Feeding a dressage horse, that won't eat! ! ! ! !

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xsara23x

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Help pls! I've have a really talented dressage horse who is competing well, but i find it very difficult to keep the weight on him. He has been eatting well this year and now he has started to not eat his hard feed! i have tried everything.........
Change of feed
Oils
Chaff
Carrots & Apples
Any other suggestions? ? ? ?
 
My mare drops weight off easily and is very fussy. She hated The Alfa oil, however I mixed this in with Mollichaff show shine and she now loves it.

Have you tried adding sugar beet, molassed chaff?
 
Hmm, my horse has also stopped eating her hard feed. Well she eats most of her evening feed by morning, but hardly any of her breakfast.

She does have a lot of grass and haylage though, so, as she doesn't seem to be losing weight, I'm trying not to worry too much. I haven't changed her feed either.
 
Try grating carrots and mix in well so they cant pick the carrots out.

Try adding some appetite boosting supplement, they are on the market.

Try adding black treacle, heated up and mixed in water, our LOVE it.

Try mollychop, smells yummy!!

Baileys no 1 is good for putting on weight, its like a bran mash and can be fed warm with the black treakle mixed in - mmmmmm

Alternatively make sure they are on good forage, haylage or good hay and grass and feed what you can in hard feed
 
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Baileys no 1 is good for putting on weight, its like a bran mash and can be fed warm with the black treakle mixed in - mmmmmm

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Blimey I wouldnt mind that for my brekkie
grin.gif
 
D+H Mint Supplement is v good for getting them eating again and not expensive - was the only thing that worked on my lad when he was off his food
 
try just straight soaked oats with unmolassed alfalfa as normal feeds are so full of overpriced crap .I am surprised that there are any horses that eat corase mxes/nuts at all!

Soak whole oats for 24 hours drain for 2 hours feed with alfalfa, rock salt and seaweed supplement.Plus linseed.

Tried and tested and proven to work. Especially for the fussy eater and packs weight on a poor doer.
 
jonty never eats in the winter so i give her haylage and i gove her two feeds a night as she wont eat breakfast and she looks fantastic.......... she has top spec balancer why is fab stuff you cant go wrong....... speedi beet afla a oringial and a very cheap mix......... and she seems to love it and she is one seriously fussy mare hope this helps........
 
To go off on a slight tangent (sorry)....
If I can see some intact oats in Ben's droppings (just a few though, not lots and lots) does that mean he is not digesting them properly, and should I add in a probiotic such as pink powder?? What do you think, as I would love to increase the oats as he is still just about maintaining weight but is still just on the verge of being ribby.
Thanks
Fiona
 
I have a fussy eventer that drops weight very easily. After struggling for a year to get him to eat, I then found the key:

1) Adding water, don't know why, but I can get him to eat practically anything if it's a bit sloppy (and yes, his teeth are done every 6 months) I can even hide medicins in it.

2) Feeding nuts: with mixes, he picks through them and leaves the stuff he doesn't like. He particularly dislikes oats and also barley.

3) Not feeding too much at once. He can just about get through one large scoop of nuts at a time, but only just. Any more, and it gets left. 3/4 scoop, and the bowl is licked clean. If he needs more, then I have to feed him 3 or 4 times a day.

4) Top spec feed balancer - gives him all the vits and mins he needs without having to feed so much hard stuff, also has digestive aids and other good things in it.

5) A & P Calm and Condition. I don't know what I'd do without it, it's the only thing he really likes!

6) Speedibeet - he likes it, it's wet, and helps keep the weight on.

Good luck!
 
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