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  Discussion on Hay belly, poor condition
Author Message
New Member:
Cassey

Posted on Tuesday, Oct 29, 2002 - 7:58 am:

Hi,
I have read the articles and posts on nutrition, and can't find the solution to my dilemma...my 17 yr. old Percheron cross postpartum mare has a big hay belly (still looks pregnant after delivering in early July, the foal was weaned in late September for various health reasons). She looks in poor condition everywhere else. All her ribs are easily seen, no fat around her tail, flanks are sunken. I just moved her to a new barn b/c my previous barn manager put this poor horse on a "diet", and yes she did DrOp about 200 pounds in a couple weeks, but she was frantic with hunger and looked like a skeleton everywhere except her belly, which did go down somewhat. Worming was done regularly, and she got double dose Strongid in early October. The vet has checked her out, she is otherwise fine with no explanation for her condition except she is postpartum, and has always been prone to a big belly. We moved her to a new barn mid October.She is now on pasture 24/7, it is late fall here in Canada (i.e. cold) and the quality is poor. She is getting free access to first cut hay which has been sent for analysis, but is probably low to medium quality. I am able to get out only once in the late afternoon to supplement her, and I give her two pounds of Happy Trail Patriot (extruded feed with 12% protein and added vitamins, calcium, phosphorus and selenium)along with a liquid vitamin supplement and beet pulp. The label recommends 1-3 lbs per day/ 220 lbs of the Happy Trail, depending on activity level and horse's condition, she is estimated at 1500-1800 lbs. She is getting exercised almost daily, working up in intensity, so far walk trot transitions with very little canter. What else can I do to improve her condition while helping her to get rid of that heavy belly? It has certainly grown again since she has had free access to the hay, which they apparently need in cold weather to maintain warmth, but overall she still looks poor. She seems very happy, curious, content and has energy.
Thanks,
Dee
Moderator:
DrO

Posted on Wednesday, Oct 30, 2002 - 8:41 am:

At 17, with a recent baby, and on poor to medium forage 24/7 a large belly is perfectly normal, even healthy. You should worry about the overall body condition and let the belly take care of itself.

To reduce the belly size you need to understand a bit about the physiology here. As long as the forage is poor she will adjust her intake to meet her energy needs and therefore will require large amounts of it. The body responds by giving her plenty of room in the gut to process the large amount of forage needed to meet her daily needs. To reduce her gut size, while increasing her overall condition, you have 2 choices both of which involve limiting access to pasture:
1) You need to greatly increase the quality of the forage she is getting so less is required to meet her requirements and limit access to the pasture to around 6 hours a day.
2) Increase the amount of grain and limit access to pasture to around 6 hours a day.
Of course these two can be mixed in a million ways. One last thought, if she is very thin and it is very cold a blanket would probably be appreciated.
DrO
Member:
Cassey

Posted on Wednesday, Nov 6, 2002 - 5:58 pm:

Thanks, Dr. O. We will relax and enjoy our horse,and keep her healthy and happy!
Dee
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