Feeding a skinny TB without adding fiz!

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diamondrockharvey

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Hi, I am looking for some advice / reassurance on feeling my TB.

He lives out with our ISH and Traditional cob, who both look amazing at the moment and are grazing 4 of our 5.5 acres (with the TB) and have Bailey's Lo Cal balancer with a handful of speedibeet.

The TB however is looking quite skinny, despite having a really glossy coat and being his normal self! He has been wormed and has no sign of eggs in his latest worm count. He's just really 'ribby' and 'hippy'.

I started him on a new diet last week to try and build him up a bit.

He's on 1 scoop Alfa-A Oil, 1 scoop Readigrass, 1 scoop Speedibeet and Pink Powder.

He wind sucks occasionally (without grabbing onto anything) and I am not sure if this is down to stress or a delicate stomach, so I am very reluctant to feed him an cereals.

I have not seen much change in the last week on the new diet, but I know I need to give it time,

was just hoping to hear other's thoughts,

Thanks!
 
I have this problem with my 26 year old wb x tb. I have now added micronizes linseed into his diet which seems to making a difference and also I give him a scoop of oats after exercise (this does not fizz them up!! He is quite a fizzy horse anyway but these do not make him worse!) He doesnt get any in his food just after he has been ridden as he then doesnt used the energy up while he is just stood around eating :-)
 
You could add some oil, add slowly over a week or so you can give quite alot, mug in each feed if fed twice a day
 
I am having the same trouble with my TB he is 22 and quite fit (just done a 12 mile distance ride sort of fit) but lacking any topline and like you say OP just a bit "ribby" and "hippy". He is on a good scoop of 16+ mix, chaff and speedi beet a day plus all the hay he can eat. He has lived out for the first time this winter and I think it has knocked the stuffing out of him.
I'm hoping even at 22 we can get some top line back on him as usually he is a stunning old boy.
 
My boy is only 10 years old. He looked great all winter up until about 6-8 weeks ago when he just seemed to drop a bit!

I'l try upping the Horsehage and see what happens!

It's tough because he gets worried when he is segregated from the others and then won't eat. But I can't risk the others eating any thing else, they simply don't need it!
 
diamondrockharvey said:
My boy is only 10 years old. He looked great all winter up until about 6-8 weeks ago when he just seemed to drop a bit!

I'l try upping the Horsehage and see what happens!

It's tough because he gets worried when he is segregated from the others and then won't eat. But I can't risk the others eating any thing else, they simply don't need it!
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Can't you just pop him in the other part of the field that's empty for half a day, so that he can eat haylage and grass?
 
amymay said:
Can't you just pop him in the other part of the field that's empty for half a day, so that he can eat haylage and grass?
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I could but our fields are separated with a stream and if the other two horses choose to go to the other part of the field then he won't be able to see them and he would jut spend all day whinnying and trotting up and down! :(
 
My tb has dropped a bit recently because the grass is coming through and she's not interested in her hay if there is a single blade of new grass to be had!

I've started her on Winnergy Equilibrium after getting in touch with their nutritionist, who was very helpful. The best thing is that all their feeds are complete so you don't need to add any supplements at all.
 
diamondrockharvey said:
I could but our fields are separated with a stream and if the other two horses choose to go to the other part of the field then he won't be able to see them and he would jut spend all day whinnying and trotting up and down! :(
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Ah, right.

Well how about he comes in for a couple of hours a day with one of the others for his hay?

Were you previously feeding hay in the field prior to him loosing weight??
 
Yeah we were feeding ad lib hay previously, but the horse were only on a small section of the fields then which was the hardcore section and mainly bare soil, not much grass at all as we were resting it.
 
diamondrockharvey said:
Yeah we were feeding ad lib hay previously, but the horse were only on a small section of the fields then which was the hardcore section and mainly bare soil, not much grass at all as we were resting it.
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I have a similar problem with my TB... He rolled through the winter really well when he was in at night and stuffing his face with haylage...

Since they've been on 24/7 turnout he's looking a bit ribby (and a few others) but the grass is really poor... So when they come in in the morning for a bit I've started leaving him and a friend in the stable for a bit longer than we have been so he can chomp his way through more haylage and 'top up' the grass... Once we get a bit of rain and the grass improves it does get very lush so he'll be unlikely to need it then...
 
I have just changed to middlings and baileys high fibre for stressy tb.She is finally putting on weight after taking dislike to her haylage during winter months.It hasnt fizzed her up as its all high fibre:D
 
diamondrockharvey said:
My boy is only 10 years old. He looked great all winter up until about 6-8 weeks ago when he just seemed to drop a bit!

It's tough because he gets worried when he is segregated from the others and then won't eat. But I can't risk the others eating any thing else, they simply don't need it!
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I have one who is exacty like this - started dropping weight a couple of weeks ago trying to feed twice a day - but just wants to go out with the others & wont eat - I have upped evening feed as they are still all in on a night - someone has recommended calm & condition to me - I am still putting hay out in field as have not moved from winter paddocks yet as we havent a lot of grass due to lack of rain x
 
pansy said:
I have one who is exacty like this - started dropping weight a couple of weeks ago trying to feed twice a day - but just wants to go out with the others & wont eat - I have upped evening feed as they are still all in on a night - someone has recommended calm & condition to me - I am still putting hay out in field as have not moved from winter paddocks yet as we havent a lot of grass due to lack of rain x
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We tried calm and condition but he isn't keen on it and leaves most of the feed.
He seems happy with what he is having now, it's just being able to get enough of it into him!
 
I normally find with the TB's if they are dropping off that they aren't getting enough fibre for whatever reason. Conditioning cubes/mixs ect just tend to give them energy that they burn off by being silly.
To get weight on my mums ex-racer he had his teeth done (he had v sharp edges when we got him poor boy), then once he could actually chew properly he started eating up his hay. He has two big nets at night, a tub trug of Hifi lite to pick at, a handful of fibre nuts and a field of good grass during the day. He is looking a picture:-

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My ex-racer has similar, as much hay as he will eat at night, grass during the day and two feeds of a scoop of Hifi and half a scoop of Fibre nuts:-

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Fibre, fibre and more fibre keeps them calm and fat and with happy tums :).

I think with the dry weather the grass is not coming through like it normally would at this time of year and you have 3 horses on 4 acres so i'm guessing the grass cover may not be that abundant? He may need hay in the field :).
 
My TB has done well on Ready mash extra and outshine this Winter -

SAM_0589.jpg




eta - He looked like this in September!
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Firewell said:
Fibre, fibre and more fibre keeps them calm and fat and with happy tums :).
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Thank you for your post.
I know that fibre is the answer, it's just getting it into him!
It's so tough keeping him with 2 very good doers, as when he is separated he just doesn't want to eat as he gets too worried! And the other two really don't need any more than they are already getting!

I agree with this dry weather the grass is definitely not coming through like it usually would! I have usually had to track our field by now as it gets so lush, but I certainly couldn't do that yet!
 
We use boomerang copra meal which is a by product of the co**** processing industry. There is a website. High in oil and energy and aboslutely no fizz. Needs soaking but only takes about 10mins. Perfect for anything that needs high denisty calories without going off their rockers. We have an ex racehorse (with ulcer issues and she's fine on it)and a warmblood competition horse. I would never feed either of them beet but copra is great.
However try introducing it in small amounts first as it is very rich, not all of them like it and it can make them a bit loose.
 
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