Re: no appetite

["wood.shannon" <wood.shannon@acd.net>]

Hi Laura,
  Your horse sounds a lot like my arab when he was just getting started in
competition.  He (Yaled) would refuse anything but hay and water from the
time he got in the trailer, until a day or so after the ride.  He, too, was
(and still is!) "intense", as you say.  In his first few rides his gut
would shut down quickly, not just because he wasn't eating and drinking
well, but because of the enormous adrenaline rush he always started a ride
with!

   He's still intense and over-competetive at rides 5 years later, but he
eats like a hog -- I can hardly keep enough food of any kind in front of
him!  I think the solution for him was just letting him get used to the
rides and understanding what was expected of him. In other words, maturity
has played a big part in getting him to eat well. He has learned on his own
that he feels better when he eats.

  Some things that helped:  CONDITIONING for the event ,.... if he got
muscle sore or overly fatigued he wouldn't eat, especially grain.   Also, I
have had some success with probiotics given during a ride.....seems to keep
his gut moving better and when I started giving these his appetite perked
up.  Most importantly for this particular horse was (and is) to keep him
relaxed and not racing other horses.  He does better if I ride alone.  This
may not be to you or your horse's liking, but any way you can keep him
relaxed & happy may help his appetite.  Stop often along the way, offer a
bite of grass or a carrot...smell the roses, if you're just out there to
finish.  Give him some time to understand the expectations and he'll
probably come around & eat for you.

Good luck & happy trails,
Shannon




> 
> I'm relatively new to endurance riding and am experiencing a problem
> with my Arab.  Upon arriving at the ride camp site, my horse basically
> loses interest in eating.  He will pick at hay and grain, sometimes
> finishing his evening pre-ride feed by the next morning.  He refuses to
> eat anything the morning of the ride and eats VERY little during the
> ride.  He is uninterested in grass, hay, alfalfa, grain, beet pulp,
> carrots, apples--geez, I've tried it all.