What do you think??? have any winter tips??

Question

I purchased this TB about a month ago he was very malnourished, and was covered with rain rot he had it on his back legs right under his hocks as well.

anyways I think he's come a LONG way!

what do you think?

July (when i bought him) --> (these were taken about a week after i got them on the pasture so his belly is actually full in these pics)

http://i34.tinypic.com/2ql78ma.jpg

http://i36.tinypic.com/jpvitu.jpg

August (now) -->http://i35.tinypic.com/2e5qwcn.jpg

http://i36.tinypic.com/2dnrt2.jpg

http://i34.tinypic.com/ae7kfk.jpg

he still has a way to go but i've been riding him now and he's getting more muscle, so what do you think? does he look a lot different to you too???

how much longer do you think till he'll be back up to FULL thoroughbred weight? the vet though it would take a year

i'm really trying to fatten him up for winter, and i'm pretty nervous about winter.. any weight keeping tips??? he eats beet pulp, 4 cups of omolene 200 ( vet said to feed that to him) and about a bale a day! I asked my vet if i should be feeding him supplementss but he said no.

is his weight gaining rate too slow? or too fast? he's my first rescue horse AND my 1st actual horse! so i'm new to this! my vet just said to be patient and i'm doing everything right, but i'm still always worried about him!! lol

and the previous owner neglectedcd him pretty much thats how he got that way..=(

Answer 1

looking very nice got one I'm working on as well but my vet said that the beet pulp also serves as a laxative so to only give it every other day so you might want to ask you vet about that and ive been using a cap full of vegetable oil and so far so good  

Answer 2

I am now up to 3 horses that were underweight when I got them.

The 2 Arabians needed to gain 50 lbs for one and 75 lbs for the other. We worked our way up to 2 scoops of Strategy and 2 flakes of hay twice a day. To this we added 1/4th cup of corn oil a day plus a teaspoon of salt. In 10 weeks, the girls have gotten glossy, gained almost all their weight and no colic!

Now working on a pony that was very underweight and has Strangles. The site for the drainage is healing over, the swelling is slowly coming down. But she is gaining weight very well in just 2 weeks. Another 2 months at this rate, she should be well on her way to being healthy again. She gets 1 1/2 scoops  twice a day and grazes all day.

By the way the salt is because we have such hot weather here. The first 4 weeks I had the Arabians, we were in the 100's with the heat index. Hard to gain weight in that kind of heat.

Answer 3

Big diff in a month, amazing what we can do with love:)  I wouldn't be riding him though or working him to hard, I would wait on that.  But 1 cup corn oil once daily is great for weight building, coat, skin, muscles, hoofs and even can prevent colic.  Mix in slowly over 2 wks.  Keep us updated and also with lack of fat and due to be so neglected he may need a blankey this winter.  Best of luck and take care.

Answer 4

I had to actually check when you said those first pictures were from. He gained a lot of weight! His ribs are nice and covered up and his topline looks a lot better,  his spine isn't popping out anymore. That's a very good start! While he could use a bit more muscle, I'm sure, if you keep putting weight on him like you have been, you should be okay. I'm not sure what you mean by 'thoroughbred weight' since I interpret that to mean stick-thin super-fit racing weight, but I'll assume you mean you want him to have a little belly on him.

Thoroughbreds can be sensitive to the change in weather so watch him closely. If he starts looking like he might be taking a step back, I'd consider looking into a supplement. He doesn't look like he needs one now but just in case, I'd look for one just so that if he does go backwards, you won't have to scramble last minute. You may need to do a little experimenting to find out what keeps the weight on best, since there are a lot of options out there.

Don't worry about him too much, just keep feeding him up, spoil him as best you can. Good job so far, and good luck. :)

Answer 5

I think you've done a great job so far and you're right on track. He's gained plenty of weight for the time period you've had him. Keep doing what you're doing and he should be a fat, healthy horse in a few months. And kudos to you for taking in a neglected animal. It's really rewarding to see them improve and have abetter life :)

We adopted one about 6 years ago that was very similar to yours. He was a really picky eater, so it took longer than usual, but he was fat within a year. So if yours is eating well, it should only be 6 months or so is my guess. And if your vet said no supplements, then no supplements. High quality feeds contain pretty much everything they need anyway. You don't want him to gain too much weight too fast.

Answer 6

He looks great! I think it's amazing that he's made such marked improvement after only one month. I'd say continue what you're doing and wait on the supplements. Follow your vet's advice, it seems to be serving you really well so far.

And congratulations on your rescue!

Answer 7

You say you trust your vet, and your vet says to continue with what you're doing.  I would express any concerns regarding winter to the vet and get any advice there....not here.  We don't know the horse like your vet does. Do you maybe not trust the vet as much as you'd like to?

Add...I think it's going well as is.

Answer 8

if you're already feeding almost a bale a day.. like the vet said, you're doing the right thing. neglected horses usually take a long time to be back to normal weight. he might loose a little in the winter because they cant graze, but thats totally normal for TB's and he'll be fine.

you're doing all that you can and i must say, an AMAZING job at that. he's not gaining weight too fast, you're just taking amazing care of him

keep up the work and worry a little less, he'll be fine

Answer 9

It's not good to feed horses supplements if a vet says that they don't need it b/c they can get really sick from having too much of a certain vitamin. If you're worrying about him during the winter, get him a really thick t/o blanket and keep him in at night. Also you can see if you can feed him a little bit of corn or something like that because that makes them really warm and it gives them energy - just be careful that you don't give him too much and ask your vet first. Also he's going to need to gain muscle too, so keep exercising him in the winter (walking/trotting up and down hills is probably the best thing to build muscle mass without tiring him out.) Good luck! :)

Answer 10

i wish there were more people like you!

instead of trying to find the BEST horse out there!

Answer 11

I think you're doing a wonderful job with him, he looks so much better already in the short time you've had him. Just keep doing what your doing and listen to your vet. The weight gain should be slow and progressive especially with a horse that's been mistreated otherwise it could be like a system overload for the poor guy. Regular proper feeding and a reasonable exercise program should take around a year like your vet said, I wouldn't bother with any supplements just yet if at all. It's been a month and he IS progressing. One thing we used to do for our horses in the winter is to cook up some warm barley and add it to their feed in the mornings. Not saying that's what you should do but it's what we did and they loved it. Best of luck with him!