Skinny.

[horse_lover]

Hi everyone. Well I'm having a prob;em with my horse. She's thin...not too thin..but thin enough. I dont know what to do. She gets plenty of hay and grain [at least i think] she been wormed and everything else that shes needed. I dont know what to do...can anyone help.

[Karen]

She's been seen by the vet? Does she free-feed? How old is she? How much exercise does she get? What breed is she?

[horse_lover]

The vet was just at my cousins house...thats the thing, she stays at my cousins and I' worried shes not being cared for properly. Does it make sence that my cousins horses are fat and my horse is the only one that is thin?

[horse_lover]

The vet was there becuase we were getting coggins done. We asked him to take a look but he said she just needs to be upped on grain. That was about 2-3 weekas ago. Guess what...nothing has changed.

[shepgirl]

You didn't mention the breed of horse or the age. Some horses need more hard feed but I wouldn't up the grain if she isn't exercised. Have you tried soaked beet pupl, this can put weight on a horse in a very short time, make sure it's soaked overnight and during the day for night feeding. It also won't make your horse antsy like a heavy load of grain, plus it won't founder the horse. Your horse needs free choice hay, not rationed for meals.

[horse_lover]

shes an 8 year old chincoteague. umm yes she is on beet pulp right now. im just trying tog et to the bottom of this...im thinking i should move her somewhere else...i just dont think she is being cared for properly. so nay help...advice...suggestions is much help!

[shepgirl]

I would have her checked by the vet, something is just not right. Those ponies are tough little guys and can get fat on air, doesn't make sense that she's thin.

[buttercup132]

She's a pony so I agree with Shep she should be able to get fat easily.
Could you possibly go down and feed her?
I don't see why your cousin wouldn't be feeding her or would not feed her enough. Do you pay for your horses food?

[horse_lover]

I agree too. I am jsut trying to see if everyone else does. Yes I pay for her food. My cousin told me that she hasnt grianed her in almost a week because she has been to stressed out. So she basically admitted that...

[Vela]

Well I would probably move her if it was me. Horses, especially ponies, don't need grain supplement unless they are in heavy work. You can find safer alternatives to put weight on an undernourished horse.

Sounds to me like you need to make sure your pony is wormed and kept separately from the rest of the herd at feeding time. She may be being pushed away from the food if she's not the dominant horse and they are in a group setting.

If she's already kept separately than there is something else wrong, such as worms or not enough being fed. Ponies are generally very hardy and rarely need the kind of upkeep a larger horse can sometimes need.

Ideally, she should be kept separately and free fed hay all day long with a weight gain supplement until she starts to pick back up. If she cannot be free fed then she should be kept separately and feed three times a day with supplemental feeding of a complete feed like SafeChoice by Nutrena or Purina Strategy, rather than a grain which coudl cause laminitis.

I used a product called "weight gain" to put weight on my walker when i got him as he was quite thin, along with the Safe Choice.

If those things can't be done for you where she is now, you should try to find a new place to keep her. Good luck with her.

[shepgirl]

I agree with Vela. Grain is the last thing your pony should be getting. No sweet feed either. Ponies fonder pretty easily, so free choice hay would be my first change. Did you actually see the pony get dewormed or did your cousin say she had been? Maybe she didn't get dewormed, or maybe most of it went on the ground. Ponies and some horses are notorious for spitting most of the deworming paste out of their mouths, which means they still have worms. If you could change her to another barn or do the feeding yourself you could watch and see how much she is eating.

[horse_lover]

well she is in a serperate pasture...by herself that is. yes my mom stood there while my cousin did it to make sure she got the wormer. and the second time i was there. i really want to move her but thats out of the picture seeing as i dont have anywhere else to put her.