How to promote growth?

Question
I truly appreciate your answer. I have access to Houston and Miami via some relatives, therefore for me it would be more helpfull if your additional information is related to these two cities, but don't exclude any suggestion!!.

Sincerely

JUAN


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Followup To
Question -
Hello, Samantha:

I'm from Colombia, and our breeds here are not the same as those in your country and we don't have the same resources available, but I hope you can help me to sort my question.

I have a colt that is around 22 months old now, nobody took care of him until he was 16 months old, and he was really underdeveloped: he was like 1.19 mts tall, skinny, not good hair and so on; now my brother and me rescued him and he looks pretty, he shows a lot of stamina and has a fantastic temper, very energetic but noble, lots of brio, and his hair and overall appearance has turned 180 degrees. We both think he might make for an excellent horse.

But there is one thing that keeps us concerned, and it is that he is too short for his age, right now he is only 1.24 mts and we are affraid he won't make it to a normal height. We think it is due to his past of carelessness, and we hope all the care we have provided him with will finally turn into him reaching an appropriate height, but what if not?

Therefore, my question is: is there any way we can promote his growth? maybe a nutritional supplement, a legal and tested drug or hormone applied under supervision, etc? we exercise him regularly and provide him with enough and varied food. I understand your answer will be based in your experience, therefore don't hesitate to mention what you have in your country or area, maybe I can manage to do the same somehow.

Rgds

JUAN ALBERTO
Answer -
Hello Juan! Welcome to allexperts.com and thanks for taking the time to look more into this issue! I am somewhat familiar with the wonderful horses that come from your country. In fact, I had the great opportunity a few years ago to meet a paso fino trainer from Columbia that was working wonders for a farm in North Carolina, USA. I commend you and your brother for rescuing this fella and devoting your time and resources to rehabilitate him. Different breeds mature at different rates and even within those breeds, different bloodlines or lineages often follow different patterns. Horses will often continue to mature physically both in height and weight until their 3rd or 4th year. Some will finish earlier than that, some later, but thats a pretty good average. Your little guy is just under 2 so he still has some time left to mature. It is possible that his neglect has predisposed him to not maturing to what his full potential might have been, had he been nourished adequately as a youngster. However, not being a vet and not seeing him in person, thats a hard judgement call for me to make. The one thing you don't want to do is "overcompensate" him with nutrients...that can cause his body to develop too fast or overdevelop which can put undue and potentially damaging stress on his joints. First and foremost...make sure your pal is getting adequate quality grass and hay. He should be fed at 2-2.5% of his body weight per day in hay. That will go a long way to satisfying his nutritional and psychological needs which are both very important. If you have access in your area to supplements, you might look into one derived of vegetable fats, or corn or soybean oil are alternatives as well. I have some contacts that work in both the US and other countries. I am going to contact them, see if they have any suggestions for your specific area. It sounds like you are doing everything right right now, keep doing what you are doing and I'm sure this horse is going to turn out just fine! I look forward to contacting you again soon. Take care! Samantha

Answer
Hello again Juan! Since you have access to products in these cities, I can make a few more specific suggestions. In the Miami area, you should have access to two very reputable lines...Seminole Feeds and Pennfield Feeds. Pennfield is a KER (kentucky equine research) team member that produces excellent products for horses in all stages of life and activity. Their growing horse feed might be an option for you to consider. Also via pennfield, or available from other suppliers in the Houston area, are the Kentucky Equine Research supplement products. You might consider their stabilized rice bran product called Equi Jewel. If you visit www.ker.com and click on "products" you can find out more about it. Its an excellent fat supplement that will help provide some more calories without making the horse "hot". I can say from personal experience that it is a stellar product. Not only have my horses thrived on it, but I've had many customers have success with it as well. Another option that you should be able to locate in either of those metro areas, that is a little more cost effective and an excellent source of calories and fat is the performance pak 40 or performance pak 100 products from Milk Specialties, Inc. These are vegetable fat deriven supplements designed to add calories without bulk. The 40 is roughly 40% fat and in pelleted form. The 100 is 99% fat and in a dry, prilled, free flowing beadlet form. Hopefully this will give you more ideas of areas you can look at. I'd love to hear an update on your fella! Take care and thanks again for visiting! -Samantha