calmer to help skinny TB put on weight?

T

travelmad

Well-Known Member
Joined
18 September 2012
Messages
488
Visit site
Hi everyone,

Just checking if anyone has used a calmer and found a skinny horse put on weight?

This guy is great, but so stressy - hates being alone for a second, box walks if inside (he lives out now with friends), etc. everything has been checked - teeth, worm count, bloods, nutritionist etc (he has 24 hay and grass and eats all the time!)

Vet suggested today that i start him on calmer and see if it chills him out and he puts on weight - anyone used one? she said she has heard the Carl Hester one is good?

thanks,
A
 
Brewers Yeast is used as a calmer and can help your horse utilise his feed better which can encourage weight gain.

I found when feeding pink powder (contains brewers yeast) that my stressy pony was much calmer and gained condition.
 
I wouldn't know about a calmer that promotes weight gain, but as a previous posted suggested I would also try brewers yeast / yea-sac. Ive had mine on this for the last 2 years - one scoop every day and the bag I buy off ebay lasts me 100 days !! Pretty cheap stuff as well. It allowes him to utilise his feed more so the weight piled on him last winter but didn't send him psycho. He's also a TB ex racer.

As for a clamer specifically I use 98% magnesium daily and it seems to keep his head level but he does have his off days. Best calmer I ever used was when he was coming off box rest and the vet recommended zylkene. Blimmin good stuff but absolutely ridiculously priced it was nearly £80 a box for 10 sachets :/ you can keep your horse on it long term but Im not made of money ha. Was good stuff though :)

Good luck in your quest :D

SS x
 
Is he on a balanced diet ie getting the calories, vits / minerals and free access to fibre he needs?

Best thing for putting weight on my TB was Lucerne (Alfalfa) chaff Oats, a complete supplement and brewers Yeast the change in his was was dramatic. I used all the high calorie feeds, oils etc and never got him fully round as I was changing his feed over to Oats he started putting on weight I wish I had taken pics.

He was also on ad lib hay and salt.

He is now an easy keeper after two years of being a hard keeper I do suspect this could have helped with possiable ulcers - chewing creates salivia which buffer PH and I also think the vits and mins in my complete feeds were not 100% avaliable despite being theoretically balanced, he is now on a supplement which balances this diet.
 
Yup he has ad lib hay all summer long the expensive things, after a nutritionist looked at him I tried pre and pro biotics, and he gets balancer, racehorse cubes and alfa a with outshine. He really should not be lacking in anything and the vet is pretty sure it's just his personality, he worries a lot and paces etc. But I hate having a skinny horse ESP one I pump feed in to!
 
If I were you I'd be ditching the racehorse cubes, they will be full of cereals and molasses and have a large starch content which probably don't agree with your horse. They could be upsetting his belly and stopping him processing his feeds properly and also giving him far too much excess energy and thus causing the pacing.

Try swapping them for unmollassed beet or a similar fibre feed.

Has your vet discussed the possibility of gastric ulcers?

I have 3 TB's, one dropped a bit of weight last week as the weather turned, started him on unmollassed beet along with his balancer and Alfa A oil and he is piling it on already, yes none of mine are good doers but I've never struggled to get weight on them by just increasing their fibre intake.
 
My last youngster was very anxious and panicy and also underweight when i first got her, as a basic feed i was givinng her mollichaff calmer, with allen and page calm and condition mix and she put on weight and it helped a little with her stress levels.
This filly was highly sugar intollerent and exploded when fed haylage or any sugary feed couldnt even have apples. there are supplements which can be added too i got her a general calming mare one from a natural herbal company which also made a big difference but magnesium and other supplements are good for stressy horses so these could be added to a basic feedlike suggested above i certainly recomend staying away from any sugary starchy feeds A&P do a rnage of mixes and thier are many alternative chops and supplements to help with the more stressed anxious horse. pleanty of turnout and boredom aids for the stable to distract them and als a strict routine when thier in so shes not getting wound up by comins and goings on the yard at all times can also help alot
 
travelmad said:
Yup he has ad lib hay all summer long the expensive things, after a nutritionist looked at him I tried pre and pro biotics, and he gets balancer, racehorse cubes and alfa a with outshine. He really should not be lacking in anything and the vet is pretty sure it's just his personality, he worries a lot and paces etc. But I hate having a skinny horse ESP one I pump feed in to!
Click to expand...

Start by stripping his diet right back. Racehorse cubes contain molasses as standard and usually lots of other heating ingredients. Alfa A does not agree with a lot of horses and tends to make a lot silly.

If he's underweight Thunderbrooks basemix, bran and live oats. No molasses no filler/binders/alfalfa. Seems to really suit ex racers. If his dinner isnt full of sugar you may well find the stressing stops. Id also add a high quality magnesium to it - links below :)

http://www.naturalhorsesupplies.co.uk/p/product/0802207584-Magnesium+Oxide+%28Heavy%29+900g++%A31299/

http://www.thunderbrook.co.uk/equine-pure-essentials-base-mix/
 
Balanced n hance has a calmer amongst other things (probiotics, multivitamin etc) and is great for achieving condition. my rather scatty mare looks great on it.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top