Adding energy without fizz - help!

Foxy girl

Foxy girl

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My new boy was a bit underweight when he arrived and because we've had no rain I'm really struggling for grazing. I've been feeding him ad hoc hay which he leaves as he prefers to nibble at whatever grass is left, but I've also been giving him a hard feed every evening (Hi Fi Light and Baileys Leisure Mix as this is what I fed my good-doer mare) .

My question is how do I get some weight on him when he won't eat his hay (it's good stuff!) and also he's very lethargic when we're out hacking, so what can I feed to up his energy levels but without turning him into a loon as I'm just getting my confidence back! I like him laid back but he struggles to hack for more than about 45 mins - I know this will improve as he gets fitter, but I want to make sure he doesn't lose any more weight in the meantime...

I'm so used to feeding my mare and my sec A who get fat just looking at grass - this is a whole new world for me!

Thanks!
 
Are his teeth ok, with no sharp hooks or edges? how big/old is he? what work is he in?

If the teeth are ok, then may be you could contact some of the feed companies and see what they suggest- he may need more calories to put on weight and maintain it- if he is sharp a high oil,high fibre, low starch diet can be helpful as it gives slow release energy. If he will eat Alfalfa that is very good too for maintaing condition and gives slow release energy- there are lots of different Alfalfa's available as are there plenty of various feeds that give slow release energy!- (mine either get slow release cubes or an oat and barley free mix which are both feeds i swear by!) a drop of oil can be good too!

As he gets fitter and stronger he will prob get more energy anyway!

Good luck with him.
 
I noticed a marked difference in my Highland's energy levels when she started getting balancer, I think she just wasn't getting all of her vitamins and minerals on her restricted diet. I changed her onto NAF general purpose supplement and it has done the same job
 
Thank you all! He's having teeth done in 2 weeks but I can't feel anything untoward in his mouth...

I am however riding him a lot more than he's been used to for a while so have today bought some Alfa A which will hopefully go some way to giving him the calories he needs. I've also started feeding him twice a day while I rest half his paddock to hopefully get some grass!!!

Thanks again
 
I'd go high fiber high oil everytime even just adding some speedibeet or fiberbeet would be cheap and could show results ... or a cup of sunflower oil

Re teeth any hooks are likely to be up near his eyeballs so unlikely you would be able to tell - when my dentist comes its a good job he doesn't wear a watch - make sure he gets a good check over ! also vary his work load so he doesn't get bored :-)
 
High fibre and high oil feeds give slow release energy. Cereals give quicker release energy.
Energy is measured in MJ/KG. 8 MJ/KG would be low energy and 13 MJ/KG would be an example of a high energy feed.
 
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