# Pictures of My Skinny Horse



## Ranger (Nov 11, 2009)

So here's Virgil as of yesterday. He had his teeth done in April, was just dewormed again this past weekend, and is still bright eyed so I don't think he's sick...but if he doesn't gain weight in a month, the vet will be coming out to check on him.

The plan is to try to get some weight on him before October. The horse I suspect is eating Virgil's portions of hay should have been moved out of the paddock yesterday (and I'll be going out today to check) and I'm slowing building up Virgil's grain that he's getting once a day. He's on 12% complete feed, equimax 2000, and canola oil plus some supplements.

And...here's my poor skinny horse. These pics make me want to cry and I'm furious with the barn manager who didn't realize how much weight he'd lost.










Hip bones and croup sticking out









No muscle, no fat, and every rib visible









In the background is the horse that vaccuums up all the hay and then eats most of Virgil's









He looks like he's just been rescued...









And to compare, this is Virgil a year ago:


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## Megora (Jun 7, 2010)

That's what my Zorro looked like back in January/February. Only slightly worse because he doesn't have as much muscle as a younger horse....


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## Angelina (Aug 11, 2011)

Yes he is too skinny but not as bad as many I've seen. Without going back thru the original thread, did you ever check out www.bayequest.com on their message board as I suggested? If you go there and write what you feed him, the equine nutrinists will help you formula a diet that may help him. There is a ton of first hand knowledge on that list from horse owners, vets and rescues.

Here is the link for the equine topic board:
BAEN Message Board


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## Maxs Mom (Mar 22, 2008)

He is "thin" but not sickly skinny. He should perk up. Another thought I had, was can you get him some alfalfa cubes to supplement his hay. I know several horses who bloomed on them. My old horse BALLOONED on them but I fed him WAY too much. :curtain: His coat does look good, and I am glad you had him wormed again to be safe. 

My Sayler when I moved him, you could count the vertebrea on his back, his hip BONES stuck out, he was a walking skeleton. I had been trying to find a better home for him was having bad luck. So I asked Jan who kept my horse Pete, could I bring Sayler back while I try to find him a place. I warned her and the girl picking him up he was THIN. When I got out to the barn the afternoon he came home, Jan was LIVID!!!! Not a me, but how a horse who is an EASY keeper like Sayler could get so bad. I don't have any pictures of him that thin. I am glad. However this is what he usually looked like. He took one month to start to bloom again. He still had ribs... but he had some meat over them finally. 

He was 15.2 1/2 hands and wore a 56" girth. He liked his food and had the barrel to hold it. 

Virgil has you looking out for him, he will get what he needs.


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## coppers-mom (Jan 9, 2009)

I agree Virgil is thin and needs to gain weight for winter, but he certainly doesn't look sick.

I think he needs more calories and his pasture mate has been the culprit here. Ask the barn manager to only put a more submissive horse in with him in the future. Is there any chance you/she could split the paddock so they have each other for company, but Virgil is allowed to have ALL his hay to himself?

I so wish you could get Empower in Canada. It sure puts weight on them quickly. The main ingredient is rice bran I believe - is there any chance you can get a supplement that is mostly rice bran and doesn't need to be soaked? I'd check Tractor Supply here, but then it might not be available up there.

I'm not familiar with Equimax 2000. Can you increase it? If not, can you give him more canola oil? Oil is pure fat and will also put weight on quickly, but you have to watch for diarrhea. MOre hay might be needed too. I am lazy so mine get round bales 24/7 and they are both FAT. Ranger did get high fat Horseman's Edge sweet feed dressed with a 1/2 scoop of empower to get his weight up initially, but now he only gets a token amount. I fatted him up toooooo good.:curtain:


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## Willow52 (Aug 14, 2009)

Does he have stall time? We always fed (grain & hay) in the stall before letting them out. No competition for food.


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## Ranger (Nov 11, 2009)

I'm so glad no one thinks he looks sick or sickly skinny. The other concerning part is how quickly he dropped the weight. He was thin, then 10-12 days later, he looked like this. In the back of my mind I was thinking, "what if he is sick?" and then I started panicking trying to see if his coat was still shiny, did he still have energy, etc. So that's reassuring - thanks guys!




Angelina said:


> Yes he is too skinny but not as bad as many I've seen. Without going back thru the original thread, did you ever check out www.bayequest.com on their message board as I suggested? If you go there and write what you feed him, the equine nutrinists will help you formula a diet that may help him. There is a ton of first hand knowledge on that list from horse owners, vets and rescues.
> 
> Here is the link for the equine topic board:
> BAEN Message Board


Sorry, somehow I missed that - I'll get on there today and check it out. Thanks for that resource!



Maxs Mom said:


> He is "thin" but not sickly skinny. He should perk up. Another thought I had, was can you get him some alfalfa cubes to supplement his hay. I know several horses who bloomed on them. My old horse BALLOONED on them but I fed him WAY too much. :curtain: His coat does look good, and I am glad you had him wormed again to be safe.
> 
> My Sayler when I moved him, you could count the vertebrea on his back, his hip BONES stuck out, he was a walking skeleton. I had been trying to find a better home for him was having bad luck. So I asked Jan who kept my horse Pete, could I bring Sayler back while I try to find him a place. I warned her and the girl picking him up he was THIN. When I got out to the barn the afternoon he came home, Jan was LIVID!!!! Not a me, but how a horse who is an EASY keeper like Sayler could get so bad. I don't have any pictures of him that thin. I am glad. However this is what he usually looked like. He took one month to start to bloom again. He still had ribs... but he had some meat over them finally.
> 
> ...


Virgil's also been a beefy guy...that's the scary part. He has not EVER been a hard keeper or else I wouldn't be so worried or concerned. He's always been a bit of an air fern. Even doing the jumping circuit all season, he'd still have the "hunter belly" to him, much to my coach's dismay. 

The other scary part is that the barn manager didn't see. She wasn't concerned enough to let me know or to ask me what was up or to even watch the horses in the paddock to see if something was happening (like the other horse eating his share of the hay). If this had happened later, like in October when Virgil's wearing his blankets all the time, I doubt I'd have caught it so quickly...and he'd have kept losing weight and no one would have noticed. 

I like the idea of alfalfa cubes! I'm heading to a feed store on the weekend I'll grab him a bag. Thanks!



coppers-mom said:


> I agree Virgil is thin and needs to gain weight for winter, but he certainly doesn't look sick.
> 
> I think he needs more calories and his pasture mate has been the culprit here. Ask the barn manager to only put a more submissive horse in with him in the future. Is there any chance you/she could split the paddock so they have each other for company, but Virgil is allowed to have ALL his hay to himself?
> 
> ...


Virgil is getting a new paddock mate today and the other are getting moved out. In another month, he'll be getting ANOTHER paddock buddy. Hopefully these guys don't eat as quickly. It's not so much the submissiveness...it's the horses that Virgil likes. He's the dominant horse in the paddock but he's friendly. So friendly he shares his meals with the horses he really likes. At his last barn, he'd even let his paddock mate (who was with him for 6 years) to eat out of his bucket and share his grain. I'd be holding the bucket, Virgil would be eating, and the other horse would come over and stick his nose in the bucket too! I was the one who had to shoo the other horse away. At least he's not letting this one try to eat his grain. If he comes near Virgil when the bucket's out, Virgil's chasing him away. I wish he'd do that when he's eating his hay!

I'm starting Virgil out slow on his grain. He's only getting a 1/2 scoop of complete feed and equine power 2000 (equimax was the old name, sorry) and a glurg of canola oil and next week I'll get it up to one full scoop and go from there. I'm trying to keep his sugars low since he's got some issues with his laminae in his bad hoof and I don't want it to flare up, so sweet feed and other sugars (corn, oats, etc) are out for him. Not to mention he loses his mind on sweet feed unless he's in full work...and he hasn't been since he had to be retired! 



Willow52 said:


> Does he have stall time? We always fed (grain & hay) in the stall before letting them out. No competition for food.


No, no stall time for Virgil. He's on outdoor board and stalls make him more sore due to this arthritis in his fetlock. The barn manager doesn't want to bring him for meals and let him back outside, so...

We're going to give it a month with the new paddock buddies and see what happens. I personally think 3 horses in a dirt paddock might be too much. If nothing happens in a month or the barn owner continues to not really do anything (like not moving out the horse she said she would on Tuesday), then we might move places. It's a stress I'd rather not have him go through, but I can't have him this skinny or get skinnier. 

The barn owner's other plan is to move Virgil into the back paddock with the other 4 horses who are 'hard keepers'. But I can't imagine Virgil going into a paddock with 4 other horses and being able to keep weight on. If he's lost weight in a paddock with 3 horses because one kept eating his portion, how would 5 horses be better? So that won't be happening.

Thanks again everyone! I'm taking pics every week so i can see if he's gaining, maintaining, or losing. Hopefully he gets fatter by October!


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## Angelina (Aug 11, 2011)

If he has had laminitis before then you may want to rethink the alfalfa. I am glad you already recognize sweet feed is out for him and remember with the rice you have a calcium / phosphirus ratio. I think you already mentioned beet pulp (soaked?) and that wasn't working? Please be sure to mention his bout of laminitis on the equestrian board when you do post there.

I never leave it up to a barnover to be overly observant. I see my retired guy at least once a week even though he is at a great barn. There been just too many horror stories out there and a horse can easily go downhill quickly. I hope you get to the source of the problem soon and am glad you are aware of it and doing somehting about it. He is a handsome fellow.


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## Ranger (Nov 11, 2009)

Well, he never actually had laminitis but his last x-rays in 2007 showed some inflammation...though in the x-ray, every bone in the hoof was a mess. He's got a touch of everything: degenerative joint/bone disease, bone spurs, side bone starting. Basically, his off fore was a mess. He hadn't been lame a day in his life, then we were schooling at a show, he spooked in the air, landed funny, and was off. He was retired 2 weeks later after multiple x-rays, injections and with 2 vets telling me I'd be lucky if he lived out the year comfortably. He's on joint supplements but after 4 years off, he's almost back to 100% sound. But you can see why I want to keep his sugars at a minimum! And no, he hasn't been on beet pulp. I'm not a fan. I think I mentioned it as a possibility but I don't want to risk it. 

For the alfalfa cubes, he won't be getting a lot. I don't feel comfortable (and never have) with giving big buckets of grain so if he gets alfalfa cubes, it won't be a lot. I think problems arise when it's 2-5 lbs of extra grain a day...right now Virgil's getting only a cup. 

But in case I'm wrong, I'll mention it on the feed board. I'm also thinking I want to do x-rays on Virgil's fetlock/pastern again to see what's happening there now. His last injection/x-rays were 2007 and he was noticeably off at a walk at that point. Now he trots around and is 99% sound.

Yeah, I shouldn't be trusting the barn owner as much. That has become abundantly clear. The last place I was at (for over 12 years) had an amazing barn owner who noticed everything. I'm out to see Virgil about 1-3 times a week but he lost this weight when I was away on vacation...poor guy.


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## coppers-mom (Jan 9, 2009)

When I feed Alfalfa cubes I soak them in hot water. I know that is a problem for you though. I soak them because I am a freak about worrying and have had a case of choke from the dry cubes.

They do make pelleted alfalfa here so that might be an option. Not someting I know much about so check it out on the horse board first just to be safe.

I hope your boy puts some weight and you don't have to worry, but you probably will anyway if you're like me.


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## Ranger (Nov 11, 2009)

Quick Update on the Virge-man:

He's got his new paddock buddy in there and while there's a little chasing when new guy doesn't move as quickly as Virgil thinks he should, they seem to be getting along pretty well. Even when the grain comes out! This guy could stand to put on a few more pounds too, so the barn owner is giving them lots of hay to share. I also think it's better when it's just 2 horses as opposed to 3 (especially in a dirt paddock) but the 3rd guy will be joining them in a month.

Now for the good news: I think Virgil's already putting on weight!! It's been just over a week now since he's been getting his grain, 5 days since the barn owner switched to a hay blend of timothy and alfalfa, and 2 days since the new guy moved in. So I'm not sure exactly what is they key point that's making him gain weight - probably actually being able to EAT his hay - but whatever it is, his ribs are a little less scary. When he was walking before, you could see his spine and he looked worse than in the pics (where he's standing still). It's no longer quite so bad when he walks. I don't know if it'd be obvious if I take pics that he's gained some weight but I'm going to take some more when I'm out there today and try to compare. 

Also, quick question: I'm assuming I'll need to blanket him earlier this year to help keep weight on him. I usually wait til it's -10 (14 F) at night before he gets his mediumweight blanket on but what does one do for a hard keeper? He's got a fairly light insulated blanket he could wear but it gets cold at night and still warm during the day in the fall. Would it be overkill to put a blanket on him when it's 0 (32 F) at night and maybe 10-15 (~50-60 F) in the day? Or maybe a sheet?


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## coppers-mom (Jan 9, 2009)

I'm glad Ranger is doing better. I know mine stay fat as butterballs with 24/7 hay so that is likely a big part of him looking better.

I blanket when it is going to stay >50°F. He should be fine with the lightweight blanket unless it is really sunny and over 50° and then stick with the sheet.


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## Ranger (Nov 11, 2009)

Yep, Virgil was definitely a butterball when he was on the round bale, especially when he was retired! He ballooned! 

He seemed to gaining weight for a few days, then his new paddock mate joined him and he lost weight chasing/bossing him around. On the plus side, his coat is looking better so hopefully weight gain is next...and on an even better note, his new winter blanket arrived today! It looks SHARP!

Here's Virgil when his ribs looked a little less noticeable a few days ago:









But here's how he's looking now:









I'm about to add another high fat feed supplement this week now that everything else is at the appropriate amount. Only 6 weeks before the cold weather!


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