Emerton's Professional Hoofcare

IS YOUR THOROUGHBRED A HARD KEEPER?

Meet Danny, my 15 year old OTTB. He is out of work and fat as mud on nothing but grass.

However this wasn't always the case. Nine years ago he was what many would describe as a 'hard keeper.' I was feeding him 2 big buckets of grain a day and I would have still considered him underweight.

What made the difference?

Gut health. He has been treated for ulcers and spent many months maybe even years on Digestive EQ. We got rid of all the processed feeds in bags and fed nothing but roughage and minerals.

We are very fortunate now to have paddocks full of belly-high Rhodes grass. However, even when we didn't it was still possible to get rid of the grain and have him in good condition. The key is unlimited roughage. He has access to unlimited Rhodes hay (a horse needs at least 2% of their bodyweight a day for maintenance) and 'hard feeds' consisted of speedibeet, Lucerne chaff, Digestive EQ and minerals. For reference, when our previous paddocks were dirt, a round bale at our place would only last two horses one week, or each horse would go through approximately one square bale per day.

If you have a hard keeper a quick list for initial trouble shooting:
• Consider roughage intake
• Consider gut health and ulcer treatment
• Think about potential sources of pain or stress and work to eliminate these, remember ulcers are often a symptom of another underlying problem.

Merry Christmas from our funny farm to yours 🤠🎁🎄💝⛄

A courtesy notice to my valued clients that I will be travelling from 4th to 30th October 🤩

I have limited appointments available for the rest of September, and November is also filling fast.

Get in touch ASAP if your ponies are due during this time to avoid disappointment ☺️

Year 12 Formal for my eldest 🥹 So proud 🤩