Bakersfield Dressage
  • Home
  • About
  • My Horses
    • Horses
    • Imperioso
    • G Ima Starr FA
    • Sunshine
    • Nakota and Gideon
    • Corky
    • Sassy
    • Montoya DSA
    • Mickey Dee
    • Sydney
  • Show Results
    • 2022
    • 2021
    • 2020
    • 2019
    • 2018
    • 2017
    • 2016
    • 2015
    • 2014
    • 2013
    • 2012
    • 2011
    • 2010
  • Dressage Organizations
    • Dressage Organizations
    • Memberships
    • 2019 Dressage Tests
  • Local
    • Shopping List
  • Home

Not-So-Speedy Dressage

From Endurance to Dressage

Izzy Gets a New Diet

7/8/2015

 
I alluded to some trouble on the Izzy front the other day, but writing about something for which I don't have a solution is not my style. I already worry enough without having my fears and anxieties permanently displayed on the world wide web, so I prefer to fight my anxiety here at home while I search for an answer.
Picture
This is NOT the trouble.
When I first met Izzy, he was quite the mellow fellow. He lived on an enormous grass pasture by himself with neighbors in the pastures next door and across the street. He appeared to be happy. The main reason I bought him was because of his mellow attitude.

He's had a pretty rough few months though. In January he tore open his leg and has spent months visiting the vet and having to have his leg re-bandaged every other day. He spent a month with the trainer up north and then moved here. He's had a lot on his plate.
Picture
This is the opposite of trouble.
In the late winter, Izzy started to lose his grass belly, and his ribs started peeking through. Dr. Tolley gave him a 4.5 on the Henneke Body Condition Scoring System and agreed that he was definitely too thin. We worked out a feeding plan that would hopefully put some weight back on Izzy's frame.

I started out by supplementing his twenty pounds of alfalfa with three pounds of beet pulp and six pounds of rice bran. He was getting about thirty pounds of feed a day. Within two months, he was nice and round and had a badonkadonk that was quite sexy. The extra beet pulp and rice bran were expensive though, so I worked out a deal with my barn owner to increase his hay by ten pounds a day so that I could feed a lot less beet pulp and rice bran.  

Over time though, Izzy started to get kind of naughty. He started digging holes in his paddock, banging on the fence, flipping the cross ties to make them clang, and on and on. For a while, I didn't notice any excess fidgeting under saddle. In fact, he was working really well until about a week and a half ago. 
Picture
Man that felt good!
And then all of a sudden (it was probably gradual but felt like all of a sudden), my once mellow dude started acting like he'd had ten Red Bulls. We had three horrible rides in a row where he bolted, squealed, humped his back, and basically said he was done being ridden. I was crushed. There was no way I could go through all that again. And by that, I mean all those things that Sydney did.

JL wondered if the alfalfa was simply providing way too much energy for Izzy's needs. I called Chemaine and she agreed. I did some research and discovered that while alfalfa doesn't actually make horses hot in a "clinical" sense, it can provide a ton of energy that the horse needs to burn off.

Izzy was being fed twenty pounds of alfalfa a day plus an additional ten pounds of alfalfa/oat cubes. He was also getting a bit of beet pulp and rice bran. Apparently, that's a lot of energy. Speedy gets the same cubes, although in a smaller portion, and a hay net that always has alfalfa in it. All of my horses have always eaten alfalfa without any problems. It never occurred to me that it might not be the best diet for Izzy.

Alfalfa is readily available here in the west and is relatively cheap. Other hays, such as timothy, bermuda, and oat can be difficult to find and are sometimes twice the price of alfalfa (I just paid $32 a bale for timothy). Because alfalfa is so plentiful, that's what most horses here eat.
Picture
Really, really good!
Changing Izzy's diet became a high priority. The same day that JL made the suggestion, I located some timothy hay and went and picked it up. I worked out a new feed plan with my barn owner. We switched Izzy to ten pounds of alfalfa/oat cubes twice daily with a flake of timothy hay (which he has yet to eat).

Within twenty four hours, I noticed an immediate difference. It's now been about a week since we reduced Izzy's alfalfa to about ten pounds a day (in the cubes). These are things I've noticed:
  • Within 24 hours he quit hollering for Speedy when I took Speedy out of sight. This was not a gradual change. It happened over night.
  • He stopped digging holes (for now anyway).
  • He stopped flinging the cross ties and pawing.
  • He doesn't want to trot or canter on the lunge line. A week ago, he wouldn't stop cantering on the lunge line.
  • I watched him roll in the arena and then just LIE THERE groaning in pleasure. In the more than six months that I've had him, I have seen him roll only one time. 
  • His whole demeanor seems less energetic. He's less spooky, less twitchy, and walking slower.
Picture
I need to do that more often!
I also made some riding changes. I cancelled my lessons for this week (and maybe next). I spoke to Chemaine and got some good advice from her as well. I gave Izzy a day off, and when I rode him next (on Monday), all we did was walk (after a short lunge). Chemaine suggested I change his expectation. He was clearly getting really anxious about trotting forward into a connection, so I just didn't.

When I got on, I asked him to just stand. I patted his neck, and let him watch another horse being ridden. When I finally asked him to move forward, he hollowed his back, braced his jaw, and fussed. I waited, and asked again. Eventually he walked forward, but it was clear that he was worried. He gave a few little squeals, tried to duck and whirl, and tightened his back.

Following Chemaine's suggestion. I just sat there. I didn't react in any way other than to turn his head when he tried to bolt forward. I kept asking for a walk. Slowly, he started to think about it, and I felt his tension slip away. We finished the ride on a happy note.

The next day, I followed the same routine: a short lunge (he was so relaxed that I could barely get a trot out of him) followed by just walking. After some spooking and a small temper tantrum, he again thought about it, and I felt his whole body relax. We did some work over the poles which he seemed to enjoy. When we were finished, he was completely relaxed and walking on a loose rein.

I rode Speedy and then saddled Izzy for a second ride. I didn't bother to lunge him the second time. I got on, and he stood relaxed for a long while. When I asked him to walk forward, there was no resistance. We played around with the poles again, this time asking for 10-meter turns (at the walk). I made everything into a game and before long, he was holding the bend by himself.

He started looking for the poles. He was engaged, playful, and completely relaxed. he even offered to pick up a stride or two of trot. I encouraged it, but when he came back to the walk, I patted his neck and continued on. I again finished with a very happy and relaxed horse.

I pulled his saddle while still in the arena and hung out with him for a few minutes. He took a big drink and then ambled over for a roll and shake. 

For now, I'm going to spend the next week or so getting my mellow horse back. We'll go back to walking for a bit and see if we can change his attitude to match his less-energized body. 
Picture
Life's a lot better when you're not all jacked up on alfalfa!
I am feeling sooooo much better about the situation.
SprinklerBandits
7/8/2015 12:10:44 am

Much better! It's so easy to keep pushing our horses for more and better and forget that their mental game is just as important as ours. :-) Glad you guys are finding your way together.

Bakersfield Dressage link
7/8/2015 08:16:30 am

He's getting happier by the day! :0)

CobJockey link
7/8/2015 12:13:38 am

To further back you up, we had a horse that did the same thing: purchased because he was a mellow guy, needed some weight on him when he got here, put him on alfalfa, and he completely changed. Started weaving, became hard to ride and handle. Then we put him on grass hay, and he went back his mellow self. It is amazing how strongly it affects some horses.

Bakersfield Dressage link
7/8/2015 08:18:01 am

Thank you for sharing! I have NEVER had a problem feeding alfalfa before, and I've owned quite a few horses, so it's a bit of a relief to learn that it's actually a "thing."

Judy
7/8/2015 12:21:43 am

Interesting! Well, I guess you can't put jet fuel in your ride and expect to control yoga moves!

Bakersfiedl Dressage link
7/8/2015 08:18:47 am

That made me laugh out loud, Judy. You've got the scenario pegged perfectly!

Lauren link
7/8/2015 01:20:56 am

I'm glad you're seeing some positive changes!

Bakersfield Dressage link
7/8/2015 08:19:15 am

Me, too!!!! :0)

Nicole Sharpe link
7/8/2015 02:27:24 am

Mine's been off alfalfa for more than a year now, as it makes him rather reactive and nutty. More so than I'm willing to deal with!!

If you ever want to consider anything else in his diet, we've found that some horses also respond to rice bran by getting suuuper amped. Not all of them, and not under all circumstances, but just another thing to consider.

Calm, Forward, Straight link
7/8/2015 03:38:47 am

YES to this.
Val went CRAZY when I put him on a rice bran based supplement (Amplify) to counteract the weight he lost after I bought him, moved him and completely changed his life. He was like a different horse. A horse I didn't really want. :D Plain old grass hay and beet pulp mashes keep him at a good weight now.

Bakersfield Dressage link
7/8/2015 08:23:54 am

Thanks for sharing this, ladies. I've been feeding rice bran as long as I've been feeding beet pulp - twenty years? I've never had a horse do anything but get shiny with the rice bran, but it could be that Izzy's caloric needs are much lower than the Arabs I've owned.

I've done some further research and while nothing supports the idea that rice bran or beet pulp make horses "hot," both do provide a good amount of calories/energy. 1 pound of rice bran provides 1,200 calories! It might be that Izzy just doesn't need any more calories.

I think I may lower those two energy sources to just a handful - I need to deliver the magnesium in something. :0)

emma link
7/8/2015 02:39:31 am

i've definitely heard alfalfa referred to as 'rocket fuel' before - glad the change in his diet seems to be helping! happy mellow horses really are the best and it's worth it to help him stay that way

Bakersfield Dressage link
7/8/2015 08:25:09 am

I love mellow horses and definitely want to see that behavior return. :0)

Sarah link
7/8/2015 09:38:32 am

Some horses are just more sensitive to diet than others. Glad you're already seeing improvement!

Bakersfield Dressage link
7/9/2015 09:58:37 am

It would seem so. :0)

Tracy link
7/9/2015 08:21:29 am

I went through a similar thing with Miles. We upped his feed to get weight on, but then he got a little "grain high" haha. We had to lower him down, and now he's all better!

Bakersfield Dressage link
7/9/2015 10:00:07 am

You would think that my "hot" Arabs would be the ones sensitive to feed, but it's not so. I've owned four Arabs and I've never had to do more than feed them a lot. :0)

Teresa link
7/9/2015 09:31:23 am

interesting- I pay $2.50 a bale for timothy hay. Alfalfa I can only get in cubes that I soak. I add it to Irish's feed in the winter to keep weight on. I tried it on Carmen when she came and she got like Izzy. I won't do it this winter- but when she arrived she was under weight.

now that she's a good weight I'm playing with her feed to see how to maintain her - I find with excess energy she gets spooky and balky. You've inspired me to back her down a notch in the grain. Not fun at all. I believe Izzy is five? So is Carmen.

Bakersfield Dressage link
7/9/2015 10:04:22 am

$2.50?!?!?!?!?! OMG!!!! I seriously paid $32 a bale for timothy. Of course all of our hay is really expensive because of the drought. Hay takes a lot of water so I believe most of it is being shipped from further and further away.

Izzy just turned 7, but but he doesn't have much life experience. I've never done grain since alfalfa has always been plentiful in California. My supplemental feed has always been beet pulp and rice bran. I think my horses, including Speedy, would launch into orbit with any grain. :0)

bonita link
7/9/2015 08:59:38 pm

Coconut meal is also wonderful weight gain, non-heating suppliment that I love for my horses. It works really well, even for picky horses that heat up with a whiff of oats or alfalfa. Mind you, each horse is different, so you might not think it's the best for Izzy.

Whatever you need to keep that happy, mellow, nonfussed dude. He's pretty awesome and it's great to see how he's progressing!

Bakersfield Dressage link
7/9/2015 10:23:20 pm

I would imagine it is a cool calorie as fats usually are. I have several friends who swear by coconut oil for themselves. I've tasted it and yuck! Do you buy it at a health food store to top dress feed, or does it come in a commercial feed? Good suggestion!

jenj
7/11/2015 12:25:47 pm

Glad you've found a feeding plan that works! You mentioned the Izzy seems more mellow and less "twitchy" - I seem to recall he has some mild HSing symptoms. Alfalfa has been known to cause photosensitivity in some horses, and I know my HSer was worse when given alfalfa. I wonder if it's possible that by changing his feed up a bit, you've helped the HSing as well? Regardless of the reason, it's great news!


Comments are closed.

    About the Writer and Rider

    ​I am a lifelong rider. 
    I began endurance riding in 1996 where I ultimately completed five, one-day 100 mile races, the 200-mile Death Valley Encounter, and numerous other 50, 65, and 75 mile races. I began showing dressage in 2010.
    ​Welcome to my dressage journey.
    Picture
    Photo by Lori Ovanessian

    About Speedy G

    ​Speedy went from endurance horse to dressage horse. After helping me earn a USDF Bronze medal in the summer of 2020, he is now semi-retired. Speedy is a 2004, 15'1 hand, purebred Arabian gelding. His Arabian Horse Registry name is G Ima Starr FA.
    Picture
    July 2020 (PC AJSK Photography)

    About Izzy

    Izzy was started as a four-year old and then spent the next 18 months in pasture growing up. I bought him as a six-year old, and together, we are showing at the lower levels. He is a 2008, 16'3 hand warmblood gelding. His Rheinland Pfalz-saar International (RPSI) name is Imperioso.
    Picture
    March 2021 (PC Tess Michelle Photography)

    Picture
    Bakersfield Dressage approved!
    Picture
    My favorite breeches!
    Picture
    FOR THE SMALLER EQUINE ATHLETE
    Picture
    I love her stuff!
    Picture
    Watercolor Artist and Friend

    National Rider Awards

    Picture
    USDF Bronze Medal - 2020
    Picture
    USDF Second Level Rider Performance Award - 2018
    Picture
    USDF First Level Rider Performance Award - 2015
    Picture
    USDF Training Level Rider Performance Award - 2013

    State Rider Awards
    Picture
    CDS Ruby Rider Award - 2018

    State Horse Awards
    Picture
    Speedy G - 3rd Level Horse Performance Award - 2020
    Picture
    Speedy G - 2nd Level Horse Performance Award - 2018

    Working Towards:

    CDS Sapphire Rider Award
    Third Level: 63.514%
    Third Level: 62.105%
    Fourth Level:
    Fourth Level:

    2023 Show Season

    Show Rating
    (***) CDS/USDF/USEF 
    (*) CDS
    (s) Schooling
    (c) Clinic
    (r) Ride-a-Test Clinic
    2023 Show Schedule
    TBD

    ​2023 Completed …
    Pending

    2023 Qualifying Scores 

    Regional Adult Amateur Competition (RAAC)  
    Qualifying Training Level
    3 Scores/2 Judges/60%:
    Score 1:
    Score 2:
    Score 3:

    Archives
    ​By Topic

    All
    Abscess
    Art
    Arthritis
    Awards
    Books
    Cabin
    California Barn Life
    Captain Awesome
    CDL Class A License
    Centerlinescores
    Championships
    Chiropractor
    Clinics
    Clothing
    Cushing's Disease
    Defeating The Demon
    DIY
    Dogs
    Double Bridle
    Dressage On The Trail
    EHV-1
    Endurance Photos
    Farrier
    Find Your Joy
    First Level
    Fluphenazine
    Flying Changes
    Fourth Level
    Fox Hunting
    Freedom Feeder
    Frustration
    Gizmos
    Grooming
    Half Pass
    Headshaking
    Horse Maintenance
    Horses Are Expensive
    Horses Are Expensive 3.0
    Horses Are Expensive II
    Hunter/jumper Stuff
    Imperioso
    Introductory Level
    Izzys Leg
    Just For Fun
    Lessons With Chemaine
    Lessons With Lois
    Lessons With STC Dressage
    Local Stuff
    M.A.R.E.
    Memberships
    Micklem Bridle
    Mt. Self Doubt
    Musings
    My 5 Things
    My Horses
    Nesting
    On The Levels
    Photos
    Pivo Pod
    Platinum Performance
    Poles
    Polls
    Pulley Rein
    Raac
    Retirement?
    Rider Fitness
    Riding Figures
    Right Lead Canter
    Road ID
    Saddle Fitting
    Schooling
    Score Sheets
    Second Level
    Shopping
    Show Costs
    Showing
    Sitting Trot
    Sliding Side Reins
    Soldier
    Speedy's Leg
    Tack
    The Elephants
    The Jar
    The Warm Up Ring
    Third
    Third Level
    Tips From A Pro
    Toys
    Trailering
    Training
    Travel
    Ulcers
    Vet Care
    Video
    Videos
    Weird But True
    Year In Review


    Archives
    ​By Date

    January 2023
    December 2022
    November 2022
    October 2022
    September 2022
    August 2022
    July 2022
    June 2022
    May 2022
    April 2022
    March 2022
    February 2022
    January 2022
    December 2021
    November 2021
    October 2021
    September 2021
    August 2021
    July 2021
    June 2021
    May 2021
    April 2021
    March 2021
    February 2021
    January 2021
    December 2020
    November 2020
    October 2020
    September 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015
    December 2014
    November 2014
    October 2014
    September 2014
    August 2014
    July 2014
    June 2014
    May 2014
    April 2014
    March 2014
    February 2014
    January 2014
    December 2013
    November 2013
    October 2013
    September 2013
    August 2013
    July 2013
    June 2013
    May 2013
    April 2013
    March 2013
    February 2013
    January 2013
    December 2012
    November 2012
    October 2012
    September 2012
    August 2012
    July 2012
    June 2012
    May 2012
    April 2012
    March 2012
    February 2012
    January 2012
    December 2011
    November 2011
    October 2011
    September 2011
    August 2011
    July 2011
    June 2011
    May 2011
    April 2011
    March 2011
    February 2011


Site Designed and Managed by: Karen Sweaney

Among other things, Karen is a Wife, Friend, Reader, Writer, Rider, Traveler, and Dog Lover
Contact her at bakersfielddressage@gmail.com
  • Home
  • About
  • My Horses
    • Horses
    • Imperioso
    • G Ima Starr FA
    • Sunshine
    • Nakota and Gideon
    • Corky
    • Sassy
    • Montoya DSA
    • Mickey Dee
    • Sydney
  • Show Results
    • 2022
    • 2021
    • 2020
    • 2019
    • 2018
    • 2017
    • 2016
    • 2015
    • 2014
    • 2013
    • 2012
    • 2011
    • 2010
  • Dressage Organizations
    • Dressage Organizations
    • Memberships
    • 2019 Dressage Tests
  • Local
    • Shopping List
  • Home