He looks pretty bad - I would think there is some underlying issue, if he is really eating all that was posted. That’s not just a gangly yearling, in my opinion.
[QUOTE=Laurierace;6216670]
This was taken a couple weeks ago.[/QUOTE]
Gorgeous baby! I have to admit, I was just skimming, and I saw the pic and thought that was the horse indicated in the OP, and I’m thinking, “Somebody thinks this horse needs to look better?”. I had to go back and actually read to figure things out. Lovely, lovely baby!
I also deworm babies monthly.
He looks very poor 
what you are doing is not working for him. I would revamp your deworming, maybe do a blood panel and for sure talk to a nutritionist about feeding babies. I would contact Don at Progressive Nutrition.
Really? What makes you say that? Again, he’s not mine I won’t take it personally. I’m just trying to help a friend get him to where he needs to be.
Has he been kept in a small space?
He goes out in a couple acre field with two mini donkeys as company.
Do you guys think he’s under muscled? I just think he’s immature looking. He is only 8 months old.
This is my filly at 7 months old
He looks undernourished, under muscled, under dewormed, you name it. His neck is non existent and he looks dull and unthrifty. Don’t donkeys carry some weird worm, lung worm or something like that? Maybe that is what is wrong with him?
I agree with Laurie.
I’m with the others. He does not look like he’s thriving. You mentioned Mare and Foal feed, but I don’t think you said what brand. Do you know?
If he is not on a premium quality growth feed (Progressive, Buckeye, Triple Crown --I don’t consider Purina or Nutrena as a “premium” feeds), then she may want to consider a feed change. I typically wouldn’t recommend more protein for a yearling, but his muscle development is poor.
IMO, there is something going on with this guy. Were he mine, I’d be running blood and talking to a vet.
I think it is Purena Mare and Foal but I’m not positive.
I know she was conserned that he grew really fast and that his joints were warm.
The thing is, is that she bought him as a weaning from her vet. He sees him all the time and isn’t conserned with how he looks.
Regardless, he needs nutrition and protein.
Interesting point - when my foal had colitis, he showed minor signs of physitis because although he was eating a lot of soaked feed, he was not getting enough nutrition. The cure was adding more nutrients, not taking them away.
Wow the tough COTH crowd! Agree that babe could use more weight IF SHOWING in HB…good plug LR…showing yours :lol: But really folks? Don’t freak out the OP…some more weight might be good but the over fed HB youngsters? Moderation moderation…and OP …perhaps HB not the best short range goal for your friend…
[QUOTE=3Dogs;6217893]
Wow the tough COTH crowd! Agree that babe could use more weight IF SHOWING in HB…good plug LR…showing yours :lol: But really folks? Don’t freak out the OP…some more weight might be good but the over fed HB youngsters? Moderation moderation…and OP …perhaps HB not the best short range goal for your friend…[/QUOTE]
:lol:
A lot of people don’t feed there babies right then, I see lots of foals like that, not all babies look like they can show in HB show 
Sandra
www.laprisestable.com
Yeah I am showing her. Thursday is her first show of the season. So what? She is the only foal I have ever shown but not the only foal I have ever had that looked like this. I take care of them all regardless of my immediate plans for them.
Worming and weight gain
[QUOTE=mpsbarnmanager;6217151]
My vet just told me not to deworm my foal until it is at least 4 months old, and then not to over-do it, because they are seeing a lot of resistance to most wormers on the market. Maybe do a fecal and see?[/QUOTE]
We do fecal samples and worm accordingly. Adding fat to the diet is the safest way I know to add pounds and bloom.
But perhaps not corn oil which can cause inflamation in joints. Saflower and other veggie oils are good…I like rice bran but some people think it leads to enteroliths…any bran can do that so is the theory. You can feed a cup of oil per feeding and get a lot of calories in that way.
Great palatable hay is the other thing to do along with a fromulated for yearlings concentrate. It can take a few months to cover the ribs, or even longer. Good luck.
[QUOTE=Laurierace;6217909]
Yeah I am showing her. Thursday is her first show of the season. So what? She is the only foal I have ever shown but not the only foal I have ever had that looked like this. I take care of them all regardless of my immediate plans for them.[/QUOTE]
Your filly is beautiful Laurierace, I am also doing HB shows but, it is not unusual to see foals looking like that, there is a lot looking like this everywhere, I personaly have 1 foal in my barn looking like that right now, I am doing everything I can for him not to look like that but nothing is working :no:
Sandra
But the OPs friends motivation for keeping him thin (undernourished) it seems is the old misunderstanding about what causes joint problems. You can have a skinny baby with physitis, mine when he had colitis is a perfect example. He looks more like Juliet now than the pics the OP shows here and no joint issues. Keeping them thin is not the answer to preventing the problem. If I had a foal that looked like that I would be worried, quite frankly I would be concerned that he will have joint problems in the future due to lack of nutrition. I sure wont ever buy one again!
I’ve only had pony babies so I havent had to worry about physitis.
What causes it and what prevents it?
Keeping them thin is not the answer to preventing ANY problem. but a lot of people still think that way.
Sandra
