Feeding advice for underweight senior pony

K

Kimimerra

Member
Joined
18 June 2016
Messages
15
Visit site
Hi all, I know this is a common thread but I've read loads about feeding advice for old horses but it all seems like they feed way too much of lots of different things and it's all confused me and I don't know what route to take. I'll explain a bit about my situation and hopefully you can help me out.

So, He's a 22year old cob, 13.2hh, weighing about 300kg. He is looking thin but not terrible (which worries me as it is summer and he should be a lot fatter than what he is). His teeth are done regularly but he needs soaked food as he has cupped teeth due to age so he can no longer grind down hard feed.
I currently feed him Allen & Page calm and condition 1.5kg (dry weight) as it says on the bag and Dodson & Horrell sixteen plus mix 1 scoop (I know that he cannot grind down hard food but it goes soft in with the calm and condition) and garlic oil with added linseed. Twice a day. I have ordered a bag of charwoods micronized linseed to see if it helps him put on weight as I've read very good things about it.

I need to know if there's anything else I should be giving him or should I be feeding him more of what he's already having. Also I need help on what to do for hay replacing in the winter.

The grass out in the fields has gone all yellow and dry due to all of the hot weather we've had so I know this hasn't helped him. I've tried giving him a large trug full of Dengie meadow grass but he doesn't like it and I have tried giving him soaked grass nuts and he doesn't like that either. I know he loves calm & condition and loves sugarbeet but I don't know how much is too much to give. So any advice would be helpful and I'm not too worried about the cost on things as he's worth every penny but I'm not a rich person so cheaper alternatives would be a bonus.

Thanks in advance
 
That is a lot of feed for a 13.2 pony, I have 2 oldies here and they are having no feed yet maintaining their weight very well so I would be looking at getting him tested for cushings rather than feeding him more and having it do no good, the last pony I had with cushings had no other symptoms other than weight loss at about this time of year along with drinking more than normal which if they have automatic troughs in the field can be hard to pick up on.
Otherwise I believe Allen and Page veteran Vitality may well suit him, it is palatable, easy to digest and should be suitable all year, linseed is good for weight gain but I would cut out the garlic as it can irritate the guts and could contribute to weight loss, he may prefer his hay soaked to make it easier to eat or haylage which is usually easier to eat and very tempting, he is likely to eat a grass replacer in the winter when there is not much else, although there is not that much now most still prefer to eat what is growing than something dried given in a tub, unless they are very lazy and greedy.
 
I don't think a 22 year old cob should look thin even with teeth issues, has he had a blood panel Inc clushings?


Please stop the garlic, it is a strong antimicrobial and not good for animals that need good gut flora to digest.

What grass nuts have you tried? like grass chaffs they aren't all equal so it is helpful to know.
 
ester said:
I don't think a 22 year old cob should look thin even with teeth issues, has he had a blood panel Inc clushings?


Please stop the garlic, it is a strong antimicrobial and not good for animals that need good gut flora to digest.

What grass nuts have you tried? like grass chaffs they aren't all equal so it is helpful to know.
Click to expand...

No I haven’t even thought about bloods to be honest as he's been normal with everything except his weight. So I just thought it was just the diet was wrong. I’ve tried the dengie grass pellets. Yeah I’ll stop the garlic, I thought it aided digestion because it says on the bottle that it supports the digestive system
 
It would worry me, (said as the owner of a fat 25yo cob with teeth and liver problems). Mine can still do hay fairly well but really struggles with anything chaff like.

So mine has a penchant for agrobs feeds which is a bit irritating as they are more expensive, due to said teeth issues he currently gets the wiesencobs soaked but they are essentially a hay pellet so not very high in energy for something struggling with weight.
Micronised linseed is a really good additive so that is definitely a good idea.
I would see if you can get a sample of copra, some really don't like it, others think it is great and it would provide good 'safe energy'.

Lastly any of the rice bran products like equijewel (cheaper versions now available) seem to have very good results putting on weight for not too much volume.

not quite lastly, I'd also be happy to feed a fair amount of beet, I say that thinking what others consider a fair amount... as it's been ages since I did much weighing.

The calm and condition is a bit higher energy than the veteran vitality, and at least doesn't contain garlic ;), they aren't massively different feeds from an ingredients point of view but 16+ isn't something I would feed but then I do tend to stick to straights these days.
 
I have 3 elderly brood mares, starting to loose their teeth, they are at grass at the moment, but also get fed a Stubbs scoop each dry weight unmolassed sugar beet, a cup of micronised linseed and when the weather drops off a bit of cheap balancer each daily.
They have gained and kept weight with This basic feed
 
ester said:
It would worry me, (said as the owner of a fat 25yo cob with teeth and liver problems). Mine can still do hay fairly well but really struggles with anything chaff like.

So mine has a penchant for agrobs feeds which is a bit irritating as they are more expensive, due to said teeth issues he currently gets the wiesencobs soaked but they are essentially a hay pellet so not very high in energy for something struggling with weight.
Micronised linseed is a really good additive so that is definitely a good idea.
I would see if you can get a sample of copra, some really don't like it, others think it is great and it would provide good 'safe energy'.

Lastly any of the rice bran products like equijewel (cheaper versions now available) seem to have very good results putting on weight for not too much volume.

not quite lastly, I'd also be happy to feed a fair amount of beet, I say that thinking what others consider a fair amount... as it's been ages since I did much weighing.

The calm and condition is a bit higher energy than the veteran vitality, and at least doesn't contain garlic ;), they aren't massively different feeds from an ingredients point of view but 16+ isn't something I would feed but then I do tend to stick to straights these days.
Click to expand...

Yeah he worries me a lot, it’s got so much harder as he’s got older. Thanks so much for your help
 
tda said:
I have 3 elderly brood mares, starting to loose their teeth, they are at grass at the moment, but also get fed a Stubbs scoop each dry weight unmolassed sugar beet, a cup of micronised linseed and when the weather drops off a bit of cheap balancer each daily.
They have gained and kept weight with This basic feed
Click to expand...

Would you say I would be better off feeding him sugar beet rather than calm & condition? I would like to try basic feed as I’ve spent so much on special feeds that haven’t really done much for him. I’m getting the linseed soon so I’m praying that helps. I’m having a bit of a problem with grass at the moment as it’s all dried out
 
I’d definitely get him tested for cushings. Lack of topline is a symptom and could mean you are wasting money on feeds that ultimately won’t make him any fatter if he has it.

If he can chew chaff I’d make a hay replacer with unmollassed sugar beet and chaff and lots of it. My old girl had a black bucket full of beet then mixed with chaff in a big trug twice a day when she couldn’t eat hay. Linseed is excellent and should help and I’d probably keep to the C&C and add that as a bucket feed. Sixteen Plus probably isn’t needed as well.
 
If you look, I think the main ingredient in Calm & Condition is unmollassed beet ☺
trident unmollassed beet is £6.75/20kg bag, you can get 20kg bag micronised linseed from charnwood milling for about £23/bag which will last ages
C&C must be around £10/12 bag?
Simples
 
Mollichaff Veteran and Mollichaff Show Shine are both high quality, inexpensive and palatable short chops to mix with beet. Balanced Horse Feeds Show Mix is soft and sweet and I used it to get a horse close to death interested in eating again. Baileys Number 1 (soya hulls) is inexpensive and good for condition. There are loads of alternatives to expensive bagged feeds that are just as tasty and tempting.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top