Re: Sluggish horse

If she's checked out OK with the vet, then maybe you should look at her feed regime.  She may need something with vitamins in it that she could be lacking.  Best way to work out what she needs is to send an email to one of the feed companies and explain how she is, and what you currently feed her.  Also remember that she's only 3 so don't over feed her either or you could end up with joint problems.  It might not be the quantity of feed that is the problem here but the type of feed.  Has the cough gone away?  If not ask the vet about it again as she might need an antibiotic - never ever let a cough go untreated, if there is a bacteria involved it needs to be dealt with otherwise you could end up with a bigger problem e.g. gutteral pouch haemorrhage (I lost a much loved horse to this so I speak from experience).  Good luck with her x

Re: Sluggish horse

Hi,

Firstly, what was she checked out for at the vets? Is it possible they only tested her for direct causes of the cough? Did she have a thorough physical checkup to assess what body issues there may be? I would get that done, including a chiro or body expert to look over her. Her being listless in the paddock too & picked on by the other horses is not a great sign.

I would definitely NOT 'just sell her or live with it'. I believe in taking responsibiility for the health & wellbeing of the animals we have chosen to acquire - after all, if we just pass them on or ignore their issues, no one else is likely to bother either.

You don't say how long you've had her, how long she's been ridden for, but remember she's still an immature gangly 'teenager' and it's very possible that starting/riding her too young has caused physical injuries that cause her to be too sore to want to move much. I would only start riding a horse very lightly between the ages of about 3 & 5-6, waiting until the growthplates have fused, the horse is physically mature, before doing much at all. Other issues such as saddle fit, how she was trained/is ridden, hoof or leg problems, etc are other possible causes.

Re feeding & nutrition, if she's a good weight, it isn't likely to be lack of calories making her listless, but it's possible imbalanced/deficient nutrition is the cause, especially as it sounds like no one gets supplemented. Unfortunately mineral blocks are generally not well balanced - pretty much all salt - and a horse would have to lick one all day to get enough from it anyway. Perhaps that's why your 'big bad' horses hogged it - they obviously needed what's in it, but they never got enough not to feel they needed to own it. So... if you're going to go the mineral block route, I'd put out a number of them in the paddock, enough for everyone to get what they want from them, but I'd personally do that as an extra to otherwise supplementing their diets more effectively. I personally just put out straight rock salt in excess to their regular supps. You can either get powdered supplements that you add to a feed or you can choose pelleted 'ration balancers' that are able to be fed straight.

Re: Sluggish horse

!!!!! she's also an itchy horse, not like sweetitch. but if there's something for her to scratch on she'll do it. i know its not worms though. we keep all our horses UTD on de wormers.

but yes, she's an itchy horse, and she likes to shake quite a bit. mostly just ehr head when riding though (i think because she has a rider on, not that it's always stopped her) but she shakes her head like her mane is tickling her eyes or ears. i've tried braiding her forelock and bridlepath out of the way, but didn't notice a difference.

Re: Sluggish horse

rhapsody said:

She looks like a sweet wee thing, and your place looks like heaven to me!  When you say she shakes her head a bit, could there be an issue with her teeth?  Might be worth having them looked at, just in case there's a reason why they might be causing her some discomfort, that might mean she's not getting the best from her food if they're sore and she's not chewing it properly, therefore the absorption of the vital nutrients won't occur, even if she's appearing to eat well.  Just a thought, might be worth thinking about.  I don't know if you  have equine dentists in your part of the world, or even any where near you, but your vet should be knowledgable enough to carry out a thorough examination of her mouth.

it is something to consider, but her weight is good. and, though i rarely do, when i put a bit in she takes it no problem. we have equine dentists, i guess i could call them, and they're the ones that float the teeth and such. she enjoys putting things in her mouth. she would lead herself around by the rope if i let her.

and thanks :) its mostly cold and windy here, and we don't get much rain, but it is still paradise

Re: Sluggish horse

Hope she is OK, keeping all fingers and hooves crossed here for you x