just wondering...?

Okay, so I am probably just a worried mommy, but I have to ask. Bali has been here 3 weeks now, he moved from Colorado where he was in snow, to California where it's been about... a high of 60-75 and a low at night of 45-55. He still has a thick coat, so I haven't worked him too hard, usually 30 - 45 mins of western pleasure/horsemanship type activities. Yesterday we did a 40 minute bareback trail ride which was the hardest work he's done so far here.
He got switched to a rye, oat, and barley mix hay from alfalfa since moving here too. His tummy has been growling *really* loud, his eyes have been runny (clear liquid) a few days a week (which I am worried is due to the pollution here, ughh... I hate LA and I love it all at the same time ), eyes are itchy, a little less energy than normal in him, and he poops frequently lately... lol... like, I'll be with him for an hour or two and he'll poop 4 or 5 times, but only a little bit at a time. And sometimes there is kind of watery substance that comes after he poos... not a lot but... (sorry TMI but I need to give details to make sure this isn't something to be worried about!) He's really lazy in the ring too, like after about 20 - 30 minutes he just doesn't really want to go anymore, but will with a lot of urging (which, I do just to make sure he doesn't get off with being lazy but I put him up shortly after he's doing this...) Which isn't like him, he likes to work!

Is he having trouble adjusting to his new feed and/or home? Is something wrong? I mean he is acting for the most part normal, nothing totally alarming is happening, but I can tell he doesn't feel stellar. Does he need a more rich food? He was on alfalfa his whole life, so I am sure switching to this mix of grass is weird for him. He's keeping weight just fine though so far.

Just wanted some opinions... :)

Runny eyes could be allergies. The runny poop could be change in diet but I think it's pretty sandy in your area so I would do a quick sand test on the poop... Just scoop a few balls up and place them in a bucket of water. Let it dissolve and then dump the water out and see if there is sand on the bottom.

You may need to put him on a sandclear type of supplement. I'd check his temp and keep an eye on him.

I think that a lot of it is the move. It wasn't like he was in a short 3 hour trailer ride to another county, he did have a long trailer ride. Definately the feed change. Personally I think that that was too many "news" at once. New place, new temperatures, new amount of work being asked ( as in not working as hard because of the move), changing the food. I think that he would be better off if you did things more slowly. Change him from the alfalfa to the new stuff over the course of a couple of weeks, as well as possibly adding in some more grain, not because of weight, but because just like people a horse needs a certain amount of stuff in his diet to keep him functioning right. What else was he getting before he moved, or was he just getting alfalfa, because it will take his body a while to get used to the new food, and processing it and using it ect. The runny itchy eyes can actually be due to hay allergies, if the hay you use is dusty, in which case I'd recommend soaking it for an hour or two before feeding him to help cut down on the dust. He could also just be having to adjust to the dryer temperatures, so his eyes are overcompensating while his body is getting used to all the new adjustments. In the long run, he will be much better off being on forage that he can munch on for extended periods instead of just eating alfalfa twice a day, and being done in a couple of hours, his body just needs to get used to the changes. If you are really worried, call your vet. Its free to call them, and ask their opinion over the phone, and most vets will be okay with talking with you, unless they think that its serious enough that they need to come look at it. Hopefully he'll be fine in a few more weeks, and he'll be back to his old self.

I like what the pp's have posted. I second a quick call to the vet just to make sure.

I do agree that it was too many new things at once, definitely, but there wasn't a whole lot I could do about that... so hopefully since his relatively young he'll get adjusted here soon.... :-/ I feel bad!
His new pasture mates took a bite out of his flank today to top it all off, so now he has a boo boo there that I had to put wound spray on and clean and all... bleh. I will be buying him some grain to give him whenever I am out there (5+ times a week) so that he can have some extra food. He gets fed this hay three times a day in *really* big amounts, but I don't think it's making him feel to good... on top of the other things.