Posted 2018-04-23 4:34 PM Subject: Changed diet now bucking!
Veteran
Posts: 160 Location: Texas
I have a nice barrel gelding who i changed from coastal to alfalfa because he needed some weight and i felt that would help. Now he is pretty sassy. He gets rode hard and he wants to buck with me! I know that can happen with alfalfa but will it stop??? He has put on the weight i wanted. He has just been chiro'd. Help!
Posted 2018-04-23 8:52 PM Subject: RE: Changed diet now bucking!
Take a Picture
Posts: 12841
I think you need to explain to him that bucking is not acceptable in terms that he understands. My horse has a case of too much Platinum and not enough riding. I know how to get my point across
Posted 2018-04-24 5:47 AM Subject: RE: Changed diet now bucking!
Shelter Dog Lover
Posts: 10277
runfastturnsmooth - 2018-04-23 8:55 PM Kid gets water - they survive and thirst is quenched. Kid gets mountain dew- they climb up you like a spider monkey. Mountain dew is alfalfa....except nutritious and takes away the pain of ulcers.
I want to a nutrition seminar held during a big race once and it was explained that alfalfa is not like Mountain Dew. It has the reputation of making horses hyper and crazy because what is happening is alfalfa slows the gut allowing for better digestion and absorption of the other things being fed. Indirectly adding alfalfa can cause higher energy levels when fed in combination with some grains but fed alone most don’t see much of a change although there can be those few cases who do. I feed all mine alfalfa but no grain and all are easy, level headed take anywhere kind of horses. Most people pull the alfalfa from the diet when they should pull the grain.
Posted 2018-04-24 8:23 AM Subject: RE: Changed diet now bucking!
Expert
Posts: 1584 Location: Central Texas
rodeomom3 - 2018-04-24 5:47 AM
runfastturnsmooth - 2018-04-23 8:55 PM Kid gets water - they survive and thirst is quenched. Kid gets mountain dew- they climb up you like a spider monkey. Mountain dew is alfalfa....except nutritious and takes away the pain of ulcers.
I want to a nutrition seminar held during a big race once and it was explained that alfalfa is not like Mountain Dew. It has the reputation of making horses hyper and crazy because what is happening is alfalfa slows the gut allowing for better digestion and absorption of the other things being fed. Indirectly adding alfalfa can cause higher energy levels when fed in combination with some grains but fed alone most don’t see much of a change although there can be those few cases who do. I feed all mine alfalfa but no grain and all are easy, level headed take anywhere kind of horses. Most people pull the alfalfa from the diet when they should pull the grain.
Posted 2018-04-24 9:02 AM Subject: RE: Changed diet now bucking!
Extreme Veteran
Posts: 542
rodeomom3 - 2018-04-24 5:47 AM
runfastturnsmooth - 2018-04-23 8:55 PM Kid gets water - they survive and thirst is quenched. Kid gets mountain dew- they climb up you like a spider monkey. Mountain dew is alfalfa....except nutritious and takes away the pain of ulcers.
I want to a nutrition seminar held during a big race once and it was explained that alfalfa is not like Mountain Dew. It has the reputation of making horses hyper and crazy because what is happening is alfalfa slows the gut allowing for better digestion and absorption of the other things being fed. Indirectly adding alfalfa can cause higher energy levels when fed in combination with some grains but fed alone most don’t see much of a change although there can be those few cases who do. I feed all mine alfalfa but no grain and all are easy, level headed take anywhere kind of horses. Most people pull the alfalfa from the diet when they should pull the grain.
I was actually just being funny....hence the nutritious part
Posted 2018-04-24 11:20 AM Subject: RE: Changed diet now bucking!
Veteran
Posts: 160 Location: Texas
He gets Strategy with his alfalfa. Sounds like I need to pull him off of the grain. He has been on the alfalfa for about a month and a half. It has really made a difference in his appearance. We had a pretty good talk last night. Just not sure it will carry across to a barrel race.
Posted 2018-04-24 11:55 AM Subject: RE: Changed diet now bucking!
Extreme Veteran
Posts: 542
redmanth - 2018-04-24 11:44 AM
Does the alfalfa need to be feed twice a day after I pull him off the strategy?
Personally I would just keep what your doing but increase his work. Maybe round pen or lunge a bit before you get on until he levels out. SKM said it best diet changes take time for them to get used to themselves. Anytime we get a 2 yr old thats not been fed up and sassy they are extra sassy the first 4 weeks of being on high quality alfalfa and grain...then they level out. I don't pull grain ever but I'm a track person an feed an outrageous amount of grain and alfalfa according to most ppl so theres that.
Posted 2018-04-24 12:18 PM Subject: RE: Changed diet now bucking!
Shelter Dog Lover
Posts: 10277
redmanth - 2018-04-24 11:20 AM He gets Strategy with his alfalfa. Sounds like I need to pull him off of the grain. He has been on the alfalfa for about a month and a half. It has really made a difference in his appearance. We had a pretty good talk last night. Just not sure it will carry across to a barrel race.
I would at minimum switch grains. If he was not gaining/maintaining weight or looking good on Strategy than it is propably not the right grain for him and it certainly was not doing it’s job of giving your horse what it needs. If I fed a grain it would be a Bluebonnet variety or a ration balancer.
Posted 2018-04-24 1:58 PM Subject: RE: Changed diet now bucking!
A Somebody to Everybody
Posts: 41354 Location: Under The Big Sky Of Texas
rodeomom3 - 2018-04-24 12:18 PM
redmanth - 2018-04-24 11:20 AM He gets Strategy with his alfalfa. Sounds like I need to pull him off of the grain. He has been on the alfalfa for about a month and a half. It has really made a difference in his appearance. We had a pretty good talk last night. Just not sure it will carry across to a barrel race.
I would at minimum switch grains. If he was not gaining/maintaining weight or looking good on Strategy than it is propably not the right grain for him and it certainly was not doing it’s job of giving your horse what it needs. If I fed a grain it would be a Bluebonnet variety or a ration balancer.
I agree if not keeping weight are not looking good with the Strategy and have to add sometime else along with feed to see improvement of the horse then time to switch feeds I'm a Bluebonnet person and feed a pelleted feed of theirs and have to cut back on the feed when spring gets here, when the quilty of hay and pasture picks up after the winter months and I feed just a little bit anyways because they stay so darn fat because of the feed I'm feeding.
Posted 2018-04-24 1:59 PM Subject: RE: Changed diet now bucking!
Gettin Jiggy Wit It
Posts: 2734
how many pounds of alfalfa are you feeding? I have two horses with respiratory disease. One with heaves the other with inflammatory airway disease. Both have been off of hay for over a year and were switched to a pure alfalfa cube diet. They get 20 lbs a day. I don't have any other options. I really wanted alfalfa/ Timothy mix but the nearest place is almost 2 hours away to buy them. Before being switched they got a grass, Timothy, alfalfa mix hay. I've noticed huge attitude changes in both horses... Pawing, spooky, inpatient, spunky and just outright to full of it. I need to do something different. One is just almost almost ridiculous to handle now. Luckily just yesterday I saw my local feed mill started selling a complete feed hay cube that is alfalfa grass mixed with added vitamins and minerals called a square meal. They will now be going on that instead. I know it will take sometime to notice a difference but hopefully it will be better.
Changed diet now bucking!
