Feeding a TB

[Bevjane]

Hi all just wanted a little advice, I have a ex racer slowly recovering from a pedal bone fracture, when I got him 8 weeks ago he was race fit and very lean, he’s started to drop his race muscle now, but he’s looking a bit ribby, I’ve had horses for years and have 2 others as well as him, but never had a TB before, I currently feed apple chaff, mix, balancer and various supplements (to help with his joint and fracture) x2 daily with copious amount of hay, I know TB are natouries for not getting and keeping weight on, can anyone advise on what else I can give for weight gain, was going to start him on sugar eat as well, don’t think it’s not helping as he’s still on box rest. Thanks

 

[spacefaer]

I use Equerry conditioning mash on my yard. Puts condition on like nothing else without adding any fizz. Cost effective too as it is a complete feed.

Also handy that it's on special offer until the end of the month!

 

[deicinmerlyn]

Replace the Apple chaff with grass nuts and mix with copra, micronised linseed and something like cool condition cubes or ulca cubes by TopSpec

 

[AmyMay]

Elf on a Shelf is the best to advise.

However I’ve never had a TB that’s a poor doer. In your shoes I’d be feeding hay, hay and more hay with something like a high fibre cube. I wouldn’t be feeding mix or increasing amounts of hard food to something on box rest.

 

[windand rain]

Agree with Amymay. On box rest adlib hay and a balancer/vitamin mineral supply should be all he needs. Letting him down from racing fit will make him look a bit ribby but he doesnt need to be fat especially recovering from a foot problem.

 

[splash30]

I've just found a diet which suits mine not heated up but is looking fabulous.
Spillers Conditioning fibre 1 scoop x 3 feeds
Baileys complete nugget soaked, 1 scoop split x 3 feeds.
Plus THE Equine Edge supplement gastro pro.
Adlib best quality hay, all that he can eat.

 

[NocturneNoel]

Agree with ad lib hay. If he's just out of racing he may still be adjusting and you might find he increases the amount of hay he'll eat. Adding to that a balancer with something low sugar/starch and high fibre will help his gut health in the long run.

 

[Bevjane]

I use Equerry conditioning mash on my yard. Puts condition on like nothing else without adding any fizz. Cost effective too as it is a complete feed.

Also handy that it's on special offer until the end of the month!

Lovely will look at thank you

 

[P.forpony]

Like nocturnal says, it’s going to take him a while to adjust and eating habits of fit racehorses are very different.

Bare with him and keep going, with the ad-lib hay he may turn into one of those rather plump tbs realising he now has a rather lovely life!

Some stay tricky to keep weight on though and hay and a balancer will just never be enough.

A good start is swapping the apple chaff for something like Alfa oil, with a lot more calories per scoop. Sugarbeet will help his hindgut efficiency so he’ll get more out of the rest of his feed, and you’ll never beat linseed for condition.

If it’s possible split into as many feeds as you can throughout the day and try and stay away from anything with cereals in at least while he’s still on box rest.

Best of luck with his recovery.

 

[AmyMay]

Op, pm Elf on a Shelf. She’ll give you some really good advice.

 

[TPO]

Current ex racer is fed Keyflow Pink Mash and does really well on it despite it being lower calories than other feed. I think it's because it helps the gut and enables them to get more goodness out of their other feed.

He also gets micronised linseed and grassnuts along with an unmolassed chaff (dengie meadow grass).

He gets a tablespoon of salt, Progressive Earth Pro Balance (vit/min supp with no guff) and he also gets Science Supplements gastrokind. He presented as a typical ulcer horse when he arrived and had shockingly bad hooves.

Last year when winter lasted forever and the rain had ruined the grazing the bigger volumes of grass nuts were over facing him even when split over several feeds. I started feeding Baileys Ease & Excel no.21 mix. It's designed for ulcer horses and is low starch. He's also barefoot and it didnt appear to have any negative impact on his hooves.

I never fed the full amount and it made a huge difference. His feeds went back to being small and he licked the buckets clean while still putting on condition.

He also has adlib hay when stabled.

 

[Bevjane]

Like nocturnal says, it’s going to take him a while to adjust and eating habits of fit racehorses are very different.

Bare with him and keep going, with the ad-lib hay he may turn into one of those rather plump tbs realising he now has a rather lovely life!

Some stay tricky to keep weight on though and hay and a balancer will just never be enough.

A good start is swapping the apple chaff for something like Alfa oil, with a lot more calories per scoop. Sugarbeet will help his hindgut efficiency so he’ll get more out of the rest of his feed, and you’ll never beat linseed for condition.

If it’s possible split into as many feeds as you can throughout the day and try and stay away from anything with cereals in at least while he’s still on box rest.

Best of luck with his recovery.

Hi thank you so much ?

 

[oldie48]

Mr B was 7/8ths TB and came to me looking a bit poor and Rose was very lacking in muscle and condition, although WB she has a lot of TB in her. I fed micronised linseed + unmollassed chaff + unmollassed beet with ad lib hay. Both put on weight and muscle without any fizziness and it was very cheap too.

 

[meleeka]

I’m feeding Soothe and Gain Allen & Page. It’s worked where grass nuts etc didn’t and I don’t need to feed a huge amount to maintain condition. I did suspect ulcers (not a TB though) so I think I’m probably correct there.

 

[Trouper]

When I got my ex-racer he, too, was not in good condition. This was the advice I got from Moorcroft on how they deal with their horses straight from the track - I hope they won't mind my posting it on here. Hope it helps.


We feed all 25 horses here with 3 or 4 feeds per day of Hi Fibre cubes/nuts from a reputable firm like Spillers, plus chaff and sugarbeet and carrots. None of them ever get hot and all look well very quickly (see website) and all arrive in a terrible state from racing. You need to keep it simple as nature intended and stop financing these feed merchants who develop the most ridiculous range of feeds designed to make you feel that it is rocket science to feed your horse - it is not!

 

[AmyMay]

Please remember this horse is on box rest....

 

[Bevjane]

When I got my ex-racer he, too, was not in good condition. This was the advice I got from Moorcroft on how they deal with their horses straight from the track - I hope they won't mind my posting it on here. Hope it helps.


We feed all 25 horses here with 3 or 4 feeds per day of Hi Fibre cubes/nuts from a reputable firm like Spillers, plus chaff and sugarbeet and carrots. None of them ever get hot and all look well very quickly (see website) and all arrive in a terrible state from racing. You need to keep it simple as nature intended and stop financing these feed merchants who develop the most ridiculous range of feeds designed to make you feel that it is rocket science to feed your horse - it is not!

Thank you for that, to be honest I’ve always fed my horses very simply and they have always done well, I hope after being able to go out and have some excercise he will improve.

 

[Elf On A Shelf]

Crikey don't worry if he looks a bit ribby just now! He is changing from fit and muscular to a stable bum! Without work to keep the topline muscle up they will always look ribby until the adjust! I know it's not a sight you would normally see in most horses but racehorses aren't most horses. They say it takes 2 weeks in a stable before they start to lose any sort of fitness at all and from then on a week for every week of work it would take to bring back to full fitness. So just now, in theory, you horse could do a week or so of walking and trotting then go back into steady cantering away on the gallops. 8 weeks is nothing at all. He just needs time. Ad lib hay - he will eat more and more the less fit he becomes. And then the ribs will go and be covered in fat.

You are changing the very core of their being and they ALL go through an ugly duckling stage. It takes a long time to change racing muscle to well covered normal horse condition.