Opinions on DHH crosses for jumping?

[CuriosoJorge]

@Railbird

Is this one of the ones they commented were small that you felt was just an age related thing?

Or was it one of these?

And thanks @fivestrideline

[Paint_Party]

Just to clarify, was that poor, half-starved creature one of KS’s foals? And she presented it at a keuring?

[Montanas_Girl]

16 year old broodmare. Has had 5 foals and is currently open and in light work. Is on pasture (but we’re in a severe drought, so there is no really forage out there). Gets free choice TN orchardgrass hay, 5 pounds of TN alfalfa hay, and 2 pounds of a ration balancer per day, plus 2 ounces of Purina Omega Match oil.

5 year old mare. Carrying her first foal and due in April. Same diet as above, except she only gets 1 ounce of oil per day.

18 month old filly. Same diet as her half sister (the palomino) above.

It’s not hard. Signed, your resident equine nutritionist.

[Annie10]

@Night_Flight

Is it normal for a field of that size to be grazed down to nothing at this point in the year in Ocala?

It all depends on how you manage it and how many horses are on it.

[Hillside_H_Ranch]

Yep.
19, 25, 21
And many foals between them.

[trubandloki]

Wow @Hillside_H_Ranch, those mares look amazing.

[Annie10]

@Virginia_Horse_Mom

@BrownDerby

If you are having hay hauled in from over 2000 miles away I truly question your business acumen. Nor would I ever want hay exposed to pollution and the elements for that duration.

THIS!

I just don’t understand hauling alfalfa from Arizona to Florida.

I have a professional background in logistics and buying diesel on a National commercial scale for long haul trucking operations.

This is one of many aspects of this whole situation that MAKE.NO.SENSE.

That’s mostly where it comes from. My feed store in S Ga N Fl gets their alfalfa from out west

[CuriosoJorge]

@Paint_Party

Just to clarify, was that poor, half-starved creature one of KS’s foals? And she presented it at a keuring?

Those are all KS foals, all presented at the KWPN keuring in Texas in 2022.

[Railbird]

Agreed. They do spray the western alfalfa with preservative so part of it is just LOOKING greener though I’m unclear on how much it improves nutrition versus just improving sale price.

[Hillside_H_Ranch]

I’m committed to my horses, even when older and no longer producing. It’s expensive, and a lot of work. But imho that’s just part of being a responsible breeder.

[Paint_Party]

I am in Arizona, although admittedly not in the heart of the low desert. But we have pasture. Two, in fact. Seeded and irrigated. We feed alfalfa and Bermuda, plus all of the horses in training, along with the broodmares and foals, get appropriate supplements.

And it’s poppycock that feed stores here, or down in Scottsdale, don’t sell ration balancers.

[Zlotych]

Best alfalfa I ever saw came out of the midwest, where it was for the dairy cows. The stuff from out west is always so stemmy.

[Paint_Party]

@CuriosoJorge

Those are all KS foals, all presented at the KWPN keuring in Texas in 2022.

O.M.G.

None of our foals ever went to a keuring looking remotely like that. Of course, they and their dams were fed properly, so there is that.

[good_booie]

OH MY GOD!!! Sickening

[ThreeWishes]

Ahem… central Florida here.
Pasture 2 months ago and pasture today.

The today pic is typical “winter” pasture.
Also the “watermelons” in the dry lot pasture pic look like an invasive weed you see on depleted soil / weedy dead pasture land. I believe it’s called spiny false watermelon.

[trubandloki]

@Paint_Party

And it’s poppycock that feed stores here, or down in Scottsdale, don’t sell ration balancers.

If you have never tried to buy a ration balancer in Scottsdale, I guess you (not you @Paint_Party) can go thru your life insisting they are not sold there, even though everyone else knows they are.

[Virginia_Horse_Mom]

@Zlotych

How many cycles of starvation and return to condition has this poor animal had to endure in your ownership? She has been your public poster child on more than one occasion for how you have been wronged (again).
A 19 YR old mare even after having several babies should not be that hard to maintain, especially if not pregnant. Try harder.

Poor mare.

I took video after turning out my 23 (almost 24) year old career broodmare this AM. She’s been retired from being a broodmare for a few years now. She just hacks lightly around the farm a few days a week for mental enrichment and to maintain some muscle tone and to lubricate her older joints naturally. She has adequate pasture, gets about two flakes of grass hay each day when in a stall or on a dry lot, and gets 1 pound of ration balancer each day, along with a cup of platinum performance (because her skin, coat and hooves look great on it). I mix in about 1 pound of good quality chopped forage (TC SafeStarch) with her RB. I like feeding that stuff - my horses do great on it.

I pulled screenshots from my little video and zoomed in. It’s blurry. But, not hard to see that her body condition is around a 6. With decent top line and muscle tone. She’s a touch heavy right now because we are headed into winter. She’ll be closer to a 5 by spring, when rich grass comes in.

Note the picture from behind. Some muscle tone and full coverage over hips.

Old broodmares should all be treated well and given proper retirements. It’s called ETHICAL HORSEMANSHIP. If you can’t commit to doing this, or can’t afford to do this, DON’T BREED.

It hurts my heart to see older broodies treated like throwaways. It’s so wrong. A good career broodie is a special animal. The way some mares love and nurture their foals? Just beautiful. Humans should return the favor and show these old girls some extra love and respect.

[trubandloki]

@Kasheare

who knew?! Not in any of our feed stores in Scottsdale or anything that any farm I was ever at has fed or done…including very high performance sport barns. Learn something knew every day lol

In case you need the information in the future, the Scottsdale Livestock stores (all locations in Scottsdale) do sell more than one horse ration balancer. Heck, they even posted about it on their FB page. Good information to have if you decide to change your feeding routine and are back in the area.

[Scribbler]

@trubandloki

@Paint_Party

And it’s poppycock that feed stores here, or down in Scottsdale, don’t sell ration balancers.

If you have never tried to buy a ration balancer in Scottsdale, I guess you (not you @Paint_Party) can go thru your life insisting they are not sold there, even though everyone else knows they are.

Just pointing out that there is also a mineral supplement called Arizona Trace that is purpose blended to balance hay from Arizona. I mean it’s not like Arizona is this magic place where all the minerals are magically balance.

[Virginia_Horse_Mom]

@Hillside_H_Ranch

I’m committed to my horses, even when older and no longer producing. It’s expensive, and a lot of work. But imho that’s just part of being a responsible breeder.

THIS.