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Post by angelsdream on Apr 4, 2011 19:07:39 GMT -5
Hey guys! Need your help. Bella has been in training for 30 days now and he said she's a bit lazy. Wondering if it's her feed cause she won't eat any regular hay. Only alfalfa and her oats and barley. She is on equeberry's supplement as well. I can up her feed but was wondering if there's something out there that will help. I've never had a horse not eat fescue hay. Is she getting enough nutrition? Wondering the reason she's being lazy is due to this? Not sure if they can do well just on oats/barley and alfalfa alone. She looks fine but Im concerned.
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Post by gotkiger on Apr 4, 2011 20:36:26 GMT -5
Some are just lazy because they want to be. They are bored with what they are doing and so try to take it ease. As long as she is eating the alfalfa i wouldnt worry too much. The grains i dont think will make her more lazy but if you want you can always feed something with a bit more sugar. I would try changing her routine, give her something new to try. Take her out on a trail and then give her a few cookies when you get back for being more perky, if she is smart she will figure it out. My mare gets "lazy" when she is in the same environment all the time. As soon as i change it up a bit she has a bit more life. For example she will walk blindfolded aroud the dairy and through the feilds just lollygaging around not paying much attention to anything. But as soon as we walk into a 12 acre pasture even when it is empty, well that just spells play time and there is no way she is gunna walk.
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Post by angelsdream on Apr 5, 2011 7:38:13 GMT -5
Thanks! I'm going to look today and see what I can find to add to her feed. He'll be taking her out on the trail soon but to me she's not the same! She had a hard time adjusting to all this as well. I just wish she had a bit more pep than she does. She's not coming off the leg pressures like she should. I just want to make sure it's not her feed that's causing this.
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Post by angelsdream on Apr 5, 2011 8:52:33 GMT -5
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Post by DianneC on Apr 5, 2011 16:23:14 GMT -5
You can certainly give that a try, it won't hurt. I do think that Kigers have trouble with arena work. Its from generations of making it through hard winters. Why spend energy doing the same thing and getting no where? I used to use cones to run Smoke through as it was his very favorite thing. I'd save it as a treat for the end of the training.
The other thing I found effective was to stop when they got it right, its called letting it soak, and make a huge fuss with lots of praise. Its just about three minutes long and would probably be acceptable to your trainer. He could try an opening of his other leg to make room to move that direction intead of pressure too.
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Post by lindad on Apr 5, 2011 22:40:21 GMT -5
It may not be feed but BOREDOM. If she is off feed could she have ulcers? They can make a horse not perform. It could be why she is wanting only alfalfa- high calcium.
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Post by kimk on Apr 5, 2011 22:54:40 GMT -5
She could possibly have a mineral deficiency as well. you may want to look into some free choice minerals for her.
I agree also with the boredom thing. Kigers are smart. They like to mix it up. they do not take well to a lot of repetition. She also probably isn't used to all this work! that darned 4 letter word! Could be a multitude of things, but I'd try really changing her routine and see what that does first.
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Post by angelsdream on Apr 6, 2011 8:22:39 GMT -5
Thanks everyone! He took her out on the trail yesterday for the 1st time and he said she did really good. He's very light with his cues and he does stop when they do what he asks - so dont think its that cause he always gives them a minute rest after doing something right. I think it's been the change in her environment and life. Has anyone else noticed that it takes a while for the kigers to adjust to new surroundings/situations like this? He said sometimes it takes some horses a few months before they get settled and start getting there appetite back. Its a HUGE change for her, I do know that - going from the free life with me and Lakota to a stall everyday and working. And like Kim said, she's not used to the work. I mean she's doing good - starting to neck rein, side passes..but she's just not eating enuff. He said yesterday that she dont even finish all her alfalfa, she wastes a lot of it. She looks good, maintaining her weight, etc but mabye Im just being a worry wart. She is getting minerals/vitamins supplement daily, and it has probiotics in it as well. Im going to order some Chia Seed today - Ive fed before and love them, really high in Omega 3's and 6's!! Here's pics from this past week. From Monday, first time throwing a rope off her  And this was 2 weeks ago  |
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dunbnwild
Yearling
Wild horses can drag me away :-)
Posts: 403
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Post by dunbnwild on Apr 6, 2011 9:22:30 GMT -5
Mine are very lazy in the arena too. They work much better in an open field or out on the trail. As for not eating- being in a stall for a horse that is used to pasture is a big change. Is she getting turned out as well? Does she have some socialization opportunities- even just across a fence? She might be a bit depressed not having her pals.
Also- try bringing food from home and seeing if that helps. She looks good- how long will she been in training?
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Post by fantasykiger on Apr 6, 2011 10:27:44 GMT -5
That is odd it must be what she is used to eating, the alfalfa...that stuff give my horses the jitters and has Fantasy jumping out of her skin. That however is not condusive to good training, all my horses are grass hay only. Fantasy is however rather lazy like others have mentioned in the arena. Do the same lessons out on the trail or in an open field and you get a whole other horse, very forward with energy.
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Post by angelsdream on Apr 6, 2011 11:28:42 GMT -5
She has been there for 30 days so far and has 60 more to go. She gets turn out on days she is not rode and she has stall buddies beside her and in front of her, but I really think its from the drastic change in her lifestyle. She's never been up in a stall for more than 24 hours. Im hoping the next 30 days I'll start see'ing a change in her, if not I will try something different. I also brought hay from my barn thinking she would eat that, what she is used to eating and she still did not touch that either. She is used to alfalfa, Ive been feeding them a flake a day for a long while, but she always ate that and the regular hay. Hopefully she'll adjust soon! HOPE...ha! She's stressing me out!! ha Never had this happen before! The chiropractor is coming out Saturday for adjustments, just in case its that also. Has anyone experienced this before with there kigers when they've gone to trainers? OR Lisa and Kevin, have you seen this when you get mustangs in? I just wanna make sure she's getting the nutrients she needs, with her not eating enuff, it worries me. Im giving her equerry's supplement which some of you may know. The people who sell it used to own Kiger Hawk. So far Ive been pleased with it. Here's a video I took Monday. If you make the screen smaller, it will look clearer. Im not sure how to embed video in here www.youtube.com/watch?v=OaJ_vMadM9w |
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Post by gotkiger on Apr 6, 2011 11:48:28 GMT -5
That sounds like my mare in the arena when i first got her. She started out fine loping off, listening to cues, but give her a few min and she was slowing way down not wanting to do any of it (she is a full Kiger). As soon as I even changed arenas, western to dressage or pipe, she perked up a bit. But that was the life she was use to. Living in a stall and being worked in an arean. Now she has so much open free space that she wil act like she is super bored if she knows we are going in a circle but if we go somewhere she can stretch out and she can see no obsticals (corrals, cement, cattle guards, cows even though she likes to play with those) she is a whole different horse. If I take her out to a ranch/open range type setting it takes a while to get her focus because she wants to run and play but about 5 min after getting there i get it and we are fine. They want to be busy doing something is the main thing, i think, and not the same thing over and over again.
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Post by fantasykiger on Apr 6, 2011 16:29:31 GMT -5
As far as the eating issue when they left home, yes. I had issues with Fantasy when she left home to the trainer, it was how I found out about her reactions to alfalfa. She had been just eating grass hay at home she did very little time in a stall because she often climbed out of them. At the trainers he had much sturdier stalls, suited for stallions and mares like Fantasy. He thought to add alfalfa to her feed because she was sulking and not eating as much, but he was working her everyday. She ate the alfalfa but became more adgitated everyday as well. I had him take her off the alfalfa she will eat when she is hungry and eventually quit pouting, instead we supplimented with a safechoice and horseguard supplement along with the grass hay. Fantasy was at the trainer for 90 days he did alot of great work with her, but 5 days a week in the arena left me with a horse that is severly arena sour. Even now I try to keep arena work from perdictable to Fantasy and rail work to a minnimum.
When I took Wickee to the trainer for 60 days, I made sure I had bags of safechoice and horseguard, to supplement the grass hay she was fed. But she is not the drama queen that Fantasy is and I think she even managed to gain weight at the trainers...LOL.
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Post by DianneC on Apr 24, 2011 20:32:47 GMT -5
It likely could be ulcers, she is stressed and not eating all day, probably twice a day which is pretty standard. They've found that horses in training often have them, so not to fault your trainer or anything. Try free choice alfalfa hay (it's been proven to buffer the acid in the stomach) if you can or do a trial of ulcerguard if you want. The probiotics help so that is good. There is an article on it from the vet at the horse.com. I'll see if I can find it and send it to you. I've heard that the herb fenugreek is good for appetite but haven't used it for that.
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Post by angelsdream on May 5, 2011 8:25:20 GMT -5
Bella is home now and back to her normal eating habits so thats good because I was really concerned..! The 1st day back she just picked around at her feed and hay so I was still worried but yesterday she gobbled it right down looking for more...! Going on our first trail ride this saturday and then next week I'm putting her on cattle to see how she likes cow work. I cant wait to ride her but I gave her a few days off to get back settled in at the farm, so will be hauling her tomorrow to the arena to ride some. Pics to come...
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