Due to some issues beyond their control and have decided that they will only be able to come out in the afternoon to feed their HYPP H/N quarter horse 8 lbs at a time of the following feed:

Equine Nutrition — XTN^TM

Features High nutrient density to support high performance and superior endurance. An Ideal combination of fat and fiber from vegetable oils, beet pulp and highly digestible steam-flaked oats and barley to support optimum growth and performance. High-fat rice bran and flaxseed for an improved blend of Omega-3 and Omega-6 fatty acids. Added lysolecithins for enhanced fat digestion and for helping to improve the absorption of fat-soluble nutrients. Trace minerals from organic complex sources for increased utilization and bioavailability. Yeast and probiotics to help increase fiber utilization. Added lysine for enhanced amino acid performance. Guaranteed Analysis (min. amounts except where noted) Crude Protein 12.0% Lysine 0.80% Methionine 0.37% Crude Fat 12.0% Crude Fiber max. 10.0% Calcium min. 0.75%-max. 1.05% Phosphorus 0.50% Copper 55 ppm Zinc 220 ppm Selenium 0.6 ppm Vitamin A 4,000 IU/lb Vitamin D3 350 IU/lb Vitamin E 120 IU/lb Biotin 1.0 mg/lb Feeding Directions Divide the recommended daily amount of Farr XTN into two or more equal amounts and feed in regular feedings each day. Make any change in the feeding program over a 7-10 day period. During this transition period, blend Farr XTN with the other feed and increase gradually until you reach the recommended amount. Begin feeding Farr XTN at the lesser feeding rate recommended in the feeding table below and adjust accordingly to maintain the desired body condition. GROWING HORSES LB Feed Per 100lb Bodyweight Nursing Foals 0.25 to 0.50 Weanlings 0.50 to 1.00 Yearlings 0.75 to 1.25 PERFORMANCE & SHOW HORSES LB Feed Per 100lb Bodyweight Light Work 0.25 to 0.50 Moderate Work                                               0.50 to 1.00 Heavy Work 0.75 to 1.25 Two-Year-Olds in Training                                0.50 to 1.25 BROODMARES & STALLIONS LB Feed Per 100lb Bodyweight Last Third of Pregnancy 0.25 to 0.50 Lactation 0.75 to 1.50 Non-Breeding Stallions 0.25 to 0.50 Breeding Stallions 0.50 to 1.00     Feed 1 to 2 LB of good-quality hay (or equivalent pasture) per 100 LB bodyweight daily. Provide plenty of fresh, clean water at all times except to hot, tired horses. Salt should be available free-choice. Store this feed in a dry, well-ventilated area and protect it from rodents and insects. Do not feed moldy or insect-infested feed.

He USED to be a barrel horse, now a pasture ornament. Light performance at best meaning he should only be eating 2.5 to 5 lbs a day... They just started this 8lb thing all at once yesterday. When they told me I was floored... My guess is he colic soon... I may be wrong... I need your thoughts and suggestions on this one, please.

I run a "Self Service" barn, but will pick up when asked ( and paid for) feeding in the am, pm, or both.... Help me give them the correct advice, am I being overly concerned; I'm afriad they're going to kill the poor boy before the week is out!

I don't know much about nutrition, but I DO know that you cannot start a horse on the full amount of grain in one day! You should work your way up. At least cut the amount in half for a week until his body is used to it, or he could get sick.

I would ask why they are feeding more than the amount recommended on the bag?  It seems pretty clear to me..... and especially as he's not being worked, I agree with you. 

He may not need ANY feed but if they are determined to give him some, I would think 2-3 pounds would be plenty.  Is he getting the recommended amount of quality hay?

I read somewhere to never feed more than .75 percent of a horse's body weight in one feeding.  Their stomachs are small and suited to eat small amounts of food over long periods of time.  Some vets recommend not feeding more than 5 pounds at one time. 

A google search for "avoid feeding horse large amounts".... or something similar, brings up a lot of backup articles.... providing these owners are willing to learn, listen, and are open to suggestions?

 

Took you advice and googled the issue.  Apparently, founder is more of a concern, but a couple of things seemed unclear.  First and foremost it mentions acute founder from overconsumption of grain. My question is how fast does it set in and how is it noticed? I know to look for him rocking back onto his hind end, but what else should I look for... I would not think that in two nights there would be enough hoof growth to be visibly apparent.  Secondly, the horse is not overweight; if anything he is underweight, so does that make his less likely to founder?

Although I have noticed that one of his front hooves does have sort of a concave look about a third of the way down to his toe and his heels are pretty high. But he's on a 6 to 8 week farrier schedule, could that have happened since the last visit? His next appt is on Oct. 6; would that have been enough time (he has been on a varied feed scheduled over the past month or so)?

Thanks again for everyone's input!

dbbear:

My question is how fast does it set in and how is it noticed? I know to look for him rocking back onto his hind end, but what else should I look for... I would not think that in two nights there would be enough hoof growth to be visibly apparent.  Secondly, the horse is not overweight; if anything he is underweight, so does that make his less likely to founder?

Although I have noticed that one of his front hooves does have sort of a concave look about a third of the way down to his toe and his heels are pretty high. Thanks again for everyone's input!

Founder usually shows up pretty quick.  You would want to look for lameness and heat in the feet and the rocking back on his hind end and standing up under himself (the founder stance).  I wouldn't say being under weight would make him less likely to founder, if anything it might make him more prone, since his system isn't used to it. 

The concave foot sounds like a club foot.  If the farrier is treating it as such it shouldn't be an issue.  You're right to be concerned.  I would also question them on why they are feeding him so much.

A lot depends on if he was getting grain before. If he was getting 3 to 5 pounds at one time then chances are he will be fine.

Wile feeding grain once a day is far from ideal it is better then not getting any. If he is thin then it sounds like the correct amount. With the beet pulp in there it will take a lot to founder him. So at least they found a decent feed to be dumping down him once a day.

If he has not foundered withing a week he wont unless they change something else.

 

Without pictures I couldn't make too much of a judgement, but when I read "concave" I am intepreting it as "dishing". This is not necessarily a sign of a club foot.  A club foot usually stands straight up with quite high heels, and can have some dishing. (A lot of club feet are actually grazing hooves and can be corrected)

 What that concavity/dishing is an indication of is flaring, or the hoof wall pulling away from the laminae at the toe as the hoof grows; most probably becasue of diet, poor trimming, too long between trims..  A low sugar diet and a proper barefoot trim at 4 to 6 week intervals can correct this over time. If it is not corrected it will just get worse with more &  more of the hoof wall becoming detached from the laminae.  I'll bet if you pick up this horse's feet and look at them from the bottom you will see a lamellar wedge.

Was he getting the 8lbs previously and now it's just been switched to one feeding? If so I'd be less worried; though that's still a lot of food in one sitting. I'd personally suggest either spreading the feedings out over 2 or more meals (either they come out or pay you to do it once a day) or decrease the amount of grain. If he's underweight they may be overfeeding the grain (so they are feeding the amount for moderate exercise and he's not getting it...that's not going to kill him, but may give him more energy than needed), so you might want to suggest a suppliment designed to build weight or increase the hay instead. Since he's hot though they'll have to be careful of what they suppliment with (though I imagine that something can be found with the amount of hot halter horses around) and they may also want to look into how much potassium is in that grain (it wasn't in the listing). It may be high, in which case I'd probably switch him to a food lower in potassium since it doesn't sound like he really needs a performance type food anyway (especially true if he's symptomatic...if not not quite as big of a deal). In the end though what they feed is pretty much up to them and they aren't drastically overfeeding him; just overfeeding him for his workload (and giving him too much in one sitting). My understanding is that founder from grain occurs when a horse gorges himself on much more grain than he's used to...if they just jumped from nothing to 8pounds in one day I'd keep an eye on him, but if he's been getting grain I don't think founder is a huge concern (but I'm not an expert). On the timescale of that, one of my friends horses just foundered from gorging on grain (someone had dumped a bunch of grain over their fence...) and he'd foundered by the next morning, so I think the timeline for founder is fairly quick after the event in this case.

I worry about Laninitis (founder being the extreme end of laminitis) any time grain is fed. 

 Beet pulp, shredded, soaked, rinsed, soaked & rinsed again is a much better alternative to any grain.

 The way we feed our horses (twice daily, in most cases ) and what we feed them (sugar  & carb loaded hay, grain and/or lush green, sugar loaded pasture) are killing them.  I know we do the best the can with what we have, but I would make an effort to see if these boarders can cut down on the grain & try the beet pulp.

 If the horse is not being turned out on pasture & is depending on this one feeding these boarders are heading for disaster: not only founder,but colic, too. Horses are naturally foragers (not grazers) and in the wild they constantly move (looking for food) and eat small quantities all day. When a horse is "starved" (fed only once or twice a day with no pasture turn out or free choice hay in a dry lot) the sudden ingestion of food causes a build up of acid and that acid (& other toxins) effect the hoof.  What goes in the horse's body ends up in the hoof.

Thank you everyone for your input. I think he'll be ok, and I'll keep an extra special eye on him over the next couple of days, just in case. He was getting almost that amount split into two feedings. He is out 24/7, on about 8 acres, but its all crispy burnt (gee, I wish it would rain!) My horses are dying to come in every morning for the hay (and its been hot), so I know they really aren't getting what they need in the pasture. I just hope the influx on so much feed at once doesn't screw with his belly.  Even they he's half HYPP, he is not "Halter" at all... Tall, short backed and very lean, hard core barrel racer (just not a winning one ) before coming here... if anything I fear he'll start eating too fast because he's really hungry. But I keep the tank up in that pasture tapped up and he drinks plenty of water. 

Not all HYPP horses are or look "halter". Impressive, was...well, Impressive, and sired MANY successful performance babies as well in all areas. His prodegy do everything from cattle and speed events to hunter jumper and dressage and at this point come in all shapes and sizes.