My mini horse flair

[babybunz]

Im very worried about flair my minature horse.
It is past winter and she is still on the light side. shes 15-16 years old and was rescued from a farm. She was bred there and I think that's why her hips stick out. She gets fed everymorning and night and is let out in the grass pasture for 4hours daily but she isnt gaining weight. I worm her so it isnt a issue with worms.
Help? I have a picture of her i just shaved her today and it isnt that great of a hair cut x.x
thx

[luvmycritters]

With her age, it may just be an issue of giving her an added suppliment for senior equines. Look at your local feed mill for a equine suppliment ( grain ) for senior horses.;)

[G.P.girl]

the attachment didn't work for me :(
yeah, some kind of senior food might be good for her, but you should get her checked by the vet if you think there's something wrong with her, even if she does have her worms shots she could still get someother kind of sickness

[Tonya]

I don't know much about caring for horses, but I just wanted to tell you that Flair is adorable. I love mini horses.

[babybunz]

Thanx Today i went to the store and got her senior food the vet probably will be up next month :D

[Desert Arabian]

What Flair is going thorough is very common for her age. When horses reach 15 years of age their joints stiffen up, their back sways, their muscles disappear, their bones become prominent, their abdomen will sag, and their digestive system is not as good as it used to be.

Weight loss is not always a sign of illness, it's a sign of malnutrition. Flair's hips do not stick out because she was bred, it is because she is loosing the muscle tone in her croup, point of croup, and flank region- making her bones more visible.

You should consider placing Flair on a senior diet if she isn't on one already. Keep in mind when you switch a horse's diet you have to do it slowly and gradually to avoid health complications due to sudden change in their diet. Barley is also very fattening. Vegetable oil can also be added to senior horses' feed to add calories. Flair maybe missing some of her teeth, making it hard for her to chew- which is common in senior horses. Before you make any changes in a horse’s diet, talk to the vet to make sure it's a correct choice that will benefit the horse.

Flair is a cutie.

Please follow the link to get some good senior horse information: http://horses.about.com/care/senior/

[babybunz]

thanks alot yellowlab as i said in another post the vet will be over soon and we got some senior food to mix with her sweet feed thanks for the site too

[delidog]

Unfortunately, the pic didn't work....
15 is not terribly old for a Horse...The Great Idle Dice won the Lake Placid Grand Prix at 23....so Did Johnnys' Pocket...and Balbuco won Ox Ridge at 21....
For the Moment was still winning at 20...I could go on & on...especially the Equitation Horses....

Have the Vet do a Complete Blood work up when they come out...fix their feed accordingly...Vitamins also...do they need B-Complex??? ESE????selenium is great for older horses....
Has an Equine Dentist Floated their teeth professionally????
Have they been wormed professionally???(Not The Paste Garbage)
There are Lots of feeds that just bloat (Bran,for example) they put weight on...But is Hollow weight...they need Nutrition...not Just Bulk...Some people use alot of Beet Pulp for weight gain...It is good...and you can mix other good nutrients with it..But again,It is used primarily as Bulk...not nutrition...so do get your vets advise and Be Careful...Go Slow...You don't want to founder the poor pony,if it has not had proper nutrition....get a Detailed feed Menu from your Vet and Stick To It...if no results...get vet back to Re-Evaluate..

You are doing the right thing getting the vet out...Just make sure that you do One Stop Shopping while Vet is there....Have them run All tests....

Good Luck
Keep us posted
Try Posting another Picture when you are able.....

[delidog]

Please be Careful of Sweet Feed...it is like a firecracker in Large Horses....too much corn & molasses.....
Call your vet...

[Desert Arabian]

Originally posted by delidog
Unfortunately, the pic didn't work....
15 is not terribly old for a Horse...The Great Idle Dice won the Lake Placid Grand Prix at 23....so Did Johnnys' Pocket...and Balbuco won Ox Ridge at 21....
For the Moment was still winning at 20...I could go on & on...especially the Equitation Horses....


Minature horses are different than your common horses, they usually tend have more health problems because of their small size. 15 for mini horses is fairly old.

The horses mentioned above are famous show horses and recieve tip top care, that's why they are in perfect health. Obviously. :p They are completely different from a pet/farm horse.

Their is a horse at our local barn who is 38 years old, I cannot believe Thunder is still around. He def. looks his age that is for sure! He's the sweetest old man I know, he's too adorable, it will be really sad when he finally does leave us. :(