Bailey No 4 (conditioning cubes) - anyone used it?

[Ravenwood]

My mare is looking a bit ropey and has done for the last couple of weeks which isn't particularly unusual for this time of year. She is out in the day but there is very little grass and has as much haylage as she can eat in the evening, sugar beet, chaff, pasture mix and Bailey Lo Cal Balancer (I find this helps improves her hooves).

Having read some of the threads on here about feeding I decided to buy some D&H conditioning cubes today but they didn't have any but offered me the Baileys ones instead, so I bought them but didn't buy any balancer which I have now run out of.

Has anyone here ever used this feed and did it do what it says on the tin?

 

[kerilli]

yes, i use it, it does exactly what it says on the tin, plus it's very palatable... they love it. it doesn't send them scatty and you really see a difference quickly.

 

[fruity]

My old pony used to go onto it in winter and she looked fab,she hunted so needed this kind of energy feed, i wouldn't feed to either of the 2 i've got now as ones a sharp so and so and ones a very good doer but i have used it in the past with great results although back then i remember it being £4.00 a bag - bet it's not that now!!!!

 

[TGM]

If you feed the recommend amount of the Bailey's No 4, you won't need to add a balancer as well. Most cubes/mixes are designed to be fed with just chaff and hay/haylage/grass and will supply all vit/mins.

Balancers are great but are designed to be fed alongside unsupplemented forage - ie hay, haylage, grass, beet, chaff.

Feeding the recommended amount of a supplemented feed together with a balancer is just a waste of money, and in some cases could actually be harmful!

ETA: I would suggest you ring or email Bailey's and ask what is the recommended amount for the size, type and workload of the horse you are feeding. There is not a lot of point in feeding a conditioning feed if you don't give the recommended amount. So many people think that if you just add a handful of conditioning feed to the existing feed it will have some magical results!

 

[DidiR]

Yep, I am a fan of Baileys No 4.. there is the same product as a coarse mix if you prefer.. think its no 17.

Also a fan of Alfa-A rather than a chaff product.

 

[MizElz]

I've used both - started out with Baileys, but they had no visible effect after 4 months - I may as well have been feeding her basic pony nuts for half the price

Then I bought some D&H conditioning cubes coz they were on offer, and I'm not joking, we could see the difference after four weeks. So I would recommend that you get the D&H ones next time!

 

[lyndsayberesford]

i also feed my warmblood on baileys no 4 cubes and alfa a and beet, the baileys has done a fabulous job of putting the topline back where it should be and a good weight gain without blowing his brains with energy as he doesnt have any sort of heated food

Highly recommend it, his coat also gleams, not sure if that is a combination of feed though

 

[cpendle]

I've found them great - in fact my horse has gone from skinny to a bit porky in about 3 months and I'm now thinking about putting him on a diet!

I've been feeding 3/4 scoop AM & PM with Alfa A Oil.

 

[Ravenwood]

Thanks TGM - I rather thought that I would skip the balancer whilst feeding this and see if she improves in condition and keeps her healthy hooves!

She has a lovely shiny coat and is feeling very well (a bit sharp at the moment) but does look a little poor and hollow generally.

So from all the replies (well most anyway) its seems I will give this new feed a try.

 

[Ravenwood]

[ QUOTE ]
although back then i remember it being £4.00 a bag - bet it's not that now!!!!

[/ QUOTE ]

It was about £10 for a 20kg bag

 

[Maesfen]

I fed them to a very fizzy pointer I had in for qualifying. They were known then as Topline Cubes and were brilliant for keeping her weight on with the right amount of energy and her coat was fantastic; hardly had to put a brush to it at all and she gleamed. The trainer who took her over kept her on them even when racing; they were the only thing that didn't blow her brains! I'm a huge fan of baileys and their helpline is excellent IMO.

 

[flowerlady]

I swear by it

 

[Ravenwood]

Thanks P - another vote in favour!

I will keep you all updated. I took a picture of her yesterday and actually I was quite shocked in how poor she looked, so will do a before and after if it works!

 

[S_N]

IME Baileys No. 4 is about 10 times less likely to make a horse go BANG than the D&H equivalent. Also really good for conditioning, which is kinda useful to - LOL.

 

[Ravenwood]

[ QUOTE ]
IME Baileys No. 4 is about 10 times less likely to make a horse go BANG than the D&H equivalent.

[/ QUOTE ]

Phew - thats good to know!! - Less chance of me putting up a "what bit?" post in a couple of weeks then

 

[Tinker_Belle]

I had the same thing as MizElz. Tried Baileys & it didn't seem to be doing much, despite feeding the recommended amount etc. Tried D&H & noticed a massive difference within a few weeks.

Guess it just depends on the horse though

 

[KatB]

Really like Baileys feeds, they pretty much do what they say on the bag!!

 

[pickwickayr]

i have fed baileys no.4 to previous horses and it did the job well. but fed it to my current TB and he didnt put on any weight but it did send him loopy, he is now on the top spec cool condition and doing well. so its a good feed but doesnt work for everything. good luck , looking forward to some impressive before and after pics!

 

[Angua2]

had both my TB's on it and it did do what it says and without blowing their brains... jsut wish it didn't cost so much

 

[Janette]

I prefer Baileys as well, but agree - I wish it didn't cost more......
Spillers is about £2 a bag cheaper. Shame they stopped doing the product we need - a 10mj cube.

 

[RachelB]

I put my mare on Baileys No 4 when I got her as she was ribby and quite poor. It did her the world of good (I bought a bag pf Spillers first because feed merchant didn't sell Baileys, she wouldn't eat them and she is well-known for being the greediest pig ever!)
Best thing you can do though is try them (and give them plenty of time to show a difference) because not all horses will react the same do a specific feed. It may work, it may not, but fro the reaction on this thread it seems it's likely to work as it has on a number of different horses!

 

[Marchtime]

It does what it says, i.e. puts weight on, but sent my TB completely loopy so he's now on Spillers Conditioning Cubes which don't seem to blow his brains.

 

[EmmaJ]

Highly recommended!!

 

[princesskelly]

My mare has them for the winter.She's looking a lot better for them even her chicken neck is looking better.She has a up side neck so that does'nt help and we dont school but at 23 i'm not to bothered.So yes pleased with the cubes.

 

[Darkly_Dreaming_Dex]

QR
I have 4 hunters, one is a laminitic cob and one is just turned 4- they have all had one stubbs scoop twice a day of D&H COUNTRY Cubes (£6.70 a bag) and they have all finished the season with nice round tummies and have been very sensible to ride whereas the Baileys was too much for the cob and cost approx £3.50 a bag more...

 

[NuttymareII]

Another vote for Baileys No. 4, they have not sent my horse loopy, they are fab

 

[star]

i've recently started my welsh cob on it because he's a skinny little thing - haven't noticed a difference in weight yet, but he's been rather more forwards and extra spooky since starting it last week. he was positively loopy to ride last night. i'm only giving him 0.5kg a day - the bag recommends 2.5kg a day! i think i'd be on the floor.

 

[imafluffybunny]

I changed my feed about 2 months ago to Baileys conditioning mix, I have owned my horse 5 years and he has never looked better than he does now, the mix has not made him fizzy which is easy to do!
I can only presume the cubes are the same, I do agree with other posts though I think it really depends on the horse as some feeds work for some but not others.

 

[CracklinRosie]

I was told 14 months ago I would never ride my TB cross again due to poor feeding, poor exercise and general neglect when out on loan resulting in no support around her sacroiliac joint. In short she was buggered. I decided not to take the advice to retire her and instead fed her Baileys No4 and D&H Safe & Sound. After 7 months off she was fit and incredibly willing to be ridden again. I now have a very good looking 19 year old, thanks in part to Baileys. HUGE fan of the stuff.