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Discussion on Feeding Yearling with History of Contracted Tendons
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Member:
ksnively
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Posted on Monday, Apr 20, 2009 - 10:25 am:
I had posted on this site about 6 months ago about our foal that was having an issue with lameness. Here is the link to that discussion:
https://www.horseadvice.com/horse/messages/4/296740.html
We ended up sending him back to the breeder for her help. It turned out that he had a few problems, including underrun heels and contracted heels (just as the replies I received from Dr. O and other posters had suggested). However his biggest issue was contracted tendons. The breeder cut out his grain completely and worked with a trimmer to correct his heel issues. His feet look great. He was slowly reintroduced to grain and, after three months at the breeder's, we brought him home in February. The breeder has told us to keep him on the thin side to prevent big growth spurts and to try to prevent the contracted tendons from happening again. He is currently on 3 pounds of Equine Junior in the morning and 2 pounds at night. His legs look good and he currently is measuring 13.1 at the withers and 13.2 at the hind. He is in a dirt paddock and gets 2.5 flakes of hay a day. I have attached a picture of him.
My question is I would like to increase his BCS a bit without risking the tendons. Would adding rice bran to his feed help with that?
Thank you for your help,
Kim
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Member:
ekaufman
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Posted on Monday, Apr 20, 2009 - 12:41 pm:
Hi Kim,
Hard to tell with the photo at this angle, but why do you want to increase the BCS on a horse with this history of problems? He looks a little ribby, but that seems appropriate for his history and age. There's a reason people hide young horses behind the barn!
Everyone feeds differently, and I'm sure you'll get a lot of opinions. For my young stock, I would not consider 5lbs of Eq Jr daily, even if I were trying to increase body condition. I give mine a minimum of supplementation (I'm talking 1/4 to 1/2 cup daily of Purina B2W and a trace mineral block), and for the rest they get grass hay or pasture, depending on the season.
If I wanted to increase BCS, I'd add grass hay rather than bagged feed.
Concentrates and grain are "growth in a bag," and are not likely to help this young horse grow slowly and stay sound.
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Member:
ksnively
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Posted on Monday, Apr 20, 2009 - 1:10 pm:
Thank you for the response. We don't want to hide him behind the barn. He is actually my daughter's growing and training project for 4-H. She wants to show him at the 4-H shows. The breeder has told us that he is too skinny to show and said that if we took him out in the condition he is in that she will get chastised. She's not looking to win a halter class, just get him the show experience and not get attacked by animal rights activists. 
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Member:
ekaufman
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Posted on Monday, Apr 20, 2009 - 1:21 pm:
Hello,
Well, it may be something of a challenge to balance the aesthetic requirements of 4-H and the best long-term interests of this horse. If he were mine, with these goals, I'd cut waaay back on the Eq Jr and up his grass hay gradually but substantially. That would be my strategy to add weight w/o nutrient density.
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Member:
mrose
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Posted on Monday, Apr 20, 2009 - 1:28 pm:
I agree with elk on this. I think he looks good. IMO QH and Paint breeders/judges like young horses to look way too heavy for their size and their foot size. Have you ever been to the breed shows? The halter horses are all so heavy they can barely move. No wonder so many have hoof and joint problems!
Also, in 4H shows that I've seen, if the horse is clean, well groomed, well behaved and in good health, and the handler is the same, that is what counts. He's not going to be judged like he would at a breed show where heavier often seems better.
Taking him to a few shows is a great idea to get him used to the "big wide world." I've taken young horses and not even shown them, just walked them around the grounds a lot so they can "see the sights." If that is her main goal, and the horse is healthy, who cares what anyone thinks?
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New Member:
dunsrule
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Posted on Monday, Apr 20, 2009 - 4:28 pm:
Excuse me for butting in, but I have a question for Elk. I was wondering what kind of Purina is B2W? I also have a yearling that is currently getting 2 1/2 lbs a day of SafeChoice and a 70/30 grass/alfalfa mix. She is a little on the heavy side and worry about OCD.
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Member:
ekaufman
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Posted on Monday, Apr 20, 2009 - 4:38 pm:
Sorry-- it's "Born to Win" which has a silly new name that I refuse to use. I think it's "Enrich" or something, which is what I think I'm doing for Purina when I buy it! I don't mean this as a specific product endorsement (though I have had wonderful results with this feed), but it is a useful pelleted concentrate that can be fed in very small volume, and is designed to work in conjunction with the average grass hay. Most feed companies have something comparable. I start my babies on small amounts (a hand full) before weaning, and only increase if I need to do so.
This is the same feed I use to supplement my broodmares, when they need supplementation.
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New Member:
dunsrule
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Posted on Monday, Apr 20, 2009 - 5:24 pm:
Thanks! I thought that was what it was. Purina's nature's essentials enrich 32. I was thinking about switching to it. How much hay do you feed your yearlings? I give her about a total of about 10 lbs a day of 70/30 grass/alfalfa mix. Is this too much?
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Member:
ekaufman
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Posted on Monday, Apr 20, 2009 - 5:46 pm:
Sorry for hijacking this thread a bit. I don't know if you're feeding too much, dunsrule, but your comment that your yearling is too heavy suggests an answer. DrO offers a great guide to feeding in the articles section.
I don't feed my yearlings alfalfa at all unless I need to (for example, when it gets below zero and they start losing weight). Hard to say exactly how much grass hay they get, since I feed according to body condition, but as a rule I try to give them as much grass or grass hay as I can w/o making them fat, because that gives them more eating time.
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Member:
dres
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Posted on Monday, Apr 20, 2009 - 6:29 pm:
Play it safe then sorry... Keep him ribby and healthy...
On the first day God created horses, on the second day he painted them with spots..
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New Member:
dunsrule
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Posted on Monday, Apr 20, 2009 - 6:39 pm:
Thanks everyone. I didn't mean to take over this thread. I think when I switch her to the B2W she will lose a pound or two. I only give her enough alfalfa to balance the Ca to P ratio. The 10lbs total hay per day that she gets is only about 2 flakes worth.
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Moderator:
DrO
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Posted on Monday, Apr 20, 2009 - 8:47 pm:
Hello Kimberly,
I score him a 5 body condition but photos can be deceiving. How do you score him? I would love to see a good conformation shot also to assess where he is with the contracture.
DrO
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Member:
ksnively
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Posted on Monday, Apr 20, 2009 - 9:56 pm:
Hi Dr. O,
I was thinking he was about a 4 body condition. I will take a conformation shot tomorrow. I have one from 2 weeks ago, but that was prior to his body clipping and he was a big hairball so it was hard to really assess him.
Thank you,
Kim
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