Anyone had to fatten up a skinny Thoroughbred?

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charliep

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All being well and pending a 5 stage vetting, I hope to have my 10 year old 16hh TB gelding in a week of two. The thing is.. he is really skinny. Not just lean, I mean thin!

He is a lovely horse and I have ridden him a few times. He isn't naughty or strong. Is it likely that his personality will change radically once he has put weight on? Obviously I will be using non-heating feed to build him up, but I just wondered if anyone else has any experiences of bringing a skinny horse back to full health?

Thanks
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it depends completly on the horse. i had my mare on some mix and it was meant to be non heating but it heated my mare up. i think the best thing to do is just try things
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As many relatively small feeds as you can in a day. Mostly fibre, good quality chaff and a hi-fibre nut. Use that as your base and try conditioning feeds on top of that. I got weight on my mare using Baileys top line cubes but at eventing 09 has said it depends on the horse. Oil is excellent for adding calories without bulk but it sends my mare a bit loopy! Most important thing is good quality ad lib hay or haylage, whichever he'll eat the most of!

Good luck!
 
After checking all the obvious, teeth, worming, etc, along with adlib hay ,i found baileys top line to work realy well .
 
My guy was really poor when I got him - vet came immediately and said he is healthy besides the weight issue and to feed him little hard feed but tons and tons of hay, it worked a treat - i stuffed him with as much hay as he could eat and three small hard feeds per day - he was good as new within a month, then he turned into a total stress head.

Good luck.
 
I'm using baileys topline conditioning mix at the mo but hes also on blue chip and hes not his usual lazy self don't know if thats off blue chip or mix or whether its just because hes feeling better in himself!
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I know where youare coming from - mine went from this at purchase
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to this in about 8 months (including being hunted etc..)

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All I did was feed build up cubes and lots of forage and grass turn out - schooled for top line etc. He did have a testing time at about 5-6 months of owning him when he felt "fit" but got around that. He is with new mummy now and she is fab - and does sj and endurance with him.

Good luck and have fun !!!
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Stick to a fibre based diet - maybe look at Alfa Oil and speedibeet - lots of fibre so he isn't burning up calories to keep warm. Lots of ad lib hay and haylage in the stable and maybe in the field if possible depending on the quality of your grazing.
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Ask his present home what if he is fed and if they know if there is anything that doesn't agree with - then look at different feed and find something that suits.
 
Hi.

I have done it before a few times and am doing it right now!

In my experience they have all changed. Not necessarilly in a awfull way but def changed.

My big tb was quiet as a lamb when I got him. A few months on he turned very colty, in a annoying way, like biting playfully, breaking stuff, chewing stuff etc but all ok. He didnt change whilst being ridden ridden.

Others have certainly gone a bit silly and felt a bit too good when fatter.

The one now is changing, she was very quiet and is def getting more full of herself but thats just life, if we were skin and bones thin we wouldnt want to jump about but when your feeling better you would feel good, its just the same!

I always start working mine when there still a bit thin so your used to them and viceversa when there feeling better!

Good luck
 
mine was very quiet when i got him, and very thin and had no muscle.

I fed him on chaff, topline conditioning cubes and a balancer such as blue chip. As well as 24hr T/O on good grass.

He looked amazing after a couple of months, but he did liven up and he is very cheeky now!

I keep him in at night now and he is on ad lib haylage as well as Blue chip, Build up mix and Alfa A oil.
 
Badminton Show and Condition, Barley Rings, lots of oil, molasses and speedibeet to make it palatable is what I've used he's still lean though.

It depends if they're a fussy eater tbh mine won't have chaff, ad lib haylage is always a good start though
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Winergy low energy feed. All mine are on it as it takes time to build them don't rush it. My new horse is on it and he was ribby when I bought him, his teeth needed doing and he's starting to put weight on without the fizz, but he does get plenty of hay they all do.
 
Lots and lots of forage. And then some more forage!
I had a skinny horsey when I first bought him but gave him lots of haylage, good turnout and D&H build up.
He went from this

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To

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He definitely became more lively but not naughtier!
 
It was a while ago but after having surgical colic my TB boy dropped all his muscle and condition - it was horrendous and I actually walked past his box when I came back upto see him. He was properly hunting fit when he had the colic and came back looking awful as a reaction to the colic. He was put on 4 small feeds a day and on D& H convalescent mix - put condition back on quickly without overheating a very "hot" TB and then when back on track with weight, and beginning to work - gradually moved him back to his normal feed.
 
Boiled Barley. Flaked Maize, which can, sometimes, blow their brains out of their ears - be careful! Stock Feed Potatoes are excellent. My old 'chasers hated those barley ring things unless they were soaked first.
 
People on here swear by Baileys No 4 but I found it made my full TB fizzy.

Incase you find the same - I had great results with Spillers slow response cubes and Alfa A Oil
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The Spillers cubes have a good amount of MJ/kg (11) but only 12% starch which is lower than the Baileys No 4.
Starch can cause fizz sometimes.

Also Alfa A Oil contains 12.5 MJ/kg whereas normal Hi-Fi only contains 8MJ/kg.

And as much hay/haylage as they can eat!


(ref TGM (the Oracle) on HHO lol)
 
Got my lean mare on A&P Calm and Condition at the moment with alfa a, separate oil (so I can control the amount) and TopSpec Balancer as well as as much haylage as she'll eat. So far so good...
 
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