Feeding the Thoroughbred Part 2

It's been 3 months since I moved my horse, Smoky, to the new barn. And he's doing great!

Truth be told, I could see a difference in his body condition after just 2 weeks, most likely due to adequate hydration. But since his arrival, we estimate he's gained about 70lbs and he looks great. Except for his tail.

Perhaps it was the lack of nutrition at the previous barn, but his tail has never been this short! It's always grown past his fetlocks and touched the ground. Right now, it's at his cannon bones. I'm hoping it will start to grow back soon!

His current diet is 24/7 grass. He's in a nice, lush field with great grass. And he's getting about 2 big scoops of Nutrena Triumph, 1 big scoop of oats, and 1 cup of Nutrena Boost. It's a much higher fat content and very low starch, the benefits of which I laid out in my last post on his diet. 

I'm happy with where he's at currently, though he could use some muscle. I took a lot of time off when I noticed his weight dropping, and then I was gone for 6 weeks, so we're just now starting to ride again. Another thing I've noticed is that he happily stands still for grooming and baths, most likely because his skin isn't as sensitive anymore due to the extra fat and hydration in the skin itself.

To throw another wrench into this story, I'm going to be moving across the country at the end of September and Smoky will too! I'll try to provide an update once we get that all sorted out. The barn owner at the new place out west swears the alfalfa is different and that he may not even need grain... we'll see!