Best Feed for 21 year old Gelding

[roxy007]

Hi - looking for some advice regards the best feed for a 21 year old just returning to light work. At the moment he is on Dodson & Horrell build up with Alfa a oil chaff and speedi beet plus his regular supplements, garlic, synequin, mobility herbs, super solvitax and cider vinegar. He also has decent grazing still and access to hay in a ring feeder so he can have as much or as little as he wants. He eats well but seems to have lost a fair bit of muscle tone. He has been off work for 4 months and last week has started back with gentle exercise. I would really like to get some weight and muscle tone back on him before the winter really kicks in here and I wonder if anyone can suggest a better feed for that purpose than what he is on. I don't want anything to make him fizzy just something that will help with the weight issue as he is a really nice laid back boy.

 

[LOU83]

I think he sounds like he is on alot to me. Have you checked his teeth are in good order. All i feed mine is top spec balancer and some chaff if needed.

The old mare in her 30's is on top spec anti lam as in very good condition 10/10 supplement

2 year old top spec feed balancer

4 year old top spec balancer

i will add there chop if needed

good hay too. They all look really well on it, and not a huge shopping list too

 

[TGM]

If he has been off work for four months, then that is probably the cause of the lack of muscle tone, and bringing him back into work should correct that. If he is the correct weight otherwise and his temperament is fine on the feed is currently fed, then I would stick with that and perhaps just increase the quantities slowly as his work increases.

If you don't think his weight is correct (ie if you are starting to be able to see his ribs) then I would ring Dodson & Horrell and check you are feeding the correct quantities for his size and workload. If you are actually finding him fizzy on the Build Up, then you could look at lower starch alternatives (Build Up contains quite a bit of barley).