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Need help with how to exersice an underweight thoroughbred

8K views 84 replies 18 participants last post by  jaydee 
#1 ·
She was very very underweight when I got her one month ago she's gaining nicely but still very ribby and needs a lot on her top line

She's starting to get quite a bit of energy!! I have her on nutrena pro force fuel twice a day and soaked beet pulp twice a day.

Is it okay to lounge her alittle everyday to avoid her being really hot when she's back up to weight to ride or is it best to just let her sit in the pasture till she's up to weight? Never had an under weight horse.
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#13 ·
I wouldn't lunge her at all - and 30 minutes even just walking and trotting is too much strain on an unfit horses joints and muscles especially if she seemed worn out by it.
All you're doing is working off any weight you're getting back on her
Try to have her turned out as much as possible and if there's no grass then she should have access to good hay all the time
Sugar beet is good as long as it doesn't have added molasses but avoid any complete feeds that are high in sugar or starch - they're just going to hype her up. Look for feeds that are low starch/sugar and high in fats
When you do start working her the lunging should begin at only 10 minutes at the walk and build up slowly from there and do it every day to a maximum of 20 to 30 minutes when she's fit. The plan shouldn't be to wear her out but to teach her discipline and self control
 
#14 ·
...

She's starting to get quite a bit of energy!! I have her on nutrena pro force fuel twice a day and soaked beet pulp twice a day.

Is it okay to lounge her alittle everyday to avoid her being really hot when she's back up to weight to ride or is it best to just let her sit in the pasture till she's up to weight? Never had an under weight horse.
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I did light lunging today just walk and trot for about 30 minutes and she seemed pretty worn out pretty fast so I don't want to over do it how many times a week should I do it and for how long?
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These two statements contradict each other. If she's exhausted after a half hour I wouldn't lunge her. DO NOT RIDE her in her current condition. I take it she's cribs?

I would look for a different feed (I've had good luck with strategy, but I know others will have other suggestions as well), but the nutrena fuel is for horses in work and I don't think it is going to do much for her weight wise.


Is she on 24/7 turnout or stalled part of the time?
 
#16 ·
She she is a cribber but not bad and she is pretty hot right now. And nutrena pro force fuel had a nice fat percentage in it at 13% so that's why I went with it I am not riding her simply lounging her just once to prevent her becoming very hot.
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#15 ·
I would drill ground manners and proper leading and tying, and then give her as much turnout as possible to keep her limber.
 
#18 ·
If she's on 24/7 turnout then I can't see how lunging her is going to burn her energy off. If she had surplus energy she'd be racing around the field
So when you say she's 'hot' what exactly do you mean?
Is she just being bad mannered?
 
#20 ·
She is on 24/7 turn out with choice to go in stall but she is with an older horse so they don't really run around and play even though she has the energy to do so she just follows him around. When I say hot I mean I don't want her getting all this protein and become hard to handle and she is already starting to get that way she doesn't have bad manners she's just showing he has more energy and is more pushy.
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#19 ·
Light lunging really helps my thoroughbred gain weight, it also isn't just fat but nice toned muscle that forms. I usually just trot each side for 5 minutes then canter each side for 2.
Once she has gained some more, hill work really helps the top line! Just walking up hills on the trail really helped my mare's top line. We also did stretches like the carrot stretch on both sides, then out in front of her and then making her bow after every lunging session and after every ride. The top line is always the first to go and hardest to gain back unfortunately.
 
#23 ·
Slide, I am so glad you said that. I was reading the whole thread hoping to see that, and intending to add it if not.

Ground driving is so much more beneficial than lunging, IMO. You can regulate not only the speed and exercise better, but you can encourage the horse to use themselves better, working on the muscles you want to develop....like the topline.

I wouldn't work the horse to exhaustion, though. Just work slowly, but efficiently.
 
#27 ·
For a thousand pound performance horse at maintenence level should receive 2 2 1/2 to 5 lbs a day. If you are feeding 8 quarts a day you are just shy of ten pounds and that is a lot. They only recommend ten pounds for performance horses in moderate to heavy work. Or broodmares. That may by went she is acting hot. She may be getting to much.
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#30 ·
If this horse at the weight is acting hot, cut down the grain supply. She is burning up calories from her roughage (hay, beet pulp) that she needs to regain her body weight. She doesn't need any forced exercise, she needs to heal.
 
#31 ·
That feed is ment for very hard working horses. By feeding to much you can cause serious overload. I would cut her back to half of what you what you are giving and add hay pellets. Timothy hay pellets are my personal preference. One quart is 1.2 pounds. You ate feeding eight quarts which is 9.6 pounds. If you keep her at that rate you are going to end up with her gaining weight too fast and she may get very hard to handle because of the sudden change. Feed weighs more than you think which is why it is vital to weigh it. People usually do one or three other when they don't weigh. They either over feed or under feed and both ways you are throwing money out the window.
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#33 ·
Op - please do realize as she puts on weight her true personality will probably come out. Underweight horses tend to be more mellow as they do not have the energy to waste fighting or being obstinate. A severely underweight horse can have an extremely different personality when they are well fed and at a good weight.
 
#34 ·
Thanks for the pic. Her hip cover is ok, but her stomach/back is pretty bad. Would NOT be riding her until her back has filled out dramatically. At her current weight/health (she just has that "unhealthy" look) I wouldn't do anything more than hand walking and ground work and that on a limited basis. This horse does not need to be worked!! Give us an update in a month or so :)
 
#36 ·
I agree with everyone else, you need to start weighing your feed because they aren't all created equal!

Also, as for the exercise segment, I think that a little light exercise would be good for her, but as others said, you shouldn't be working her to the point of exhaustion because she'll need the calories in her to build the muscle that you're trying to work.

I would say lunge/round pen at a walk and a little bit at a light trot on both sides. I wouldn't exceed 5-10 minutes on each side at a trot. If you see her getting tired, then let her walk until she catches her breath and call it a day.

As others have said, as an underweight horse gains weight and becomes healthier they often undergo temperament changes, so now is your opportunity to nip any bad behaviours in the bud by keeping on her for groundwork. Since you can't ride her or work her too too hard, ground work is the best thing you can do with her as far as keeping her educated and working on your bond.
 
#38 ·
Was she a race horse?

What was her situation before you got her?

She may have ulcers, or worms maybe, has she been wormed?

Agree with what some other are saying about hand walking, just go for a 10 minute walk, up and down hill if you have any (you'll get fit as well :P)

If your going to lunge her I'd only do 5-10 mins max

And also on the ground driving one, if your not that experienced in doing it, it's kind of hard unless you have a round yard.

Good luck with her
 
#40 ·
Who validated her age? I agree about reducing the hard feed to half. When fed pelleted feed or grain, a horse hardly chews it and sends it down, by the mouthful. This passes thro the horse will little being digested. What you need to do is find a means where by you can scatter her feed so she nibbles it. This greatly slows down how fast it goes in and stays in the gut. A plastic toboggan works great as it has sides that are high enough to contain the grain. Mine is 10 yrs old and has seen all kinds of weather. Or build a large corner feed with sides. Whatever you use, it doesn't need to be deep but have a large surface area.
 
#41 ·
Lots of good advice on the feed - look for the low starch/low sugar/high fat options like the Triple Crown 'Safe' range
I am still confused with your interpretation of 'Hot' so I'm going to try to give an example of my own from one of my horses - Jazzy is young, healthy, full of energy (though not an a feed that would encourage that). When she's in the field (with her friends) she'll often have a good gallop around and a fair bit of leaping and bucking but the moment you put a halter on her she is calm and easy to handle - no jigging around or pushing on you
So what you seem to see as 'Hot' I'm inclined to see as bad manners which are better addressed by you asserting yourself as the person who calls the shots.
Look up groundwork exercises you can do with her, be firm and consistent
Running a horse around might wear it out but it doesn't teach it anything so once the energy comes back you have exactly the same unruly horse on your hands - plus some - because the fitter the horse gets the more full of itself its going to be.
 
#46 ·
Not sure where everyone is getting bad mannered from? I never said she has bad manners she's as polite and sweet as they can get!!!! Stands nice for me no matter what I'm doing to her walks but my side out of my space with or with out halter. I can just see already her spunk coming back I mean she is an ottb! I wanted to know if I should work off some energy from time to time not a lot or everyday maybe 5-10 at most 30 minutes of nothing faster then trotting to keep her collected so when she is filled back out she doesn't have to much energy built up and be a disaster.
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#42 ·
^^ Agree completely, there is hot and there is rude. If you have her on inappropriate feed change it, but I REALLY hate when people don't feed appropriately because they don't like the horses behavior. If you can't handle the horse don't own it, whether it's a hot horse or a rude horse.
 
#44 ·
Okay one I can handle this horse she's not crazy or rude she's quite polite like I already mentioned? I simply wanted to know if I should exercise her to prevent her becoming nasty from sitting she's got her spunk back already! Plus I want her to have nice toned muscle not pure fat no reason to get rude.
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