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young horse with fatigue... Interesting update!

Sport Horse Breeding
#1

I have a 4 year old that just started his jumping training.

He is a very laid back horse and gets tired easily.

Doesn’t have to be lunged and needs a lot of leg!

We took him to his first show last week and he did a warm up day one, then 2 jumping classes each day. ( 2 days)The last day he was very tired and you could tell his efforts were blah. The first day he was unbelievable, jumped amazing and had great energy.

I know he needs to get more fit, and that takes time, but because he is young and still growing is there something I can give him to help with his stamina?

Also muscle fatigue? I don’t want to do anything unhealthy for him and I know he does have to develop, but would a muscle and energy supplement help?

Is there something out there that targets both muscle help and fatigue?

He is on Bermuda hay, alfalfa pellets and triple crown complete right now. I don’t give him alfalfa hay only because he won’t eat the Bermuda if I do. :lol:

#2

4 is hard!!! I remember going to watch Cielo B at his first shows and being horrified that he was soooo tired on day two that he could.not.get.over.the.jump! Growing is exhausting for young Warmbloods :slight_smile:

I’m experiencing some of that now with my 4 three year old stallions. They have forward and go one day and the next day, I can’t tell them “good boy” because they collapse into a heap!

It sounds like your feeding program is pretty good. It’s really just a stage - I find the fall to be the growthiest time and therefore the most exhausting for the youngsters.

Edited to add - some gentle hill work and a consistent feed program is your best strategy.
I’d recommend just sticking to your program and letting him grow up.

good luck! I’m sure next year you’ll be posting that he’s a fireball!!!

#3

I wish he was more of a fire ball!:smiley:

Wow, his jump on day one felt like a million bucks!

I really think it is just fitness because he has just begun his training. I only rode him at home a few times a week before and now he is getting worked 6 days a week, so it is completely understandable.

It’s hard with the babies because you want them a little fresh so no lunge, but then if they are too fresh they can be a little, well interesting. :wink:

I might see if my feed store has the Triple crown in a higher energy formulation then the complete. He used to get progressive nutrition when he was a baby, but it has become very pricey and the only place that carries it here is 50 miles from my house. :frowning:

#4

One of ours went thru a stage like that at 4. Like a teenage boy with nighttime growing pains :yes:

DMG really seemed to help

http://www.equinechronicle.com/health/dmg-beneficial-nutrient-for-humans-and-horses.html

it’s real affordable http://www.jeffersequine.com/vita-flex-dmg-3000/camid/equ/cp/V6-D5/

smartpak uses it in their energy formulas also

Our guy really needs his sleep time. He likes his preferred corner of his stall. It’s his blankie. Despite tons of turn-out time I always try to bring him in for his naps! He needs his beauty sleep before shows too :smiley:

It’s the growth. Nothing to set off any alarms.

#5

I have a 3 year old that went through a stage like that in August and September. I think it was a growth stage. I backed off her training in the ring and started trail riding her some, and now she is much better.

My filly doesn’t need much concentrate, so I also supplement her with Progressive ProAdd Ultimate, to make sure she gets everything she needs nutritionally. She has an amazing topline.

#6

The best Rx is proper nutrition and time. Those ARE your “muscle and energy supplements”

Don’t force his body to your timetable. Adjust your timetable to his body.

What’s he eating now?

I promise, when my WB was 4, I was asking the very same question. You can’t do anything about it. Fit him up appropriately for his age, but just remember, he IS still growing, and that takes a lot of energy to be done properly

#7

Samotis, if you’re still considering changing his feed, try the Triple Crown 14%. It’s a sweet feed, has high protein and high fat, (but very low in fiber, compared to the Complete) and is very high in starch. (38%!) If that doesn’t get his engine going, probably nothing would.

#8

Why would you want to put any horse on a feed that was 38% NSC?

Feeding sugars to get an engine going is not healthy.

I might be ok feeding something that high in sugars to a horse working very hard, a high performance horse, a higher level Eventer for example, because he’s working hard which offsets some of the high sugars.

But a 4yo who might already be on a balanced diet? No way.

#9

Fwiw, I went to a talk about nutrition by a local Phd nutritionist, she talked about this very issue, it’s common. One of the major causes is dehydration. She recommended that horses be fed 1oz loose salt and electrolytes in their feed daily rather than just relying on their salt block. When most people travel they don’t take a salt block with them, and horses don’t tend to lick it away from home even if they did. They need salt and more water.

#10

Just trying to offer a suggestion as the OP specifically mentioned a Triple Crown feed with higher energy. Personally I would not, and never have, fed the TC 14%.

#11

[QUOTE=Perfect Pony;6626440]
Fwiw, I went to a talk about nutrition by a local Phd nutritionist, she talked about this very issue, it’s common. One of the major causes is dehydration. She recommended that horses be fed 1oz loose salt and electrolytes in their feed daily rather than just relying on their salt block. When most people travel they don’t take a salt block with them, and horses don’t tend to lick it away from home even if they did. They need salt and more water.[/QUOTE]

Good point. I didn’t think of that either. We’ve counted ourselves lucky in that our young horse readily drinks well when on the road. We have salt blocks but always add electrolytes to the feed. And we found that our young horse was very sensitive to sleep issues. He’s like that 14 yr old boy, he needs his sleep time. I have seen folks at shows use a mesh cover on stalls to offer the privacy that some horses need to relax.

#12

4 is hard!!! I remember going to watch Cielo B at his first shows and being horrified that he was soooo tired on day two that he could.not.get.over.the.jump! Growing is exhausting for young Warmbloods

I’m experiencing some of that now with my 4 three year old stallions. They have forward and go one day and the next day, I can’t tell them “good boy” because they collapse into a heap!

It sounds like your feeding program is pretty good. It’s really just a stage - I find the fall to be the growthiest time and therefore the most exhausting for the youngsters.

Edited to add - some gentle hill work and a consistent feed program is your best strategy.
I’d recommend just sticking to your program and letting him grow up.

good luck! I’m sure next year you’ll be posting that he’s a fireball!!!

This!

#13

[QUOTE=risingstarfarm;6626164]
4 is hard!!! I remember going to watch Cielo B at his first shows and being horrified that he was soooo tired on day two that he could.not.get.over.the.jump! Growing is exhausting for young Warmbloods :slight_smile:

I’m experiencing some of that now with my 4 three year old stallions. They have forward and go one day and the next day, I can’t tell them “good boy” because they collapse into a heap!

It sounds like your feeding program is pretty good. It’s really just a stage - I find the fall to be the growthiest time and therefore the most exhausting for the youngsters.

Edited to add - some gentle hill work and a consistent feed program is your best strategy.
I’d recommend just sticking to your program and letting him grow up.

good luck! I’m sure next year you’ll be posting that he’s a fireball!!![/QUOTE]

This!

#14

Really you already know all the answers :slight_smile:

Don’t judge your 4 yr old by what other 4yr olds may be doing.
He’s told you that he’s tired/out of energy - GOOD boy for trying :yes: - now you need to listen & allow him time to grow up, to increase his fitness: sometimes just working them more is NOT the answer, nor is more calories.

By all means supplement properly :yes: (what’s the nutrient/digestibility analysis on your hay?)

Some horses just don’t get there until they’re 5 or so …
in the meantime, only do 1 day at the shows.

(I’m assuming you’ve had a through vet check to rule out heart murmer etc - there are physiological issues that display as fatigue)

#15

We never show more than a single class on the second day of a show with the young ones. It takes mileage for them to learn to drink enough and sleep enough while in a show environment. Time and mileage and patience are your best allies.

#16

He had a very thorough vet check about 2 months ago and is fine.

I know it isn’t a health issue and that he is growing and needs time, just wanted to make sure I was on the right track.

Next show is in 3 weeks and I will play it by ear how many classes I take him in. Baby greens is a division, but if he is getting tired the second day I don’t mind scratching.

What Triple crown feed would be better then the complete? I also have the growth for my mare and weanlings, maybe that has more energy?

He eats fine, gets pasture in the morning, hay twice a day and his grain twice a day, so he certainly doesn’t miss a meal.:wink:

I can also add electrolytes to his watered down grain.

#17

Adding that he probably didn’t sleep at the show. He hated the closed stalls. He is used to being out all day and in huge covered pipe pens, so he was not happy when he couldn’t see the other horses.

He ate ok and drank well, but that certainly could have been the factor the third day of the show.

All of this is experience and hopefully soon he will start to get used to the show stalls/routine.:wink:

#18

Just to rule out any other issues - I would have a full blood screen done on your horse.
We feed AppleADay to all of our horses. That way they get the sodium and electrolythes they need. We don’t feed brick or loose salt because sometimes it causes loose stools in the foals and younger horses.
Not sure how big this boy is but horses that are growing do get tired. Same as human teenagers.

#19

I suspect the stimulation at the show is more exhausting than the actual work. By the second day he may just be tired from processing everything!

#20

THIS.:yes:

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