Feeding advise please ..Big weak TB

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JJtheJetPlane

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Hey guys im going to pick up a new project horse tommora and thought i would ask you what you would do in my shoes to see if i can get a few diffrent opinions. Basically he is 17.1 full tb only just 5 so as you can imagine like a bean pole ! I have two options of what i could do with him to most effectivley bulk him up asap.

I could either turn out onto 5 acres of grass feed once or twice a day but its not really practicle to ride there so he would be on 24 / 7 turnout.

Or have him at home on 2 acres and in on haylage at night with a feed am and pm and start light work straight away hacking, pessoa etc.

Feed im thinking alfa a , sugar beet and build up cubes and possibly a balancer.

Anyone got any reccommendations ..

I have had loads of ex racers but not one this big or thin before so i want to get the feed / management side of things right straight away :)

Any opinions / experiences good or bad greatly appreciated...I will post some pictures tommora :)
 
why does everyone feel the need to bulk up? personally having owned several underwieght horses (and i do mean veyr skinny), i have alway given them jsut grass and hay (one horse was on six haynets in 24 hrs). i personally (and i know many will have different ideas) find this the best way and increase feed as winter comes in
good luck with your new project , i know how excting they can be xx
 
Well i dont know that Everyone feels the need to bulk up ..But i personally feel he needs a lot more coverage to be what i would class as exceptable for an everday riding horse / hunter. He looks wonderful as a racehorse but my personal preference is to see horses like him out and about at fun rides, competitions etc a bit rounder. We are not far away from winter so i want to make the most of the warm weather we have and grass to get some weight on him asap.
As he is a project and will be for sale next spring i always find that people would rather buy a horse with a bit more to them.
Yes im excited i love to have something new to play with :)
 
lulataluna said:
Well i dont know that Everyone feels the need to bulk up ..But i personally feel he needs a lot more coverage to be what i would class as exceptable for an everday riding horse / hunter. He looks wonderful as a racehorse but my personal preference is to see horses like him out and about at fun rides, competitions etc a bit rounder. We are not far away from winter so i want to make the most of the warm weather we have and grass to get some weight on him asap.
As he is a project and will be for sale next spring i always find that people would rather buy a horse with a bit more to them.
Yes im excited i love to have something new to play with :)
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I have to disagree - if your horses are very skinny you should be feeding them more, they can't be very strong or have a very good immune system if they are walking skeletons. Sorry. JMO. I just couldn't have my horse looking like a bag of bones.
 
If it was me and he had just come out of racing i would chuck him out 24/7 with plenty of hay and let him have some chillin time.
If he has already had that i would bring him home and get on with his retraining, feeding lots of hay and fibre based feeds.
Good luck with him :D
 
i would chuck him out on good grass (if you have any!!) and keep working him quietly allowing him to chill out and bulk up. i would give him a feed of alpha a and sugar beet (all long stem fibre) once a day. i would keep riding him making the change from racehorse to riding horse gradual. if your 2 acres are good i would leave him out 24/7 give him the option if he would like some haylage. once calm and settled intoduce build up cubes, i find blue chip and soya or corn/veg oil round them up nicely without blowing the brain. Also do get his teeth done , this is something that is often not done as the racing game specializes in young horses. and worm well as soon as youo get him. then you know it has been done. have fun and good luck!
 
It so depends on the horse......my TB's hate being turned out 24/7, especially when the flies are bad - so we chuck them out on good grass at night and give them a feed (conditioning mix, alfa A, sometimes sugar beet) and hay during the day. They look well, but not hugely fat. As two of them will race again this winter, we don't want them obsese.
It takes time to get a skinny TB to let its self down and develop fat, sometimes a year or two, until they get used to a new routine etc.
Cod liver oil can help
 
I fed my mare baileys no 1 is fantastic and after a few weeks i could notice the difference. Shes hper sensitive to alot of feeds but this seems to be the only feed that worked. I had been trying everything for 10 months prior to the baileys :)
My TB is a poor doer, shes been fine though this summer with just grass at night and adlib quality hay during the day. Before she was up to weight she was having 2 x feeds per day - baileys no 1 and speedi beet.
:)
 
If it was me i would have him turned out as much as possible and if he is in make sure that he has adlib hay/haylage. Racehorses notoriously have ulcers from lack of fibre in their diet. I would also not feed any cereals as this can really fizz up thoroughbreds, when he starts to put on more condition you will probably notice this. I would recommend Simple Systems or Pure Feeds as they have no cereals at all. Both will give good sound advice if you contact them.
 
If I could, I would turn him away on your good grass to chill out and let himself down gently. Be aware, if he's thin thin, he could well feel the cold so might benefit from a lightweight rug at night as the nights are getting chillier. Feedwise, while still at grass, I'd bulk him up a bit with either conditioning cubes or Baileys Stud Cubes, they're very good for weight gain. Another feed to help with weight is Barley Rings but watch barley doesn't go to his head. Also get his teeth checked asap and a full worming done, they will both help a lot. Pics please.
 
Hello OP, I am in exactly the same situation, got my mare 2 weeks ago and started her on sugar beet, D&H build up and mollichop. Ad lib haylage. I have noticed a huge difference in the two weeks. She goes out when no flies for a couple of hours on good grass. Could not leave her out for long as the flies drive her mad. She has got a bit sharper to ride, I just do a steady hour a day.
 
full fat soya or equiejewel to help him put on a bit of condition, plus lots and lots of fibre (hay/haylage, speedibeet, alfalfa etc) to keep him sensible and get his guts working properly, and a balancer to make sure he's getting everything he needs.

I'd give him some time to chill out if hes come out of racing, and give him a chance to put some condition on before you start to work him.

remember not to rush the feeding changes!
 
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