feed advice

[conny]

can anyone advice on a good conditioning feed for my new horse,he was very skinny when i first got him about one and a half months ago,he is a 17hh id/tb,he has put on 30kg since he came but he needs more on i am feeding him topline cubes and alfalfa pellets with soya oil and a vit and mineral suppliment.and for the last 2 weeks he has stopped putting weight on.he is ridden most days hacking for 1-2 hours.
also he has been wormed and have the dentist booked out

 

[AmyMay]

What kind of grazing is he on - is he in or out? And is he rugged?

 

[sleepingdragon10]

Is he being fed the recommended amount of feed for his size/Workload? What's his grazing like...is he on hay or haylage? Splitting his food into 3 or 4 small feeds a day will help.

 

[conny]

he is living out at the moment,with a rug on with ok grazing.he will be coming in at night in a few weeks for the winter.i feed him morning and night and he doesnt have hay in the field but has it when he comes into be ridden.not sure if i should change to build up instead of the topline

 

[kittykatcat]

How much are you feeding him a day!? He needs to be on about 4kg of the conditioning cubes, split into 3-4 feeds per day.

 

[conny]

yes he is on the recomendend amount

 

[kittykatcat]

Have you weighed it? How many feeds is he on a day?! You probably need to give him hay in the field as well, although this can be impractical sometimes i know. You'll probably find he starts piling it on when you bring him in.

 

[AmyMay]

I suspect that if he has stopped putting weight on he may have replenished the immediate wieght that he immediately needed.

Agree absolutely about splitting the meals in the three or four, as they will have much more 'value'. But obviously it's not always easy with work etc.

Got a picture??

 

[conny]

thanks for the advice,i will try and split his feed in to more meals i will put some pics of when he first came and some of now

 

[conny]

this was him when he first came about 7 weeks ago,he had no weight or muscle at all

and this is him at the weekend,he looks much fatter in this pic than he really is,when he has his head up he looks thinner

he is in work now so is building up muscle slowly as well as condition ,but seems to have stopped putting on weight,he weighed 530 when he weighs 570-580 now

 

[sleepingdragon10]

Remember that slow and steady weightgain is what you're aiming for...he does look better in that second pic

 

[conny]

yes your right slow and steady weight gain,i think im getting too hung up on him putting on weight every week thanks

 

[AmyMay]

Have to say I wouldn't actually want him any fatter than he is in the second picture (although appreciate that you don't think it's a true reflection of what he really looks like).

His coat looks as if it could do with a little 'bloom' and I would be tempted to add some oil to his diet.

But apart from that I think he's not looking bad at all, and definately better than the first picture.