Hello to the forum. I'm a new horse owner - finally achieved my dream at 40 years old.
I "inherited" three beautiful horses - a mustang mare, a paint thorough bred mix gelding and a thorough bred gelding
Although all healthy, the geldings were too skinny. They came from an area of Colorado known for sand, and the former owner recommended I run same clear in their grain to help them gain weight.
In addition, my friend, who is an experienced horse owner, told me to isolate them in the corral, away from my mare and her two mares, who we are boarding, and feed them a bale of alfalfa a day.
The paint is responding wonderfully. He is no longer "hippy," you can't see his ribs and he looks to be just about at the perfect weight. He's 20, by the way.
The thorough bred, who is eight, is not coming along as quick. He has not been on sand clear as long as the paint - and I'm having to sand clear them both as he steals the paint's food. I can no longer count his ribs, but he still has pronounced hips.
Like I said before, currently, the boys are standing in their food in a 60x60 corral, so everything they eat is being packed on in pounds. I feed the 60/40 alfalfa, and they get sweet grains and sand clear every night. Their teeth are good, otherwise, they are in excellent health, just a little skinny.
I'd like to start legging my thorough bred up for hunting season, but he needs more meat on him before that can happen. Am I being impatient, or is there something more I can do for him?
I "inherited" three beautiful horses - a mustang mare, a paint thorough bred mix gelding and a thorough bred gelding
Although all healthy, the geldings were too skinny. They came from an area of Colorado known for sand, and the former owner recommended I run same clear in their grain to help them gain weight.
In addition, my friend, who is an experienced horse owner, told me to isolate them in the corral, away from my mare and her two mares, who we are boarding, and feed them a bale of alfalfa a day.
The paint is responding wonderfully. He is no longer "hippy," you can't see his ribs and he looks to be just about at the perfect weight. He's 20, by the way.
The thorough bred, who is eight, is not coming along as quick. He has not been on sand clear as long as the paint - and I'm having to sand clear them both as he steals the paint's food. I can no longer count his ribs, but he still has pronounced hips.
Like I said before, currently, the boys are standing in their food in a 60x60 corral, so everything they eat is being packed on in pounds. I feed the 60/40 alfalfa, and they get sweet grains and sand clear every night. Their teeth are good, otherwise, they are in excellent health, just a little skinny.
I'd like to start legging my thorough bred up for hunting season, but he needs more meat on him before that can happen. Am I being impatient, or is there something more I can do for him?