YEARLING MINI HAY BELLY

[MARIE]

HI ALL, TOLD YOU I WAS NEW, I ACCIDENTLY POSTED ON MINI DONKEY TALK! THAT'S OK, I HAVE A MINI DONKEY DUE TO FOAL SOON, SO MAY WANT TO DISCUSS HER AS WELL! MY ORIGINAL QUESTION IS HOW TO REDUCE THE HAY BELLY ON MY YEARLING MINI COLT. HE GETS 1 HOUR A DAY ON PASTURE, (RATHER SPARSE GRASS), IS FED BUCKEYE'S GROW AND WIN FOR MINIS, AND SHARES HAY WITH A MINI MARE AND DONKEY. I PLAN TO LIMIT HIS HAY AND EXERCISE BY HAND AT A TROT. REALLY HESITATE TO LUNGE HIM OR MECHANICALLY EXERCISE AT HIS YOUNG AGE. ANY TIPS TO GET SOME OF THIS BELLY OFF TO PREPARE FOR AN UPCOMING SHOW?

THANKS, MARIE

 

[Miniv]

How much hay and "Grow and Win" do you think he's eating? It's hard to determine a feeding regime not knowing amounts. (If he was at a trainer's they would probably cut off all pasture eating, reduce the hay and increase the grain........but I'm not a fan of that, personally........Yearlings are still growing babies, IMO.)

Do you have a round pen or a large paddock that you can just encourage him to run and buck and snort in? I agree that serious lunging isn't good for yearlings, but just encouraging him to play and run won't hurt.

 

[HGFarm]

What type of hay are you feeding?

We have found the minis, especially when growing, seem to require more protein. Grass hay seems to make a huge belly and no meat on the topline. I have seen this on mature minis too.

I'm not familiar with the Buckeye feed you are using...

 

[Jill]

Hi, Mary --

Can you post pictures? In the past, a lot of people have thought they had a mini with a hay belly, but they really had a too thin mini that was bloated.

Also, what kind of hay do you feed? I think too coarse of a hay causes a bloated look in minis and especially in young ones.

What I feed all my minis is a complete senior pellet (as I like the extra fat and protein, and the easier to process nutrients) and soft orchard grass hay. We don't really ever get any "bellies" on ours.

Jill

 

[Minimor]

I can tell you what our yearling show colt is getting for feed--free choice hay (grass/alfalfa mix) and grain--his grain consists of just under a gallon per day, divided into 2 feeds. The main part of it is oats, with just a little bit of pellets (16% mare/yearling ration) mixed in, plus 1/2 cup of BOSS (1/4 cup per feed) and for minerals he has a mineral block. He's looking really good--just nice body condition & no hay belly.

The two other horses I'm showing this year still have a bit of hay belly--all winter/early spring they've been getting just free choice hay & minerals, no grain--I've now put them on grain (oats--they won't eat the pelleted feed) and am hopefully that they will slim down just that little bit.

Grain for the hay belly; exercise for muscling & slimming/toning

 

[evedex]

Grow and Win is a great feed...about 2/3 of a cup twice a day should give him the minerals, etc that he needs to grow (that and free choice salt)

Having said that, we have had youngsters, in the past, who have had the big belly thing. Although they seem to grow out of it, it has been a concern when they appear so bloated. I have found that probiotics have helped with this problem of digesting the ruffage. It was suggested to me by both an equine dietition and a vet. Horses need the roughage to keep thier systems healthy, it is just as if some young ones don't have enough of the good bacteria in there guts to process the stuff.

Hopefully this helps.

 

[Reignmaker Miniatures]

evedex that is a very useful tidbit of info. Thank you for posting it. I have an orphan filly that already seems to be getting a bit of a belly in spite of the best balanced diet the vet and I can devise. I now wonder if she would benifit from some probios to boost her digestive system. Particularly since her dam was on antibiotics before we lost her and baby was still nursing then. hmmm... definitely worth considering. Thank you.

 

[Jill]

Eve --

Thank you for the tip regarding probios! That sounds like a good one to me

Jill

 

[MARIE]

Grow and Win is a great feed...about 2/3 of a cup twice a day should give him the minerals, etc that he needs to grow (that and free choice salt)

Having said that, we have had youngsters, in the past, who have had the big belly thing. Although they seem to grow out of it, it has been a concern when they appear so bloated. I have found that probiotics have helped with this problem of digesting the ruffage. It was suggested to me by both an equine dietition and a vet. Horses need the roughage to keep thier systems healthy, it is just as if some young ones don't have enough of the good bacteria in there guts to process the stuff.

Hopefully this helps.

HE IS GETTING RIGHT AT 2/3 CUP TWICE A DAY OF THE GROW AND WIN, AND THE HAY IS PRAIRIE GRASS HAY. WHAT IS THE 'EVEDEX'? IS THAT A BRAND NAME OF A PROBIOTICS? I'M NOT FAMILIAR WITH IT.

THANKS FOR THE HELP.

 

[Reignmaker Miniatures]

I believe evedex is merely her forum name. There are various sources for probiotics and some people have fed active bacteria yogurt for this purpose. I'm not sure if the yogurt is as good a soucre as one of the more equine intended probio pastes.

 

[muffntuf]

Probiotics will help with digestion as well as stress. I use FastTrack Equine Probiotics, it is cheaper than the Probiocs name brand. About $19.95 per 5 lbs. I have a barn of 4 minis and 13 ponies - I give one TBL per day, evening feeding (doesn't matter, that's just what I have time for). So the bag lasts over a month.

I also started feeding ground flax seed and that has helped tremendously. And I add 2 Tbls. of soy oil to the mix to make sure they have proper oil.

And I add wet beet pulp to their feed. It is weighed wet and depends on the size of the horse/pony getting it as to what they get.

Then mine have good grass hay during the day, for minis one 8 qt. pail slightly packed, which equals about 1 lb. And I use the ratio of 1.20 per 100 lbs of horse/pony. So if a pony weighs 500 they get 3 lb.s of hay per day.

In the evening, a pony would get 2.5 lbs. of alfalfa hay or hay cubes after their grain.

This balance has kept 'hay bellies' off my young ones, yet allowed them to grow as much as they are growing. I have a yearling filly who is as big and weighs as much as my 2 year old fillies. So I know they are doing fine on this method.

Fastrack I believe has made a difference overall.

I just wanted to add, that I feed per their weight at the time of feeding, not to their potential weight. I have heard that going around and have seen horses and ponies get fat or have hay bellies.

 

[HGFarm]

Most prairie grass hay only has a 6 to 8% protein when considered cut at early 'bloom' - this would be the best cutting of prairie grass you could get, so if it is less than that, you may have nothing more than just filler there as far as nutrition. Adult horses require at least 10 to 12% protein and growing energetic youngsters require more.

If you dont want to add some alfalfa in to that, there are other grass hays that are more suitable for a growing youngster, or a combo of grass/alfalfa that could work. With a better hay, and some feeds made for young growing horses added, you may have much better results in weight distribution and muscle.

Probiotics or other expensive additives are not going to make up for poor quality hay, and get costly and complicated to feed.

 

[MARIE]

I believe evedex is merely her forum name. There are various sources for probiotics and some people have fed active bacteria yogurt for this purpose. I'm not sure if the yogurt is as good a soucre as one of the more equine intended probio pastes.

OK, SORRY, VERY NEW TO ALL THIS. IS THE PROBIOTICS SOMETHING YOU CAN BUY OVER THE COUNTER, OR DO I NEED TO CONTACT MY VET? I ASSUME THIS IS SOMETHING THAT CAN'T HURT IF THIS IS NOT THE PROBLEM.

 

[Miniv]

It sounds as though the Prairie Grass may not be high enough in protein.

 

[pinck43]

I am not an expert on nutrition, but maybe your protein % is to low. Try increasing his feed. dionne