On Sun, 4 Nov 2007 11:50:37 -0400, you wrote: >Personally I would remove the sweet feed because I've heard that is >like feeding candy; and from what I've read about the beet pulp, it's >a good filler.
This is a 30 year old horse, unfit, not been ridden for a long time, suddenly had a saddle put on and ridden in trot and canter. Now, to me, that seems like simply asking for trouble. And not because of what he's being fed - a 30 year old will have much higher needs if he's to maintain weight through the winter, and once he loses weight you will find it really hard to get it back on him. Beet pulp is indeed a filler - the treatment modern beet pulp undergoes when the sugar is extracted means it's not an awful lot more than *just* a filler with a few vitamins and minerals. This old guy probably needs his sweet feed too. It sounds to me like he has some kind of pain issue - not that surprising if he's had a long rest, then been asked to trot and canter out of the blue. I would guess he hurt, and he said in the only way left "get the hell off me, lady!". So he got more riding, pretty intense from the sound of it, to teach him a lesson.... If you had had a long break from exercise (and you were a pensioner to boot!), you would not start with a 5 mile run. You should not ask your poor old horse to do the same - please, I know this probably sounds harsh, but have some common sense! Start him gently, just 10 minutes at walk only for a week or two, gradually building him up to an hour or so. Then start adding some trot (or tolt or whatever he finds easiest). Finally, once you've built up some basic fitness, think about cantering. Give the guy a break, he deserves better. Mic Mic (Michelle) Rushen ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Solva Icelandic Horses and DeMeulenkamp Sweet Itch Rugs: www.solva-icelandics.co.uk ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- "Si hoc legere scis nimium eruditionis habes"
