Meet Chief. I bought him as a sort of rescue case, he had been tied in a yard for six months. He’s going on four years old, stands about 15 hands even. Real nice coloring. He’s gained a lot of weight since I’ve had him, but he still needs some work. Any comments on him or suggestions that will get him looking better faster? I’d appreciate it!
try a weight gaining supplement if you want him to put the weight on even faster. You could also start trying to free lunge or lunge him to gain more muscle and be more fit.
Please remove all but one photo. Please downsize that photo to no more than 600 pixels wide. Stand him up in the “open” position with head in normal position, show the entire horse.
What sort of supplement do you recommend? I’ve never used supplements up until now.. so I’d like a few recommendations
If you can follow Carol’s advice to downsize the number of photos, the pixels and one photo showing his entire body would be great. I can tell you I do rehab a lot and have a state impounded mare who has been in three weeks and looks amazing! I will try and get a before and current photo of her up. I always reccomend doing a probiotic supplement for 30 days where they have lost weight and to help replenish all the gut system. A ulcer treatmet along with worming is also a great boost for a horse coming back from such situations. I don’t reccomend a weight builder or fat supplement until a horse is at a strong weight for about 3-4 months as that can shock a weaker system. I do a high quality hay, I do timothy, but a good quality safe grass is ok but don’t do the fine hays, and do almost as much hay as they will eat. I keep a pile of hay at all times for them so they can eat the hay as that is what a horses system is meant to utilize. I do a high quality “safe or wellness feed” I do the Strategy Healthy Choice or Calm and Cool feed. Alf. is the way to give them more protein to build mass and help with muscle, my vet reccomends the alf. cubes soaked at 2-3 scoops per day but start at 1/2 scoop per feeding at 3x a day and then move up to the full scoop 3-4x a day. I do my feed 3x a day and hay all they can eat. A light lunging workout will help to build muscle but again start slow with 20 – 30 mins or walking and then increase slowly every 3-5 days and don’t go to fast or they will burn off to much and are still weak so go easy. Hope that helps and I can’t wait to see update photos. I must add I am a big advocate of gelding to keep population under control as well as for a horses well being. A great stud makes an even more amazing gelding. So just my thought to put out on gelding to me is a must unless you are one of the lucky few campaigning those select amazing few athletes who have earned the right to stay a stallion. He is very cute!! His feet will grow faster with the alf. protein so you can have his feet done every 6 – 8 weeks to help with his growth and manage his angles as your initial photo he looked slightly over at the knee but your last photo he looked much straighter, so my guess is he needed farrier work and a great farrier can help get those feet on track quickly and keep his angles such that his knees stay aligned as well. I love these type of cases and horses, and they always are so thankful for the kindness and you deserve to feel great for helping this guy!!
Of course you can check with your vet about top-recommended supplements. I’ve heard a lot about “hard keeper,” which is designed to help horses who need a lot of feed, but maybe you can find out if it will help him. I’ve also seen people who feed Black Oil Sunflower Seeds to help gain weight because the seeds are high in fat and protein and vitamins, and also are easy to chew to digest (softer than an oat, you can break one pinched between your fingers). They usually feed at least 2 cups a day but you would need to build up to it. However, ask your vet first of course because like Kristin said, you don’t want to shock a horse who probably has a delicate system from malnutrition before you got him. Glad to hear he has a good, loving home now! Good Luck!
i forgot to mention about the Black oil seeds, it’s GREAT for their hair & coat! it can help hair gain health so their color comes in nicely, it is most effective at helping color if the horse has eaten it for month or so before shedding season. My mare was getting bleached as she started shedding, and I added 1cup daily to her diet before shedding was over and she bounced right back to her real color. Veggie oil can help with shine, since oil is unsaturated fat (the healthy kind). This sort of thing is more along the lines of keeping a healthy look once he is at a healthy weight.
Sarah has some great advice! I love the black oil sunflower seeds, I have a bunch of mine on it and it is great.
Make sure you geld him! Quickly!
Thanks so much for your help! His hooves were horrible when I got him & he was lame then, & he’s gaining weight nicely now. He doesn’t limp anymore, & he’s began to trot/canter & play more then he used to & definitely has more energy. I’ve been leading him up & down hills to build some muscles. I plan on getting him gelded soon, also, & hopefully by next spring I can start training him.
Rice bran oil packs on the pounds, lunging, walking up hills, and even though he may not like it, GELD HIM!!