Is my horse too thin?

[Ed Thayer]

Ozzie has been with us now for 4 full months and has been doing great. Last month the vet was here for shots and checkup and said he looked good and asked what I was feeding him.

My response was 3QTS of sweet feed and 2 flakes twice a day. He thought I should cut back on the grain and continue with the hay.

Oz seems to be thinner. Maybe he isn’t, but the attached picture clearly shows some bone in the sides? Is it because the winter coat is hiding it? I taped him and he appears to be the same as when we got him.

The pics are from yetsrday. Should I be doing something different? He is in the pasture all day and seems content , although they chewed most of the good stuff down.

Ed

[Rod44]

Looks like pretty good working shape to me. If you can get good clean oats try them. I think they are better than sweet feed. Use a good vitamin mineral premix and you should be good to go.

[jen judkins]

He looks alittle ribbier than I like my horses to be….some of that is just preference. You could go up on the hay abit…my drafts were eating nearly a bale of hay a day each this winter and neither is fat. I agree with Rod, skip the sweet feed, especially with the jittery behavior you were describing earlier this spring. Some oats when you work him and a good all purpose vit/mineral mix should be fine. Is he on pasture this summer?

[Ed Thayer]

Is the vitamin mineral premix a powder that you add to the oats?

Jen, he is in pasture 12 hours a day, but the grass has been chewed down heavily. I guess the big guy will get more hay and I will look into the oats.

Is that something Blue Seal sells? Are oats different on the digestive system? Can I simply start the oats or do I need to wean him off the sweet feed?

[Rod44]

Many companies have a vit min suppl. The one I use I buy from an Amish friend. It is called Majic. Feed a few ounces a day whenever I put them in the barn. Have a trace mineral salt block out too. Also loose salt in their feed boxes.

[jen judkins]

Ed, Its not really about the oats, but about getting rid of the sweet feed. You could feed corn or barley as well….oats are just simpler to get and pretty cheap. You could add a cup of black oil sunflower seeds which will add some fat without the excess energy as well. Both the oats and the BOSS are readily available at any feed store.

In regard to supplements, I use (and sell if you are interested) Dynamite products. Penwoods is another good supplement alot of draft people like.

[sanhestar]

I agree that he could have a bit more weight.

Additional to upping the hay and changing the concentrates (corn f.e. gives more “slow energy”) I would also think about doing (or having done) a fecal exame and in need worm him accordingly.

Next to oil, beet pulp is a good source of energy – almost pure carbohydrates while oats and other grain are more a source of protein.

[near horse]

black oil sunflower seeds which will add some fat without the excess energy

If you want to add weight then you have to add energy – either in carbs, fats or to some extent protein – those are your only choices with the difference(s) being 1) concentration of energy – fat has 2X as much energy per gram as carbs or proteins 2)how the energy is provided via digestion and metabolism – think of the EPSM concerns here regarding feeding starchy grains in large amounts. The advice is usually to add energy using fats and non starch carbohydrates (like beet pulp) as opposed to starchy grains like oats and barley. That doesn’t mean No barley or oats – just use fats to boost the energy level – we added 1/2 to 1 cup of corn oil to a bucket of soaked beet pulp each day to help our old horse put on some weigh coming off winter.

The “slow energy” associated with corn has to do with how the starch granules are arranged/intermingled with protein in corn vs other cereal grains. Also, the oil in the kernel (small as it might be) helps to slow down the digestion of the starch as well.

Beet pulp also has a lot of protein in it – not like soy but certainly near the levels of barley and oats ~ 12% I should go double check the number but when you see what beet pulp is – the remains of sugar beets after sugar is extracted – all that is left is fiber (not very coarse) and protein.

[sanhestar]

@near horse 9260 wrote:

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Beet pulp also has a lot of protein in it – not like soy but certainly near the levels of barley and oats ~ 12% I should go double check the number but when you see what beet pulp is – the remains of sugar beets after sugar is extracted – all that is left is fiber (not very coarse) and protein.

that’s interesting. All of my food value books, tables, etc. say that beet pulp has almost NO protein left.

[Ed Thayer]

No offense taken by any responses. Although, Near Horses’ post is a little out of my league. I really need to read up more on horse feed and digestion I guess.

I am going to try straight oats and more hay. Thanks for the replies and suggestions.

Ed

[near horse]

Highway,

Sorry if I came off as a “know it all blowhard” – not intended at all. When feeding oats I assume you can get hold of some that are rolled or crimped or something other than whole. Whole oats will work but since horses (and cattle) are not efficient at chewing small grains, some of the whole grain just runs through intact and passes in the feces. Best of luck.

Sanehester – I should have tempered my statement regarding beet pulp and its protein content. It isn’t “high” in protein but neither are most cereal grains. High protein feeds usually exceed 20% protein while beet pulp runs around 9% and oats 13%. Cereals, at least in cattle, are fed primarily for energy – as is beet pulp.

Unfortunately, BP has caught on as a safe E feed for horses and thus costs more than oats, barley, wheat, corn or even pre-mix feeds. And Idaho actually grows sugar beets:confused:

[Ed Thayer]

I didn’t think you were coming off as a know it all, I appreciate the input.

I am on a preety steep learning curve when it comes to thehorse feed.

Thanks again all,

Ed

[Mark Cowdrey]

The too generalized but helpful to me rule of thumb for conditioning: You shouldn’t be able to see the ribs but you should be able to easily feel them when you run your hand along the horses side. That said, my horses are usually a little thinner than that. I try to void “dishing” in the rump. I rotationally graze my horses (ideally 2 hours twice a day) when i have grass & it does wonders for their condition.

[firebrick43]

Marks reply is right on the money, but I wouldn’t worry to much, from your pictures you are not bad. I try to add weight in the fall to help them through the winter. I strictly rotational graze until January(I fall stock a pasture so I am still grazing while the snow flies.) and feed loose hay in feburary-early april. Grain or some choice alfalfa is only given after a days hard work.

I have one lady down the road that owns riding horses(more pasture ornaments) that thinks I abuse my horses by working them in the heat and their two “skinny” as hers are rolly polly things. Her and her teenage daughter are borderline morbidly obese and I mentioned something to the effect that I would heed her advise when they showed self constraint in over feeding their horses and themselves. They don’t bother me any more.

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