a little more weight....

E

emmilou

Well-Known Member
Joined
24 January 2006
Messages
230
Visit site
hi all,
wondering if anyone has some advice on getting some more weight on my TB.
ive read post after post on the best things to feed and have taken as much advice as possible but i still think she could do with putting a bit more on.

shes not thin just needs a bit more covering. my only issues is she windsucks and have to be carefull of ulcers popping back up so a lot of feeds will upset her tummy.

she is on Micronised linseed, fast fiber, conditioning cubes, Alpha a oil and sugar beet.
she gets ad lib hay when for the day (shes wormed, teeth done so no concerns there)

do you think i should persist or is there something that would be better?

thankyou all in advance :)
 
Think I'd ditch the fast fibre it's very low DE. I've got a very poor doer ulcer prone TB. I mainly use speedibeet,spillers conditioning fibre or dried grass,linseed & top spec conditioning cubes & a balancer. I've been trying soya recently but not convinced that's doing a lot so may drop that when it runs out. Last winter I also had him on solution mash. I try & find things with a decent DE as he as a very small appetite so don't want to feed him anything that's not calorie packed,he's also very prone to most feeds making him fizzy so lots of things have been tried but discarded if they have the wrong effect!
 
ok maybe rethink the fast fiber.

she seems to like it though and its an easy way of boosting her fiber intake as shes not a bit fan of hay.

are the top spec conditioning cubes that good? she is on conditioning cubes already.
ive been busy studying the content of her feeds for a while but havnt really been happy with the results.

i have tried ready mash which didnt really make too much of a difference either.
 
I really rate the top spec cubes not only because my horse is really sensitive to cereals & starch sending him crackers but also because of his ulcer issue. I'd given up a few years back with any conditioning feeds as 99% of stuff renders him a gibbering idiot! But gave these a go & work really well on mine,especially as he doesn't really get that many as he has a really small appetite. I've seen posts on here though where people haven't found them any good so I suppose you have to try them & see.
 
What about baileys outshine?

Its 24de/mj which seems by far the best?


Immys, no not at the moment. People do rave about pink powder but a the moment im just trying to build her up
 
Have a look at Lifeforce - it is live years and organic minerals which make their hind gut work at its most efficient so they get the most out if their fibre based feeds - which is what horses guts are best designed to eat. It doesn't contain any calories as starch, oil or protein so there is no fizziness etc but what is does do is mean they maximise their feed effectively.

My neices 22 year old TB has always struggled with holding condition and we have tried everything without success. This winter he has been on Lifeforce, chaff and hay and has not only held his condition but looks amazing and there is no fizziness. It has also Ben the cheapest winter to feed him.:)

Have tried to upload a piccy on here but it's not working :( have a look on Rutland Horse Extras FB page - there is a piccy on there if him :)
 
I have my gelding on lifeforce... We had a really difficult winter with the weather he lived out 24/7, stomach ulcers that we only got sorted about 3 weeks ago. Diet wise he gets 1 Stubbs scoop chaff (currently Dengie hi-fi molasses free) 1mug micronised linseed, handful of releve a sprinkle of fenugreek and the lifeforce... In the winter we hayed the field, but since the grass has come through we dont, he has lived out 24/7 since i got him in september (bar 4 days when he came in to get over an abcess)

At no point have I had any issues with weight... Something I am very surprised by considering he's a TB whose had ulcers...
Here he is tonight...
DSC_0282-1_zpse5a61308.jpg


Most of the other horses on my yard have lost weight... He hasn't and the only major difference in his diet is the lifeforce... Can't say for sure its that, but its obviously doing something right for him!
 
A supplement would probably help. It will make the most of what she is fed and therefore help "build her up". Feed isn't going to do much if she doesn't have the right environment to digest it efficiently. As others have suggested, consider using lifeforce or something like equine answers 365, forage plus or pro balance.
 
Thanks everyone. Ill have a good look at lifeforce.

What would you suggest i feed with it beari g in mind what shes on now?
 
Ditch the fast fibre. It's a great hay/haylage/grass replacement, but if they're already eating up it won't be adding anything, just taking up room that could be better filled with a higher DE food.

Winergy conditioning is high oil with a decent amount of fibre, our confirmed ulcer sufferer TB did well on it, and mine who is a low grade suspect loves it.

Be careful with the beet, the sugar in it may actually be making things worse.

Full fat soya is good for weight and tums.

Really rate fenugreek, good for tums and encourages condition and appetite (powder much more efficient than the seeds).

Mine is on 3 scoops of winergy conditioning, 1 scoop mollichaff calmer and 2 mugs of micronised linseed a day + 50ml of powdered fenugreek. That's split over 4 feeds.

He looks positively chubby:
 
What's your grazing like? Any chance you can turn out 24/7? I'd agree with dropping the fast fibre, I'd just up the Alfa-A Oil a bit... And add the lifeforce
 
mine is on linseed meal, fast fibre (he eats that readily!), grass nuts soaked, soaked whole oats and veg oil. he gets magnesium and pro balance and salt.
he has put lots of weight on. he is able to tolerate the soaked oats (intolerant of cereals, alfalfa and molasses upsets his feet!)
he gets 4-6 feeds per day as he wont eat anything more than a few inches deep in the bucket


before




this week

 
Im busy looking at all the options and im swaying towards a high fat conditioning feed.

Shes not a great eater of hay so may stick out the fast fiber just to make sure her fiber intake remains high

I heard and read soya is really bad and may cause metabolic dissorders?

Am i wrong?

Anandaco2 - he looks fab! I couldnt manage more than twice a day :(

She does have 24/7 turnout but i drag her in for a few hours to shove so e hay/fast fiber into her. Shes not great stabled as she windaucks rather than eat the hay hence the fastfiber!
 
Last edited:
the pics dont really show how much weight he lost- he was really very very slender- he is 17.2hh and taped at 470kg.

my boy was in medium work- doing 2 sessions per week schooling adv level and the rest general schooling and hacking out.
that plus the state the fields got in and the fact he doesnt eat much hay meant it was a real struggle to get weight on once he dropped it...esp as he wouldnt eat most feeds due to not liking them or having unsuitable ingredients!

i did feed him ers pellets plus releve for 6 weeks and it did help but find the current diet is working great plus its cheaper!

the veg oil split into lots of feeds really helps. cant anyone else pop a feed in for you as well? mine are at home so i can feed loads of times and i think it really does help lots.

mine also lives out.

i feed hiim as if ulcer prone and tying up prone too so basically fibre plus oil. seems to be ok on the soaked oats- they are the most easily digested cereal.
my next stop was fenukreek to get him to eat more (he spends hours daydreaming or mare stalking- following on the the mares around the field!)
he now tapes at 540kg.
 
If she doesn't seem to be eating much hay then have you had her teeth checked to ensure there is no problem there? Agree with everyone else about ditching the Fast Fibre - if you want a partial hay replacer then feed soaked grass nuts instead as they are higher in calories.
 
I give my poor doer speedibeet, micronised linseed, pro-hoof suppliment (contains yea saac for digestion), fenugreek, salt, bicarb, anf mollichaff calmer.

The mollichaff calmer seems to be tasty enough to get her to really eat up.
 
I really think fibre fibre fibre will be the way forward, and keep her warm so she's not using any calories keeping warm & dry. I'm almost ashamed to admit I have been rugging my boy most nights (and i'm normally totally against rugging at this time of year!)

Have you dont a worm egg count? could she be battling internal parasites? I'd get her on a good quality low starch low sugar chaff (Dengie Alfa-A non molassed or similar, the healthy Tummy or the Alfa-A Oil) Micronised Linseed, lifeforce, good grazing (dr green is a miracle worker) etc etc.
 
Ok so definatly loose that fast fiber.

yes her teeth are ok. she just gets bored very quickly. her worm count was fine so no worries with that.

shes in a filed with others so i cant get anyone to feed her during the day unless i keep her in which is no good for her.

ill carry on the linseed and alpha a oil and look at something to replace the conditioning cubes :)
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top