Re: RC: Thin horse

[Thiessej@aol.com]

My endurance horese had trouble keeping weight a couple of years ago. I took 
him to the Vet college here ,they did blod work. Everything was OK. I 
separated him from the other horse to grain him. I added beet pulp and 
molasses and oil and etc. etc. Nothing worked till I wento The Pan Am preride 
and Gayle Eckter from Guelph Ont. was there. They took blood samples and 
sweat samples before ,during race and afterwards. My horse was low on salt. I 
insisted that he had access to free choice salt blocks. Gayle  explained that 
in a hot dry condition a  horse has troulble licking enough salt and 
therefore gets a sore tongue. His sore tongue puts him off feed and chewing . 
It seemed improbable to me. I put free choice loose salt in all my pastures 
with all my horses. My endurance horse picked up weight immediately and the 
rest of the horses seem to be doing better as well. This may not be your 
horses problem but it was my mine. Thanks again to Gayle.

Jerald