Filly not too interested in hay

Question
I have a 2 year old filly who has decided that she could careless about Hay - she will nibble through all of the good stuff but leave the rest which any one of my other horses would suck up like a hoover.  I've even tried to give her a piece of exceptional quality alfalfa and I get the same type of interest.  She is alert, will eat all of her grain but only about 1/2 a flake of hay per feeding - if that.  She is getting D.A.C Bloom and Grow Colt along with Cocasoya oil.  Now I got her back from the trainer (big mistake) and she was very poor - This trainer came recommended and I had seen two horses that he had worked with - we even picked one up as we dropped her off - if the horse we picked up had been in the same shape I would never have left her.  I began the painstaking process of bringing her back from a 2.5 to a good solid 5 - she now has the fat crease across her back but she is by no means fat or skinny some would say just right but I think she could stand to put on just a bit more - I'm concerned about the disinterest in her hay and a casual interest in her feed.  Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated!

Answer
Dear Nancy,

This is puzzling.  First off if she has a crease down her back then she does not need any more weight! To have a crease her loin area would score at least a 6 so be careful you don't make her too fat.  It sounds like she had quite a hard time at the trainers.  I would be cautious of feeding too much grain to a 2 year old as it can be associated with OCD type problems.  I am wondering whether she may have developed ulcers while at the trainers?  This might make her picky about her diet.  Or she may need some help to support digestion in the large colon where hay digestion takes place.  I would suggest feeding her a good probiotic as a place to start something like Forco or Ration Plus.  Be wary of feeding too much fat as this will make hay digestion hard as the microbes that digest hay do not like too much fat in the diet.  You don't mention how much of any of these products you are feeding but I would suggest cutting back the fat, feeding a supplement that balances a hay diet like TDI 10% or Triple Crowns hay balancer.  I would keep the cocosoya if you have to keep some fat and I would add 4oz of ground stabilized flax. I would also feed her sugar beet pulp which can be used instead of some of the hay so if she will eat that I would be less concerned about the low hay intake.

I hope this helps.
Good luck,

Clair Thunes, PhD.
Independent Equine Nutritionist,
Equilibrate Equine Consulting
www.equilibarteequine.com
clair@equilbrateequine.com