diet for a poor doer!

[WoodysMum]

Righto, looking to change my feeding regime a bit. My boy is 17 in January and a poor doer so drops weight really easily, and I am currently dreading the fast approaching winter!

He is fed on TopSpec Comp Balancer and CoolCondition Cubes.

Is the topspec comp powdered supplement suitable for a poor doer? It seems to work out a bit cheaper than the pelleted version?

I was thinking of feeding this for his vits/mins on a base of fibrebeet/alfabeet adjusted accordingly to his weight/work. And then linseed oil if necessary (and to help his arthritis), or would feed him linseed lozenges in his stable toy as he is in for much longer in the winter.

Any input/suggestions?

 

[Blue-bear]

The dengie hi fi senior is good for the oldies and you can feed large amounts of that and it is specially designed for them as is finer chopped and softer. I have heard the linseed lozenges are good and then i would look for a build up kind of mix/cube. There are plenty that boast weight gain just need to find one that suits your needs and work loads etc. hope that helps

 

[spaniel]

My veteran is now 30 and this year Im starting a bit earlier on his fattening for winter regime.

I have him on Pure Grass chaff (like alfa), sugarbeet, linseed lozenges, Top Spec Condition Flakes and a vit and min supplement.

I started adding in the lozenges 2 weeks ago and already a couple of people have noticd that he has started to flesh out. I used to use linseed powder but the lozenges are so much cheaper and seem very acceptable to him.

 

[lachlanandmarcus]

sugarbeet would be the traditional and economical route...might be worth a try?

 

[niko]

I feed topspec comp balancer, mollichaff showshine and topspec conditioning flakes and it is a fantastic combination with added dengie fibrebeet in winter any poor doer i've had has put on weight easily

 

[carys220]

Would agree that Dengie senior is good for oldies or even alfa a if they are needing a bit more condition. Blue chip balancer did wonders for mine but I'm guessing it's probably the same as top spec.

 

[meandmyself]

Try upping his protein rather than adding more fat.

I'd add a couple of scoops of Alfa-A Original (14% protein) to his feed.

 

[only_me]

feed sugar beet

and if you can let him out on grass during winter?

also a good veteran powder might be worth a try

 

[WoodysMum]

Thanks guys

Unfortunately he isnt a fan of sugarbeet, or hi-fi senior! Much prefers hi-fi lite...strange animal!

 

[Kallibear]

Persuade him to eat sugar beet

It's a brilliant, and cheap, conditioning feed. Many horses don't like Speedibeet but will happily eat proper suagrbeet - did you try him on that?

Try AlfaA-Oil. Very high in calories but no sugar (ok for laminitics and those who go mad on sugars). It's a very good fibre conditioning feed and you can feed large amounts too (i.e hay replacement quantities).

Barely rings are good for putting on weight without fizz, although some horses do go mad on them (if they're cereal intolerant). They're not hugely expensive either. They're also great for putting into a feed ball, so they can trickle feed rather than scoffing a big dinner in one go.

Feeding a dried grass may also help - my friend feeds her poor doing TB a huge bucket of Readigrass (also GrazeOn or Just grass - all slightly different texture and some horses prefere certain ones) every night and it made a huge difference.

As for supplement - I'd feed Pink Powder during the winter. It's a very good probiotic (so helps him get the best out of his feed) whilst also being a good general supplement. It's not hugely expensive either - £20 tub should last 3months.

 

[WoodysMum]

Thanks!

 

[Spyda]

Have you tried soaked Barley Rings? Make a nice feed for an oldie and are generally very well accepted taste-wise. Great for adding condition.

 

[CBAnglo]

I second linseed lozenges - I feed these in addition to powdered linseed and fenugreek - all good for putting on condition and muscle tone and I have a very poor doer who windsucks.

I also use the lozenges as a treat and to do carrots stretches etc - every horse loves them.