Best conditioning feeds?

[Blizzard]

Can anyone receommend a good conditioning feed, one to promote topline, but none heating.
a feed that will assist the horse 'muscling up' would be ideal too.

Was thinking of something like Blue Chip or conditioning cubes?

There are just so many around and its hard to know which is best!

Thanks!

 

[MillionDollar]

I'm afraid there is no feed out there that will give a horse topline and muscle it up! Topline and muscle only comes from the correct work, and lots of it. After all i won't get a stomach like Britney Spears (her toned one not pregnant one, lol) by just eating something it takes about 1,000 sit ups a day.

If you want to feed your horse a feed to give more condition sugarbeet and boiled barley with a drop of vegetable oil is THE feed to give.

 

[Blizzard]

LOL yes I know he will be getting worked too, out of work at the mo, I just know some feeds claim to help promote topline and muscle development, so I want to try one of these to coincide with his work.

 

[MillionDollar]

In my experience they don't work, best to save your money and use what i suggested above, very very cheap and it really works!!!

 

[Blizzard]

Thanks a bunch, do you use speedibeet or traditional sugarbeet?

 

[bellgave]

My 2 show cobs all eat the following, twice a day

Adlib hay

1 scoop of mollichaff
1 scoop of feed merchants own conditioning mix (very similar to but cheaper than spillers)
1 scoop of soaked Dodson and Horrell barley rings

In the show season they will also have blue chip

They are both worked hard daily, and look $million!!!!

The younger of the two was fed on boiled barley in the summer to put weight on, but IMO it is VERY heating!!!!

 

[MillionDollar]

Traditional, but i might switch to speedibeet (time saving and not too expensive).

 

[MillionDollar]

well all horses are different but i've fed boiled barley to a lot of different horses with no bad effects, from my cob to my WB. But as i said all horses are individuals, plus feed doesn't create fizziness.

 

[Blizzard]

Blue Chip seems to be heavily advertised and the before and after pics always seem impressive.

Basically the horse wont be in hard work, plenty of hacking mainly, want to do some 10 and 15 mile rides in the spring, he has been turned away for over 7 months and has lost a bit of condition already, i just dont want him getting any thinner when he is in work.

 

[Governor]

I use cooked flaked barley for my warmblood (16.3hh, 6 years old and prone to dropping weight especially over winter).

He gets about 1/2 scoop per day along with 1/3 scoop of horse and pony cubes and 1/2 scoop Hi Fi Lite.

I think my instructor thought I was nuts putting him on cooked flaked barley but neither of us can get over how shiny and well he looks. He's ridden or worked pretty much every day to a reasonable difficulty and he's responsive but chilled - not sure its something i'd recommend for every horse though.

 

[Bert&Maud]

We've got a TB mare at livery who arrived in Feb looking very lean, she's also quite hyper so doesn't need any extra fizz! She's been on Top Spec Calm & Condition and Alfa-A Oil for 10 months and looks absolutely fab!

 

[bellgave]

Feeds can create FIZZ, in simple terms, equating nutritional values to humans, a can of coke which is full of caffine,sugar and E numbers will cause some people to become hyperactive. Some feeds with heating properties have the same effect on horses.

 

[MillionDollar]

No they can't!!!! Im not going to argue but i think the experts who taught me in my degree know what they are talking about! Fizziness caused by feed is a myth that was created by feed companies.
Here are some of my notes, and if you want to look into it further there are hundreds of papers on the subject!

 

[MagicMelon]

Build Up Cubes were the only thing which finally kept weight on my WB all winter (after trying numerous others). I also think high oil chaffs are good like Alfa A Oil (although some people say this can be heating somehow!) or Showshine Cherry Chaff etc. Also a beet like Alfa Beet or soaked Alfalfa pellets also help to add condition.

 

[TGM]

I tried various conditioning feeds on my old mare including a balancer and conditioning feeds such as Build Up and conditioning cubes. However, best results came from feeding flaked barley, Alfa A and vegetable oil, plus ad lib good quality haylage. Don't forget that whatever concentrates you feed you are unlikely to improve condition if you are not feeding LOTS of good quality forage.

My horse copes well with the barley - but not all do - I know some horses have an intolerance to it and come up in lumps. But definitely a useful feed if it suits your horse.

 

[vicm2509]

When I bought Baron I was looking for something with the same effect as you, I tried a few different 'build up' feeds and they seemed to have little effect. I then put him on the Soaked Oats diet and the change was amazing, so much so that so many people on the yard commented on how much he had filled out within 2 months. Obviously this was accomanied by correct exercise but I really do rate the soaked oats. His overall condition is nice aswell. He has been on it for about 2-3 months now.

I do add Topspec comprehensive supplement to his feed aswell though.

Bluechip is supposed to work wonders aswell, all on our yard that have used it for weight and muscle build up have rated it. I do not rate the cheaper brands at all, saying that all horses are different so what doesnt work for mine may work well for yours

 

[seaview]

Mnnn interesting Claire,
I would have loved to have done something like that instead of boring old accountancy,
I was trying to find a course in equine nutrition actually recently as it really interests me,
The barley thing does strike a chord, how do you feel about Barley intolerance then? My mare is a nightmare when she is on barley and ends up bucking round the stable!!
nat
x

 

[Ginn]

Last year I had my tb yearling on Topspec "Cool condition cubes" which were expensive but brilliant and didn't change her temperment at all.

This year I have decided to try the soaked oats diet as I much prefer feeding straights (I like to know exactly what she is eating as some feeds blow her brains and this is a far cheaper option!) and so far her condition is looking good even though she's not on the full ration yet, and once again, no change to temperment.

2 things to watch if your feeding for weight gain:
Firstly STARCH - this is the main culprit for over excited horses since the horse metabolises straight into energy rather than breaking it down and storing it as fat. High startch feeds can be used for weight gain, just like lots of sweets just make people put on weight but doesn't with others but if your horse does become more exciteable on some diets thsi is worth considering - low starch, high fibre and high oil never fails to work!
Secondly Sugar (molasses) - this again can affect some horses temperments but not always and is definately less significant in behaviour change than starch. For example, my girl can eat sugarbeet (molassed or unmolassed) all day long and is fine but givce her a high starch diet and she is a total nightmare - same for one of my old horses to the extent that he had to be turned way for a month with a purely fibre diet as he became so unrideable

But then my sisters pony is the opposite - he is the laziet pony going and no matter what you feed him that doesn't change!

So HIGH FIBRE, HIGH OIL and LOW STARCH and you should be ok.

 

[Toby_Zaphod]

As has been said topline only comes with correct work & exercise for the horse. Feeding correctly will also asist but without the work it won't happen.

The before & after photos in the Blue Chip advertising are very impressive but that change comes with correct schooling of the horse aswell as their feed.

I feed a small amount of Blue Chip to my lad with Ride & Relax, Hi Fi Lite & carrots & coupled with correct schooling he has gained a great topline & has muscled up really well. There is no easy quick fix,it's down to correct feeding & schooling over a period of time.

 

[cornwallexracers]

I feed mine baileys no4, alfa oil and ready cooked linseed. It'll help the weight go on, but only when the horse is getting the right schooling to muscle it up will the weight go on in the right places and start filling in the gaps! !!

 

[air78]

Balanced horse feeds show mix!!!!

 

[sleepingdragon10]

Personally I'd use something fibre based,like speedibeet or alfabeet/fibrebeet together with good old grass nuts.

 

[Morrigan_Lady]

Blue Chip either will or will not do anything at all, I had my tb on it and it sent him loopy! So wouldnt recomend it really. But on the other hand, some people I know have used it and say is calmed their horse down, but its a pricey feed to play around with.
I swear by Allen and Page Calm and Condition. Ive got a 4 year old that didnt have a neck and was very poor, and with feeding that and hard work on a long rein, he's now got a neck to die for and he doesnt get at all het up.

 

[Bright_Spark]

Balanced horse Feeds Show Mix and Speedibeet. Helps to keep condition on a vetran TB (who's very fussy) and helped bulked up a ribby horse.

What works for one horse may not work for another so it may just be a case of trail and error.

 

[Rebecca Clarke]

My 2 show cobs all eat the following, twice a day

Adlib hay

1 scoop of mollichaff
1 scoop of feed merchants own conditioning mix (very similar to but cheaper than spillers)
1 scoop of soaked Dodson and Horrell barley rings

In the show season they will also have blue chip

They are both worked hard daily, and look $million!!!!

The younger of the two was fed on boiled barley in the summer to put weight on, but IMO it is VERY heating!!!!

I have just moved my TB on to a similar combination to this (Mollichaff, conditioning cubes and barley rings)And I can say, he’s been on it 2 weeks and I can start to see a big difference in just the change over period from his other feed and I’m not even feeding this amount, I’ve built it up to about half this for the time being as he’s not heavily worked but needs a bit extra as he had a bad winter and the grass has been a bit poorer quality but deffo think I will be keeping this combination come winter time this year.
dont suppose you have any recommendations for helping with coat shine? ?

 

[Pinkvboots]

Zombie thread

 

[Ellibelli]

Zombie thread

Yes - but it's really interesting to see how much feeding practices have changed over the past 15 years!

 

[Green Bean]

Agreed Ellibelli, it was only when I reached Pinkvboots Zombie thread notice that I realised. I wondered why people weren't mentioning the latest feeding trends, now it all makes sense!

 

[TPO]

I have just moved my TB on to a similar combination to this (Mollichaff, conditioning cubes and barley rings)And I can say, he’s been on it 2 weeks and I can start to see a big difference in just the change over period from his other feed and I’m not even feeding this amount, I’ve built it up to about half this for the time being as he’s not heavily worked but needs a bit extra as he had a bad winter and the grass has been a bit poorer quality but deffo think I will be keeping this combination come winter time this year.
dont suppose you have any recommendations for helping with coat shine? ?

The feeds you've mentioned arent really recommended these days. The thread is 15yrs old and feeding advice has evolved.

Depending on what type of mollichaff they are often high sugar. Cubes and barely can be high starch and sugars.

Usual advice is low sugar and starch, high fibre and a good (as little filler and high spec as possible) vit/min supplement.