Feeding ideas for a TB with no topline

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LowenKi

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Ive had my boy six weeks now, and he's gone from a bit bony, ribby and poor, to the right weight. While he now has good coverage, he is seriously lacking muscle bulk and topline!

He works really well and correctly for me, I just want to make sure he has the dietary support to 'fill out' in all the right places. He gets tired sometimes and I think it's because he's not particularly strong. What would you recommend I feed to help him develop with his work?

He is currently turned out on good quality grazing 24/7 and is fed just topspec feed balancer mixed with hifi.

I don't want to blow his head off as he's very rideable at the moment and has had great concentration and focus at busy competitions so am anxious not to lose this.

I've done the Saracen feeds profiling form online so am waiting for those results, and I'll probably also call TopSpec too, simply because I've had great results with their products in the past, although not with this 'lacking serious topline' problem.

Looking forward to your responses!

:)
 
Should add - he is embarking on a pure dressage career with me, and while he's trained to medium, we are competing at prelim/novice and working elem at home :)
 
I use rice bran on my Tbs to aid them building muscle and topline. My preferred brand is Falcon feeds Omega Rice, a cupful in each feed makes a difference without affecting temperament. Works a treat :)
 
Adlib good quality haylage and lots of rugging-up and you cant go wrong!

I also have gone back to using allen and page-after hating their calm and condition I swore I would never use it again- but their veteran vitality is Brilliant for thoroughbreds. I use it on all my young TB's! great for conditioning without blowing brains. Only feed 1/2 a scoop soaked with 1 scoop water and a handfull of Hifi per feed, twice a day, if you feed any more than that they will turn their nose up at it. But that amount works just fine.
 
I have a very big tb who is hard to get a top line on. 8 weeks on pure feeds and he looks amazing. He gets pure easy and pure cognition plus linseed oil and his top line is really coming along. Of course proper work really helps!
 
Def try the topspec feed helpline... I guess they may tell you to add their conditioning cubes.

There are various muscle building supplements... Not sure how well these work thoughn
 
Baileys top line cubes/mix!. Love them. Mine was on it this winter after she dropped alot of topline, literaly a few weeks & the benefits were huge, she also went on them this summer for a bit after i broke my arm to stop her losing too much condition.
 
I feed Top Spec Light to my TB with Alpha A molasses free and have just started giving him Speedibeet with it as he has just started to lose a little condition (our grass isn't plentiful). He is working Prelim/ Novice dressage. Why was yours in a poor state when you bought him and when was he working at Medium?
 
My tb is currently on applechaff and saracens bio life 2000 balancer, he looks and feels great, just right on energy and more focused than previously.
Was using top spec chaff and balancer previously and he didn't look or feel this good but the top spec staff are very helpful, never spoke to saracens but am a convert. Its also cheaper!
 
Thanks guys am hearing lots of good things about Saracen at the moment, must be something to it. Am looking forward to hearing from them.

KirstyL he has previously worked to medium but then had a very quiet year or so before he came to me.
 
I had my vet out today (horse is a bit sick at the moment :( ) but anyway- my horse is 3/4 bred eventer, he is 17.1h and I have always struggled to keep condition on and develop his topline and have lost marks in dressage tests for his topline being too weak.

My vet asked me numerous questions about my horse and one was about worming him. I worm him every 6-8 weeks using paste syringes. My vet said that pastes are not always effective and that an injection of worm dose is always proven to work. So he gave my horse an injection of worm dose- something you might like to try with your tb?

Then he went on to tell me that horses should not be fed anything except cooked maize, cooked barley, oats and alfa-a. The maize and oats are fantastic for energy and condition and the alfa-a balances the feed so that the horse is not too energetic and it also helps the food to digest better. Also any sort of oil helps the digestive system. I use linseed oil.

My vet is a highly recognised equine vet and these are the only feeds he gives to his horses and his horses are all in fantastic condition!! I am definitely going to try this on my horse.

Hope this helps :)
 
Alfa-a doesn't balance a feed. If you look at the dengie website they have a balancer specifically to go alongsides their products.

Barley can also send some horses loopy - it turned one of mine into a monster.
 
You can't build topline purely on feed alone, you need to build muscle and that will only come from correct work.

You CAN feed for the wrok needed though.

Lots of calories. Keep it low sugar and starch, high fat/oil....needs protein in there too. Ad lib forage.

I feed Readigrass (horse gets itchy on alfalfa) fast fibre to dampen down, Equijewel and a powdered balancer supplement. If he needs 'a bit more' I add in soya oil or Triple Top Up (High fat supplement feed)
 
Thanks Tr0uble, this is exactly what I'm hoping to do - I'd just like to feed him to support this proper development. If I get brave enough later I'll post some pictures from our test on Sunday so you can all see what I mean.

Is Equijewel a Saracen feed too?
 
Yes Equijewel is Saracen. It's fab stuff!

You can't go wrong as long as you stick to fibre and fat, and a bit of protein (which normally happens by accident anyway!)

Def post some piccies! :)
 
Hi, I would recommend *allen & page calm and condition* it worked a treat on my ISH a friend recommended it to me after used on her arab mare that was very fizzy. its great stuff would def recommend! Also lots of hill work out hacking always helps to :)
 
Micronised linseed is amazing for putting on condition, and its really cheap. I pay £30 for a 20kg sack and it lasts my 2 horses about 5-6 months! Both mine look amazing on it and people always comment and ask what I feed.

My mare is 19 and competing at Medium level BD and my other horse is 4 and competing at prelim at the moment, but being prepared for the 5yr old classes next year.
 
I've started giving Wilby micronised linseed (after seeing it recommended lots on here!) as well as his normal feed (A&P calm and condition - he's a lot more level headed on that than he was on 'normal' feeds, and doesn't go flat after fifteen minutes work anymore, but I don't think it's that great as a conditioning feed) and he's super shiny now, but whether he will go mega-muscley I don't know yet!

Interestingly though, a lot of the TB eventers look to carry very little topline (especially compared to the partbreds/ISHs/WBs) if you see them relaxed in the stable, but they're obviously strong enough to maintain their outlines for a test.
 
I got my TB last year - been racing so no topline/muscle at all.
Didnt really find topline mix or cubes worked ..
Been using Allen & Paige calm and condition for last few weeks and can see a difference already :D he only gets fed that with alfa a + oil with lots of haylage and a lot of hill work!!!! x
 
Saracen Equijewel is good. I used to use that on my old horse and my friend used it on her ex polo pony. We used to combine a couple of mugs of that per day with alfa a. It didn't send them nuts and gave them beautiful soft coats.
 
When I first got mine he did well on Calm & Condition and Alfa-A Oil, then went off it over winter. So I put him on Baileys no4 Conditioning Cubes and Alfa, which I must admit sent him a little wappy! But it did help immensley with the topline! He isn't out competing, but in light work at home.

He's not been on any food over winter and only gets a handful of Alfa at the moment. I am looking for a new conditioning type feed to give him this winter. As I dont want him fizzy and dont want him to go off the feed so neither of the above would be suitable, but need to keep the weight on (and possibly improve some more!)
 
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