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sam13
Junior Member
46 Posts |
 Posted - 29 Jul 2014 : 06:53:10 AM
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There has been a disagreement in the ranks - my mare is over weight, and 92 days in foal. I am bringing her in at 3pm and giving her a small Hay net and turning her back out at 7am the following day. She also gets half a small scoop of pony nuts as she gets apple cider vinegar and a vitality supplement as she gets ulcers. She doesn't eat much of the net and happily trots off through the day. Now I have been told to take the Haynet off her because she doesn't need anything from 3pm to 7am. I don't really feel over happy about doing this as I believe starving the horse can release blood sugar which can cause hyperlipaemia. What would you do?
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debs
Platinum Member
United Kingdom
3218 Posts |
Posted - 29 Jul 2014 : 07:09:50 AM
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| I wouldn't like to that long either.... Can you soak her hay? |
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Callisto
Platinum Member
6905 Posts |
Posted - 29 Jul 2014 : 07:19:57 AM
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| I certainly wouldn't want to leave her for 16 hours without food - really bad for her digestive system. I would also look at soaking her hay net. Also can you exercise her 3 or 4 times a week to keep her metabolism up? Lunging or taken out on a lead rein from another horse perhaps? |
  Zahkira (GR Amaretto x Taffetta)
Linda
East Sussex |
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barbara.gregory
Platinum Member
United Kingdom
4531 Posts |
Posted - 29 Jul 2014 : 07:48:57 AM
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Absolutely not; I really wouldn't want to do that. Try nettles. The weather is good so they will dry well. Just pull them up and leave them in the sun to dry. After a couple of days they are ready to eat. I would change the nuts for something like Spillers Lite Balancer and non molassed suger beet is also a good fees; don't use the molassed!
You don't need to give her a haynet when she comes in, she will have a tummy full of grass, she could go until about 6pm quite happily. I would then give her a haynet and some barley straw. The barley straw has very little goodness in it but it will keep her gut mobile and giv her something to eat. Most of mine love barley straw and will eat some if they have finished their hay before I put them out.
Barbara |
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Kharidian
Platinum Member
England
4297 Posts |
Posted - 29 Jul 2014 : 08:33:00 AM
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I agree with Barbara, that sounds like a sensible plan and mine like wilted nettles too. I wouldn't leave a horse without hay as you've been told - especially one that already suffers with ulcers!
Caryn |
Kharidian (Prince Sadik x Khiri)........ Alkara Cassino (H Tobago x Rose Aboud)
aka "Roger".................................... aka "Chips"
     
The first image is from an original painting by Pat Shorto.
South-East Essex |
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sam13
Junior Member
46 Posts |
Posted - 29 Jul 2014 : 09:20:32 AM
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Thanks for all your advice guys! You have confirmed what I thought. We have the vet coming tomorrow for a checkup so hopefully when I put the idea of not giving her a net he will also say it's ridiculous!! I let her stand from 3pm and put the net in before I leave around 6:30... She doesn't eat it all but at least it's there for her to pick at. I'll get some spillers tonight and feed her that. She loves nettles - and we have an abundance of them. Can I ask why you suggest that? I'd love it if you say they have fat burning properties ;-) but I'll certainly try it! I'll start lunging her this week too.
We'll get her slimmed down the healthy way ;-) x |
Edited by - sam13 on 29 Jul 2014 3:07:02 PM |
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moatside
Platinum Member
England
3224 Posts |
Posted - 29 Jul 2014 : 11:05:55 AM
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Agree with the above - leaving her without a supply of food overnight is not going to do her digestive system any good.
Nettles are full of vits/iron etc ...
The Stinging Nettle ~ Urtica dioica
A plant so common that it is found on nearly every piece of waste ground. Despite their sting (easily relieved with the juice of a plantain leaf crushed in the hand, or a drop or two of pure Lavender essential oil) they are one of our most valuable mineral herbs. Nettles accumulate large quantities of nitrogen, calcium, silica, iron, phosphates and vitamins B, C & K. Nettles are primarily diuretic and blood cleansing eliminating uric acid from the body. This explains their reputation in reducing painful inflammation as seen in oseto-arthritis and rheumatoid arthritis in humans. The presence of vitamin K gives nettles anti-haemorrhagic qualities. Nettle root contains sitosterols useful in controlling benign prostrate hyperplasia.
Nettles compared weight for weight with spinach are far richer in iron. The cottager’s ‘nettle soup’ being an excellent source of minerals and vitamins, in early Spring. An excellent alternative to liver as a source of iron for vegetarians and toxin conscious meat eaters.
The sting in the leaves is due to histamine that can be easily destroyed with drying. Nettles can be cut, spread out on a baking tray and dried in the oven at 70 0 C for an hour or so. Keep the dried nettles in an airtight tin and add to your horse’s mash feed. |
www.spanglefish.com/kasanarhythmbeads/ |
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glo
Gold Member
England
1297 Posts |
Posted - 29 Jul 2014 : 11:58:43 AM
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It's no no for a pregnant mare, and if you starve her she may well loose her foal! I would do what your doing, but remember that she will need no extra feed till in the last 3 months of pregnancy, and you will do damage to the foal if you do feed her! Best to just let her have hay and grass. Keep an eye on how she looks, you want her looking well(slim not thin)going in to the spring.
Just to add if your mare is very fat, she may not be in foal! Most pregnant mares will loose there crest, and it will stay soft and floppy. |
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sam13
Junior Member
46 Posts |
Posted - 29 Jul 2014 : 12:27:07 PM
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Thanks for that Moatside - I'll go and get some tonight and hang them to dry for her. Would you chop them and put into feed or just feed as they are? Glo, her hard feed had been reduced dramatically. She was ridden before we put her in foal and competing, so was getting fed to her workload. Now she is turned out she barely gets a mouthful, I could put it in my fist and close it, its that little. Just enough for the supplements that I don't want to stop due to her ulcer issue. She has been scanned positivly twice and vet is coming back tomorrow to make sure. Her crest is staring to break down, but due to the excess weight not as quickly as I would have liked.
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moatside
Platinum Member
England
3224 Posts |
Posted - 29 Jul 2014 : 1:49:42 PM
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| Sam13 - my girls all eat nettles wilted or dried. I pick and dry them all summer and give them at least once a week in winter - in spring/summer I just wilt any that are cut and the girls browse them whilst grazing. |
www.spanglefish.com/kasanarhythmbeads/ |
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Pasch
Platinum Member
2277 Posts |
Posted - 29 Jul 2014 : 8:24:56 PM
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| Agree with others starving a horse for so many hours is a no-no especially if prone to ulcers.Like Barbara I was going to suggest a good quality straw to keep her tummy and mind busy. |
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barbara.gregory
Platinum Member
United Kingdom
4531 Posts |
Posted - 29 Jul 2014 : 8:35:12 PM
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Another plus for nettles are the "chew" value. I wouldn't put them in her feed, just in the corner of the stable. They are stalky so they have to chew them more than they would soft hay. Mine all love them. If i have run out of treats when I do them at night I hand feed them a couple of nettles each.
Barbara |
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Ari
Platinum Member
1657 Posts |
Posted - 29 Jul 2014 : 9:48:33 PM
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| I pulled some nettles the other day on your good advice and left em on yard to dry. The lovely girls that look our liveries are so tidy they swept em up. I will dry em in a safer place. Have to say Ari loves picking the purple flower off thistles, I think they are good too. |
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sam13
Junior Member
46 Posts |
Posted - 30 Jul 2014 : 7:14:19 PM
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| Vets been today and checked her - I didn't say about the vet - last week Chance came heavily into season, and changes in her behaviour had me panicking a bit. Vet came out and say he would come and scan her today. Luckily baby is healthy and cooking well!! Yippee!! Anyways - regarding weight the vet agreed with us. Other person not a happy chappy and I refrained from saying 'I told you so' :-) |
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badders
Bronze Member
England
169 Posts |
Posted - 31 Jul 2014 : 1:55:35 PM
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| Sam not to be too picky but by starving a horse as suggested in your very fisrt post it can cause hyperlipidaemia, however this is not related to sugar but fat break down, hence lipids. It could cause narrowing of the blood vessels like a person with high cholesterol. apologies for correction. |
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Goldenmane
Platinum Member
United Kingdom
4964 Posts |
Posted - 31 Jul 2014 : 2:29:31 PM
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Glad all is well, nettles are brilliant, shame she has to come in at all and not wander around.
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sam13
Junior Member
46 Posts |
Posted - 31 Jul 2014 : 7:28:02 PM
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Thanks for the correction badders. I'd rather be corrected than thinking I'm right when I'm not! Haha! We are working on the starvation paddock for her and hope to get this done this weekend so she can be out longer. She isn't a happy chappy and nor am I for letting her get that way!
Ari and my gelding, Kia would get along great! He loves those flowers. Did you manage to find a better hiding place? Mine are on the stables roof in small bundles. It's due to rain tomorrow so I'll go fetch them in :) |
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Chunky Monkey
