Feed for a TB for hcondition without fiz

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Lorian

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Hi

What feed or supplements etc would people recommend to put condition and muscle on a TB without making him fizzy.
He's not in loads of work at moment so needs to be a feed that keeps him calm and not get hot headed.
I've heard blue chip etc is good but that it can make them silly unless exercised a lot
Thanks
 
You will only build muscle with work Im afraid.

Having said that my YM uses Baileys No 4 (Topline Conditioning Cubes) for non-heating weight gain.

I'm sure you are aware that you should feed for the work your horse is in, and not what he will be in in a few weeks...
 
I'd add a good quality balancer as it will contain lysine which is an essential amino acid (protein) often deficient in grass and hays that horses can't make in their bodies. Minerals are also important for tissue development and health. Feed in something like copra or umollassed beet perhaps. Introduce new feeds slowly as usual.
My personal choice would be Forage plus as my TB has improved very much on it.
Also look at sugar (including in grass) intake as exeess sugars can upset the hindgut which interferes with digestion of fibres. A balancer containing yea sacc 1026 or add yea sacc separately may help.

As above, in the end work = muscle development.
 
amandap said:
I'd add a good quality balancer as it will contain lysine which is an essential amino acid (protein) often deficient in grass and hays that horses can't make in their bodies. Minerals are also important for tissue development and health. Feed in something like copra or umollassed beet perhaps. Introduce new feeds slowly as usual.
My personal choice would be Forage plus as my TB has improved very much on it.
Also look at sugar (including in grass) intake as exeess sugars can upset the hindgut which interferes with digestion of fibres. A balancer containing yea sacc 1026 or add yea sacc separately may help.

As above, in the end work = muscle development.
Click to expand...

This. Micronised linseed, copra, unmolassed beet are all good for condition without fizz . . . if you must feed a nut-based feed, I recommend ERS Pellets by D&H - contains lysine and other goodies but limited starch and sugar. Oh, and lots of good quality hay. However, all the above will do is put weight on - true condition/muscle comes from correct work.

Hope that helps.

P
 
Thanks guys. I'll deffo get some linseed I think and look at gut stuff as he has a really noisey belly so I wonder if that could help. I've just put him on farrier s formula for his feet too and that has lots vit and min.
 
Lorian said:
Thanks guys. I'll deffo get some linseed I think and look at gut stuff as he has a really noisey belly so I wonder if that could help. I've just put him on farrier s formula for his feet too and that has lots vit and min.
Click to expand...

Is he exracer? If so, always feed as if he has ulcer.
Spirulina added (which is the ingredient of Equitop myoplast) for added weight gain.

All horses should be on low sugar/starch (under 5%) and high fibre diets anyway. I never give any cereals.

Micro linseed, unmollassed beet, alfalfa oil chaff with 12g lysine and 60ml CAV added.
Thats my TB's current diet, with added grass pellets if need some extra boost due to heavier work etc.
In winter, adlib hay and grass but extra liquid oil added for cals instead of weight.

Been through all feeds: Top Spec, Blue Chip, balancers and powders and never found anything that really 'fixed' him and none give the correct amount of everything you really need for a daily intake of all vits and mins anyway.

Gut noises are good according to my vet, said its a sure sign everything is working correctly!

Consider having a hair analysis done to see if he has any mineral deficiencies to add them specifically to diet.
My lad is barefoot so the linseed is ideal for skin, hooves, etc as is the spirulina.
Seaweed has a great supply of minerals and amino acids as well as good for hooves.

Look at Pro-hoof or Pro-balance as alternative supplements.

It can take 3 mths to get a horse back in true weight condition but only a couple of weeks to lose it :( So hard to keep on top of them, especially if very poor doers

Encourage him to walk low in-hand or on the lunge to stretch his back down and create more topline, plus lots of walk-halt-trot transitions to get his back end working and under him to boost his muscles. Easy to do out hacking
 
Fat can be your friend. It is easy to add oil to a feed (soya or corn), start with say a quarter of a cup and you can build up from there. You can also buy rice-bran based feeds, which have a very high fat content. Am in NZ, so I'm probably not much help with brands, but google knows everything.

Oil especially, is a great way to add condition on to a horse, without adding bulk to the feed.
 
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