From: uunet!dciem!aeshq!sue@world.std.com (Susan Grocott)
Newsgroups: rec.equestrian
Subject: Re: Feeding Old Horses
Date: 12 Nov 92 16:33:02 GMT
Reply-To: equestrians@world.std.com
Organization: AES Headquarters, Environment Canada, Toronto, Canada
NNTP-Posting-Host: news.bbn.com

Hi Paulette,

In article <9211091513.aa07079@cbda6.apgea.army.mil> you write:

> I help care for a 30 yr old Thoroughbred.  Last month, the owner hired a new
> person to take care of the horse and she changed his feed.  He has always
> been a hard keeper...  But the previous caretaker had him on a complete feed
> and worming every other month, and grass hay.  He looked good for his age.

>This new person changed to sweet feed (feeding more) and alfalfa hay.
>He has coliced 3 times in one month and slightly ... several other times.

>It seemed better to me to keep the horse on the easily digested
>pelleted feed, but the new caretaker doesn't think so.


I didn't post this reply because it's not really an answer to your
question, but there was a couple of things I wanted to say.  This isn't meant
as a flame and I realize I don't know the details of your 'arrangement', but
as I read your post, the old saying "If it ain't broke, don't fix it" came to
mind.  I hoped my post might encourage you to try talking to the caretaker
again.  If I were you I'd probably be willing to buy my own feed if it meant
that the horse got something he needed.

TB's don't respond well to change, and neither do 30 year olds.  They also
both tend to be hard keepers.  Having an old TB must make it doubly difficult.
But it really sounds like this horse was doing well with the previous
arrangement, and I'd suggest the best approach would be for you to insist on
going back to the feed programme that worked - and not search for a new one 
that might - this poor horse probably doesn't have the stomach for it.

Personally I hate sweet feed - you can never be really sure what you're getting
... even buying the same brand from the same place.  I've found that TB's often
do fairly poorly on sweet feed - espeicially if they have a tendency to be
worriers (and a lot of them are).  There have also been a lot of studies done 
to show that horses can be allergic to a lot of the ingredients.  Unfortunately
most horses *love* sweet feed and gobble it up making it look like it's going
to make them happy and healthy and meanwhile they pass most of it undigested.

You can call your local feed manufacturer (I dunno what you're got around
there, but around here there's Shur-Gain, Masterfeeds and Martin Feeds).  
They can often suggest diets for specific problems.  Maybe you could use their
advice to convince your caretaker.  Perhaps you should start with the
manufacturer of the complete feed you used to use.  You might also use your
vet as an ally - the vet noticed the weight loss, does he recommend the
old feed programme?  I only say this because "My vet says..." often comes out
better than "I think..." :-)

What does the owner think of all this?  Maybe this is another ally you can
use.  I'm not suggesting warfare or anything, but there must be someone who
could convince the caretaker they just might be barking up the wrong tree.


	Good Luck,
		Keep us posted :-)

	Sue Grocott
Newsgroups: rec.equestrian