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 I Chore in Chucks
Posts: 2882
   
Location: MD | I have an 8 yr old gelding that in my opinion is exceptional. I know he has the ability to be a solid 1D local horse, probably something in the 2-3D and a bigger show level. He's level headed and quiet most days. But this weekend I am really plain embarrassed of what happened. He just flat out had no try. I cannot figure out what will get him excited. I'm planning on getting a trainer in my immediate area ASAP. But until then, what can I add/change to his diet or exercise regimen to get a little more "oomph". he gets worked 4 times a week, and his daily diet is as follows
1.5 lbs of TC Complete
3oz of HealthyCoat(I actually got the horse kind instead of the goat formula this time)
2 flakes of orchard grass hay (more if he will eat it instead of make a bed out of it)
At LEAST 12 hours of grazing/pasture time. My horses are very active so there's lots of playing in that time period too.
Any feed changes, exercises, different ideas to get him firing would be helpful! I don't really think it's a vet issue but if anyone thinks I should get something done... I will. I finally have the itch to do this regularly again and would like to actually get back to where we were. Thanks!
Excuse my typos we are driving home from the barrel race and I'm on my phone. |
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 Take a Picture
Posts: 12838
| Platinum Performance will put some gas in his tank. |
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 Elite Veteran
Posts: 600
Location: Oklahoma & Texas | For energy I usually add some oats to their ration...I'm a renew gold feeder though so starch is usually all it takes with mine...on a side note though I am not adding oats to any at the moment...but if I needed some spring in their step that's what I'd try first...you might make sure he's feeling good first - maybe he wasn't himself? But if that's how he always might try some oats ! |
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 Elite Veteran
Posts: 628
Location: Missouri | I love my oxygen products. I use oxy-max with Renew Gold and both my horses have plenty of energy. I have used oats but my mare know ties up when she has oats so I tend to avoid them. |
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 Undercover Amish Mafia Member
Posts: 9991
Location: Kansas | I heard DMG helps with energy as well |
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 Serious Snap Trapper
Posts: 4275
Location: In The Snow, AZ | You could try adding an ounce of Red Cell, or some cracked corn. Crimped or rolled oats... However, I have only used Red Cell. So I'm not sure if people still even feed the other stuff. lol. Its been ten years or so since I fed it... |
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I Chore in Chucks
Posts: 2882
Location: MD | thank you for the advice so far. I'm convinced he's acting normal as he is still very nosy, constantly picking at my belt and my pockets for something special for him. this morning he was a wild man getting let out with his "brother." wondering where that enthusiasm was saturday and sunday.
...horses. |
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 Miss Laundry Misshap
Posts: 5271
| I would get a vet to draw blood. That will tell you if his levels are low, which a supplement like Red Cell can add some boost of vitamins.
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 A Gopher's Worst Nightmare
Posts: 5094
Location: Southern Oregon | RED CELL |
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 Buttered Noodles Snacker
Posts: 4377
Location: NC | Actiflex 4000 seems to give them energy and its good for the joints. |
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 Elite Veteran
Posts: 964
Location: Alberta, Canada | I'd pull blood and go from there. None of the above will do much if theres a deficiency somewhere. |
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  Twin Sister to Queen Boobie
Posts: 13315
Location: East Tennessee but who knows?! | I agree on blood pull to see if he's anemic. If he's anemic it's possible he's not absorbing his food --- you can feed the best food in the world but if he's not actually absorbing it then it won't do any good.
Also, pain can cause one to not run as well. Also muscle issues PSSM will keep one from trying to run and move out. Change of feed to lower starch can make a difference.
Some horses are just laid back and either don't have any desire to run, or they don't know how to run. You can try breezing and see if that helps.
Keeping them in tip top shape helps. Some horses fall out of shape quicker than others and you constantly have to work harder to keep them legged up. When those same horses are out of shape, they usually won't run whether others will.
As far as perking one up, beet pulp is the best thing I have found. Also, I've had good results with Super Sport - won't be without it! |
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| You can waste a lot of money trying stuff. Get bloodwork and a fecal done then proceed according to what the vet recommends. |
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 Elite Veteran
Posts: 999
Location: Sunny So Cal | I would get a cbc and chemistry panel done. He may be anemic, infact most horses are. Have you thought about feeding any alfalfa? Red cell works good too. But before you pull your hair from trying different things to get it to work I would just have the blood work done. Will give you a place to start at. Good Luck!! |
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 I"m Jealous!
Posts: 1737
Location: Benton City, WA | streakysox - 2015-05-31 11:35 AM Platinum Performance will put some gas in his tank.
Bloodwork is never a bad idea but I second platinum. Really gets them feeling and looking good, and firing. |
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Regular
Posts: 57
| My horse has recently had a similar problem. He would make a really good run, but once I took him for another run, he didn't fire and he felt like he just couldn't run hard. I decided to feed him after the first run and he instantly perked up and fired hard and he put down a great run. After how he wasn't firing and just looked tired, I took him to the vet and got blood drawn. Everything was pretty normal but for a performance horse, His red blood cell count could've been a little higher (even though it was in the normal range) The vet told me to increase my platinum performance, that my horse has been getting since March, to 3 scoops and more before barrel races. He also gave me red cell to feed, this just happened last week, so I'll let you know if I see a difference at this weeks barrel race. |
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 Expert
Posts: 1218
Location: South MS | Crowned Image - 2015-05-31 1:18 PM I have an 8 yr old gelding that in my opinion is exceptional. I know he has the ability to be a solid 1D local horse, probably something in the 2-3D and a bigger show level. He's level headed and quiet most days. But this weekend I am really plain embarrassed of what happened. He just flat out had no try. I cannot figure out what will get him excited. I'm planning on getting a trainer in my immediate area ASAP. But until then, what can I add/change to his diet or exercise regimen to get a little more "oomph". he gets worked 4 times a week, and his daily diet is as follows 1.5 lbs of TC Complete 3oz of HealthyCoat(I actually got the horse kind instead of the goat formula this time) 2 flakes of orchard grass hay (more if he will eat it instead of make a bed out of it) At LEAST 12 hours of grazing/pasture time. My horses are very active so there's lots of playing in that time period too. Any feed changes, exercises, different ideas to get him firing would be helpful! I don't really think it's a vet issue but if anyone thinks I should get something done... I will. I finally have the itch to do this regularly again and would like to actually get back to where we were. Thanks! Excuse my typos we are driving home from the barrel race and I'm on my phone.
I had mine on Triple Crown complete for awhile - I had to feed mine 1.5-2 scps (3 quart scp) 2x per day to keep energy up - I know you are suppose to feed less with TC but in my case I was feeding more.
I feed mine Purina Impact textured 12% sweet now (which is basically the old Omelene 200 formula)
Then I give 1 flake of alfalfa and MSM and Red Cell I'm about to switch mine to EQ Royal (blood builder) as I have several friends whose horses improved 1/2 to full second on this stuff
They come in for 2 hours am and 2 hours pm to eat and then back on pasture
I would do a comp panel and fecal too - small strangles are tough and can cause anemia (my mare had them and when I addressed them via powerpac she was a different horse after being on lixotinic for a few weeks)
Edited by Lmichaels 2015-06-02 10:30 AM
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 A Somebody to Everybody
Posts: 41354
Location: Under The Big Sky Of Texas | I agree with getting blood drawn befor buying supplements so you will know where to start.
Maybe he's bored with barrels and need's a different job to go along with barrels.
Do you feed him once are twice a day? I see he gets 12 hours of grazing, thats alot of pasture time and was wondering how offten he gets feed. My horses have their own runs they stay in untill I feed and turn them out for the day then when evening comes around supper time is here and I bring them all up put them back in their own runs and they get their supper and hay and then repete the next day. |
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I Chore in Chucks
Posts: 2882
Location: MD | Southtxponygirl - 2015-06-02 10:24 AM
I agree with getting blood drawn befor buying supplements so you will know where to start.
Maybe he's bored with barrels and need's a different job to go along with barrels.
Do you feed him once are twice a day? I see he gets 12 hours of grazing, thats alot of pasture time and was wondering how offten he gets feed. My horses have their own runs they stay in untill I feed and turn them out for the day then when evening comes around supper time is here and I bring them all up put them back in their own runs and they get their supper and hay and then repete the next day.
he's fed twice a day, they are out over night and in during they day for as little as possible. especially right now before the heat of the summer starts rolling in and they will have to be in front of their fans.
I will get a blood test ran on him and go from there. I believe my vet has a nutritionist for the near by track that hopefully she can help me get him on the right plan. I definitely don't want to start adding a bunch of stuff to his food if it A: won't work B:won't be absorbed or C: will do him harm. I definitely want to go about this the right way. For further reference. The last time I was in that arena 2 years ago, we ran in the 2D without a whole lot of preparation before the race and this weekend we were running in the 5D with loads of preparation and work put in. (hence my frustration and worry.) |
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A Somebody to Everybody
Posts: 41354
Location: Under The Big Sky Of Texas | Crowned Image - 2015-06-02 9:37 AM Southtxponygirl - 2015-06-02 10:24 AM I agree with getting blood drawn befor buying supplements so you will know where to start.
Maybe he's bored with barrels and need's a different job to go along with barrels.
Do you feed him once are twice a day? I see he gets 12 hours of grazing, thats alot of pasture time and was wondering how offten he gets feed. My horses have their own runs they stay in untill I feed and turn them out for the day then when evening comes around supper time is here and I bring them all up put them back in their own runs and they get their supper and hay and then repete the next day. he's fed twice a day, they are out over night and in during they day for as little as possible. especially right now before the heat of the summer starts rolling in and they will have to be in front of their fans. I will get a blood test ran on him and go from there. I believe my vet has a nutritionist for the near by track that hopefully she can help me get him on the right plan. I definitely don't want to start adding a bunch of stuff to his food if it A: won't work B:won't be absorbed or C: will do him harm. I definitely want to go about this the right way. For further reference. The last time I was in that arena 2 years ago, we ran in the 2D without a whole lot of preparation before the race and this weekend we were running in the 5D with loads of preparation and work put in. (hence my frustration and worry. )
Sounds like you are taking good care of him and doing all the right things, hopefully you can get an answer when you get blood drawn and then you can figure out where to start on getting him to feeling better. Just dont over work him on barrels. I understand the frustration that was a big change in his runs.. |
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I Chore in Chucks
Posts: 2882
Location: MD | Southtxponygirl - 2015-06-02 10:46 AM
Crowned Image - 2015-06-02 9:37 AM Southtxponygirl - 2015-06-02 10:24 AM I agree with getting blood drawn befor buying supplements so you will know where to start.
Maybe he's bored with barrels and need's a different job to go along with barrels.
Do you feed him once are twice a day? I see he gets 12 hours of grazing, thats alot of pasture time and was wondering how offten he gets feed. My horses have their own runs they stay in untill I feed and turn them out for the day then when evening comes around supper time is here and I bring them all up put them back in their own runs and they get their supper and hay and then repete the next day. he's fed twice a day, they are out over night and in during they day for as little as possible. especially right now before the heat of the summer starts rolling in and they will have to be in front of their fans. I will get a blood test ran on him and go from there. I believe my vet has a nutritionist for the near by track that hopefully she can help me get him on the right plan. I definitely don't want to start adding a bunch of stuff to his food if it A: won't work B:won't be absorbed or C: will do him harm. I definitely want to go about this the right way. For further reference. The last time I was in that arena 2 years ago, we ran in the 2D without a whole lot of preparation before the race and this weekend we were running in the 5D with loads of preparation and work put in. (hence my frustration and worry. )
thank you! Praying, hoping and begging for answers soon. |
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 Experienced Mouse Trapper
Posts: 3106
Location: North Dakota | I just asked Lynn McKenzie on here pretty much the same question about getting my big guy to run harder. She said evaluate your nutrition, my horse sounds a lot like yours, has pasture 23 hours a day and I feed summer heat, (made by woodys) all I did was double his grain intake (from 1 1/2 pounds to 3 pounds a day) and chaching! It's working (he's still a 4D beast but he's a faster 4D!) He's more willing, Analyze your Triple Crown and MAKE sure you are weighing his grain, you might be shorting him. My horse is HUGE and just plain takes A LOT more than any of our other horses to look good (for example 1 1/2 tubes of wormer) MAybe you just need to feed your's at the top of the scale for grain and add a little alfalfa?? Plus, get them in as good of shape as possible, I know you said he's worked 4 days a week, maybe he needs hill work or dragging a log or chasing steers to change his muscle mass?? |
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I Chore in Chucks
Posts: 2882
Location: MD | LMS - 2015-06-02 11:14 AM
I just asked Lynn McKenzie on here pretty much the same question about getting my big guy to run harder. She said evaluate your nutrition, my horse sounds a lot like yours, has pasture 23 hours a day and I feed summer heat, (made by woodys) all I did was double his grain intake (from 1 1/2 pounds to 3 pounds a day) and chaching! It's working (he's still a 4D beast but he's a faster 4D!) He's more willing, Analyze your Triple Crown and MAKE sure you are weighing his grain, you might be shorting him. My horse is HUGE and just plain takes A LOT more than any of our other horses to look good (for example 1 1/2 tubes of wormer) MAybe you just need to feed your's at the top of the scale for grain and add a little alfalfa?? Plus, get them in as good of shape as possible, I know you said he's worked 4 days a week, maybe he needs hill work or dragging a log or chasing steers to change his muscle mass??
LOL chasing steers... how about steers chasing HIM!
I just got done with him and started with some long trotting on the hills, going over small jumps and lots of transitions. He seemed to enjoy it! nutritionist will evaluate him this week, I have one of those sports massager things coming my way. so he should be feeling like a million bucks pretty quickly!! :) |
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Getting my horses energy levels up. Help/advice needed