How old does this horse look?

[TinyTotsSeramas]

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Gotta love those picky horses! If he likes the food he literally licks the bucket clean..unless it has a supplement he doesn't like in it...I think i saw those scoops when i was there the other day...Maybe i'll pick one up when i go Tuesday...

Psh yeah lovem like I need a hole in the head! My old man use to do that too when he was done his feed! But stick bute in it and he knew it was in there no matter what you did to the feed lol such a brat!

 

[petchickenlover]

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Gotta love those picky horses! If he likes the food he literally licks the bucket clean..unless it has a supplement he doesn't like in it...I think i saw those scoops when i was there the other day...Maybe i'll pick one up when i go Tuesday...

Psh yeah lovem like I need a hole in the head! My old man use to do that too when he was done his feed! But stick bute in it and he knew it was in there no matter what you did to the feed lol such a brat!

Haha..Crushing it into a powder and pouring molasses over it works quite well

 

[TinyTotsSeramas]

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Psh yeah lovem like I need a hole in the head! My old man use to do that too when he was done his feed! But stick bute in it and he knew it was in there no matter what you did to the feed lol such a brat!

Haha..Crushing it into a powder and pouring molasses over it works quite well

Oh we did that... He was just a smart one! We ended up just giving him bute in a paste form (never knew there was such a thing) in the mouth like wormer..
But then again we're talking about a horse that would sneak french fries out of my bag at shows lol

 

[petchickenlover]

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thats hilarious! i'd get the paste form but he hates being wormed....and usually ends up spitting it all out lol

 

[Orchid]

Having had a couple of older horses myself, first let me say he is a lovely old gentleman.

I have such a soft spot for the older ones!

I would really recommend feeding him by weight and not by volume. Follow the feeding guidelines by weight on whatever brand of feed you are feeding (I would suggest senior feed for a horse his age). Keep his weight up as much as you can since once they start to lose weight at that age it is really difficult to get it back on.

Also, did the vet say anything about his teeth other than that they didn't need floating? Sometimes by his age they are missing a few of the grinder teeth in the jaw as they finally just "run out" of tooth, and it might be helpful in that case to soak his feed.

 

[seminolewind]

Very nice condition for an older horse. I would ride him maybe at a walk if he's sound and doesn't start nostril flairing. I have always judged feed the same way. If you can't feel his ribs, he's getting too much. If you can feel his ribs but can't see them it's just right. Good luck!

 

[petchickenlover]

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No, i don't believe he did say anything else about them... The problem with the "guidelines"...there aren't any LOL. I think it's Xcel brand but i couldn't find any instructions online.

I don't believe he is sound enough for any extra weight/riding. he limps quite badly and also trips over nothing quite a bit..

 

[EweSheep]

Well if anything goes, if he trips often or have problems with his feet but not in pain, pasture pet would be the kinder thing for him for the rest of his life.

 

[Orchid]

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No, i don't believe he did say anything else about them... The problem with the "guidelines"...there aren't any LOL. I think it's Xcel brand but i couldn't find any instructions online.

I don't believe he is sound enough for any extra weight/riding. he limps quite badly and also trips over nothing quite a bit..

Is it senior feed? Sweet feed? No offense intended but I would be somewhat wary of a feed with no nutritional guidelines whatsoever.

I fed Nutrena senior feed for a long, long time and was very pleased with it.

 

[petchickenlover]

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I can double check the tags but i don't recall seeing how much should be fed. He's getting a mix of senior and the molasses grain. I think i used nutrena on a horse i had awhile ago, if i remember right.