335 - Thursday
really no major update.
I got on Ami and I could feel him so tense and just excited. J asked me if I wanted him to ride him. I did. J and Ami had to have several discussions. All the horses were very up today (I think the weather front coming in, the chill in the air and the wind blowing) but Ami was bordering on ridiculous. Coupled that with the fact we can’t lunge him… makes for an interesting ride. I didn’t get back on him. J didn’t think it would be productive. I agreed.
We are going to change Ami’s feed. I have upp-ed his feed recently in order to put weight on him… HOWEVER, I think NOW it’s making him so HOT that its’ backfiring. So I’m backing down the grain, upp-ing the hay and beet pulp. We’ll see if he returns to normal.
Oh, I forgot to blog my favorite quote from J today, while he was on Ami.
“Stop acting like a weirdo”.
Comment by nikki
January 31, 2008 @ 8:38 pm
I think decreasing the grain and upping the forages is an excellent idea. Can’t go wrong with that. Just make sure he’s getting the vitamins and minerals he needs. I have mineral blocks out in the pasture and use a vitamin supplement every day in their sunflower seeds/beet pulp mix. (Sorry, I got all into equine nutrition recently!)
You’re not lunging him because of his recent lameness, right? What are you doing - or trying to do - when he’s borderline acting ridiculous? Just trying to walk and/or trot peacefully around the arena? Just curious..
Comment by Beth
January 31, 2008 @ 9:55 pm
Why not try a low starch high fat? It keeps the weight on and the heat down. I dont use a sweet feed, because Sam would be hanging from the rafters.
How come you cant lunge him?
Comment by Crystal
January 31, 2008 @ 10:21 pm
it is what the barn feeds and technically it is not supposed to be “sweet feed”. I talked to the vet about it and he said it was good quality food. (triple crown 14% protein, I think 10% fat). So already I cut down his grain and am gonna beet pulp him more to try and keep his weight.
what sort of mineral supplement?
I just thought of they don’t have a salt block in their stalls at the new barn… They do at the old barn. Need to fix that.
Yes, vet said no lunging since it’s a soft tissue injury (i.e. sprained his ankle). Walk trot, no circles for 2-3 weeks.
So it takes away all our tools… circles, lunging… he’s just BORED. So bored is equating to naughty!
Comment by Beth
February 1, 2008 @ 8:24 am
could he free lunge or would he be insane?
You could add kelp and flax seed for weight gain.
Comment by Crystal
February 1, 2008 @ 3:56 pm
no free lunging. We are trying to encourage him not to run. he is on private turnout in smaller paddock by himself (he has horsie friends in adjoining paddocks.)
we are walk - trot only under saddle. “Controlled exercise” is what the vet term used was.
Comment by nikki
February 1, 2008 @ 6:01 pm
To answer your question…I just have a couple of mineral blocks out in the pasture. They’re just like salt blocks, except they have minerals in them too. You can probably get them at Tractor Supply or your feed store I’m sure. The horses will do them just like they do salt blocks; they’ll lick it when they need something, and won’t when they don’t.
As far as vitamin/mineral supplement, I use something called EquiPride. It has a web site, but I can’t remember it right now. I think it’s made by Sweet Pro or something like that. Anyway, it’s good stuff and not too expensive.
The main thing you have to worry about when cutting back on grain is vitamins. The grain bags have recommended amounts to feed horses of diff. weights, depending on their level of exercise. But if you don’t want to feed that much concentrated feed (or carbs if your horse is hot or fat), feeding less than recommended does not meet your horses’ vitamin/mineral requirement. I hope that makes sense.
I was feeding my guys a decent quality pelleted feed, but only about a handful twice a day since they were so fat. Sunshine had all kinds of fungus problems going on, especially on her face. She wasn’t getting all the nutrients she needed. I’ve been feeding EquiPride with my BOSS and beet pulp for about 4 months now I guess, and Sunshine’s face fungus is pretty much gone (and I’d tried all kinds of topical crap, including washing it in iodine every day). It’s amazing the differences you see when your horse gets everything he needs nutritionally.
Okay, sorry that was long! I’ve just learned so much recently and it’s so interesting to me. (:
Comment by Crystal
February 1, 2008 @ 11:54 pm
no, I like the long post and I’m interested. Let me know what the minerals are…. I really should put Ami on it.
Comment by nikki
February 2, 2008 @ 8:57 am
The web site for EquiPride is equipride.biz. It’s not the only vitamin supplement out there, its just the one I could get my hands on easiest, and I really like it.
Anyway, here’s the guaranteed analysis:
Crude Protein, Min. 14.00%
Crude Fat, Min. 5.50%
Omega 3 Fatty Acid, Min 0.55%
Crude Fiber, Max.5.50%
ADF, Max 8.50%
Calcium (Ca), Min. 1.00%
Calcium (Ca), Max. 1.50%
Phosphorus (P), Min. 1.25%
Salt (NaCl)Min. 7.50%
Salt (NaCl), Max. 9.00%
Magnesium (Mg), Min. 1.50%
Potassium (K), Min. 1.10%
Sulfur (S), Min. 0.25%
Fluorine, Max 0.8 ppm
Copper (Cu), Min. 500 ppm
Selenium (Se), Min. 5.0 ppm
Zinc (Zn), Min 1,000 ppm
Iron (Fe), Min. 350 ppm
Manganese (Mn), Min. 750 ppm
Iodine (I), Min. 8.0 ppm
Cobalt (Co), Min. 4.0 ppm
Biotin, Min 18 mg/lb.
Omega 3 fatty acid, Min. 5,500 ppm
Vitamin A, Min
100,000 IU/lb
Vitamin D, Min
20,000 IU/lb
Vitamin E, Min
350 IU/lb
It also has ProBiotein in it, which helps have a healthy digestive tract. It has some helpful digestive enzymes in it, as well. It also contains flax, which is high in Omega 3 fatty acid, an essential fatty acid.
I sound like a sales rep for EquiPride, don’t I?
Comment by Crystal
February 3, 2008 @ 7:27 am
naw, where do you get it? can you get it over the counter at like Triangle Horse sports?
Comment by nikki
February 3, 2008 @ 9:10 am
That I coudln’t tell you. Paul orders it for me, and he gets it wholesale. They may have on their website a link where you can find a dealer or something, or you can probably order straight from them…