Any horse owners?

Haven't heard of beet pulp. I'll ask at the stock feeds. Hay is a no go - he just won't eat it. Never has. Would go for the grains that fell out of it and leave the bulk. We went away a couple of months back and I forked out $22 bucks for a bale of Lucerne to keep him going while we were away. Came home and it was untouched, cheeky bugger. Lots of grass at the moment - I don't think we'd have much luck with seed given the amount of rabbits we have here. They're devouring everything. He doesn't have much in the way of teeth anymore - we water down his gumnuts so they're soft but I was watching him graze tonight on grass and he seemed to be grabbing mouthfuls without any issues. Grass is quite long so it's probably making it easier.

He's so fussy, makes things hard. Our other horse ate everything and anything which has it's own problems!

I have an oldie here I rode her at the royal in 1986.... Yep 86! I feed her Prydes Old Timer, it's good for maintaining weight and is good for vanishing teeth.
We are so all over the place with rugging here as some nights are cold and I have heavy ones on then the next night it's cold.

I've heard of Old Timer - was told to give it a shot if the soy didn't work.

How old is she, Joeve? That's pretty fantastic you've had her for so long. We got our boy in 1993.

Forgot to mention! I've booked in for a trail ride at the start of Nov! I haven't ridden for about eight years! Really looking forward to it but nervous! Wonder how the body will pull up after two kids!

Maybe try him with some soaked grains PRMG - whole oats and barley soaked overnight, maybe some lupins. Really good for getting weight on and the soaked aspect is nice for the old boys. Also a whole heap cheaper than mueslis, pellets etc. My old boy passed away at 31, and for the last few years of his life that was his staple diet.

She just turn 34 :) she's still a bit naughty funny old thing. I have had her for 30 of those years lol!

How to the oldies go on oats, LuluHB? We had him on oats when we were riding and far out it lifted his spirits! I'm not sure I want him any wilder than he is right now!

I was able to move my hands across him this morning without him lifting his leg or swishing his tail. Progress!

Deleted pic
Here's a pic of him, taken at the start of this year. Hope it works, haven't added in a pic from tapatalk before.

An older horse or horse on light work really doesn't need the protein hit of oats, and carbs are really what is needed. Roughage, and that's what beet pulp is.
As the grass cures you may find he'll put on some more weight, because the leafy stalks will have the roughage and carbohydrates.
Yep, rabbits, roos and some birds can negate seed scattering. If you had the money you could get a contractor in to rip part of the paddock and drill seed in, so that you can choose your pasture. The Equiculture website is my go-to, as Jane and Stuart are horse pasture experts! In fact, they're going to be in Vic in March and April conducting workshops through various Landcare and council initiatives (including mine in South Gippsland!), which will be invaluable to anyone who owns horses on their properties.
From memory, barley is a better option than oats, and I'd feed bran with caution.
Micronised commercial feeds do work out more expensive than buying bags of grain, but you are paying for a measured dose in each pellet and the work is done for you. I don't personally use these feeds, except the young horse mix when feed is low and I separate my young fella at feed times (he's nearly 2yo), leaving the others to fight it out over the their selection of one type of hay (ha ha!), just because he's growing and the other horses dominate the hay bikkies when I throw them in the paddock so he misses out. Mariette Van De Berg writes good articles about nutrition, if you've seen her work in Equestrian Life etc.
So, whilst I know horses are designed to thrive on the crappest of pastures, the oldies (more than the young ones) need special care, because nature designed them out of the picture once they lose teeth! That's where commercial feeds come in so handy.

I'd have to disagree with you on that one SJ. No, they don't need the energy hit but they do need the calories hit, which is what they will get from the grains. Getting enough bulk into them to do the same job is sometimes more than you can achieve.

PKMG - my old boy went really well on the oats, but then he was a pretty laid back guy anyway. I had a thoroughbred mare that I couldn't give any oats to at all - she just went off her nut with them, and that was when she was in full on work. Maybe try the barley and lupins and see if that helps. Good news that you could get some hands on today. Hopefully once it starts, things will improve quickly

I think I got the link to work of the picture in my post on the previous post.

What about Rice Pollard to fatten up a horse? It has been a while since I knew anyone that used it but I know it use to work a treat with a couple of horses that a mate had that needed fattening up.

My other thought would be Copra meal.

Nope I'm still getting some homeopathic thread lol no horse pic!

No, not everyone agrees, so I just offer my suggestions - it's not my research you're disputing ;) I learn from experts in their field and I'll go to them again when my horses need extra help due to age :) As I said, Equiculture is my go-to, and Kath Unkenstein (Tarwin Grove vets and breeder) doesn't recommend oats for older horses.
ETA: I haven't heard about rice pollard, but I'll ask around.

Oh bugger. Well it is in my Album title my pictures now.

I appreciate all the suggestions and hopefully something along the line will work for us. I'm sure we'll all know/hear different things along the way. The last time we had a vet out to our boy, she told us not to give him anything but chaff - her reasoning was he was too old and anything else might shock his system. I ignored her because I can't let him fade away....

We used rice pollard way back when we got him. The full fat soy looks like the same thing - same colour and texture.

I'm going to split his food up so he's getting it twice a day. Noticed today that he left quite a bit behind. Lots more grass at the moment so he's possibly not as hungry. At least if I split it over two feeds, he's still getting the same amount and nothing is wasted. I'm not buying chaff for the birds to eat!

Sounds like the way to go, Kazzo - little and often is gonna make him happy :)

PRM,
If he has plenty of good pick in his paddock, why don't you cut out the chaff and up the gumnuts?
If you want to add calories and bind the soymeal to the gum nuts, add ricebran or canola oil to bind it (1/2) cup per feed. The oil will also add calories.
Chaff is a bit of a waste of $, it really only bulks out feed.
Some people swear by speedi beet or maxisoy for oldies, readily digestible, low gi, laminitis trust approved and good for hind gut function (contain large amounts of water-like grass). Although not all horses find them palatable.
But upping the gumnuts alone should do the trick.

That's a good place to start, livinthedream. He loves the gumnuts and digs through the chaff to get to them. Sometimes the most obvious doesn't register in this tired brain of mine.

If you feed it out about 3 or 4 times a day, rather than increasing each feed amount, he'll still get more and he'll metabolise it better. If he likes them then leave it at that, and if you need more weight on then investigate supplementing it with the beet pulp to see if he likes that. Heaps of people around here using both :)

He left half his breakfast behind today (and that was only one bucket's worth). He hates the soy. Mixed it through with his gumnuts and he left it so I went and got some Old Timer. Gave it to him tonight, mixed with some chaff and left out the soy and he licked the bucket clean.

Do you think he's trying to tell you something? Pesky horses!
I bought hay the other week and the ponies here won't touch it. They'd rather pick through the meagre grass offerings between the weeds in this paddock! Can't wait till the paddock gets sprayed and proper grass grows in it again...but then, that will mean a return to muzzles for these fat-prone things...ach, well ;)

Yummy old timer!! My little oldie comes running for it!

Well the Old Timer is working! We're going through one bag a fortnight and the difference is showing. He's getting 1/2 bucket of gumnuts plus 1/2 bucket of lucerne chaff in the morning, then 1/2 bucket of Old Timer and 1/2 bucket of lucerne chaff of a night. I took a photo of him at the start of November and then one today and compared the two - the difference is remarkable. I'm so happy we're finally winning this battle. His coat is starting to look really great too, starting to get a shine to it again. Spirits are up, he trots up for food and he's a lot less aggressive. But that's probably because I'm all over him daily lol.

I've got him in our smallest paddock so he doesn't have so much room to roam around in. He's got about three acres there instead of the whole property. Plus having him there keeps him away from the dingbat neighbour who likes to think that he belongs to her. She told me she feeds him carrots and apples daily and when I quizzed her on whether she cuts them up because he has no teeth so can 't manage them and could be a digestion issue, she said nope - but admitted that he splutters and has trouble eating them. She went on to tell me that he would be fine. She's also wrapped felt around his rug buckle because she thinks it rubs (yes, he has a bald spot on his chest from the rug, but it's from the corner of the canvas, not the buckle and he wears a bib). I'm glad I found that before he tried to eat it as it wasn't tied on, just wrapped. She can 't really get to him while he's in the small paddock so I think he might just mostly stay there.

Good news!
I really think it's the reason my oldie looks so great. We had the vet here the other day as she has a cancer on her eyelid (whole other thread that I can't write yet :() and he kept saying what great condition she is in.

Horse owner here.. Atm in between horses.. Had the most gorgeous Standy.. Was a rescue, we just recently got our own little acreage and lovely dream house, then a horse gets dumped in our paddock.. I'd been saving for a while to buy my dream horse (qh) and instead I couldn't see the poor thing suffer so I spent all my savings on keeping him alive..

He was vicious.. My partner couldn't go near him without being struck, My wrist+hand was broken in 3 diff places because he got stroppy and booted me one day (lesson learned, move quicker). So it was just a lot of feeding him to gradually build up his weight (he was severely underweight), then out in the paddock everyday with him, getting him used to me, trusting me and then working him. Teaching him how to lunge, how to stop n start when I wanted him too, and to move without words on the ground..

Month n a bit of having him and I was in absolute love, so were the kids, he was a real charmer and becoming a smooch. Then one day I come home to a empty paddock.. Since he still had his rug on I thought he'd gotten out somehow.. So I was ringing the ranger, vets etc.. Then I found out that a vet had just been out to a horse of the same description, he was going to contact the person who he'd performed the vet check for.. I then later found out that the owner had come and taken him back, deciding that since I had been working with him that he was worth selling, but the buyer fell through and so he had him shot. Police requested that he at least return my rug (there wasn't much they could do about the horse, as I obviously had no proof of ownership) else I could file for theft, so he dropped the rug off at the station and it was returned to me.. Wasn't the outcome I wanted though :(

Anyhow, we managed to get some justice, after much research, chatting with lawyers and advocates etc, he was charged for severe negligence, all other horses were removed from his property and he was banned from racing.. Doesn't get my sweet boy back, but at least I was able to give him a small chance at happiness..

So now I have a project horse lined up, palomino QHx, all I need to do now is try and get a float organised down this way, so hard with the show seasons though!


Horses though, I've been in love with since I could walk.. I have shelves full of figurines, statues, books, dvd's, I have pictures filling my hard drives.. Also currently I have neighbours horses in my paddocks making sure the grass is kept down lol..

Sounds like your old boy is going great PRMG. Some people just don't think properly. When we first moved here both paddocks next to us had horses. I made the girls ask our neighbours if we were ever allowed to feed their horses and what they could have.

Joeve, :(.

Hi country mum, what a rotten person that guy was. If anything that horse got to see some kindness and compassion for a short part of his life. Good luck with getting your horse and working on it. My goal is a Buckskin QH or QH x.

Big hugs, Joeve.

Country mum, that's a rotten story. I'm glad he got a bit of peace with you. Good luck with your new recruit!

Kazzo, I have no issue with her feeding him carrots and apples, but if she can't cut them up, then she should just leave him alone. She's a bit strange but that's a whole different story! How are you after the fires?

Rotten to the core :(

My youngest was so devasted when he came home and he wasn't in the paddock, he cried all afternoon, Even told me that he (the horse) ran away because he didn't like him.. :( Heartbreaking..

DF actually knows the guy, he was furious when he came home and I was upset, he almost went to knock on his door..

My dream horse is a Bay or Buckskin with blaze and socks, QH of course. Else a Clydie/Shire or Brumby (I've been doing a lot of work with brumbies and have fallen in love with the breed).. Whatever horse I get I like them nice and stocky, mind you, riding the clydies makes you walk a lil funny after when you've been riding slimmer horses lol..

Of all you lovely horse owners, how many of you have ridden whilst pregnant?

Country-Mum I rode with my first daughter in the state championships at 12weeks but almost fell off in the mud so didn't ride again. Then with the other 2 my husband forbid me to ride. What a horrific thing to go through. Definitely rotten to the core.

I myself have several Clydesdales. 3 pure's although I am only half owners in 1 of those 3 (a lovely bay stallion) my two mares are pregnant and due in March. Milly I bred to Kaa but my other black Clydesdale I brought already in foal to a different Clydesdale stallion. I am so excited about them having their babies but also really scared something will go wrong. They will be outside my bedroom window when they are due with foaling alarms on and the vet on standby. Milly is a maiden and my other new mare lost her first foal at 5days so I am worried for both of them. Seems so much can go wrong. My dream horse is a dark Clydesdale (black or brown) with my prefix. My mother owns my new mares 2nd foal a black filly so I would love her to have a pair to match her (pretty good chance when they usually have a blaze, 4 stockings and both parents are dark)

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Country-Mum I rode with my first daughter in the state championships at 12weeks but almost fell off in the mud so didn't ride again. Then with the other 2 my husband forbid me to ride. What a horrific thing to go through. Definitely rotten to the core.

I myself have several Clydesdales. 3 pure's although I am only half owners in 1 of those 3 (a lovely bay stallion) my two mares are pregnant and due in March. Milly I bred to Kaa but my other black Clydesdale I brought already in foal to a different Clydesdale stallion. I am so excited about them having their babies but also really scared something will go wrong. They will be outside my bedroom window when they are due with foaling alarms on and the vet on standby. Milly is a maiden and my other new mare lost her first foal at 5days so I am worried for both of them. Seems so much can go wrong. My dream horse is a dark Clydesdale (black or brown) with my prefix. My mother owns my new mares 2nd foal a black filly so I would love her to have a pair to match her (pretty good chance when they usually have a blaze, 4 stockings and both parents are dark)

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I love the Clydesdales! Their such a beautiful breed! I love the local shows around here because they have such beautiful displays of them.. Good luck on your dream Clydie! I would love a lovely bright or rich blood bay, Huge blaze, white socks :)

Update on my end. No longer getting the Standy as the owner has decided to keep her, The Palomino QH x, he needs to be put down as his front legs are crooked, they have tried corrective shoeing but there's no improvement, so he will never be sound and after much consulting with handlers, vets etc I have decided against getting him.. I do have the sweetest friend who may have just found me the perfect QH, Now to try and find someone willing to float as all the local float services around here are booked out with show seasons etc.. So fingers crossed..

Still uncertain about riding this pregnancy.. I did with my first, but I never knew I was pregnant until the later months. My doctor says as long as I don't plan on falling off and feel comfortable I should be fine, and one of his relatives actually competed in show jumping (whatever the top grade is, I'm not one for show jumping hehe) until 2 days before she gave birth (and rode the morning she ended up giving birth!) no dramas.. Even came off her horse during a show jumping course and no damage was done to her or her baby..

DF is a little uneasy about me riding still, but is happy for me to handle horses on the ground (even the ones who like to bunt and try to run over the top of you) O.o So it's a little confusing.. For me to decide it will probably come down to what horse.. There's a few that I would jump on happily and ride without a second thought, and there's a bunch I won't even go near at all..

Ahhh decisions decisions!

Does anyone have any experience/opinions on stabling an old horse? I'm thinking about bringing the old boy in at night during winter. He suffers through winter and I want to try and keep him warm and get him to hold his weight as much as possible. This past winter wasn't good. I've asked on another forum and have mixed replies so was wondering if you ladies had any thoughts. He's 34 this year. Thinking about it now so I can get the shed prepared and try to get him used to being in there.

PacRak is he normally rugged in Winter? So the stable would be extra? I guess the biggest thing with him been stabled if you want him to gain weight or not loose any is to ensure his not stressed and has plenty of food in with him. I was advised to stable my mare overnight to prevent her eating as a way to reduce her weight (so allow her to graze for 12hours) then only give her a biscuit of hay overnight. I never did it and she is still a little too fat.

He is rugged over winter. I've just bought a better quality rug for him but I don't know if it will be enough. Plan would be to put him in there last thing at night and let him out first thing in the morning on those cold rainy nights. He gets the shivers when he's wet and cold, even with a rug on, and his weight loss over this past winter was more than I've ever seen him lose. I'm finally getting on top of it, but this is month four of hard feeding - quite a large amount for a retired horse. Having food in there overnight could be my problem as he refuses to eat hay (always has.).

I'd be inclined to leave him out in the paddock in winter so that he can move around (better for circulation) and graze with head all the way down (better for respiratory system). Better to have quality of life for as long as possible than just life. I'd save stables for injuries or periods of illness where containment is recommended by the vet. If he's really not responding to feeds and the vet says he's not keeping adequately warm then you'll be closer to the kind decision to make. Then again, I'm disinclined to keep horses or dogs alive just because I have the means to prolong life, at the expense of the kind of life they'd like to lead.
We have an elderly horse who won't wear a rug and he hates them. So, as a black horse, he suffered without a cotton to deflect the heat of last week...but he would have run around to the point of exhaustion to rid himself of the rug had I put one on! So, he'll be rugless till he can't get about and keep warm/cool anymore. And definitely paddocked, where he's happiest.

Shivering is good. Its a natural mechanism to warm themselves although does come at a cost of weight loss if its going to go on for a while. Can he have access to a stable without locking him in? Our horses have a stable in there paddock and choose to spend a lot of the day time in there and graze mainly early morning, overnight and late evening.

I feel your pain on handfeeding. I am handfeeding 3 clydesdales almost fulltime now as we are in drought with 2 of those heavily in foal. I am working an extra day a fortnight to pay for it. Totally worth it however. I love seeing them in such good nick when there is basically nothing left to eat in their 30acre paddock. The problem is the hay suppliers are running out of hay with no sign of any relief. I get a float full every fortnight as I am stock piling.

Heaps of hay in southern Vic atm - this season's for about $5 in Sth Gippsland. We didn't end up cutting off our own farm, but bought over 150 bales the other week (just cost of baling) that should feed the horses over late Autumn and Winter.

I wonder how much a truck load would cost from Vic to me. I recently got a quote to transport 34 round bales to me (that's all the truck could fit) 200kms and it was going to be $1200 on top of the price of buying the hay. Little squares in the produce store are $15-19 here depending which one you go to. Apparently Mudgee which is 100kms from me are up to $20 a little bale or $200 for the 8x3x3. Both my mares with a foal at foot will be consuming a whole little square each a day plus there biomare cubes. I am getting it locally at the moment for $8. Oaten hay which I prefer is all gone until next season so its Lucerne which is not the best choice. We have lots of food growing on the roads outside our property. I think I will have to start taking the mares down there for a pick every day.

Thanks for the advice re the stable. I have some more thinking to do...

There's an abundance of hay around here too (outer Northern Melbourne), most I've seen in years. Not sure on price though. Most of the properties around here have a sign on their gate advertising it for sale.

ETA - Mildez, I just had a look on Ebay and there were a few places selling further north than me for $5 a bale. Maybe check there to see if there's anything more local to you. Gumtree even?

If you're on FB, look up the Horses for Sale pages and there's likely to be one in your area :) Heaps of hay being advertised in our local buy swap swell pages for horses, so I'd be surprised if there wasn't anything like that for your specific area. Good luck!

Hey ladies, got a question to throw at you.

My Appy has a rash. It is not all over his body, more coming up in spots. He is using anything he can to scratch. I have been washing him in quit-itch everyday and dabbing it on on the days I can't for the last week. I have not seen much of an improvement. I went and got another wormer today and wormed him again (not very easy by myself and a very mouth shy horse) even though it has only been 6 months.

Would putting a light summer rug on him help do you think?

Any suggestions on what you have used in the past that might help?

Also, Joeve, how are you going? Been thinking of you.

Kazzo, I follow Amanda Vella's Save A Horse Australia on FB and they got a horse with shocking Queensland Itch - big itchy lumps. They used suda cream and got an insecticide rug which covered his body and neck. They showed a photo a week later and the difference was remarkable. The horse was Harlow if you want to take a look but it might be worth a shot for your appy?