Again, big improvements. We're on our way.
Monday, September 10, 2012
Steepleview 2012 Professional Pics!
Once again, I got pictures from the lovely and wonderful D & G Photography, and once again, they were fantastic. Compared to last year, I feel there's a been a noticeable improvement in both myself and Royal. The information about biomechanics from Linda and Coleen Kelly have really helped my position and stability, and Royal's confidence and ability to play the Game of Contact just keep getting better. Obviously we're not perfect yet, but we're on the right track.
Again, big improvements. We're on our way.
Again, big improvements. We're on our way.
Sunday, September 9, 2012
Steepleview Horse Trials 2012 Continued
Sorry for the delay in getting this up. I had another week where I was out of the house almost all the time, and when I was home, too tired to write. Hopefully that phase is behind me for a little while.
Anyway, Saturday started off with a surprise. After walking the XC course (and taking picutres) on Friday night, I had stayed the night at my sister's house so I could get going right away. But one of the other horses, namely Bandit, had other ideas. He'd gotten out sometime in the night, and was pacing up and down the fence line trying to get back in. So I had to go fetch him and lead him around to the gate, which was made harder by the fact that he was all amped up. I get him back in with the other horses, hooked up the trailer, loaded Royal in (who could tell right away that I was NOT in the mood for any nonsense), and we headed out. It took about an hour and a half to get to Steepleview, but traffic was light.
After I unloaded Royal, we went straight to the lunging arena, which overlooked pretty much the whole facility. This gave Royal plenty to look at, but he was able to run most of his adrenaline off. We went back to the trailer and I got him cleaned up and attempted to start braiding him. I say "attempted" because we were parked really close to the XC course, particularly Training Level jumps 4 and 5. So while I tried to get him all nice and braided, he kept moving his head to get a look at the people walking the course and later the horses and riders on the course. Obviously, this did not make for good braiding. I kept trying to figure out where best to position him, but each place had something he couldn't see and he kept trying to move to see it and everything else. So I had to move with him, muttering under my breath that I am going to blindfold him next year. Or roach his mane. Or both.
While trying to braid Mr. Wigglesworth, I ended up slicing my finger on my scissors. Which had nothing to do with Royal and everything to do with my own clumsiness, but it started bleeding very profusely. No problem, I thought, as I usually keep a travel pack of band-aids in my purse. Which I opened up to find completely empty. I searched the truck for a first-aid kit and asked the people at the trailers around me if anyone had any bandages. No one did, so I had to improvise one from Vetrap, which didn't help a lot, but it did stem the bleeding. I finished braiding Royal (which only looked like a tipsy monkey did it, instead of a completely drunk one, like I usually do), tacked up, and headed over to the dressage warm-up. The bit check lady wad very nice and even tighten my girth a smidge for me. And of course the warm-up was completely chaotic. Royal and I had to navigate around bucking and balking horses, people just standing around looking off into space, and shrieking trainers going "REMEMBER TO PUSH! INSIDE LEG! DON'T FORGET TO SMIIIIIIIIIIIIILE!" We were able to get to a quieter spot, but the chaos was making it hard for us to keep a rhythm. He would be going along holding the contact really nicely, and then we have to stop or slow down to avoid crashing into someone. It was really frustrating, not to mention that my finger really hurt and I could tell blood was soaking through the wrap and into my glove. It was such a relief when it was time for my test.
Overall, I think it was the best test we ever did in competition. 75% of the time, Royal held the contact fairly steady. He was mouthing the bit quite a bit out of nervousness, and we had a few blips of dropping the contact, but I felt really good about it. He wasn't too keen about getting close to the flowers, but that will come. But all in all, I thought he was fantastic. The judge, however, disagreed and gave 45.7 penalties. It seems her theme was connection with a bit, and any small loss of such automatically gave you a 6. As we had little blips in almost all the movements, we got pretty much all 5s and 6s. No 4s, and we did get a 6 on our free walk ("needs consistent stretching w/relaxed ?sides?") and 7 on gaits. Apparently Royal shows potential, but needs to be more constantly connected with the bit. Which, hey, I agree with. Pretty much everyone scored lowly under this judge, so I know it's probably just her style.
After get Royal untacked and getting him some water, I peeled my blood soaked glove off and went in search of band-aids. I had to go all the way to the EMTs, who asked me very sternly when my last tetanus shot was, to find one. Finger bandaged, and a hot dog later, I got Royal all unbraided and ready for XC. They were started us off every 2 minutes, so I had to make sure we could get all the time we needed. I instantly loved the warm-up steward when she kicked all the superfluous people out ("If you're not a coach, get out of the warm-up ring NOW!") and Royal and I could warm up in peace. He popped over all the warm up jumps without hesitation, and we were able to mosey around before we had to go to the start box. Just before we were supposed to start, Callae, the person who owns the stable where Royal stays in Bayfield, came over to say hi. She'd brought her horse down and was competing in Training. Then it was "5, 4, 3, 2, 1, go!"
The one in the middle is the BN/Starter jump. The white part was a little sign saying it would be lowered for Starter, and it was still there on Saturday. I like the fact that it was in the middle this year, since it made run-outs difficult. Royal peeked at the white part, but hopped right over. Then it was up the hill a ways and a right turn to...
This also got a look, but he popped over. We kept going down the hill to...
The Return of the Scrabble Jump! Yay! This jump is just made of awesome. He peeked at it a bit, but again went right over. We kept going downhill and swung slightly right to...
This one was easy. He barely looked at it. We then had to turn left to...
He sort of hesitated a bit at the entrance, but then I reminded him of Lake Superior, and he trotted though. It was then on to...
This one was tricky. You could either go around a big tree and take the long approach, or go between the big tree and a line of little trees for a shorter approach. I choose the short approach, which ended up being a mistake and Royal didn't read it as a jump until we were pretty much on top of it. He skittered to the left and we circled around and popped over with no problem. This is something we need to work on though. We're so used to jumping in big open fields or arenas that Royal is not used to seeing things behind trees. So, definitely have to work on that for next year. We swung left and up hill to...
This was the down bank last year, but we jumped up this year. You could also take a long or short approach to this one, and the short one ended up working well. I felt the hill was easier to navigate that way, and Royal leapt up the bank like he was Superhorse. It was straight to...
He kind of peaked at this one, being that it was sort of in shadows, but went over. We turned leftand came out of the woods to...
This was at the top of the hill and rode really well. We went down the hill to...
I felt this was a sort of half-coffin. You can see the ditch in the background, and there was about 6 strides between them, and no room to circle. I was unsure of how this would ride, since Royal sometimes doesn't realize a ditch is in front of him until it's too late, and then he puts on the brakes. We ended up trotting this and dropped back down into a trot before...
He jumped it, a little bigger than necessary, and, as I realized later, one of his hind boots slipped down to his hoof. He took a few stutter steps, but I couldn't feel any lameness, so we continued on to...
Again, no problems. We continued straight, following the tree line to...
Boing! The skinniness did add a bit of a challenge, but Royal and I are used to that. So we turned left around the trees to...
There was a jump hiding in the bushes on the the approach to this one, which Royal spooked at, but he refocused and jumped this one well. We went up the hill and right to...
He spooked a bit at the flowers, but went right over and down the hill to...
The last jump! We powered right over and through the finish flags.
It was awesome! We went home tired but ready for Sunday's stadium jumping.
Sunday also started early. We arrived fairly early so I could watch Callae's round, and she ended up get fifth! Good for her. The Novice divisions flew past and before I knew it, it was time for us to get ready and warm up. They'd gotten new stadium jumps this year and they were BRIGHT. Really really bright. Almost everything was shiny and colorful, which would make thing interesting. After mounting up, I took Royal to a more isolated part of the warm up and let him hand gallop for a bit to get his feet moving. He seemed ready to go and soon it was our turn.
I really had to hold his hand at the beginning, but soon he realized that the shiny jumps were still safe and we ended up with a DOUBLE CLEAR round! I was so proud of him, and we ended up in seventh place, getting our first ribbon at a horse trial, recognized or otherwise.
It was awesome. He was just wonderful and I could not have asked for more from him. We've come a long way.
Sunday, September 2, 2012
Steepleview Horse Trials 2012
I'm so incredibly proud Royal I can't put it into words. He was a superstar all weekend. :)
Thursday, August 30, 2012
Quick Pre-Steepleview Update
Whew! The past couple of weeks have been madness! It seems like I've been out of the house all day for one reason or another and haven't had much time to blog. But the main objective has been prepping for the Steepleview Horse Trials! A lot of it has been dressage, but we've been able to get some jumping in as well.
But first we had to find the jumps. The field where I had them has become very overgrown, so last Wednesday, my sister and I had to mount a rescue mission in order to find them. It took a little bit of time, but eventually we found everything and brought them all back. We took the stuff I wanted to use and put it in one of the pastures so I could set them up later. The horses were all very interested in these new things.
We've also been doing more braiding, and doubling up on the wires really helped with the stability of a lot of the braids
He looks much more ewe-necked there than he is. But I think the buttons will look good.
Our main dressage goal has been transitions, and he keeps getting better and better. He still has a tendency to shut down when he get confused, but as long as I stay soft, he usually comes out of it well. I figures the key to trot-canter transitions is to really rev up myself and let him figure out the rest. He still gets nervous, but at least he knows the game.
Jumping has also gone well. He still bops over everything, although he can get a but looky. On Wednesday, a big puddle had formed in the field, so we used that as practice for a water obstacle. He alternated between trotting though it and jumping into it, so it was good practice for me. He strolled over everything and we were even able to string a mini-course together. He's on top form and seems really ready for the weekend ahead.
And now it's time for me to keep preparing. I have to polish my boots, get my stock-tie ready, but his bridle back together, pack all my clothes, and so on. Tomorrow I work, then go and walk my x-c course, and then on Saturday, it'll be STEEPLEVIEW TIME! I can hardly wait!
But first we had to find the jumps. The field where I had them has become very overgrown, so last Wednesday, my sister and I had to mount a rescue mission in order to find them. It took a little bit of time, but eventually we found everything and brought them all back. We took the stuff I wanted to use and put it in one of the pastures so I could set them up later. The horses were all very interested in these new things.
 |
| Intruder Alert! |
We've also been doing more braiding, and doubling up on the wires really helped with the stability of a lot of the braids
He looks much more ewe-necked there than he is. But I think the buttons will look good.
Our main dressage goal has been transitions, and he keeps getting better and better. He still has a tendency to shut down when he get confused, but as long as I stay soft, he usually comes out of it well. I figures the key to trot-canter transitions is to really rev up myself and let him figure out the rest. He still gets nervous, but at least he knows the game.
Jumping has also gone well. He still bops over everything, although he can get a but looky. On Wednesday, a big puddle had formed in the field, so we used that as practice for a water obstacle. He alternated between trotting though it and jumping into it, so it was good practice for me. He strolled over everything and we were even able to string a mini-course together. He's on top form and seems really ready for the weekend ahead.
And now it's time for me to keep preparing. I have to polish my boots, get my stock-tie ready, but his bridle back together, pack all my clothes, and so on. Tomorrow I work, then go and walk my x-c course, and then on Saturday, it'll be STEEPLEVIEW TIME! I can hardly wait!
Monday, August 20, 2012
Royal And The Cows
Since Bayfield, I haven't had a lot of time to do stuff with Royal. I started a new job on Tuesday and had a last-minute eye doctor appointment complete with The Drops That Make The Light Hurt And Turn You Into A Vampire. But, we've still had some time to try new things and make some friends of the bovine variety.
The neighbors cows had lived behind the back pasture as long as Royal's been here, but they recently got moved to the pasture across the road. Royal wasn't exactly a fan of cows before, and having to stare them down as we walk down the small side street to get to the road is not his idea of a good time. I think he has a hard time figuring out what they are from a distance and it probably looks like a swirling mass or color.
Once he gets close to them, he seems to remember that they're the same cows he's lived next to since late May and doesn't seem too bothered, although still not exactly happy.
The other Big Thing is braiding! My arch-nemesis of show turnout. Last year I was able to cobble together a sort-of decent job at Steepleview, but this year I want to do better. But bands are just not doing the job, and yarn seems too complicated. A while back, I discovered Braiding Wire, which seemed to be a reasonable compromise. It arrived on Saturday, so I decided to give it a shot.
It turned out okay, better than I thought. I have a bit of a learning curve with holding the wire and the braids, and Royal's mane is way too long. It probably needs to be able 2 inches shorter and I'll have to double up with wires in the middle of the mane, but at this point, I like it. I was able to do more than 4 braids halfway decently and even the middle braids stayed relatively nice. I'll have to practicing (which I'm sure Royal will be thrilled about), but right now I'm a lot more hopeful than I was with the bands. I think this will work.
The neighbors cows had lived behind the back pasture as long as Royal's been here, but they recently got moved to the pasture across the road. Royal wasn't exactly a fan of cows before, and having to stare them down as we walk down the small side street to get to the road is not his idea of a good time. I think he has a hard time figuring out what they are from a distance and it probably looks like a swirling mass or color.
Once he gets close to them, he seems to remember that they're the same cows he's lived next to since late May and doesn't seem too bothered, although still not exactly happy.
 |
| "Yeah, there's Bessy, and Daisy, and Betty. So? Can we go now?" |
It turned out okay, better than I thought. I have a bit of a learning curve with holding the wire and the braids, and Royal's mane is way too long. It probably needs to be able 2 inches shorter and I'll have to double up with wires in the middle of the mane, but at this point, I like it. I was able to do more than 4 braids halfway decently and even the middle braids stayed relatively nice. I'll have to practicing (which I'm sure Royal will be thrilled about), but right now I'm a lot more hopeful than I was with the bands. I think this will work.
Tuesday, August 14, 2012
The LakeHorse (Bayfield 2012)
Another year, another wonderful week up in the Great North. I was delighted to see the owner of the barn where Royal stays had expanded the cross-country course (she caught the Eventing Bug around the same time I did), and he settled right in. The weather was supposed to be nice all week, so I was hoping to try some new things. It's not really a vacation for us, but I try to keep it fun.
Monday was a basic day. We played OnLine and rode Freestyle in the outdoor arena. Royal was a bit fresh, so we even did some hand-galloping so get all his energy out. We also did some pseudo-bridleless riding at the walk and the trot.
Tuesday, my family went on a boat ride that ended up going an hour and a half later than it was supposed to, so I didn't get out to the farm until the evening. We played a bit more on the Feather line, and he was really good. Very light and connected, after he had a little mini-gallop. I think we'll be able to start playing with flying lead changes OnLine soon. I've tried it before, and he would tend to get very strong and disconnected. But now, he seems to want to keep the connection, so I think we can play with it a bit more.
Wednesday and Thursday were both Game of Contact days. I'm starting to step it up a bit, playing with transitions and changes of direction. On Wednesday, it took him a while to settle in, but he started to keep a more steady and quiet contact. I noticed he has a tendency to lift his head in upward transitions, especially going from trot to canter. It got better on Thursday, but I think it stems from his history of diving into the canter. It took him a while to learn how to canter which his weight on his hind end, instead of scrambling on his front end. He still has a tendency to hold tension along his spine, although the GoC has really helped. It helped when I took a tiny bit more contact before asking for the canter and really asking with my core, but at this point, I think we just need more practice with it. He seems to be getting it really well, and is starting to let himself relax and stretch into the contact.
Friday was swimming day, but with a small wrinkle. Thursday was a very windy day, with winds in excess of 30 mph, which made the lake very rough. Like, no one was on the water after about 3pm rough. Friday was a bit calmer, but still with lots of white-caps. So, I trailered Royal down to the Really Really Really Really Really Big Puddle, thinking that if he would go in the lake, any x-c water obstacles would be easy. At first he did his dainty sniffing.
But then he got in and started splashing around.
He seemed confident, so I changed clothes and hopped on. He was a bit unsure, but soon went in, huge waves and all.
We went in and out a few times, and then went back to the barn. I was really proud of him; those white-caps were huge and scary looking, even to me. He was so brave and I was so happy.
Saturday was X-C DAY!!!!! The course was manly show jumps with lots of natural decorations like haybales and mini-tables. He started out very well, apart from a bit of confusion with the white barrels where he wasn't quite focused on them until he was almost on top of them and went "Huh?!" So, redirect and he went over. He went around the rest of the course without many problems. The haybale to table combo was set a bit long, so he had to reach for it, but he was game. He peeked at the bright pink and white cover on one row of bales, and the tube jump, but popped over both. The bank was somewhat overgrown, so he tip-toed up to the edge, but when he found it, he walked off like it was no big deal. It was a fairly sizable bank too, and he also hopped up like it was no big deal either. We quit when we were able to string a mini-course together: carpet-covered-barrels to colored tires to white barrels to tube jump to bright-pink-and-white-haybales, all with no hesitation anywhere.
We then trailered back over to the beach, the wind being much calmer. This time I wanted to see if he would actually swim. He pretty much got right in the way ("The Really Really Really Really Really Big Puddle isn't moving as much anymore! I get to make splashes!"), and I hopped on pretty quickly. It was somewhat hard to navigate beyond the big dock, since there are big rocks and old docks under the water. We ended up having to go kind of around all that and then out. The first time we tried to swim, there was a group of kayakers passing by and they were very confused. "Bob, is that a boat?" "No, it's a... horse?" Poor Royal was also very confused, but he continued on until he couldn't walk anymore. Once we got beyond that point, he sat down on his hind end (talk about engagement) and would push off and paddle for a little bit before pushing off again. We went back and waited a bit before trying again. There were no kayakers this time, and we got a bit further. He still sat back on his hind end and paddled a bit, and I just grabbed mane and hung on. It felt a bit like a carousel horse. We got the furthest out our third time, and he actually paddled for a while before pushing off again. He seemed to enjoy himself, although he still wasn't completely sure about the whole thing. But as always, he was a good spot.
The next day, it was time to go home. He traveled well, and we should have had some love-theme music when he and Gabby were reunited. I'll try to find some local horse-friendly beaches so we don't have to wait another year to go swimming again, but hopefully swimming increased his confidence. After all, he swam in Lake Superior. He can do anything.
Monday was a basic day. We played OnLine and rode Freestyle in the outdoor arena. Royal was a bit fresh, so we even did some hand-galloping so get all his energy out. We also did some pseudo-bridleless riding at the walk and the trot.
Tuesday, my family went on a boat ride that ended up going an hour and a half later than it was supposed to, so I didn't get out to the farm until the evening. We played a bit more on the Feather line, and he was really good. Very light and connected, after he had a little mini-gallop. I think we'll be able to start playing with flying lead changes OnLine soon. I've tried it before, and he would tend to get very strong and disconnected. But now, he seems to want to keep the connection, so I think we can play with it a bit more.
Wednesday and Thursday were both Game of Contact days. I'm starting to step it up a bit, playing with transitions and changes of direction. On Wednesday, it took him a while to settle in, but he started to keep a more steady and quiet contact. I noticed he has a tendency to lift his head in upward transitions, especially going from trot to canter. It got better on Thursday, but I think it stems from his history of diving into the canter. It took him a while to learn how to canter which his weight on his hind end, instead of scrambling on his front end. He still has a tendency to hold tension along his spine, although the GoC has really helped. It helped when I took a tiny bit more contact before asking for the canter and really asking with my core, but at this point, I think we just need more practice with it. He seems to be getting it really well, and is starting to let himself relax and stretch into the contact.
Friday was swimming day, but with a small wrinkle. Thursday was a very windy day, with winds in excess of 30 mph, which made the lake very rough. Like, no one was on the water after about 3pm rough. Friday was a bit calmer, but still with lots of white-caps. So, I trailered Royal down to the Really Really Really Really Really Big Puddle, thinking that if he would go in the lake, any x-c water obstacles would be easy. At first he did his dainty sniffing.
But then he got in and started splashing around.
We went in and out a few times, and then went back to the barn. I was really proud of him; those white-caps were huge and scary looking, even to me. He was so brave and I was so happy.
Saturday was X-C DAY!!!!! The course was manly show jumps with lots of natural decorations like haybales and mini-tables. He started out very well, apart from a bit of confusion with the white barrels where he wasn't quite focused on them until he was almost on top of them and went "Huh?!" So, redirect and he went over. He went around the rest of the course without many problems. The haybale to table combo was set a bit long, so he had to reach for it, but he was game. He peeked at the bright pink and white cover on one row of bales, and the tube jump, but popped over both. The bank was somewhat overgrown, so he tip-toed up to the edge, but when he found it, he walked off like it was no big deal. It was a fairly sizable bank too, and he also hopped up like it was no big deal either. We quit when we were able to string a mini-course together: carpet-covered-barrels to colored tires to white barrels to tube jump to bright-pink-and-white-haybales, all with no hesitation anywhere.
We then trailered back over to the beach, the wind being much calmer. This time I wanted to see if he would actually swim. He pretty much got right in the way ("The Really Really Really Really Really Big Puddle isn't moving as much anymore! I get to make splashes!"), and I hopped on pretty quickly. It was somewhat hard to navigate beyond the big dock, since there are big rocks and old docks under the water. We ended up having to go kind of around all that and then out. The first time we tried to swim, there was a group of kayakers passing by and they were very confused. "Bob, is that a boat?" "No, it's a... horse?" Poor Royal was also very confused, but he continued on until he couldn't walk anymore. Once we got beyond that point, he sat down on his hind end (talk about engagement) and would push off and paddle for a little bit before pushing off again. We went back and waited a bit before trying again. There were no kayakers this time, and we got a bit further. He still sat back on his hind end and paddled a bit, and I just grabbed mane and hung on. It felt a bit like a carousel horse. We got the furthest out our third time, and he actually paddled for a while before pushing off again. He seemed to enjoy himself, although he still wasn't completely sure about the whole thing. But as always, he was a good spot.
The next day, it was time to go home. He traveled well, and we should have had some love-theme music when he and Gabby were reunited. I'll try to find some local horse-friendly beaches so we don't have to wait another year to go swimming again, but hopefully swimming increased his confidence. After all, he swam in Lake Superior. He can do anything.
Saturday, August 4, 2012
Reverse Weight Watchers
Royal and I have quite a bit of fun lately, testing both lightness and concentration. I got a Feather Line at the Tour Stop, and it really is quite different that the regular 22-foot line. I don't think Royal actually felt it at first, since he tried to wander off to a particularly appetizing piece of grass and looking very surprised when he hit the end. He stayed very light for the rest of the session, and never tried to test the rope again. I did have to put him on the regular 22-foot line for an adrenaline management session; the basic idea is that if your horse has temporarily lost their brain, you ask the horse to boogie for a lap, then wait for 3 laps to see if they try to come off the adrenaline and connect with you. If they do, you allow it. If not, ask them to go for a lap again and wait. The point is to help them run the adrenaline out instead of nagging at them to stand still, which usually make the situation worse (ask me how I know). It took Royal 3 repetitions the first time, but he quickly got the idea and would try to connect after a quarter of a circle.
We've also been able to do some trail riding, although now we're mostly sticking to the dirt road. I'd like to ride him to the local bark, but they're working on the bridge so we'd only be able to get to the entrance and have to turn around. So, we have to keep going up the road, and Royal wore his trail bridle for the first time in quite a while. I'm not quite sure what he thought of it.
It's interesting going trail riding with him because he has two trail riding modes: either he's really into it and really wants to go exploring, or the conversation between us is more like
Luckily, the first mode is more common.
My main focus with him over the past few weeks has been trying to get him to put on weight. Right now, most of the weight problems with horses seem to be that they're too fat, which can lead to all sorts of metabolic issues and health problems such as founder. Not my horse. Instead of being the type of horse who looks at food and gains weight, he's the kind of horse that hears the wind in the trees and loses 5 pounds. He is the only horse I know that can lose weight on an all-you-can-eat buffet. Of course the extreme heat and the temporary drought (which seems to have ended in our Corner of the Universe. Yay!) didn't help. He still looks healthy (bright eyes, shiny coat, good hooves), but on the thin side. So, I started conservatively, putting him on one scoop of SmartGain 4 a day. That didn't seem to help much, so now he's on ADM's HealthyGlo as well to add lots of fat to his diet. Since he hasn't been on grain for a few months, I'm slowing starting him on it and working our way up to a pound a day. He seems to like it so far, although it's very different than the concentrates I've fed before. As he gets up to the full amount, we'll see if it helps.
We've also been able to do some trail riding, although now we're mostly sticking to the dirt road. I'd like to ride him to the local bark, but they're working on the bridge so we'd only be able to get to the entrance and have to turn around. So, we have to keep going up the road, and Royal wore his trail bridle for the first time in quite a while. I'm not quite sure what he thought of it.
It's interesting going trail riding with him because he has two trail riding modes: either he's really into it and really wants to go exploring, or the conversation between us is more like
Luckily, the first mode is more common.
My main focus with him over the past few weeks has been trying to get him to put on weight. Right now, most of the weight problems with horses seem to be that they're too fat, which can lead to all sorts of metabolic issues and health problems such as founder. Not my horse. Instead of being the type of horse who looks at food and gains weight, he's the kind of horse that hears the wind in the trees and loses 5 pounds. He is the only horse I know that can lose weight on an all-you-can-eat buffet. Of course the extreme heat and the temporary drought (which seems to have ended in our Corner of the Universe. Yay!) didn't help. He still looks healthy (bright eyes, shiny coat, good hooves), but on the thin side. So, I started conservatively, putting him on one scoop of SmartGain 4 a day. That didn't seem to help much, so now he's on ADM's HealthyGlo as well to add lots of fat to his diet. Since he hasn't been on grain for a few months, I'm slowing starting him on it and working our way up to a pound a day. He seems to like it so far, although it's very different than the concentrates I've fed before. As he gets up to the full amount, we'll see if it helps.
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