Conference noted::equitation

    Maybe you could try offering her a different brand or mix, to see if a
    change would tempt her.
    
    Also, have her teeth been checked lately?  Maybe she's having a hard
    time chewing?
    
    Mary

    I got a bad bag once, maybe you should get another bag of it or borrow
    a few quarts from a friend to see yours might have a problem.
    
    Sharon

    I would really have her teeth checked.  The most recent issue of the
    Horseman's Yankee Pedlar did an article on a very old horse that was
    rescued.  The people who adopted her had a grain problem (and hay) too. 
    The horse's back molars where almost all completely level with her
    gums.  The vet recommended a specific type of grain that the mare could
    eat and it also replaced the hay.  I think I already recycled my issue,
    so if someone out in notes land has the most recent issue and turns to
    an article about the aged horse (I think her name was Lucy), they can
    find the name of the grain.  This family had the old horse about 3 to 5
    years.
    
    The horse eventually died (well over 32 yrs) from her teeth wearing
    down.  They wore down so much that they created holes in the gums and
    the food and water seeped into her sinus cavities and massively
    infected her.  She made it through the first terrible infection, but
    within 3 months later came down with another, and they knew it was time
    for her to be put down.
                                                                       

    
    Whenever a horse goes off it's feed, the first thing to check
    is the grain.  Bags do go "bad"....they also can get sprayed on,
    pee'd on, etc. by other animals.  Get a replacement bag, and
    give it a try.  If she still refuses, call the vet.

I have a horse that periodically goes off his grain. He was once off for two 
weeks. I had the vet check him out and he could not find anything wrong.He seems 
to go off once or twice a year for a few days for no apparent reason.

How long has your mare been off her grain? If it is more than a week, I'd bring
the vet in. Sometimes older horses develop tumors in their mouths, so it may not
be her teeth.

Good Luck

    Definitely have her teeth checked.  
    
    Our older (25+/-) pony just went off his feed last week.  He seemed normal
    and was eating hay and drinking his water - but for a few days he
    wouldn't touch the grain.  I did notice that he had diarrhea for two of
    the days.  His temp was normal.  He cleared up in 3 days.  Spring
    fever?  I feel better putting the older horses on complete feed - it's
    easier to chew than sweet feeds with whole corn and oats.
    
    Take her temp - check her normals - give it a few days - try complete
    feed with molasses added.  Call the vet if she is not herself.   
    

    Thank you folks,
    
    I will try another brand and another bag. That hadn't crossed my
    mind because we have a colt and (2) ponies that have been eating
    normally but you never know...One of the ponies is (43) and still
    eating well, so this mare refusal caught me off guard. If she isn't
    responding at any grain by tomorrow I'll call my Vet.
    
    PS. She has always confused me because I have been around horses
        most of my life and grain is usually their #1 concern at feeding.
        This mare has always taken her time, left some at times but
        basically not been overly interested. What is really STRANGE is
        she foaled two years ago and taught her Colt to eat the same way!
    
        - Of course the (2) ponies have no idea what's going on, they
          would be glad to help!
                                                    Amy
    

    I read the Pedlar article too.  The grain they mentioned is a pellet 
    called Complete Advantage, but I don't know which feed company 
    manufactures it.  Purina Horse Chow 100 is also a complete feed -- it 
    is 40% roughage/hay products and 60% grain.
    
    What they didn't do in the Pedlar article, but I recommend if it is a
    sore mouth problem, is to make "pellet mash."  (Dr. McCreery had me
    feed Algiers pellet mash for several days after he choked 2 years ago. 
    The mash is softer and easier to swallow, therefore less likely to
    irritate an already irritated throat.)  The way you make it is to
    measure out the pellets and add enough water to just cover them plus
    maybe 1/2" more, then let them soak for 10 minutes or so.  They
    literally don't need to chew it -- can just gum it down :-)  BE careful
    not to add too much water, or it becomes pellet soup!
    

    thank you,
    
    I appreciate the information. I have considered looking for a complete
    feed for the old pony. Even though he appears capable of chewing some
    hay I question how much nutrition he is getting from it. At (43) it
    is becoming difficult to keep weight on him. He is doing fairly well
    now but..well, anyway, I let the Vet be my guide. I want him to have
    all the time he can..
    
                                            thanks again...
    
                                                        Amy

    When you put the grain in for the horse, do you leave it in all day?
    If so, she may just get sick of looking at it.  Last year my mare went
    off her feed and I would put the feed in there for about 10 minutes and
    take it right out and not give her any more until the next feeding.
    By that time she would eat more than she had been.  Another thing my
    vet suggests is to skip a meal completely, and by the next morning
    the horse should be looking for her feed and missing a meal won't kill
    her!  Vets also have a shot of something they can give the horse to 
    get their appetite back.  
    
    My mare who is a great feeder was off her feed last year when she was
    sick with a bad cold.  Its the worst feeling to have a horse that loves
    to eat not want anything!  She even turned away bran mashes which are
    her all time favorite.  I would check her teeth also though.
    
    Good luck!
    

    Thank you for the suggestions. We have been leaving the food there
    until evening. She has been eating some this week, but not
    consistently.
    I have a call into our vet and we are playing telephone tag, hope to
    connect with him today.
    I will update this after he has checked her teeth. 
    
                                                   Thanks

    The something the vet can give a horse is most likely vitamin b12. 
    Stimulates the appetite.
    
    mary

    
    
    	Lady our 5 year old had this problem about a week ago when she
    	was put out to pasture for the first time this sping.  She just
    	stopped eating.. So I changed her food to have some pellets and
    	she started up again.. 
    
    	I guess she liked the grass.. 
    
    	Donna

    Well, I changed her feed, I had her teeth floated, which I guess were
    a little sharp and she seems to be doing a little better. Still not
    great. Her interest level is still worse than before.
    
    I had forgotten one, maybe important change in her life. A few weeks
    ago I "leased" her long time stable mate to an instructor and member of
    this file for one of her students. She is not alone, has her son and
    another pony but maybe she misses the mare ?
    
    The mare will be back in the fall, I guess I will have to see if that
    changes her behavior.
    
                                           Amy

    Did you have her vetted?  B12 is sometimes useful for stimulating
    appetites.
    
    Mary

    Hi Mary,
    
    The Vet came with the Dentist. She didn't feel vitamins were
    necessary.. (?) I could increase her Sunshine pellets but she
    doesn't like them to begin with. The more I put in her grain
    the less likely she is to eat it.
    
    Strange mare.                                     Amy

    Depending on the situation, I'd consider not feeding foods she clearly
    doesn't like and focus on feeding what she does like.
    
    mary

    Hi mary,
    
    That restricts me to apples, carrots, bread and sugar.
    and hay, thank goodness.
    
                                         amy

A previous horse of mine used to quit eating every spring for a little while.
We tried leaving him in so he had more time to eat, and all the other 
aforementioned cures/hints.  It turned out he just wanted to be outside more 
eating the tender grass that was just beginning to appear in his pasture.

If your horse is eating hay, give her free choice. Keep a small amount (so 
there's something there if she wants it, but not enough to waste) of fresh 
grain in her bucket (or maybe feed her outside/in a different place?)  Maybe 
her bucket needs a good scrubbing?

    Have you tried feeding plain race horse oats?
    
    We had this mare at a barn where I boarded, that wouldn't
    eat her feed.  (She was a race horse - Trotter or Pacer, and
    she was there as she was on lay-up-sesmoid problem)
    She was getting a sweet feed and pellet mixture.....
    Anyway, I stood there watching her, and she just wasn't
    interested in that "stuff".
    
    I went and got a few handfuls of race horse oats, entered
    her stall, and let her see me place the feed in her bucket.
    
    She acted like I had fed her ambrosia!  But, I don't think
    it was what I put in, as much as it meant she was getting
    "attention"....I think she may have missed the hustle & bustle
    at the track, and she was bored & lonely....

    Well, I wash her bucket regularly so hopefully that's not an issue.
    I have recently tried changing the buckets, the stall and the times
    a little. I have not tried oats yet since she was eating this mixture
    previously, even if it wasn't with zealous.
    
    This weekend we went straight downhill in the grain category. My
    husband and I decided to take her and her (2)year colt to the field
    and give them a couple of days free in the pasture. There is fresh
    still short green grass so we brought hay as well. Now she won't
    even look at the bucket, just walks off. If you tie her she stares
    at it distressed until you let her go. This requires a lot of standing
    around because the colt would love to have mom's grain.! 
    
    Guess I'll try the vitamin shots next. If she wasn't old I wouldn't
    worry so much. She seems to be eating hay and grass just fine.
    I may change her name to "Morris"
    
                                                       amy

    Hi folks,
    
    Still trying: This week I try something called Thia B (cherry favored)
    in her grain...it that doesn't help I have a Gal. of EATRITE ...I don't
    know how often these products are used by the average horse owner. (?)
    And if THAT doesn't work  ?????
    
    One question. IF a horse is healthy, and has good hay and fresh
    pastures how important is the grain?
    
                                             still trying while she picks
                                                  at her food....
    
                                                                Amy
                                                              
    

    HI Amy!
    
    This is just my opinion.  We had the mares check to see if they were in
    foal (Stop me if you have heard this one) and sure enough, two of them
    are.  One is the 21 year old TB and the other is the 5 year old QH.  I
    Asked the vet what would be best to feed the mares now that they were
    pregnant (We used to feed alot of our own mixture of grains and
    pellets) he just said as long as they have pleanty of good hay and
    clean water nothing else was necessary.  Even for the old TB!  Our
    mares are free fed hay and are on grass (about 2 acres).  He said that
    should be enough unless the quality of the hay went down hill.
    
    The QH is also underweight a bit, I asked him about her putting on more
    weight faster with grain.  He just said she will carry what is
    necessary for her. (Her low weight was due to poor care at the last
    barn they were at).
    
    Just my opinion.
    
    Virginia 

    Actually, the answer depends on how much work the horse is doing. If
    she is idle or ridden 1 hour per day or less, she shouldn't need any
    grain to meet her energy/protein requirements. You may need to feed
    her a little grain to get supplements into her, especially if you're in
    a selenium deficient area(or if your hay was grown in one).
    
    But most horses get along fine on just hay and grass. For example, 
    consider wild horses. If they get any grain, it's seasonal when the 
    grasses have mature seed heads in the fall. They do alright when they
    can get enough grass. After all, that's what they are designed to eat.
    
    John