Feeding advice please.

[Black_Horse_White]

My friend has just brought a 6 year old Thoroughbred. She's a little under weight and lacking in topline. What feed would you recommend? She is a little excitable at the moment so it needs to be non heating. Thanks.

 

[TGM]

I'm assuming you don't know her present diet, so don't know whether she is just a poor doer or she has not been fed correctly.

First of all I would make sure the horse has access to plenty of good quality forage. If the horse is stabled at all then she should have access to hay or haylage all the time she is in. If stabled at night then she should have enough so that there is a little left in the morning. If grazing isn't brilliant then additional hay or haylage in the field if at all possible. Ad lib forage is the cheapest and safest way to get weight on them!

For bucket feed you could try unmollassed beet and Alfa A oil together with a vit/min supplement or balancer.

Alternatively, if you like commercial complete feeds, then try something like Spiller's Response Slow Release Cubes which are based on fibre and oil, rather than cereals. Again you can feed this with an oil-rich chaff such as Alfa A Oil.

I would try her on this regime for a few weeks and weigh tape her to see if she is gaining condition. If you feel she has not gained enough then you can look at some of the higher calorie (and more expensive) conditioning feeds.

Obviously, you need to worm/worm count and get teeth checked as well.

 

[KatB]

Completely agree with TGM. Ive stuck to a high fibre/high oil diet with my mainly TB mare who needed condition, and she looks fantastic now. She is on Alfa Oil, Speedibeet and Topspec balancer. She also gets a handful (half a scoop a day) of topspec calm and condition cubes, just cos she looses interest in her feed without cubes! It is by fair the cheapest way of feeding IMHO as I'm not having to feed HUGE quanitities, but then she has been on very good hay and grass aswell.

 

[Black_Horse_White]

Thanks. She has only had her for a week she is out in the day on good grazing. Has been wormed ,in at night with ad lib good quality haylage. My friend is feeding her mollichop which i advised against as it is mollassed and pony nuts.

 

[Hels_Bells]

I would recommend some pink powder. It's a pro biotic and improves gut efficiency etc. Often recommended after a horse has been through a big change or trauma, like moving home or an illness etc.

Mine is a quite highly strung warmblood who came with a history of struggling to keep weight on. I moved him onto a diet of baileys no 4 conditioning cubes, sugarbeet, Alfa A oil and baileys outshine plus pink powder morning and night. (All coupled with ad lib haylage in winter and plenty of grass all year round). He has done brilliantly ever since without a hint of fizz!

Outshine is expensive but if you are really stuck after trying everything else it's def worth it. As it's early days with yours, like the others say, it might just be a case of plenty of good forage. But would def go with the naf pink powder to make sure all is functioning efficiently and give him a boost if needed!!