Hutch the Halfie **The Last Chapter on Pg. 18**

[denim deb]

For now, just give him all the hay he will eat. If he's not used to grass, he can colic. Also, make sure he has access to fresh water, and free choice salt.

If you don't know what they were feeding him b4, if you give him too much food of a different type, it can kill off bacteria, and cause colic. When you do introduce grain, I'd go w/a senior feed for now, or something extruded. Try to find one w/a high fat/fiber content. Don't worry about high protein. That's not what will put the weight on. I don't know what you have in your area, so I can't say which one to give. Then, start w/just a small amount of grain. Instead of going by the scoop, go by the pound. Do not change the feed by more than a pound at a time, and do it over several days. While many feed bags say over the course of 7 days, I talked to a feed rep b4, and they'd rather see a change made over a longer period of time than that. Forget the corn. It's not really going to do much for him.

If he has not been wormed lately, do not give him a full dose of wormer. It can cause a massive die-off of worms, and cause impaction colic.

Early signs of colic would include pawing at the stomach, turning around and biting at the stomach, a rolling that includes thrashing, especially if the horse is wanting to keep rolling.

Hope this helps, and good luck w/him!

 

[duckluck]

Quote:
Yep, what Welsummer said. If the horse has EIA, you could have a lot of liability on your hands. Consider any other horses that might be within flying distance of the bugs on your farm, who can spread it.

I just saw your post and that you have the horse already. Be advised that colic signs vary greatly from horse to horse and it may not always be obvious, especially with a horse you don't know. You'll have to be very attuned to him, as some horses are dead quiet about it and don't show complaint at all.

The senior feed is a good idea, but be sure to water it down...sounds like his teeth need a lot of work, and you don't want him to colic or choke, which can happen especially with extruded pellets. Most horses take to the mash of watered pellets easily and some really like it. Mine do. It never hurts to add more water to the gut this way.

White salt before a mineral block is a very good idea, as this horse will likely need more salt anyway.

With a horse that likely has teeth issues by what you write, an equine dentist is a very good plan to have work on the dentistry. They have the tools for extensive work and can actually be cheaper than a vet doing it if there is a lot of work to do. I know a master equine dentist who travels all over the country...PM me if you'd like his number. I personally wouldn't let anyone else do my horses' teeth. Better to have the person who specializes do it right the first time.

Good luck!

 

[welsummerchicks]

Adult horses in light occasional work do not need grain at all, see the NRC website for proof of that. PONIES SHOULD NOT RECEIVE ANY GRAIN or FRESH GRASS. Ponies have an extreme tendency to founder, Haflingers too. Do NOT let the animal have ANYTHING OTHER THAN HAY until you know him very, very well.

There are two types of ponies - those that have foundered and those that are about to founder. TALK TO YOUR VET. Introduce grain and bagged feeds and grass WITH EXTREME CAUTION.

Horses should NOT be 'fattened up'. Most pleaure horses/pets are way, way overweight ponies ditto and three times over. Most people even believe a pony should look like a pig with a horse's head on it and get them so roly poly, and that's a good way to kill a pony.

People get so used to seeing horses that are hog-fat that they think a normal weight is 'too thin'. You should just see the 3 back ribs move when the horse breathes. There should not be pads of fat on the rump or crest (under the mane) on the topside of the neck.

If a horse's hips and backbone bones show, they are too thin. Do NOT try to 'fatten them up' by shoving a lot of grain down them. Let them gain weight gradually by eating sensible amounts of a good quality hay. Yes they will clean concentrated feed (bagged feed, oats, corn, etc) up just like a kid will eat too much candy. But an over-grained horse will get a lot sicker than a kid that eats too much candy.

Most bagged concentrate feeds contain an awful lot of molasses. Most of the cheaper feeds are corn and molasses and a bunch of other junk thrown in. They are basically like eating candy all day. They are full of sugar. Be VERY careful of giving a thin or poor conditioned horse a lot of sugary feed like that. Far safer and better they gain weight slowly and naturally by eating good quality hay and pasture.

Provide a mineral salt block, and if the hay is poor quality, feed a 'booster' product that provides a little protein and fat, like 'Grow N Win' or similar. Feed 1/3 to 1/4 of what it says to feed on the feed back - they always way over-estimate what one should feed. A handful of a product like Grow N Win is usually sufficient. Be SURE the product is kept in a sealed locked feed bin or inaccessible, unopenable metal trash can or the like, well away from the horse's reach, even if someone leaves a gate open or a door open. If you don't have a good secure place for it keep it in the house and bring out a cupful for one meal of the day.

To avoid colic, feed small meals frequently(3-4 feedings a day for stalled horses), and feed a good quality hay that is not overly stalky, overly fine or mouldy. Mouldy hay gives off a white or gray dust when the bale is opened and has a sharp, acrid smell. The inside of the bale may feel hot or warm to the touch.

Horses with colic lie down, turn around and stare at their flanks (belly and hind quarter), paw, throw themselves down and thrash around causing wounds to the head and sides (severe colic). Some will simply refuse to eat. Do not feed any type of concentrates to a colicky horse - remove all grain, pellets, corn, oats, feed products except good quality hay. Call the vet and walk the horse until the vet arrives. If the vet approves, give a dose of banamine paste orally.

PLEASE get a book on horse care. You should be able to rattle off the signs of colic in your sleep. PLEASE get some advice and help - and not 'free help' from the internet or well meaning friends - from a VET and a good quality book on equine management and illness. I hate to say it like that but for Heaven's sake.

 

[denim deb]

I don't know about other areas of the country, but I know around here, most people feel a Coggins is a waste of money. EIA is rare in this area, and the test only shows that the horse did not have EIA when the blood was drawn. I could not tell you when the last time was that we had a positive case-except for one way north of here that came from out of state. I do get a Coggins every year for the horses that go off property, but that's only for if I'm ever asked for it. And, I've been to shows, clinics, etc where they say a negative Coggins is needed, then they don't even look at it! The retired pony gets one every 2 years.

 

[Msbear]

WC, I do appreciate your input and have an excellent hay source of nice timothy/alphalfa mix. I will do the mineral salt block. Thank you, I have not thought of that, and will see about supplements when I talk to the vet but, please there is no need to yell it at me. "For heavens sake" I am a good person with a brain and am not an idiot. I came here for some help and don't need to made to feel like a clueless idiot who is going to kill this horse with negligence. I will get a good book on basic horsemanship. Any suggestions? But, I think the free internet is an excellent source until then. Google is God

He's in a stall with water and hay and Im heading out now to get him some quality senior feed and some of what she had to mix together and slowly transition him. I will talk with the vet more when he gets here about how to properly put a little weight on this horse.

I have had horses before. It's just been a long time. From 12-20, I had horses and rode and cared for them and had the farrier and vet come and everything was always fine. I went to college and gave them to a fella three farms down that retired the thoroughbred and rode the arabian until he was retired. I visited them a few times and was very happy with how they were treated. I may be a bit of a dits sometimes and may come across that way on here sometimes but, I think a horse can be in a much worse place than here with me.

Thank you everyone, Erin

 

[denim deb]

Do you have any pics yet? I'd love to "see" him.

 

[HorseFeatherz NV]

MsBear -

I am very happy he is there and you like him - that is important.

Beet Pulp, soaked is excellent for weight gain.


One thing to remember - thin/underweight horses often act much differently than they do/will when they are fleshed out. So he might be a bit more reactive when feeling well (but his personality might stay the same also).

Once you get to know him, it will be easy for you to "spot" when something is off/wrong with him - they do not try to hide their pains like birds do.

Pictures?

 

[welsummerchicks]

The reason i got upset is that you got a horse at your place and do not know what causes colic or what the symptoms are, and I think one for heaven's sake is justified in that case. Of course you are a good person, you're avoiding the point, the point is if you own a horse you need to know what colic is and how to avoid it, and as several others also said, please get a book on horse care asap. Founder and colic end many horse's lives, and the source of information is a vet who goes over the horse and advises you and a good recently published book on horse management and care and diseases.

causes of most fatal colics and founders: horse is allowed to get too fat, horse gets into the grain and over eats, horse's diet is suddenly changed, horse gets a serious infection/disease, horse gets loose, etc.

 

[()relics]

...I have never seen the symptoms of colic first hand and hope I never do....Good horses and Proper rations tend to lessen the potential problems....Should I ever see one of my horses in an unfamiliar state or in any sort of jeopardy, I would give my vet a call, she is on speed dial, as I am sure the OP would do, as well. Sometimes mountains are made from molehills....JMO...

 

[denim deb]

()relics :

...I have never seen the symptoms of colic first hand and hope I never do....Good horses and Proper rations tend to lessen the potential problems....Should I ever see one of my horses in an unfamiliar state or in any sort of jeopardy, I would give my vet a call, she is on speed dial, as I am sure the OP would do, as well. Sometimes mountains are made from molehills....JMO...

I have and hope to never see it again. I lost my first horse to colic. But, there was nothing I could have done to prevent it. It was caused by a tumor in her small intestines. I have no idea what caused the tumor, nor how long it may have been there. I only had her for 2 + years, and got her when she was 20. And, I could not get the vet out. His office acted like I was being a pain. I now use a different vet.​