# Pony losing weight



## tarty6 (28 March 2010)

Hi.  I'm new to this and looking for some help and advice if possible.  My daughter's 6 year old pony has lost a lot of weight over the past couple of months.  He lives out all year round at the local riding school.  He is now being taken in everyday to get a feed (as well as hay in the field).  We have also taken him out of work.  We have had blood tests done and all have come back clear.  He just looks so thin, you can see his ribs (and just about every other bone).  We have wormed him, he had lice which we have treated.  The vet just said to keep feeding him.  Can anyone give me some advice on what food/supplements I would be best to give him?  He currently gets condition mix with chaff when he is fed by owners of school.  When I feed him he gets the same along with a scoup of vitamins and minerals.  My daughter is desperate to ride him again, but until we get his condition back that can't happen.  I hope someone can help!  Thanks


----------



## teddyt (28 March 2010)

Has he had his teeth looked at?

As for feeding, give him as much good quality hay or haylage as he will eat, even in the field. Bucket feed wise i would give unmollassed sugar beet and a decent quality chaff such as D&H fibergy or alfa a. I personally wouldnt feed a course mix to a pony as they are too high in starch. Instead you could feed topspec conditioning cubes, grass nuts, grass chaff or something else that is high in energy (DE- mj/kg) but low in starch. Aim for 3 small feeds a day.

Supplement wise you could feed a broad spectrum vitamin and mineral supplement with pro and pre biotics to help with digestive function. Examples-

http://www.dengie.com/pages/products/dengie-supplements/natural-vitality-digestive-health-plus.php
http://www.equimins.co.uk/_equimins_start.htm


----------



## tarty6 (28 March 2010)

Thanks for that.  My pony has had his teeth checked.

Have had a look at unmollassed sugar beet.  Would you suggest Speedi-beet or Dengie Alfa Beet?  I assume I give him the sugar beet along with D&H fibergy and the conditioning cubes?  Unfortunately I cannot get to the riding school to give him 3 meals per day, and they certainly won't feed him that often.  They feed him once every day and as I said he gets plenty of hay in the field.  If he gets Fibergy etc aren't they slow releasing?  Sorry for so many questions!


----------



## Vizslak (28 March 2010)

He needs to be on hayledge rather than hay and seriously will need more than one feed a day if he is in as bad a shape as you say. The quantity you would need to feed for gaining weight will be too much to put into one feed a day. Ideally he needs three meals, two at minimum IMO. Speedibeet is no good for weight gain, alphabeet would be suitable.


----------



## teddyt (28 March 2010)

I disagree that speedibeet is no good for weight gain. It is actually quite high in energy but it is from fibre, which is safer for a pony. It is also highly digestible fibre which is good for the digestive system. You do have to consider the high water content when soaked though but it is a useful addition to the diet for horses needing condition. Alfa beet is unmollassed sugar beet and alfalfa (and has to be soaked), so that can be used as well. It is lower in overall energy than speedibeet but higher in fibre. Either would be ok, yes, alongside the chaff and cubes.

He really needs a minimum of 2 feeds a day though and preferably 3. You cannot feed enough quantity in just one feed as the stomach wont take it. Can you feed him twice and the RS once, making 3x a day? Basically you have to find a way to feed him several times a day if he is that thin or you are going to end up with a seriously ill pony.

Fibre does provide slow release energy but the pony still needs a larger quantity than can be fed in one feed if he is that thin.


----------



## abercrombie&titch (28 March 2010)

I think it unwise to try to put weight on to a pony quickly, so I think unmolassed sugar beet (speedibeet etc) is good, hi fi nuts, good quality chaff, and oil... soya oil/omega oil (you could easily feed two tablespoons of oil daily), and perhaps a vitamin e supplement (equistro excell e) as this will help his muscle development/top line ... and yes at least three feeds daily... and of no more than approx 1kg each. It probalby doesn't really matter whether he eats good quality hay or halylege (i'd say whichever he prefers!), but either should be fed ad lib. I would expect that over a period of say 6-8 weeks he should be looking much better.


----------



## Chestnuttymare (28 March 2010)

Good advice re the feeding thing, I think perhaps the rs might feed him twice a day and maybe you could get over and feed him once. I think that as he has been in their care and working for them when he got into this state that the least they could do is manage to help rectify the matter. Perhaps he has been cold and he has shivered off everything he has been eating. It has been a really severe winter and tough on live out ponies. What sort of breed is he and are his rugs thick enough. Maybe, combined with the cold, the constant exercise at a rs has been enough to make him lose weight. Is there a stable that he could have the use of and come in at night? 
Must be a worry for you, i hope he gets sorted out. You will see some difference with the extra feed and the spring grass.


----------



## CBFan (28 March 2010)

How big is the pony and what breed is he?

Lots of advice has been given on here without consideration for this and the time of the year.

I personally wouldn't feed the pony anything more complex than a high fibre diet. Plenty of hay - if he can stand in during the day with as much hay as he can eat - perfect!

and then I would look at a good quality chaff like hi-fi or alfa a (lite) with high fibre cubes and an unmollassed beet - speedibeet is perfect. add to that a broad spec supplement.

I certainly wouldn't be feeding him mixes at this time of year.  I'd also monitor weight gain very carefully and get him to the point where ribs are only just covered before you continue feeding him at 'maintenance level'


----------



## Hels_Bells (28 March 2010)

I've had a fair bit of success in getting horses to gain weight but a pony is a very different kettle of fish as I would think there is a serious risk of laminitus with quick weight gain especially at this time of year when the grass is about to get very rich any day now.  

I have had great success with Alfa-A oil and Alfa Beet - but as I said with horses and so these products may not be a good choice for ponies.  I would highly recommend getting yourself a weight tape and also putting a call into the feed experts at Dengie who make both the above and they would be able to advise you on diet for a pony.  Also Dodson and Horrel, Baileys and all the major feed companies will provide professional advice on feeding but I find Dengie pretty good for weight gain products.

Also I have heard that are there are independent horse nutritionists out there and it sounds like that a visit from one might be a very good investment as they will be able to draw from all the various products out there.  

I also agree that being brought in at night and given dinner and breakfast plus the opportunity to consume ad lib hay or haylage (either is fine) overnight would be an excellent start.


----------



## tarty6 (28 March 2010)

Hi and thanks to everyone for their help and advice.  Our pony is 12 hh and is a Welsh Section B.  We live in Aberdeenshire and this winter has been really bad.  Last winter he lived out in a medium weight rug with no problems (and looked like a wooly mammoth), this winter we are onto our second heavy weight rug (the first one fitted for only a few weeks before constantly falling off!).  The RS take him in for a few hours a day and give him a stable where he gets a feed and as much hay as he can eat.  When we visit we feed him, give him hay and today took him for a walk to find some fresh grass.  We are going on holiday next weekend so I would like to try to get some sort of routine worked out before I go.  There is no stable available for him at night, hence the reason he gets one for a few hours during the day whilst the horse that owns the stable is turned out.  If I can get the correct feed for him I will be able to ask the RS to take him in in the morning and at night and maybe persuade one of the young girls on the yard to feed him at lunchtime.  As I said before, they feed all their horses/ponies condition mix, chaff and sugar beet, but if I can get the right stuff I will ensure it is there and available for him.  Thanks again.


----------



## SmartieBean09 (28 March 2010)

Hi,

When my 14hh veteran pony lost a lot of weight, I tried lots of feeds in desperation.  A lot of feed companies gave me conflicting and not to mention confusing advice and this wasnt helping my pony or my pocket.  So I contacted independant nutritionist Clare MacLeod.  I filled in a form she sent me with every detail about my pony and her lifestyle.  She came back to me straight away with an email followed by a letter, explaining what needed to be fed and why.  We also had various telephone conversations and emails after this just to clarify a few things.  All of this for £35!  Money well spent.

I have also bought her book which I have lent to people on the yard.  It is a fantastic book and simplifies feeding which can so often confuse people.

Here is her website.  If you send her an email, she is pretty good at getting back to you.

http://www.equinenutritionist.co.uk/

Hope your pony gets better soon.  I know how worrying it can be and I also struggled to get down to feed my pony as I had just had my daughter.  I managed to find someone who kindly offered to feed her breakfast and turn her out for me for £1 a day so that I only had to worry about getting down in the PM.

Good Luck


----------



## Amymay (29 March 2010)

Sounds like a total review of his management is needed.  From what you've said, the riding school would not appear to have the time, or perhaps the inclination, to manage him well or properly - and I would be looking to move him.

A horse in the condition you describe needs a minimum of two feeds a day.  Access to adlib haylage, and a lot of care and attention.

Why has he been so neglected?


----------



## kizzywiz (29 March 2010)

I agree with AmyMay, if he cannot receive the care he needs then the RS is not a suitable place for him, if he is as thin as you say, & in their care, I would be asking some serious questions.  I agree with the others that a high fibre diet is the way forward, can you not take on some of his care, I would not be happy leaving this responsibility with one of the young girls.  The RS should be taking better care of him IMO, & should be giving him the 2/3 feeds daily he needs, if they refuse, then you should remove him or take on some of the work yourself.


----------



## tarty6 (29 March 2010)

He has not been neglected, far from it.  He is a much loved addition to our family, but he has lost weight very quickly.  We have had the vet out, done his teeth, wormed him and de-loused him.  I knew he had lice which I was treating with an organic powder but to no avail.  I could not use anything stronger until the vet had all the results from his blood tests.  I think he has just been hit hard by the winter.  He is very thin, you can see and feel his ribs, his hips and his spine.  I feel I have gone done the right road of seeking help from the vet to ensure there was no underlying problem before we try to build him up.  Apart from being thin, he is his usual cheeky self who likes a cuddle and nibbles my jacket to get his treats!


----------



## Amymay (29 March 2010)

He may be a well loved family pet - but the people to whom you have entrusted his care simply have not done a good job.

A horse who has lice will go down hill very quickly - especially one that is struggling nutritionally to start with.

I'd find a professionaly run livery yard and get him there to receive the attention and management he needs.

Good luck


----------



## spaniel (29 March 2010)

Im sorry but I agree with the previous poster.  A good yard would have noticed the lice and the weight loss addressed this before you got to the stage you are at now.  

Your pony has had lice and has been underfed (assuming there is no other underlying condition).  This isnt acceptable on livery just as it wouldnt be in any other situation.

Move somewhere where you can feed at least twice a day plus give ad lib fibre.


----------



## kizzywiz (29 March 2010)

I agree totally with Spaniel & AmyMay, the RS have failed in their duty of care to your pony, failed to treat the lice & address the weight loss, he must have been losing weight for some time to be as thin as you describe now, this is completely unacceptable.  I would be moving him immediately, not just accepting that "they will only feed him once a day".


----------



## exracerfan (29 March 2010)

How old is he?


----------



## exracerfan (29 March 2010)

Sorry, just read you original post again and have seen that he is 6, so nothing to do with age.  

Is he starting to moult yet?  Mine are, and it takes a lot of their feed to grow a new coat.


----------

