Feeding advice for Veteran good doer

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cpendle

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I've recently bought an 18 year old 17hh Warmblood as a dressage schoolmaster.

At the moment he's pretty unfit and so in light work, schooled for about 30 mins x4 days a week and hacked once a week. The plan is to gradually increase the level of work as he gets fitter.

He is a very good doer though and seems to be putting on weight by the day. Our yard has Baileys products and I rang the helpline who initially advised 1 scoop of Conditioning Cubes x2 a day. They said No. 4 had all the nutrients an oldie needs.

So I'm not sure what to do to get the weight off, but give him energy to be worked and get all the vits and minerals he needs.

He's on haylage currently and I'm about to change that to hay. Any other ideas?

Thanks
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I can't understand why you were recommended to feed conditioning cubes to a good doer in relatively light work.
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If you swap to feeding hay then I would suggest just feeding a balancer alongside it, with some low-calorie chaff if you need it. If you stick with the haylage then you probably won't need a balancer, but a broad spectrum vit/min supplement in some chaff will make sure he gets his vits and mins.

Use a weigh tape once a week to see if he is losing, gaining or maintaining weight and then adjust the diet accordingly.
 
I suggest baileys Lo-Cal balencer and good quality forage - hay or low sugar chaff if he is a good doer in light work.
 
i would feed a balancer at half rations and good quality forage. why on earth would he need conditioning cubes? my underweight 5yr old is on a scoop a day of Bailey's no.4 and piling on the pounds!
 
Ditto the conditioning cubes! Surreal! My veteran - 22yr old Section D, good doer, similar work to yours - does very well on Mollichaff Veteran chaff, dampened with wet Speedibeet and a sniff of the D&H Pasture mix scoop. Ad lib haylage. Just started going out on poor pasture overnight coz apparently it's spring so his feeds are being cut back. I weigh tape him every day (after a colic scare 9 days ago) and his weight is stable though he could do with shedding a few lbs!
 
Ditto forage and eithe balancer or broad spectrum vit & mineral supplement in lo-cal chaff. Dont underestimate how many caloroes he will get from grazing (presuming he is turned out). My littlies are on a vary sparse paddock with no feed, just mineral lick and hay. Over past week or so the hay is being left and droppings are becoming very green and suprise suprise they are expanding.
 
My old clydie does very well on Simple System lucie stalks, a little speedibeet and ad lib hay. He also has instant linseed and MSM for his joints, black sunflower seeds for his feet and coat and brewers yeast. Don't forget carrots, according to clydesdale law they are essential.
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He also gets high fibre cubes in his ball when in during the winter.

He has never looked better on this feed. Wonderful coat and perfect weight.

This year he has had a lot of problems with his joints due to old age. I have started giving him about half the recommend amount of blue chip. The joint problems caused a tendon to flare up and friend recommended trying it as it seemed to really help her old mare with similar complaints. Blue chip has agreed with him and he now is full of beans and really perky.

I certainly would not be feeding conditioning cubes to a good doer.
 
What about Spillers Senior Maintenance Mix? I think its got all the nutrients etc that an older horse needs, but without all the calories that are normally found in there feeds?? Someone at my yard has her oldie on it and they look really good!
 
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