Eating grass, hay and alfalfa blocks but not grain?

They just brought in a whole new batch, and I haven't heard anything. I don't manage the feed. I pay for full board so the people who work there and own it do all the work. They always let me know if anything is wrong. So I haven't heard anything. I've seen the grain he didn't eat though, and it looked normal. It's stored in a feed room. In the barn where the stalls are. It's locked away. They do keep it in a open barrel..... which I think is weird, but they've done this way before he stopped eating his grain. I didn't go out tonight to see if he finished his grain. Just got my wisdom teeth extracted so I'm in bed lol.. but I'm waiting on a text reply to see if he finished his food or not.

Just got his teeth checked. They're fine. Wolf teeth are out but not causing him any pain. But he's eating alfa blocks that are way harder than his grain so it can't be his teeth.
Do you have any grain recommendations?
He just gained weight, his ribs were showing when I first bought him. I have a whole photo album of him on this website. Click my name and you'll see it :) but here's a quick pic



I do give him cool cal. Paid 70 bucks for a bag of it to help him gain weight when I first bought him. Maybe I should cut off the cool cal?
I'll keep blueseal pellets in mind. Thank you :)

They haven't been feeding him hay because he's been eating grass.
Yeah he was really excited to get the alfalfa blocks. Hmm.. if this keeps up I will call the vet.

Thanks everyone for replying and trying to help :) I'm sure my boy will be just fine.

Call a vet because the feed may be off??

With regard to the too high in nutrients comment, that was a generic type of possibility. As sweetfeeds are generally just junk food, they don't tend to have a lot in the way of nutrition in them anyway, so I don't think that's the prob here.

OK, so he is a bit of a 'hard keeper' &/or you work him quite hard? It is possible that the grain is part of his weight problem, as the same probs that lead to ulcers & laminitis, can cause weightloss.

Well, you'd kinda expect that, if he's the one being paid to sell the stuff! Grain is not necessarily bad for horses, but there are problems associated with high starch feed that means I'd personally choose otherwise. If for eg. You can only feed once or twice daily, I'd really think about alternatives, because it's important to feed especially starchy feeds little & often to minimise the risks & maximise the benefits.

If he needs a high energy feed, ingredients such as beet pulp, soy hulls, rice bran are high energy but low starch/sugar. Katy Watts | Safergrass.org has some good info on feeds & feeding. But considering what he has been fed & the probs, I'd also give him a probiotic and consider getting him scoped/treated for ulcers. I'd also be inclined to include a good nutritional supp or 'ration balancer' with his feed, so he's also getting good nutrition.

...& after seeing that pic, looks like he doesn't need any extras for weigh gain anyway, but could maybe afford to lose some.

LOL I was going to start listening to you until I read that. You think he needs to LOSE? REALLY? He is a 15.2 QH.
I do not work him hard. At all. He is a baby and I'm aware of that. I'm all about the well being of my horse and I'm not the type who owns a horse just for show. Okay? I work him as in I keep him active and in shape. Geez.


This is him the other day. He is starting to build muscle.

I came on here to get ideas on what it could be. Not to be downgraded for the care I have given my horse. Loosie. What do you feed YOUR horse(s)? I'd really like to know. And I'd like to see pictures since you seem to know so much. :]

I beg your pardon. After you took such great offense I reread my post to you - I acknowlege I'm not always the best communicator in the world, especially with only written words to go on - & really don't get why tho.

Perhaps he doesn't need to lose weight - as I said, "it looks like... maybe..." & based on you providing but one photo, of a horse that is by no means underweight. Perhaps if he's thinner than he appears there, that's not a very good picture to show us. It's the *apparent* 'padding' around his tail head, in front of his shoulders, behind his elbow & the filled in flank area that gave me the idea he's *possibly* a bit on the heavy side, but like I said, only got one angle & little info.

Oh & BTW, my horses are fatties, despite having very restricted grazing. They get a handful(literally one single handful) of pelleted nutritional supp with a few drops of seaweed emulsion, as this diet leaves them well balanced in everything aside from a bit deficient in iodine.

My pally mare ate only what she needed. She often left unfinished grain. During the winter she didn't want any at all.

Ummm, nobody is "downgrading" you for your care. Your horse is NOT under weight, he no longer needs his supplements for weight gain. It doesn't matter how big he is or what breed, when the ribs are padded over and he's getting "fat rolls" on shoulders and tail head, it's time to cut back to a "maintenance" diet.

You just basically slapped the face of one of the most knowledgeable people on this forum...as you said, "Geez".

^^ Not sure I deserve that rep, but thank you for the vote of confidence Faye'sMum!