What to do with this colt?

[Keren]

Ok, so I have this 2 yr old paint colt.

He was basically starved for his entire life before I got him. He is ridiculously skinny, and a couple of horse breeders who have seen him, have said that going by the size of his head and his nuts, he should be twice the size he is now. He is about 13 hands.

Anyway, he was given to me to ride once he is broken in (he'd never been handled till we got him, he now leads and floats) cos I need a smaller horse (at the moment I'm learning to ride on a 14.3 hand horse which is waaaaaay too big for me).

My plan is to get him gelded, and then broken, but in the meantime he is a very hungry horse. I mean, he has had the run of 30 acres and he hasnt put on an ounce of weight. Granted the summer pasture is pretty crappy at the moment and he has also been thinking a bit with his nuts, walking the fence talking to the mares.

So what I'd love to know is what sort of nutrition program you would put him on. Assuming he is in a 1/2 acre lot without pasture, what would you feed him?

Oh, this is him btw. Name is Malachi

Apart from being stunted he is a very pretty boy, you should see him when he moves. He's also really quiet, very friendly when he's not chasing mares. Sorry thats a terrible photo but all I have atm

 

[peg4x4]

Get him gelded yesterday! No wonder he can't put weight on,running after mares all the time--Oh,post photos next year of the foals he's sired...Do not think he's too young,colts as young as 1 year old have sired foals..and if he's running with mares,there will be foals...
Have you had his teeth looked at? Sometimes a babytooth will stay on as a cap and hurt when they try to eat.
Yes,he's pretty,but geld him!!

 

[msscamp]

You don't mention how long you've had him, and that is a major factor in whether I would have him castrated immediately or wait a bit. If you have just acquired him, he is already stressed and doesn't need the added stress that goes along with castration. The first thing I would do is either pen him or move him so he isn't next door to a bunch of mares. He doesn't need the temptation and distraction, and I can't see risking having him getting in with said mares. At 2 years old you're not going to be able to undo a lot of the damage of him being starved, but I think I would put him on a diet of really good grass hay - all he could eat in a 24 hour period - possibly a small amount of alfalfa - say 1 flake/day - and probably 1/2 to 1 lb/once a day of a good pelleted horse feed, depending on how he handled it. I would stay away from sweet feed, or anything with molasses in it, or on it. Reason being is that those types of feed generally cause more problems than they solve. Of course, salt and minerals would be provided free choice. I would monitor his condition closely, and adjust as necessary. I would also be sure to work with him on a daily basis - just simple things to teach him manners, and basic ground work.

 

[Keren]

thanks msscamp, thats spot on, exactly what I needed to know. I've never fed a hungry horse, the only ones I've fed are those which stay fat on hay only.

I've had him for about three months. He is now penned away from the mares.

At the moment I've put him on free choice pasture hay - I wondered about getting him some alfalfa. Why do you say only a little?

I've got some pellets here - the bag says for lactating broodmares, weaners and yearlings. This good enough for him? I wasnt sure how much to give him.

Yes, he's got his salt lick.

Peg - he's not been in with the mares. We did try and hand serve him to a couple of mares - figuring we may as well get the mares in foal before we cut him. But he had difficulty reaching lol he was just too short.

Thanks for the tip about the teeth ... will have that looked at as well ...

 

[oscar p]

I dont see his ribs,or hip bones.He isnt skinny to me.He looks thin made to me.Like a walking or racking type horse. Cant tell from the pictures,but with the long front leg and head i'd say gaited.Not putting him down or anything, he just doesn't look skinny.But I would cut him.Send a few more pics of him.front n back

 

[peg4x4]

What breed is he? I can't see makeing more grade horses when there are soo many that can't find homes over here. Check out www.fuglyhorseoftheday.com to see what I'm talking about. The situation may be much different where you are,I'm talking about the situation in the States. I'm not fussing at you,just saying how it is here.

 

[3waycross]

What breed is he? I can't see makeing more grade horses when there are soo many that can't find homes over here. Check out http://www.fuglyhorseoftheday.com to see what I'm talking about. The situation may be much different where you are,I'm talking about the situation in the States. I'm not fussing at you,just saying how it is here.

Not to hijack this thread but Peg is right. We have LOTS of horses running the national forrest and Blm land around here that have just been turned loose by their owner because they cannot feed them any longer. I guess we can send a thank you note to Willie Nelson and the rest of the bleeding heart Hollywood PETA supporters, thanking them for no horse slaughter facilities. Most if not all of them would be better off slaughtered than starving to death on public land.

 

[LazyARanch]

1. GELD him. Keeping him a stud is nothing but a liability.

2. WORM him

3. Good feed and probably some probiotics for his gut, if he's been starved awhile, chances are his stomach doesn't
work too well. If he's had a worm load, he probably has some damage to his stomach and intestines.
Don't pile the food on too quick, especially alfalfa as he could founder from it.

then worm him again after a couple of weeks.

good luck!

 

[msscamp]

At the moment I've put him on free choice pasture hay - I wondered about getting him some alfalfa. Why do you say only a little?

Alfalfa carries a high amount of protein, and is usually very easily digestible. If a horse isn't used to it, it can cause diarrhea and it can also founder them.

I've got some pellets here - the bag says for lactating broodmares, weaners and yearlings. This good enough for him? I wasnt sure how much to give him.

That feed probably has more protein than he really needs. I would probably go with something along the lines of 10-12% protein. If you decide to give it to him, I don't think I would give him more than 1/2 lb once/day and I would watch him for diarrhea.

Since you've had him for 3 months I would go ahead and have him castrated. He hasn't really had a chance to settle in well, but the longer he stays a stud the more stud behaviour he is going to retain following castration.

 

[Keren]

thanks again msscamp

I dont see his ribs,or hip bones.He isnt skinny to me.He looks thin made to me.Like a walking or racking type horse. Cant tell from the pictures,but with the long front leg and head i'd say gaited.Not putting him down or anything, he just doesn't look skinny.But I would cut him.Send a few more pics of him.front n back

Okay first of all oscar, I said it was a crappy picture. Trust me, I can see his ribs, I can see his hips. I can see just about every bone in the poor lads body. He is thin. He is SKINNY. He has been starved his entire life and both the vet and several horse breeders/trainers agree with me, he is stunted. His head is out of proportion with his body because he should be twice the size he is. His testicles tell the same story.

Peg and 3way - this is not a case of a 'cow freshener' or I guess a mare freshener, and someone making mutt foals who doesnt know what they are doing. He is registered, the mares are registered. The foals would have been purebred, and registered, if he could reach. But he cant. So its a moot point.

Horses are in high demand here. The situation is not the same as it is where you are. We have plenty of horse slaughter facilities. Good horses are going for bucket loads. Paints and particularly black and white paints are in high high demand around here but very rare supply. Add to that the fact that my mother spent the most part of her life breeding and training, the potential foals out this guy would be sold broken in, registered, purebred ...

Call me crazy but I dont see anything wrong with that.

LazyARanch, he has been wormed. Three times since I got him.

 

[aussie_cowgirl]

Fancy pants paint horse

I like my box headed standardbreds. Little bit bias.

 

[Keren]

that guy is a pallet head if I ever did see one lol

actually to tell the truth I like the welsh cob the best ... cosmetics wise

 

[aussie_cowgirl]

that guy is a pallet head if I ever did see one lol

actually to tell the truth I like the welsh cob the best ... cosmetics wise

We have one at the uni. Jeez they're muscular.

 

[peg4x4]

What breed?? And,by the photo,he's not black and white,he's brown and white--brown around his eyes,on the flank and the back of the hip..So I'm not sure what color he'd throw-I'm not that good at genetics..He does have good legs and shoulder,but the rest is hard to tell because of the cronic underfeeding..Of course that would have nothing to do with the size of the foals when grown..
I wish you the best with him,sounds like he landed in horse heaven..

 

[oscar p]

I know you said crappy picture.Post some better ones. You asked the question, What to do with this colt? No need to get upset at what folks say about him.You opened the door when you asked the question. Always remember.Opinions are like butt holes, every bodys got one.It doesn't matter what people say about him,it's what you think about him that counts.

 

[chippie]

Just because he is registered and pure bred does not make him worthy of reproducing.

Granted he has been stunted, however his conformation is very poor. He was born with his apparently straight shoulder and short hip. Lack of groceries did not cause that.

If you have strict guide lines for breeding your cattle, the same should apply to your horses.

What breed is he?

 

[LazyARanch]

I have to agree with Chippie....

he doesn't look stunted to me, he looks like some kind of pony/arab cross and there's nothing you can do to make him get any bigger.

He's got a good sturdy short back and a cute head, but he's short in the hip, short and weak in the croup and stifle and has no muscling whatsoever.

Now... YOU said he's a good size for you and he's pretty when he moves. That still does not make him any kind of a quality breeder but if you like him and you have a MARKET for his foals, fine. Just don't talk yourself into thinking other people are going to want his babies when most people are much taller and need something much sturdier than you do. Really I am not trying to be cruel, just giving my opinion, and as one earlier poster said, we ALL have one. But you DID ask for opinions.

If you're wondering about my credentials and experience, I've been raising Quarter Horses and Appaloosas for near 40 years. I'm not a world beater by any stretch of the imagination and I've made my share of errors in the breeding business. Right now I haven't raised a foal in several years. The market is NOT good and I refuse to add to the problem of overpopulation in these times. I have more people trying to GIVE me horses than I do trying to buy them. Some of the local auction barns have had people drop off horses, then when they don't get a bid in the ring, the owner just doesn't bother to pick them up or claim them.
Pretty dang pathetic in my opinion. Other people have told me they have had a strange horse or two just "show up" in their pasture and no one ever bothers to claim them. Funny how that works....

anyway. Back to the point. On a PHENOTYPE evaluation, there isn't much to gain on breeding this colt.
Geld him, train him to ride for yourself, and enjoy him! :tiphat:

Have a g'day Keren

 

[Keren]

and has no muscling whatsoever.

Gee, do you think that might be because he has survived for two years on 1 flake of grass hay per day? :roll:

Look guys, you have missed the point. I wanted to know HOW TO FEED THIS HORSE. I didnt ask for phenotypic evaluations, or whether he would make a decent stud sire or not.

As I said, the breeding issue is IRRELEVANT because he is not tall enough to reach the mares, so we are no longer trying to cover any of the mares with him.

Oscar, Chippie and LazyA ... while I respect your experience and credentials in the horse industry ... I think I would have to go with the specialist equine vet who has seen this guy on a number of occassions when I've had him out treating another animal. The guy has had over 40 yrs of specialist equine practise, and he has told me the colt is stunted. Several other horse breeders, trainers etc. have agreed. And I'm more inclined to go with their viewpoint as they have actually seen the horse, in the flesh.

Again, I asked how to feed the horse to get him into better condition for breaking and working. Thanks to msscamp for giving me that advice, I think he's already looking a little better.

 

[Keren]

oh, for those who wanted to know the breed he's a pinto. definitely NOT an arab/pony cross. dam was 14 something and sire 15 something hands.

 

[3waycross]

oh, for those who wanted to know the breed he's a pinto. definitely NOT an arab/pony cross. dam was 14 something and sire 15 something hands.

I don't know about down under but around here a LOT of things can be called a Pinto, it's just a color. That's like calling a cow a black or a red.