really see the hip bones like that, or the back bone as much. The big belly she has is indicative of parasites or perhaps a feed program too low in critical nutrients such as protein.

I would definitely not call her heavy, as she is underweight in those photos.

Andrea

What would you suggest if it were a feed issue? beet pulp and balancer and a free choice mineral ?

 

[spindleberry]

I was told she was a bit on the heavy side, that's why I asked b/c I never thought she was too heavy...infact, I have never had her get extremely fat...it's been a battle w/ this filly since I got her. She's on pasture 24/7 also. And if the pasture isn't available, it's hay 24/7.

There's more pasture besides what can be seen in the photos...she's in one of the 'bare' spots while I took the photos. And since they are getting the pasture ate down, I have been throwing a few flakes of hay to them...so they have had hay and pasture available. It's about time to rotate them.

 

[disneyhorse]

I don't know a lot about pasture, as my horses are fed hay only. But I would definitely try supplementing her with a higher-protein grain or perhaps some alfalfa hay. I think she needs more protein.

But her hip and back is not filled out, and a fat horse will be filled out there! Belly does not equal fat on a horse. Think of those starving Ethiopian children... they have distended bellies but the rest of them are not round.

Andrea

 

[ohmt]

Awww she's a cutie and it sounds like you have given her a great home! She definitely needs a little extra protien in her diet. It took me a very long time to figure my own feeding program out-years in fact, but it was the people on this board giving advice that made me change it and add protein to get really nice, filled out horses. What I would start doing with your girl is giving her Omelene 300 and some grain plus a daily wormer since she has had problems with worms before. The Omelene 300 is not that expensive, I buy it on my college girl budget no problem. I am not sure how tall she is, but just guessing I'd give her about 2 cups in the morning and 2 cups at night (around 4 lbs which is what I feed my 31" yearling colt and he looks awesome) along with a cup of oats or whatever your choice of grain is with each. Go ahead and keep her on the pasture and hay, but I bet with those supplements you'll see a big change. Remember to go very slow adding it to her diet. The daily wormer will do her wonders as well and you can just sneak that into her omelene 300/grain. If a daily wormer isn't an option, try worming her once a month (rotate!) as that is what my vet advised for a mare I own who I have a hard time with. I haven't had problems since.

Lots of luck!

 

[spindleberry]

She's a very picky eater...prior to me getting her, all she got was sweet feed...needless to say, she was less then amused with my pelleted feed that I have for my horses. All of my horses like the grain I have and she finally took to it but she refused to eat alfalfa pellets and beet pulp. She will eat oats though and BOSS (black oil sunflower seeds). I doubt I would be able to use the feed through wormer...I'll have to do the rotational monthly worming.

It wouldn't surprise me one bit if she is full of worms again. Like I said this has been an endless battle since I got her. But I love her so she's worth being a pain in the you know what. Even if she isn't registered or registerable or a show horse.

Our weather here has been sooooo nasty. We went into spring hot and humid and WET WET WET. And I do mean WET. Few weeks ago is when it finally quit raining and started drying out...now we could use a nice gentle shower over night...

Any suggestions on what wormer to go with?

 

[spindleberry]

How long do I worm her for??

What protein percent of grain would you recommend. I think (I'll have to double check) the grain I have now is a 12% however, she hasn't been getting it, just pasture/hay 24/7. Does she need a higher % of protein? Thankyou!

More pics from today...

I wish this photo would have turned out crystal clear.

Her opinion of the picture taking...once she realized I didn't bring her anything. LOL

 

[chandab]

How old is she? She looks pretty young? Perhaps, young enough to still need a mare/foal or growth feed, they are usually higher in protein than maintenance type feeds.

My personal preference for all my horses is a ration balancer (and hay or pasture if available), I feed Progressive Nutrition brand, but just about all companies make a ration balancer these days. Don't be scared by their high protein level (like 30%), as they are highly concentrated and meant to be fed in smaller amounts with plain grain added if extra calories are needed in the diet. I'm feeding yearlings to teenage horses the ration balancer and forage (hay mostly0), and I think they all look great. [Just weighted everyone this morning, and except for one very chubby guy, the rest are all looking marvelous.]

 

[spindleberry]

She is 2yrs old.

 

[wingnut]

I have found a 14% protein feed works better for my girls. When my yearlings were weanlings, I had them on a 16% feed. At one point, I lost track of when I should have up'd their feed amount due to growth and they developed big bellies too (due to not enough protein). Once I corrected their feed amount, the big bellies went down.

ETA: I follow the rotational wormer schedule for my girls (scroll down to find the chart): Schedule

Others do not like to use wormers in this fashion and prefer to have fecal test done and treat for what's found. Still others do daily wormers. You have to choose what works for your situation. Ask your vet what he recommends for your area.

 

[Ojai Minis]

She sure is cute! I definatly would have her checked for worms by your vet. Underworming or overworming can be equally bad. If she's full of worms, no feeding program is really going to work.

Good luck!

Liz

 

[Margo_C-T]

I agree that she is lacking in protein; most pasture, even if it were lush and full of nutrients from excellent soil/suitable fertilization, does not provide enough protein for young stock if it's all they are getting.

Also...when a limited pasture is being heavily grazed, especially in a situation where there's lots of moisture, it is likely to be loaded with worm eggs. Warmth AND MOISTURE are 'ideal' conditions for most parasites. In my experience, it is VERY likely that your little mare is being constantly reinfested with worms! By all means, consult with your vet about a more 'aggressive', but suitable to HER SITUATION, deworming program...along with better fulfillment of nutritional requirements, carefully introduced.

Margo