Do you think he's improving?

[redtailgal]

Horses have gallbladders, therefore they can digest fats. It may not be natural, as most horses don't generally find corn oil in the wild, but they can digest it and it does help put weight on skinny horses.

And I don't understand their comment about grains should only be given for energy and don't produce weight gain. That's what weight gain is...more energy coming in than going out.

x2

The old toothless gelding over here cannot eat grass or hay anymore, he cant chew it. His healthy and weight enough to keep him looking very nice, esp considering he is over 30 years old, by feeding senior grain and corn oil soaked into a mash.

WIthout it, he would starve to death.

 

[dianneS]

I don't understand the grain thing either, and I've been incorporating oats into my guy's diet recently. I'm soaking everything he gets however, mainly because there is less waste that way, he gets all of his added supplements and he won't choke on it (he's choked twice on pellets).

I think I may be trying the Cocosoya on my horses when the weight builder is nearly gone. I was told by a woman attending this seminar how beneficial coconut oil was for her personally and how she saw the benefits in her horses too, she was impressed. The doctor at this seminar had nothing bad to say about cocosoya and actually said that coconut oil given to TB's made them so lean that the soybean oil had to be added for weight gain, and the combo works well for them. (I'm trying coconut oil alone on myself... trying to slim down my butt a bit... we'll see if it works! I won't be posting pics of that progress however. )

 

[dianneS]

Okay, this is it. The most recent pics. I'm not overly thrilled with his progress, I'm just too impatient. I guess I'm going to stop stressing about it and let nature take its course. This is after a month on beet pulp and weight builder, timothy pellets, oats, garlic, ACV and even some spirulina. I'm going to have him muscle tested too check for allergies/deficiencies etc. But for the most part, I'm just not gonna stress about it anymore.

(He's still a bit sweaty from a ride)

 

[FlaRocky]

OK, Stop stressing.....

He is gaining..... You cannot see the change, because you see him EVERYDAY.... But he is gaining, OK!!!!

I use Cocosoya on my broodmares and anybody else that need to gain or hold weight. I start feeding it about 3 weeks before foaling. I start increasing a little each day so I don't shock the system.
Your boy is improving, but looks a little less developed on one side.

Start weight taping him o.ce a week at the same time and day and you will start to see a difference. But take other measurements also. Measure around his neck same place, measure like you are measuring for a blanket. And in the same place around his thigh. I know weird, but then you can SEE the numbers go up.

Hope this helps.

Maye

PS. Go back and look at all the photos you have posted and you can see a difference.

 

[dianneS]

I'm glad that someone can see some progress. I do think he looks better, but I'm starting to wonder if perhaps he'll always be one of those perpetually/naturally "thin" horses?

Okay, these are the most recent of recent pics... then I swear, I'm done obsessing for a while.

 

[FlaRocky]

Take a wire clothes hangar and bend over his wither area, like you are measuring for a saddle. Then put it away for at least 1 month, then get another one and repeat. Then compare them. FYI, you can also do this around the buttocks area, bit remember put it away where it will not get bent and do another one in 1 month, then lay them on top of easy other and check the differences on them. Also take a tape measure and measure around the chest, pick a bone point on the shoulder, same point on each side and measure from side to side. Measure Only 1 time a month. Same day each month. You can then see where you stand.

Please PM me your phone number so I can give you some more pointers on keeping track on his gains.



Maye

 

[ilovemyhorselevi<33]

stop stressing you would be seeing this horse everyday and you can't tell he is gaining weight but we sure can... I work in a place called Second Chance Horse Rescue in WA and we can never tell if one of our horses has gain weight because we see them everyday so we put a photo up and we get some many responces telling us he\she look great... and your horse sure as hell look a lot better from the first photos

 

[yankee'n'moxie]

Looking good! We can definitely see the difference!!

 

[dianneS]

Aw, thanks so much. I was hoping that more than just his skin and coat have improved. I'm glad to know that he's looking better!

I can tell a difference when I run my hand along side of his spine starting at his withers. It used to be concave, now its just flat, so that's good!

 

[dianneS]

I'm stressing again. He's kind of plateaued since the last pics and may have lost a few pounds too. The horrible heat has decreased his appetite. He's super sensitive to the flies and even with a garlic and ACV, fly sheet, mask and fly spray, he has full body convulsions trying to get one little fly off of him! Meanwhile the other horses, with no fly protection are just swishing their tails (even my mare whom I thought was really fly sensitive, I guess NOT when compared to this guy!) He rubs himself on anything and everything and ends up with cuts and scratches all over himself without a fly sheet.

I have him in the barn during the day with fans on him now and I have a hard time getting him to eat anything during the day. I'm going to bathe him today with fly repellent shampoo. I don't know what else to do? This horse is so high maintainance! I'm really getting bummed out.