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  Discussion on Low energy TB jumper - could the problem be his feed?
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Posted on Sunday, Jun 17, 2001 - 11:18 am:

Hi everyone,
My horse is a 6 yr old TB. He is used for hunter/jumpers. He looks healthy and happy and has good musculature. He keeps hig weight on well (actually is a little chubby). All is going well except he just does not want to move. You really have to prod him to get him going forward. He has been thoroughly checked and maintained by a chiropractor, has a special saddle which does not pinch in any way shape or form and he is ridden with a mild bit. So there are no physical reasons why he shouldn't want to GO.

He just seems to be tired a lot. It seems that the smallest amount of exercise can wear him out. He is worked 6 days a week from about 45 minutes to 1.5 hours and jumped one or two times during the week. We mostly do flat work or trail rides.

His feed consists of pelleted food (which is supposedly custom made for performance horses)(2X a day), 4 flakes of hay 2X a day and 8 hours of grass pasture. Could a supplement of oil or vitamin supplement help his energy level??

I read the article and I am wondering if these items will help. However, he is already chubby and I am worried that a high fat diet will make him chubbier..

OR is this a training issue???

Thanks, Liz

Posted on Monday, Jun 18, 2001 - 12:52 pm:

Dear Liz,

I have a few questions. What do you do for the 45 minutes - 1 1/2 of flat work (45 minutes of walking being a lot easier than 45 minutes of running)? Is this a new behavior for him or has he always been like this? How long and what is the small amount of exercise before he wears out? By worn out, do you mean that he is sweating and seems muscle tired or do you mean he won't move off your leg?

Thanks!
Nancy

Posted on Monday, Jun 18, 2001 - 1:30 pm:

Nancy, thanks for your reply
for the 45 minutes we do dressage. so, hard stuff sometimes. Mostly involving collection work at trot and canter, shoulder in, haunches in and lateral movement.

By tired, there is sweating (which he does a lot), but not a lot of blowing hard or implication of muscle fatigue. He does not move off the leg sometimes and just "seems" tired. If you smack him with a crop or use spurs he does move but at times just seems worn out. If we use too much crop or spur he just gets upset (of course, who wouldn't). He has always been this way (1.5 yrs since I bought him).

The trainer and I are both stumped. We have done everything to make him comfortable and he is a very willing animal, so I do not think it is attitude or work issues but I could be wrong.

Thanks again,
Liz

Posted on Tuesday, Jun 19, 2001 - 1:05 pm:

Hi Liz,

you might be working more with a behavioral problem then a physical one. You could take a close look at his pelleted feed as they vary in the amount of roughage, oil and protein. Maybe for him he would need a higher energy feed or more of it. However, you may just have a horse that needs more encouragement to go forward. There are a number of techniques to try, my favourite being Jane Savoie's where you ask politely and then ask again more harshly. For each horse that will vary from a harder squeeze, to a kick to a crop depending upon their sensitivity. Most horses will tune out a continuous nagging leg and/or continuous pressure from the leg. Also, if he's not pushing from his hind end well you will get the 'dragging' feeling. Also, with dressage be careful to not ask for too much self-carriage for too long at first. I'm very guilty of thinking "oh this is perfect, give me more" but my coach has trained me to allow him breaks when he's doing well. 12 months ago this was a horse that was very resistant to moving forward and engaging his hind end. As well if he's bored with ring work you could take him for a nice gallop in a field. That helps to open them up and teach them to enjoy the 'forward feeling'.


good luck

TeresaA

Posted on Wednesday, Jun 20, 2001 - 1:35 pm:

Teresa,
Thanks for your reply. I have been through a lot of what you described above with my trainer. I used to nag with my leg and I have learned not to. I think you are correct in that he needs a good gallop.
I have checked his feed. It's Nutrena Horse Qwik, which seems OK from what I've read.

But, now I am thinking he could need Red Cell. He had an infection last year from undissolvable stitches which were left in his body and weren't discovered for months until he reacted with a big nasty infection. So, the long term infection might have lowered his blood count. He had surgery to remove these stitches in October, so I am not sure if the blood levels return to normal on their own or if assistance is needed. The vet is coming out on Friday to do a blood test, so we will see...

If not then I will have to re-evaluate my riding, his training, etc.

Thanks again,
Liz

Posted on Wednesday, Jun 20, 2001 - 2:39 pm:

Has your vet done a complete blood workup? If he's anemic, that could explain his lethargy, and Red Cell could help that. If he's not though, adding something like Red Cell could introduce toxic levels of iron in his system. How many lb of the pellets is he getting? How many calories/lb are in the pellets?

Posted on Wednesday, Jun 20, 2001 - 2:47 pm:

Jordana,
The blood workup will be done on friday and I will not give him anything new until then. Typically he gets 3/4 scoop (I think about 7lbs) of Horse Kwik which has 12.5% protien, 2.0% fat, 21.0% fiber, 1.1% calcium and other vitamins. I don't have a calorie count from the label.

That's all I know currently.
Liz
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