talent06
08-09-2009, 05:19 PM
As some of you know I have a 3 year old AQHA gelding named Talent. This summer his growing has really slowed down, and I think along with that, so has his metabolism. In the past few months, he's really packed on the pounds. He was on irrigated pasture, until a few days ago when I had no choice but to move him.
Anyways, so a few days ago I went out to catch him, the people I board with had turned him out into the really green pasture that the horses hadn't been on all summer (not the best idea, but they're not exactly horse people). Everything was normal until I put his saddle on. I had to let his back cinch out 3 holes. That is alot considering the distance between each hole is at least an inch. I thought that was a little weird, but he always debloats as I ride him, so I figured he had just had a little too much grass and I would ride him and he would be fine. I rode him down to my trainers house which is a block down the road, I use her arena too ride him. In the arena, as soon as I would put my leg on him and squeeze at all, he would buck. This is soooo unlike him, normally he is a total sweety and never fights anything. At that point I knew something was up. I get off of him and my trainer and her husband come out. We unsaddled him and they started squeezing and pressing his back and neck. About where his neck connects to his withers when they would squeeze he would throw his head around, obviously ouchy:doh: They said that was a sign of founder. He still had gut sounds and ws passing gas so we weren't too worried about colic, but his breathing was a little too elevated for the amount of activity we'd done. I didn't even take him home after that. My trainer had me put him in one of her empty pens, and he has been on a serious diet since.
I didn't really realize how serious it was, like he's not overly fat at all, his neck was just getting a little thick. I've been looking for other places to board, but so far all I've foudn is a state of the art facility that is astronomically expensive, and another place where they have plans on building an arena, but he would be in a dirt paddock with a bunch of mares....not so safe in my opinion. I need some place that has an arena, and either a run in shed, or a stall, with optional turnout; also thats not super expensive. That is hard to find around here. I always had the option of putting him at my trainers house, but the horses are kept in small dirt pens, and I really think horses need some turnout, especially young ones.
So moral of the story is.....When your trainer tells you your horse is getting a little too fat, move him off of the pasture then!
Anyways, so a few days ago I went out to catch him, the people I board with had turned him out into the really green pasture that the horses hadn't been on all summer (not the best idea, but they're not exactly horse people). Everything was normal until I put his saddle on. I had to let his back cinch out 3 holes. That is alot considering the distance between each hole is at least an inch. I thought that was a little weird, but he always debloats as I ride him, so I figured he had just had a little too much grass and I would ride him and he would be fine. I rode him down to my trainers house which is a block down the road, I use her arena too ride him. In the arena, as soon as I would put my leg on him and squeeze at all, he would buck. This is soooo unlike him, normally he is a total sweety and never fights anything. At that point I knew something was up. I get off of him and my trainer and her husband come out. We unsaddled him and they started squeezing and pressing his back and neck. About where his neck connects to his withers when they would squeeze he would throw his head around, obviously ouchy:doh: They said that was a sign of founder. He still had gut sounds and ws passing gas so we weren't too worried about colic, but his breathing was a little too elevated for the amount of activity we'd done. I didn't even take him home after that. My trainer had me put him in one of her empty pens, and he has been on a serious diet since.
I didn't really realize how serious it was, like he's not overly fat at all, his neck was just getting a little thick. I've been looking for other places to board, but so far all I've foudn is a state of the art facility that is astronomically expensive, and another place where they have plans on building an arena, but he would be in a dirt paddock with a bunch of mares....not so safe in my opinion. I need some place that has an arena, and either a run in shed, or a stall, with optional turnout; also thats not super expensive. That is hard to find around here. I always had the option of putting him at my trainers house, but the horses are kept in small dirt pens, and I really think horses need some turnout, especially young ones.
So moral of the story is.....When your trainer tells you your horse is getting a little too fat, move him off of the pasture then!