Horse Feed

Re: Horse Feed

Jo Mackenzie — Wed, 03 Feb 2010 23:37:17 GMT

[quote user="Polly Player"]

Ps, you mention you share him with someone who just hacks and appears keen on the quiet life, I'd make sure she knows what you are planning and be careful so she doesn't get a nasty shock!

[/quote]

Lol but it'd be oh-so-funny not to tell her... seriously though, I have spoken to her and I think one of her main reasons for just hacking and avoiding schooling is that she has the same motivation problem I do but has less experience so therefore struggles even more than I do leading to her losing confidence and going back to hacking, making him even lazier... vicious circle really! The plan is to add something that'll give him a bit more spark then for me to work with the two of them quite closely until she's confident enough to carry on by herself. I'm also devising a fittening and schooling plan for him which should work on all our weak points and get him ready for me to compete again in the summer,without my sharer losing confidence or feeling under-valued. That's the plan anyway, whether it'll work is another matter!

Re: Horse Feed

Polly P — Wed, 03 Feb 2010 23:24:15 GMT

Ps, you mention you share him with someone who just hacks and appears keen on the quiet life, I'd make sure she knows what you are planning and be careful so she doesn't get a nasty shock!

Re: Horse Feed

Polly P — Wed, 03 Feb 2010 23:23:16 GMT

Sounds about the same as my last horse- he's TBxID, I used to do ladies hunter classes with him but he was too heavy really. He's coming up for 22 now and retired at my parents, but as you say, very good doer, only in at night in the winter, and 'not that motivated!' when riding, as my trainer used to put it!

As what you currently have him on seems to be providing what he needs to keep his condition, I wouldn't want to mess with it too much... I'd be tempted to maybe throw a handful of oats on top of his normal meal just to see if it wakes him up a little...

Re: Horse Feed

Jo Mackenzie — Wed, 03 Feb 2010 09:19:16 GMT

He lives out during the summer but at the moment he's in at night with good turnout during the day. At night he gets a small-holed haynet with a small amount of haylage (all I can get at the moment, he would usually get hay) He's almost 12 and I do mainly dressage with him so do a lot of flatwork schooling with a fair bit of jumping for variety. The other girl who rides him does mostly hacking. I've had him for 7 years and he's always been a touch on the lazy side but he was on loan for a couple of years and since getting him back I've noticed he's been particularly lazy. He does go very well when I can get him motivated, he just feels really sluggish latley. I do a lot of direct transitions and lateral work with him to get him listening and it does help, its just a struggle to wake him up!

Re: Horse Feed

littlehays — Wed, 03 Feb 2010 07:14:27 GMT

remember it is really forage not concentrates that will put weight on, so you might have to reduce the hay/haylage you're feeding, put it in double small-hole haynets so it takes him longer to eat.

Re: Horse Feed

Polly P — Wed, 03 Feb 2010 01:22:49 GMT

Is he kept in or out, what kind of exercise does he get and how old is he?

Re: Horse Feed

Anonymous — Wed, 03 Feb 2010 00:40:06 GMT

it's slipped my mind at the moment but i was given a really good feed recommendation recently. i will ask tomorrow at the yard and get back to you.

Re: Horse Feed

Jo Mackenzie — Wed, 03 Feb 2010 00:25:29 GMT

[quote user="Princess Ophelia Hermione MacBeth"]ps. Off topic but...I didn't get the Eriskay in the end. Have found a very good share - unlimited riding - of a Connemara (with access to 3 cobs as well). Owner wanted £90/month and I thought it was too good an option to turn down[/quote]

Glad you found something that suits you, that's a pretty good deal! Let us know how things go!

Littlehays, he's pretty lazy whatever he's doing to be honest! I used to ride him in short spurs but I'd rather address his diet first. I think part of the problem is that I share him with a girl who prefers to hack mainly, and lets him plod along at his own pace, so when I come along and try to school him he just doesn't want to know! I've spoken to her and we've agreed that I'm going to give her a lesson once a week/fortnight to make sure things are going ok for both of us. However I still think he could do with a touch more energy, I've just worked so hard at keeping him fit that I don't want him to pile on the pounds!

Re: Horse Feed

littlehays — Tue, 02 Feb 2010 20:34:41 GMT

take care with chaff and sugar beet - they are likely to make him put on weight (particularly sugar beet - it's a 'super' fibre - quite high in energy and very digestible). i wouldn't bother with pasture mix, you might as well just feed good-quality forage with added succulents in winter instead! perhaps swap this for something like spillers response competition mix, and feed it straight. (obviously don't make any drastic changes to his diet, add new feed gradually). is he lazy in the school and out hacking or just in school? lots of quick transition changes will get him listening to your leg a bit more too, should help

Re: Horse Feed

Louise B — Tue, 02 Feb 2010 19:16:12 GMT

LOL not a clue. Reckon www.horseandhound.co.uk/forums is a another good place to start

ps. Off topic but...I didn't get the Eriskay in the end. Have found a very good share - unlimited riding - of a Connemara (with access to 3 cobs as well). Owner wanted £90/month and I thought it was too good an option to turn down