Feed Advice - need to put on weight

[Lorian]

I have a 15hh Pure bred arab who is 16 years old. He winters out but this year he is thinner than he has been in previous years. He only weights about 370 and I think he should weight 400+. He is on D&H 16+ Veteran Mix and Hifi. I have to be careful as he gets fizzy quickly. I tried Alfa A but this didnt put any weight on.
Does anyone know what feed to give that will put weight on that will keep him calm.
I was thinking of the below as options but I dont know much about feeding them, any info/advise appreciated.

* Sugarbeet
* Barley
* D & H Weight Gain
* Allen & Page Weight Gain
* Allen & Page Calm and Condition

Thanks

 

[rema]

The Allen and Page weight gian is very good!!.I have also found that the Equivit Body Builder pellets very good.They put on weight fairly quickly but safely!!.Alpha A oil is another good one but i found that this sent my boy abit fruit loop on it!!.

 

[AmyMay]

Does he have access to ad lib hay or haylage???

 

[Lorian]

Yeah he has hay at night and has lots of grass at the moment, I am strip grazing him.

 

[AmyMay]

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Yeah he has hay at night and has lots of grass at the moment, I am strip grazing him

[/ QUOTE ]
So he doesn't have ad lib hay.

I would start with that before you increase his hard feed, and perhaps let him have the whole field to graze.

 

[claire1976]

My TB mare came back off loan really thin and I needed her to gain weight quickly without fizzyness. I had tried some of the other makes and it didin't make a big difference.
I was recommended to try Balanced Horse Feeds-Show mix which I was really impressed with. Its not supplied everywhere but you can check on website where nearest place is. I can highly recommend it.

http://www.balancedhorsefeeds.co.uk/

 

[katiejaye]

I use conditioning cubes with Louis during the winter (I think Dodson and Horrell), but for Louis the best supplement has been soya oil. He lost a lot of weight last winter and is also quite fizzy. Someone suggested soya oil to put on weight and condition and I have found it fantastic. I started off with a few squirts a day in his dinner and gradually increased to around a cup full a day with the addition of seleniumE. The results were amazing, his condition improved almost immediately and his coat gleams! It is a slow realeasing energy so it shouldn't cause fizziness. My boy can be fizzy and it hasn't seemed to effect him in any way. I now use it all year round (reducing the dosage in summer) and it's fantastic.

 

[pottamus]

I would give him access to a larger field of grass rather than strip grazing him...that is best left for the fatties! Give him hay in the field as well to see if he eats it over and above the grass.
Does he have adequate shelter from the weather also? Do you rug him at all...you may not think he needs it but it might be worth trying him in one. If he gets too hot you can always take it off again.
The main reasons for weight loss are trying to keep warm and/or not enough food...so I would work on these and bear in mind that roughage will be better for him at keeping him warm than a bucket of hard mix.

 

[aran]

'D&H 16+ Veteran Mix and Hifi'

i'd feed adlib hay. i would also substitute hifi for alfa or ready grass as the hifi has a very low calory index. add oil and sugar beet. i like topspec flakes - i have fed them to lots of TBs and they have done really well on them with out fizzing up

 

[Lorian]

Hes in a big field and its only a little bit that is sectioned off as the grass is knee length and he would get belly ache if he had it all as its really lush grass. At the moment he is in a landa combo but he doesnt have a field shelter. I have increased his amount of hay lately but this hasnt made much difference, I will try giving him more and see if that helps. Others have recommended sugar beet or barley would prob be best. What sugar beet is best and does barley make horses very fizzy?
Thanks for all the advice.

 

[sleepingdragon10]

Try Speedibeet or Fibrebeet

Could you change from Hay to Haylage?

 

[air78]

I wouldn't feed straights if your horse is prone to fizzyness. Balanced horse feeds show mix is exellent- it really works, and does not heat them up.

 

[Theresa_F]

Have you checked his teeth, wormed etc just in case that is the problem.

He also may benefit from a pro-biotic such as equimins pro-bio to ensure his gut is working efficiently. This made a huge difference on one of my old TBs.

I have found spillars conditioning cubes very good on my TBs and speedibeet helped but did not fizz them up.

You could also try instant linseed - good for steady weight gain and good for joints for the oldies.

Keep him warm but not hot with plenty of hay and good grass if appropriate.

 

[Evadiva1514]

Have a look on this site:

http://www.veteran-horse-welfare.co.uk/main_home.html

If you go onto the feeding section, it gives some really useful advice on feed and regimes, when trying to add condition to your horse/pony.

One of my little ponies has just been diagnosed as having a slab fracture to one of her molars and therefore has lost some weight over the past few weeks. She also suffers from cushings so she is currently on a diet of Grass (during the day), ad lib haylage, High fibre cubes, build up cubes, Fibergy, and 16+ mix to try to gain condition before the cold weather sets in. She is rugged up well and stabled at night. Already 2 weeks into it and she is steadily gaining weight. If you are concerned about your pony, it might be worth your vet to take blood tests and to have your ponys teeth checked to ensure everything is in working order!!

Hope this helps and good luck!!