Barley for condition & weight

[millyspaniel]

Whilst my mare was unwell she lost loads of weight and condition (like a HAPPA case )

she was just filling out nicely too on her new feed. (ill approx 10 days ago - field injury caused colic, been on anti-biotics for 8 days and bute for 6 days, large swelling under belly which has gone now)
Shes 16.1hh TB, 4yrs old - hoping to ride her at the weekend after 3 weeks off. Shes out all day and in at night, rugged up well and nice and toasty.
Shes currently fed -
ad lib hay
2 feeds per day: per feed she has 1 large round scoop baileys conditioning cubes, 1.5 mugs of baileys outshine and carrots.
Someone told me that barley is excellent for weight gain.
Can anyone advise how much she should have and if i would be better introducing a lunch time feed or adding the barley to her breakfast and tea?
Barley rings?
thanks

 

[lucy1984]

I used to feed mine on barley. Was good for adding a bit of weight on but made them a bit fizzy

 

[Chestnutmare]

Yes Barley is good for weight gain my lil mare has it as she drops weight like theres no tomorrow if she doesnt get fed the right stuff...I use cooked barley D&H my mare has a small scoop in her tea and half in breakfast...shes currently on box rest she gets that with mollichop calmer and speedibeet with ad lib hay day and night.
she is a arab x welsh...more arab...

 

[ofcourseyoucan]

i wouldnt change her diet as she has been ill. the weight will come back on slowly, and better to keep her guts settled and not risk colic again.

 

[Paint it Lucky]

Barley is good for weight gain though I imagine some of the newer processed feeds are probably even better. Micronised barley or barley rings are best as they are easiest to digest. Or boil the barley for best results although this takes more effort!

I find barley can be quite heating, it depends on the horse but I used to feed my hunting cob barley rings both to give him energy and to keep weight on whilst he was working hard and it worked well for this.

Make sure you add the barley gradually over about two weeks so her digestive system can get used to it and build up the nessecary micro-organisms in order to digest it. I would just mix it with her normal feed but possibly spread this into three meals if you feel the feeds are too big or she needs more.

Also I notice you don't feed any chaff? Fibre is good for condition in general as it is what horses are best at digesting so make sure she has plenty of hay/haylage and maybe add some alfalfa and possibly oil to her feed. Alfalfa is rich in nutrients and oil is good for weight gain and slow release energy.

With regards how much barley to feed bare in mind that horses struggle to digest cereals and that they can be very starchy so I wouldn't want to feed more than a scoop per meal, half a scoop would probably be fine.

Also be warned that some horses react badly to barley! They can get grumpy on it (due to digestive upset), and some come out in bumps so keep an eye out for this.

Sorry this is long, hope it helps.

 

[cellie]

Have you considered adding oil to her feed rather than adding extra hard feed.I would ring vet before you add it just incase it aggrivates colic better safe than sorry

 

[seabiscuit]

I wouldnt add barley to what is already a balanced diet; that is the whole point of feeding a nut or a mix; it is all balanced out and you shouldnt feed another hard feed on top of that. Adding barley will upset nutrient levels and make certain vitamin levels too high or too low which would not be good for a horse that has been ill!

I would add alfa oil, and unmolassed sugar beet, and linseed oil to each feed. Plus another scoop of nuts at lunchtime. Thats the best you can do ! Of course make sure that the hay is good quality, and that she has ad lib hay. It would be even better to feed good quality haylage as that is better than hay for weight gain ( providing she's not the type to go silly on haylage)

 

[Dolcé]

You could try linseed lozenges, we have been feeding these to our boy who needs more condition with much success and they are pretty reasonable, you get the calories without the fizz. We also feed wheatfeed as recommended by our feed merchant but Im not so sure how much effect it has