Ok, prepare yourselves. My horse farts. I'm not talking a few when I groom and ride, I'm talking you need a freakin gass mask to work with him. Not only do the farts smell like death got baked with beans and cabbage, they are LOUD. Seriously, some of them sound like gunshots. They are clearly audible to the dressage judges (0.o) from across the god forsaken arena. I mentioned they smell, right?! His poop is even more horrific, it is some nose curling crap. He is 18, Arabian, just passed his checkup with flying colors. He has always been this gassy, has never colicked or foundered. He is on 24/7 pasture, with a mineral block and supplemental pellets twice a day. He is very (like, OMG THAT HORSE IS INSANE) energetic, and otherwise healthy... His poop is (and always has been) a bright greenish color, firm and healthy. Ideas, anyone?
Chickenoverlord
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The only idea that comes to mind is if he was human I'd put him on a probiotic to balance his gut flora. Might help, or you may just have a jet propelled horse 
Does he scare himself when he does it???
Mine just drops regular bombs (like three turds at a time) but does it so often you could find your way home if you ever got lost on the trail. Rode with a friend last week and the count was 18 times in a 2 hour time frame.
Weird odor? Has it always been that way? Probiotics may help, or ask a vet why.
Only time I ever smelled strange bad bad bad horse poop was when a friends horse was getting ready to do the celestial check out.
Mine just drops regular bombs (like three turds at a time) but does it so often you could find your way home if you ever got lost on the trail. Rode with a friend last week and the count was 18 times in a 2 hour time frame.
Weird odor? Has it always been that way? Probiotics may help, or ask a vet why.
Only time I ever smelled strange bad bad bad horse poop was when a friends horse was getting ready to do the celestial check out.
I would try giving probiotics and adding some beet pulp to his diet. I had a horse with horrible stinky poop and when I added the beet pulp it started smelling normal. I don't know why it worked but it did.
I agree that some horses are just like this!
Many years ago my sister show jumped a pony that would fart every time he went over a fence.
When he first started jumping he would do it over trotting poles, that stopped but not when he went over a fence.
At one show they had jumped a fear in the first round and, he had farted his way around. These were not so bad. Then in the jump off when the fences were far bigger than he had jumped before and, the farts got louder and louder.
The judges, commentator and time keeper were in hysterics in the judges box as was most of the audience.
My sister was so embarrassed and swore she wouldn't jump him again but when they won the class, all was forgiven!
Many years ago my sister show jumped a pony that would fart every time he went over a fence.
When he first started jumping he would do it over trotting poles, that stopped but not when he went over a fence.
At one show they had jumped a fear in the first round and, he had farted his way around. These were not so bad. Then in the jump off when the fences were far bigger than he had jumped before and, the farts got louder and louder.
The judges, commentator and time keeper were in hysterics in the judges box as was most of the audience.
My sister was so embarrassed and swore she wouldn't jump him again but when they won the class, all was forgiven!
Well I agree that some are just fartier & noisier than others... horses too, not just husbands! ;-) But if they & his poo is stinky, I too would be thinking probiotics & that his diet could be problematic, he's getting acidosis or such.
Maybe it because he's an Arabian! My Arab mare is the same way, she'll fart the whole way around the round pen.....and then some! lol She's on pasture 24/7 too.
Me thinks he needs a probiotic in his diet, possibly ground flax as well to balance out things.
Some horses are just more gassy then others. My coaches mare farts her way around the dressage arena. Its rather amusing to watch and listen to lol.
My own mare farts coming to a fence and scares herself in the process lol.
Some horses are just more gassy then others. My coaches mare farts her way around the dressage arena. Its rather amusing to watch and listen to lol.
My own mare farts coming to a fence and scares herself in the process lol.
Is he this gassy on hay only? What kind of supplemental pellets? Be careful with flax, it actually made my horses gassier and have smellier poo at first. good stuff but IME it makes it worse.
I agree with a probiotic and may be even a round of ulcer meds just to be sure and see if it helps. Horses under stress will get strong smelling poo and I blame it on stress and excess acid production. Possible he might be chronically this way? is he a high stressor type horse? On alert alot? ive never known one to not get better with some management changes however. Lots of free choice grass hay usually clears my horses up if they get this way on a camping trip or somesuch. Ive had horses that were gassier than others but combines with the smell, Id be a little concerned and try a few changes to see if it improves. IME it can take some time too for some horses to get normal again if the gut flora/acid have been off for awhile.
I agree with a probiotic and may be even a round of ulcer meds just to be sure and see if it helps. Horses under stress will get strong smelling poo and I blame it on stress and excess acid production. Possible he might be chronically this way? is he a high stressor type horse? On alert alot? ive never known one to not get better with some management changes however. Lots of free choice grass hay usually clears my horses up if they get this way on a camping trip or somesuch. Ive had horses that were gassier than others but combines with the smell, Id be a little concerned and try a few changes to see if it improves. IME it can take some time too for some horses to get normal again if the gut flora/acid have been off for awhile.
He is gassy all the time, hay or not. I stopped giving him hay because he just slept in it, then went out to pasture. He is on 1 3/4 pound of Bartlett 13.5 percent pellets, and a hoof, hair and joint supplement. He is very alert (and rather intelligent) but not te in pain the of alert. He s easily bored and very energetic.
Probably just coincidence, but my horse gets gassier (is that a word??) and a little stinkier when it's time to deworm him.
I feed flaxseed and haven't noticed it effecting anything, but, wanna know the very best way to get my horse to fart alot....?
Pick up either hind hoof.
Yeah, he's really nice that way.
I feed flaxseed and haven't noticed it effecting anything, but, wanna know the very best way to get my horse to fart alot....?
Pick up either hind hoof.
Yeah, he's really nice that way.
I think I'll count myself lucky. My mare is an Arabian x QH and she doesn't fart a lot. She's very 'elegant' about it too, moves her tail ever so slightly and just 'pfts' a little. The odour is there but it's not seriously unpleasant. Her manure is also healthy looking, and doesn't smell bad either.
Can you restrict your horse's access to pasture for a time to see if that helps. Maybe if you try to replace it with the most bland hay you can find and add some probiotic to his diet, that could help too? I'm not an expert by any means but it doesn't seem quite right to me. And I'd rather not ride behind you, if that's okay! LOL
Can you restrict your horse's access to pasture for a time to see if that helps. Maybe if you try to replace it with the most bland hay you can find and add some probiotic to his diet, that could help too? I'm not an expert by any means but it doesn't seem quite right to me. And I'd rather not ride behind you, if that's okay! LOL
I would look into the possibility of ulcers, as you said he is a bit high strung. Foul smelling poop is an indicator of ulcers.
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My mustang was really really gassy for a little while and it turned out that the hay he was getting was too rich for him. Once I found some slightly stemmier less green hay, he settled out for the most part. (However, no amount of probiotics or other gut supplements I tried for him helped until I changed his hay.)
Also, I have been feeding him ground peppermint leaves with his supplements because they are supposed to help with flatulence. Plus horses love peppermint, so it is kind of a treat and encourages him to eat his not-so-yummy vitamins. It's pretty budget friendly too. Win-win all around.
Also, I have been feeding him ground peppermint leaves with his supplements because they are supposed to help with flatulence. Plus horses love peppermint, so it is kind of a treat and encourages him to eat his not-so-yummy vitamins. It's pretty budget friendly too. Win-win all around.
Bartlett feed is not a great feed. Take a gander at the ingredients list. Ingredients matter, not just the percentages. Kinda like Mcdonalds vs home cooked meals. Swap to a really high quality feed or ration balancer, something like Triple Crown which is my top choice, and see how it goes. All triple crown feeds have high quality ingredients plus added flax, biotin and probiotics already in the feed. No other supplements are really needed as a rule. It is more expensive up front but you should feed less and get better results after a transition period. I would also treat for ulcers proactively. Foul smelling poo really is a sign something isnt so great in the gut with the flora population.
Also, Something else to consider, NC hay quality can be iffy. I lived there several years till just recently so I have done the hay search lol... IME, if they sleep in it, they either need a slow feed net to stop wastage or better quality hay. A hay bale should be soft when you dig your fingers into it. if its prickly or weedy, its sub par quality, overmature and essentially, Cow hay. You may already know all this but its good to rethink every detail sometimes.
ETA, the comment above mine is something to consider also. Rich grass and super fertilized high protein hays (dairy cow and broodmare forage) can also through them off.
Also, Something else to consider, NC hay quality can be iffy. I lived there several years till just recently so I have done the hay search lol... IME, if they sleep in it, they either need a slow feed net to stop wastage or better quality hay. A hay bale should be soft when you dig your fingers into it. if its prickly or weedy, its sub par quality, overmature and essentially, Cow hay. You may already know all this but its good to rethink every detail sometimes.
ETA, the comment above mine is something to consider also. Rich grass and super fertilized high protein hays (dairy cow and broodmare forage) can also through them off.
It is good hay, the best in our area. Funny you should mention triple crown, it's what our entire barn feeds but me... Mmmmmmmm... Me thinks I shall be switching feeds! And I have tried restricting pasture, it didn't help the farts and he got really depressed. What kind of robotics should I try?
Try a slow feed net if and when you feed hay to regulate his intake and switch to TC and see where he is in a couple months. You could also do the blue pop rocks free ulcer med trial and see if it helps as well here Abler.com Effective and Easy to Use Equine Medication | Abler
TC has probiotics in it already in case you missed that. I dont add anything but my joint supp to my feed anymore because most things I used to add (flax probiotic and hoof supplement) are already in TC feed. I use the Senior (if I need calories) and the 30% supplement as a ration balancer. All my hard keepers now only need the 30% at about 1 lb a day. Took a few months to level them out when i first switched and their guts acclimated but they all turned into easy keepers.
TC has probiotics in it already in case you missed that. I dont add anything but my joint supp to my feed anymore because most things I used to add (flax probiotic and hoof supplement) are already in TC feed. I use the Senior (if I need calories) and the 30% supplement as a ration balancer. All my hard keepers now only need the 30% at about 1 lb a day. Took a few months to level them out when i first switched and their guts acclimated but they all turned into easy keepers.
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