Proffie
Oct. 15, 2009, 12:28 AM
I recently moved my two VERY DIFFERENT horses to a new barn due to a cross country move. The old barn was great, I have NO complaints. I just wanted to share my experience at the new place and how it's changing my views on horse care.
Horse 1: A 6yo OTTB gelding, notoriously hard keeper, just done with ulcer treatment that helped him put on weight but not enough. Very laid back.
Horse 2: 18yo Belgian/TB cross mare, retired from any work with high and low ringbone. Average keeper, very nervous by nature.
At the old barn, the horses got about 18 hours of turnout in a large, level pasture with sparse grass and enough grass hay so that they were eating about 8 hours per day. In addition, they got pelleted feed (either Nutrena Life Design Senior or Safe Choice, depending on the horse), Equishine (vitamin supplement), and rice bran if they needed it. My OTTB got 4 lbs of Safe Choice and 4 cups of rice bran per day,plus Tri Amino, split into 2 feedings. The draft cross got 6 lbs of senior.
Moved to a facility that fed NO grain, just 24/7 turnout in a HUGE (20+ acre) pasture that has grass half the year. Free choice pure alfalfa. That's IT. And the pasture is full of steep hills, though the horses can travel from the shelter to the water and food without climbing if they need to.
I moved them there almost 2 months ago, and both horses look 100 percent better than they did at the old barn. I was SO worried they'd lose weight. Well, the OTTB is honestly getting ROUND. Both horses have gleaming coats and a ton of energy. The OTTB is a tiny bit less quiet, but still totally manageable. It's like he's just happier to work. The dip behind his withers is GONE. The retired mare is still lame, but looks fabulous and hikes all over the place. I am SHOCKED.
I moved them there thinking, "OK, this can be temporary... if they start to lose condition I can move them, I just need to find a place to keep them until I learn the area better." Well, I am completely convinced that this boarding situation is the BEST POSSIBLE SCENARIO. Coming from a background of "high maintenance" boarding (starting long before I moved), I was a skeptic. I'm sold. These horses will never see a supplement or a stall again.
Horse 1: A 6yo OTTB gelding, notoriously hard keeper, just done with ulcer treatment that helped him put on weight but not enough. Very laid back.
Horse 2: 18yo Belgian/TB cross mare, retired from any work with high and low ringbone. Average keeper, very nervous by nature.
At the old barn, the horses got about 18 hours of turnout in a large, level pasture with sparse grass and enough grass hay so that they were eating about 8 hours per day. In addition, they got pelleted feed (either Nutrena Life Design Senior or Safe Choice, depending on the horse), Equishine (vitamin supplement), and rice bran if they needed it. My OTTB got 4 lbs of Safe Choice and 4 cups of rice bran per day,plus Tri Amino, split into 2 feedings. The draft cross got 6 lbs of senior.
Moved to a facility that fed NO grain, just 24/7 turnout in a HUGE (20+ acre) pasture that has grass half the year. Free choice pure alfalfa. That's IT. And the pasture is full of steep hills, though the horses can travel from the shelter to the water and food without climbing if they need to.
I moved them there almost 2 months ago, and both horses look 100 percent better than they did at the old barn. I was SO worried they'd lose weight. Well, the OTTB is honestly getting ROUND. Both horses have gleaming coats and a ton of energy. The OTTB is a tiny bit less quiet, but still totally manageable. It's like he's just happier to work. The dip behind his withers is GONE. The retired mare is still lame, but looks fabulous and hikes all over the place. I am SHOCKED.
I moved them there thinking, "OK, this can be temporary... if they start to lose condition I can move them, I just need to find a place to keep them until I learn the area better." Well, I am completely convinced that this boarding situation is the BEST POSSIBLE SCENARIO. Coming from a background of "high maintenance" boarding (starting long before I moved), I was a skeptic. I'm sold. These horses will never see a supplement or a stall again.