Feed company nutritionist..have you used one?

With whom?

  • Total voters
    0
Cobber

Cobber

Well-Known Member
Joined
10 September 2008
Messages
234
Location
West Mids
Visit site
I have had my horse on full loan for a couple of weeks now and am considering calling a nutritionist from one of the major feed companies for nutritional and ration advice.

Basically the horse i have on loan is a 16.3 15yr TBxID. He is VERY fat, a condition score 4/5. The owner works abroad and isnt keen on reducing his feed but ive talked her into halving it but i still think its too much and want some professional advice.

Just wondered how many people have used one of these nutritionists and if it was worth it so please fill in my poll!!
 
Get some advice! Bob was grossly overweight when I bought him and the first thing I did was ring Baileys. They were extremely helpful. I'm not saying ring them obviously - Bob was on Baileys feed when I bought him.

He is a 16.3 Warmblood and to be honest he now gets fed next to naff all. He has a small amount of Speedybeet (for the taste), a round scoop of chop and literally a small handful of Economy cubes. Oh and carrots if I remember to buy them! He has a huge net of haylage at night and that's it! The haylage is so good he doesn't need a feed, but you know what they're like if they think they're missing out!!!

If you have the horse on loan and are responsible for him then you must do what you think is best feed wise. Ring for advice - it can't hurt!!

Good luck!
smile.gif
 
I have a very good do-er and got advice from 2-3 different feed companies when I first had him to get advice to try to keep weight off him. They were all excellent and all gave the same advice and didn't plug their products too much (obviously with a good do-er I didn't need quantities of feed!).

With that sort of condition scoring at this time of year, essential I would say that you get advice on feed and start to get some of the weight off but you seem to be trying to do that already which is great. And a good exercise/riding plan in place to help in that process . The owner does need to take that sort of weight issue very seriously, it will take a while to get the weight off but the horse will thank you for it. Good job he's in your sensible hands now, good luck.

Even big horses can get laminitis as I'm sure you're aware and maybe you just need to make the owner aware of the risk she's putting her horse at by keeping him in this condition. Blue Cross and other animal welfare charities take the weight issue in horses very seriously now - plenty of advice on their websites as well as many of the feed manufacturers too.
 
might be worth going into your feed shop and speaking to the staff. i work in a feed shop and so far i have had to do 3 courses on the different feeds and suitability (not that i am complaining its all very interesting) and the people i work with have much better knowledge of feeding amounts and types than i do just yet. just a thought.
 
When I first got B she was very underweight so I rang some feed companies and one lady from D&H came out the same day as the vet and they discussed a diet plan for her
smile.gif
 
Yes I called Dobson and Horrell and they were very helpful. I suddenly noticed that my old girl was looking a little lean and that her coat wasnt brilliant. Anyway they were very helpful and she's now on D&H 16+ and looks a real picture. Hardly dropped any weight this winter and even her Yak like winter coat has a bit of a gleam to it.
 
Thanks guys, At the mo he is getting nuts, chaff, outshine and bluechip. He was on double this plus sugar beet which i have cut out. I said i would like him to be on next to nothing but owner says she doesnt want him getting too skinny.
confused.gif


Been doing short hacks and a quick walk and schooling after i finish work as he is so unfit and am just starting to introduce a bit of trotting down the long side but he doesnt feel level, maybe the weight is exacerbating it.

Will find out what brand nuts hes on and give them a ring.

Thanks all!
 
another vote for D&H they came out to our yard last year and talked with each livery in depth and detail.

telephone support is also firat class, I spent 40 minutes on the phone discussing exactly what to feed my new boy, cant recommend them enough
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top