Horse losing weight while in full board

[Chestnut_Mare1]

The story:

Horse is in full board with a wonderful BM/trainer/coach. No official board contract, simply “full board includes hay”. Horses are on pasture for now but will come in to paddocks with shelters in a month or two. The pasture has almost nothing left so the horses get hay twice a day. The facility is calm and quiet with only a handful of horses. One bossy horse gets the “best” hay pile so slow eaters may not get enough.

The owner buys hay cubes and supplements and feeds that every night despite it being full board.

Horse is a moderate keeper and is losing weight even though work-load has decreased.

Questions:

How would you approach the subject with the BM without hurting feelings?

What could be done so that the horse can gain weight and keep it on. Would it be too much to ask to have the horse put in a paddock at night with more hay and let out into the field in the morning?

I know BM’s/BO’s don’t make any money from boarding horses so I don’t want to ask for too much, but am worried about the current situation.

PS: this is after moving to a new barn Sept. 1.

[cnigh]

Since it’s a new barn and full baord, I would ask to move the horse to a different field. Sounds like it’s being run off the hay by the mare. I had it happen to my last gelding too. He just wouldn’t eat when in with a bossy mare.

Not every boarding situation works out. If the horse doesn’t get enough to eat then it’s time to rethink the situation. The BO/BM should be monitoring the new horse in the field too.

[cnigh]

Also I would have the vet out to look at stuff like ulcers or teeth etc. Anything that could cause the weight loss.

[ladyj79]

It is concerning to be heading into winter with a horse already losing weight in September at a new facility. I would have a convo with barn owner sooner rather than later to express your concern over weight loss and ask them sincerely whether they have any suggestions. To me this can often make them more agreeable to solving an issue, moreso than offering suggestions right off the bat which can feel like dictates.

Good luck because that sucks.

[JanM]

I second the vet visit. A tooth issue can cause serious weight loss.

[hokiekat]

A fecal check would be a good idea too. Even if the horse is on a rotational deworming program, sometimes they can find a resistant strand…

[AKB]

I would talk with the owner. If you bring bags of alfalfa cubes, will they soak a big bucket of them and feed them twice daily? It sounds like your horse needs more calories. If that doesn’t work, I would do fecals, check teeth and have the vet out.

[fjordie03]

I suspect he just isn’t getting enough calories but stress could be the cause too. Have you moved this horse before and did this happen at any other previous boarding barn? Maybe he is experiencing stress, even though you say this is a calm barn - it might be a stressful barn from the horse’s perspective.

Regarding how to approach BO/BM, if they are any good at their job, they will welcome open and honest communication from their customers. I would set up a face to face meeting, keep it light and explain your concerns. Be prepared for them to counter your concern (bc you’ve only been there 3 weeks so it’s pretty soon to see a dramatic change in weight and the BO/BM may not see what you see). Be open minded to possible solutions and hopefully you’re able to work it out. Best of luck!

[Against_All_Odds1]

Be prepared that you might have to move again. I moved into a PERFECT barn situation for me with excellent coaching, excellent facility, huge pastures but…they didn’t feed enough hay. I was constantly on them about upping my horses hay. I offered to buy their hay by the bale and feed it myself: no. I offered to supply cubes if they could feed them once a day: no. I asked what we can do to make this work: we can move dobbin to a different pasture. Is there hay in that pasture: no. When do you put hay out: when the snow stays on the ground. Horse lost 300lbs in 21 days. That was my shortest boarding stint ever! Some people are just about the money/image

[arlosmine]

Conversation is required now, before things get worse.

I suggest first simply pointing out that horse has lost noticeable amount of weight, ask what the BO suggest to increase hay consumption, since that’s the only feed currently being offered. The answer will tell you a lot.
It’s the BO’s job to have different plans for horses who need different feeding programs. Providing adequate hay in a suitable environment is part of that responsibility.

If there isnt a good solution offered, I’d make suggestions but immediately start looking for a new place. The writing would then be on the wall.

[findeight]

[QUOTE=Chestnut_Mare;8856068]
The story:

Horse is in full board with a wonderful BM/trainer/coach. No official board contract, simply “full board includes hay”. Horses are on pasture for now but will come in to paddocks with shelters in a month or two. The pasture has almost nothing left so the horses get hay twice a day. The facility is calm and quiet with only a handful of horses. One bossy horse gets the “best” hay pile so slow eaters may not get enough.

The owner buys hay cubes and supplements and feeds that every night despite it being full board.

Horse is a moderate keeper and is losing weight even though work-load has decreased.

Questions:

How would you approach the subject with the BM without hurting feelings?

What could be done so that the horse can gain weight and keep it on. Would it be too much to ask to have the horse put in a paddock at night with more hay and let out into the field in the morning?

I know BM’s/BO’s don’t make any money from boarding horses so I don’t want to ask for too much, but am worried about the current situation.

PS: this is after moving to a new barn Sept. 1.[/QUOTE]

Define “full board” and explain why you feel feeding cubes in the evening to supplement poor pastures “despite being on full board” makes sense??? Guessing it’s semantics but any decent BM providing “full board” would be supplementing as well as providing most services required for upkeep. That’s a good thing.

Most wonderful barn barn in the world with fabulous trainer and BM falls short of the mark if the contract is non specific ( there is a written contract signed by both parties?) and the horse is loosing weight for non medical reasons.

Horse hasn’t been there long, right? Don’t be afraid to have a polite, businesslike conversation with the person you are paying to manage your horse’s care. “BM, I notice Rocky is dropping some weight since he’s arrived. Do you have any thoughts about why or what we might be able to do to reverse that?”

That’s non confrontational, implies respect for their position and experience and let’s them take the wheel in managing the situation and an opportunity to explain it to you.

You go up and challenge them " Hey, Rocky looks like crap and is getting skinny. What are you going to do about it?" Will get you the “that boarder” label and put them on the defensive.

Nothing ever wrong with discussing a situation with a BO/BM in a businesslike manner and it works 85-90% of the time. If you find its in the other 10-15%, you’ll need to move and the sooner you find that out, the better.

[no.stirrups]

Having just moved, the horse hasn’t yet had a chance to really settle in. I would not panic yet. But I would mention to the BM, “Horse seems to be losing weight. What do you think we can do about that?” and listen to the suggestions.

I recently had a very similar situation myself. BO increased grain, didn’t make a difference. I dosed with Probios and suddenly horse is noticeably gaining weight. Good luck!

[Foxglove6]

I agree that it has not been very much time to settle into a new place. What grain is this horse getting? Is the owner basing the weight loss on a visual inspection or are they using a weight tape?

I would talk to the BO and vet about what could be done to help gain some weight before winter. See what the options are. In the mean time, start logging actual weight tape measurements every day so that changes can be seen more easily.

[Scribbler]

I would bring the issue up in a polite, business-like way with the BM now, while it is just a minor problem brewing.

This achieves two things.

First, it shows that the owner is alert enough to horse care to notice small changes. This is a very important thing for the BM to know, as many owners don’t notice anything until the BM finds the horse seriously ill.

Second, it gives you time to reverse the problem before it gets serious and the owner (not sure if the OP is the owner, or writing on behalf of a friend) is in a panic.

However, that said, I feel like I can’t really advise without knowing what the horse actually looks like.

Many owners become used to seeing their horse at a Hennecke scale weight of 6 or 7, or even 8. They take obesity as the norm. And being somewhat overweight is a bigger problem for most horses than being somewhat underweight.

Racing fit is a Henneke 4.

Whether a horse is kept at Henneke 4 or Henneke 6 is, in the end, a bit of a personal choice, a personal asthetic. Some people like to see a hint of ribs, others don’t. I’d say that deliberately keeping a horse at a Henneke 3 or a Henneke 7 is a problem.

So part of the discussion is also how the BM/ trainer feels about the horse’s current weight. If horse came in at 7, and is now down to 4 due to an increasing workload, that is probably a healthy change.

what do the other horses on the property look like?

[atr]

This recently happened to me when I moved my horse. I started to ride him a lot more and he started to lose weight (as did I :))

A constructive conversation with the barn manager ensued. We upped his grass hay a bit (he will only eat so much), added an additional lunch of alfalfa pellets, and all is good again.

[Dressagelvr]

.
Horse is in full board with a wonderful BM/trainer/coach.

This isn’t a wonderful BM/trainer/coach.

A wonderful one ensures that all horses have free choice forage unless a medical condition precludes it.

A wonderful one approaches YOU and tells you that she’s concerned that Dobbin is losing weight. She suggests that you get the vet to do an evaluation and works with you and the vet to determine what she can do to implement any needed changes in the horse’s care.

She then continues to proactively work with you to ensure the horse improves.

THAT is what a good horse person does.

[candyappy]

[QUOTE=Chestnut_Mare;8856068]
The story:

Questions:

How would you approach the subject with the BM without hurting feelings?

I know BM’s/BO’s don’t make any money from boarding horses so I don’t want to ask for too much, but am worried about the current situation.

PS: this is after moving to a new barn Sept. 1.[/QUOTE]

Let me clear up one little thing. The majority of BO’s/ BM’s do make money or they wouldn’t be boarding horses .

You are paying FULL BOARD. That means your horse should be fed the amount of hay it needs to maintain it’s weight under normal riding conditions. If you have been there 3 weeks and your horse is losing weight , that is not happening.

You should approach the BO/ BM with " my horse is losing weight, what can we do to fix it"? When I boarded I would go to the ones who fed and request that my horse be fed a bit more or a bit less as needed ( his weight fluctuated). If they couldn’t grasp what I wanted, I went to BO and then fed extra myself ( of barn’s hay- no extra charge). I do realize this is not the norm today, but it would be wherever I happened to board.

If there is a way to give him his own space overnight where he could eat in peace, or put him in a turnout situation with horses better suited , then I would approach them with that.

[SendenHorse]

I bought a horse that was being picked on in the pasture, lost weight, etc.
Move to a stall with the ability to eat in peace, get probiotics, and out with a more suitable pasture situation and started gaining weight quickly.

I never had a situation where the BO fed too little hay turn around and go well, there are very different ideas on what “enough hay” is. It seems to be a touchy subject for some reason.

What I would not do is start to self- supplement with your own hay, grain, supplements. That is just a band aid. I have been roped into that and it never ended well.

[whbar158]

I agree full board means the BM should be noticing the loss and speaking to you about it.
It sounds like it’s pasture board with no grain. Has the horse previously thrived in a similar setting? Some horses need the extra calories and/or nutrition from a fortified feed.
So a “hey I’ve noticed dobbin has lost weight since moving in, what can we do to make sure he doesn’t lose anymore before winter?”

[Chestnut_Mare1]

Thank you all, glad I’m not being OCD and that you agree that this is a problem!

At this moment, the horse is at a body score of 3.5 to 4. She is a big angular animal and you can see every rib and feel all of them. From behind her bum looks like an upside down V. She went to this barn with a body score of a solid 4 (ribs could be felt but not really seen and spine fairly covered).

I had this mare at a self care place for a year, so I know what and how much she needs to keep weight on. Her teeth were done a few months ago and she had a clean bill of health from the vet this spring.

The reason I feed extra at night is because I was asked to do so by the BM since the horses are still in the field. When they come in for the winter she will feed the food that I buy.

Currently the horse is getting a huge pan of alfalfa cubes soaked, 2 cups of high fat complete feed (working up to more, but can’t put too much in one feeding), 1 cup of flax seed, and supplements. All that probably weighs about 10 lbs. In the field she is getting 3 flakes of hay morning and night. I’m not sure if she gets to eat all that herself as piles are spread out in a few places.

I really respect BM and know that she would never intentionally cause problems, it may just be my mare who is definitely tricky to manage. When I was taking care of her I always had to tweak her diet every season - however, in previous full-board barns she was fat - like a 5-6 in score.

BM went on vacation for 2 weeks and left about one week ago. Should I text her now saying that the horse is losing weight or should I wait to speak with her face to face?