Re: Re: maintaining horse weight

["Howard Bramhall" <hwb67@msn.com>]

----- Original Message -----

From: Gene Recor

Sent: Sunday, September 16, 2001 3:34 AM

To: guest@endurance.net

Subject: RC: Re: maintaining horse weight

 

I don't know if this will help or not but I have  a Morab and I feed her 20# of pellets and 10# of orchard/timothy hay a day. Along with her vitamin mineral supplements.

----- Original Message -----
From: <guest@endurance.net>
To: <ridecamp@endurance.net>
Sent: Saturday, September 15, 2001 5:40 PM
Subject: RC: maintaining horse weight


> leah mellott royleah@desupernet.net
>      I have a very young 16 year old morgan mare.  She is a "hotter" mare with a high natural heart rate and metabolism.  I have been conditioning her for two years for longer rides.  Her fitness and endurance is fine but I am having a problem keeping weight on.   I have had a vet out to cover all the bases;> parasites are negative, blood work came out fine, and thyroid is also normal.  I have her on grass and hay, she is getting almost 9lbs of feed a day  (A mix of 10% alfalfa pellets, and pennfield enduraevent).  She keeps getting thin in the flank area and sometimes some along the
> topline and ribs. Any help is appreciated.

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I've had similar problems with my American Saddlebred, Dance Line.  To describe him as a hot horse is hardly close.  Sometimes, I think Dance Line is on fire, inside his belly.  And when I haven't ridden him in awhile, when I mount up after this inactivity, Dance Line turns his head, looks at me and says, "Hold on big guy, the after burner has just been lit."

Luckily, he is a voracious eater.  I just didn't want to give him too much grain.  So, since I do pay attention to our endurance guru, Susan Garlinghouse, I started him on beet pulp.  Beet pulp is an acquired taste, you must add something enticing to get them to eat it.  I added the grain that he loves.  And I added this product called Weight Builder.  I highly recommend Weight Builder, because it really does work.  It adds fat and similar products used when making beer. It kind of settles the carb/fat debate.  It uses both.  I'm a fan of the beer products, and all you have to do is look at my belly to know they really do work well in adding weight.

Over time Dance Line has put on over 100 lbs.  He's not fat, but he's not skinny.  With our endurance miles, although not very many completions, he has turned into a GOD.  I do not exaggerate here.  He was easier to control skinny, but I like him as he is right now.  You'll never ride a more exciting steed.

 

cya,

Howard (Biltmore here we come; God, do not allow them to cancel this ride.  I really need to go to this one)