feeding my git of a horse

[WishfulThinker]

Beau gets Happy Hoof, Ultimate balancer(300g- which is around 50% of what he should have), Codlivine and some (not a lot) of Speedi Beet. He loves it, in fact never seen him get soo excited about his dinner before! And we all smelt the Ultimate Balancer and TBH it smell yummy! Rather sweet and kinda milky - actually made us feel a bit hungry

So if he is fussy he would probably eat it.

He is a good doer, but his feed would just fill a large sized jug, and on that plus light work (well he can do 15 mins trot non stop and not sweat) and he has put ON weight in the past 3 weeks - around 9kg.

He cannot touch cereals at all or its like someone let a firework off in his head!

Do u know anyone that could let u try a small amount of their feeds just ot see how he goes? I know Spillers sent me some sample bags last year - or was it Dodson and Horrell, I cant remember!! You could phone them up and try asking?

 

[sleepingdragon10]

Erm....Baileys No 1 with sugar beet/speedibeet if he'll eat it

 

[TGM]

Why not ring up the manufacturer of your pasture nuts, tell them the size, workload, condition, etc of your horse, and get them to tell you how much you should feed to increase condition?

I am assuming he is actually in poor condition and that you can see his ribs. If you can't see his ribs then he is fine and you're probably best to stick to what you are feeding now.

PS: How much hay is he getting and does he eat a lot of it? I'd try to get as much hay into him as possible to keep weight on.

 

[vicm2509]

Linseed is really good for adding condition. Maize is VERY heating and should be fed as no more than a quarter of the total grain fed to a horse. Barley will help him put weight on if thats what you want and is also less heating than oats but it is quite low in fibre, I would perhaps give the barley a try.

Have you tried adding extra mollases to the feed? Or maybe you could just feed him something he likes and add a supplement to it?

 

[parkers_mom]

i know its not the same but our cat is incredibly fussy. We bought packets of meat mix and she would just turn her nose up.

Eventually I got sick of the foxes getting the rest of the packets and we decided to be mean with her and not give her anything else. After a couple of hours moaning, hunger took over and she ate it. She still eats it now with no problem.

We had a similar thing with Parker when we got him, he didn't like sugarbeet or balancing mix and he was in very bad shape and incredibly skinny. All he would eat was hay and wasn't putting weight on. So we took away the hay and left the mix for him. Again, it took about a day, but he ate it and now loves it. He didn't like apples and carrots either but with persistance and leaving them in his bowl (of course that wasn't all he got), he eventually picked at them and now can't get enough!

I know I'm probably going to slated for this, but you can be too soft with animals (my mum cuts up meat into tiny bits for her dog - SHE'S A DOG! WITH BIG K9 TEETH TO RIP MEAT UP WITH!! AND WHY FEED CATS AND DOGS VEGETABLES! DO THEY IN THE WILD?). I find horses are a lot like toddlers...give them an inch and they take a mile. They can tell when you are soft with them and they take advantage.

Parker (when he wasn't on loan) tried it on with loads of things but he knows that I don't stand for it and because of that he's well behaved and rarely does much wrong.

OK....now I'll put my hardhat on and get off my stool

 

[aimeerose]

its only a though but if he was eating fine last year what about having him blood tested and checking its not a virus or something that has suppressed his appitite?

my mare had a virus and lost masses of weight but like yours wouldnt eat.

 

[Shrimp]

Have you tired Allen and Page's Calm and Condition? Ive recently put my boy on it just before Christmas and I have noticed a difference. Hes been alot calmer when we've gone out whilst keeping his condition.
I also use Sumo which is great but if your horse is fussy then i'll doubt he'll eat it! Takes a while for them to get used to the taste.

 

[fizz-tally]

just back on to lots of replies & 5 mins to return them lol

 

[fizz-tally]

yip, he is due to be checked again next month

 

[Farm Kat]

How about HiFi Original or Senior, the senior will probably have more in it to keep the weight on, without the oilalfa a that he won't eat and standard parsture/horse and pony cubes, I find that spillers, for example send my forresters loopy, so I feed my feed merchants own brand, I have to feed more to the recomended amounts, but I don't get the rocket fuel.

Does he like Garlic? I knew of one fussy feeder who was given 2 large scoops of garlic in any feed, otherwise she wouldn't eat anything.

 

[fizz-tally]

no 1 sent him funny too lol

 

[fizz-tally]

he gained condition on the build up but lost the plot on it,hence why he has come off it again.

he has access to 2 large round of hay in the paddock,which still has grass & gets 3 large haylage nets stuffed with hay at night,he has some left in the morning

 

[fizz-tally]

tried that & he took the stable door down

lol

 

[fizz-tally]

he does eat but is just really fussy about what he eats & the fact he gets hot fast doesnt help.

spoke to the vet & he said the fact he had a year off with no work[which he gets hyper about] was the reason he held weight.

all the feeds that put condition on,he likes or they make him very hyper.

 

[fizz-tally]

c&c sent him balmy lol

have picked up some sunflower seeds & gave d & h a call & have a rough plan of feed,so will give it a go.

thanks everyone

 

[vicm2509]

Have you tried adding mint to the feed? I mean the powdered stuff you get in the tubs? Its quite strong so if he likes mints it may be worth a try? I dont think its too expensive either.

 

[fizz-tally]

not tried mint yet,another on my list to try lol

thanks

 

[vickers22]

what about topspec conditioning flakes?

 

[TGM]

[ QUOTE ]
c&c sent him balmy lol

[/ QUOTE ] Although Calm & Condition is advertised as not containing oats or barley, it DOES contain maize! So I can understand why it might have an adverse effect on your horse - although lots of people swear by it!

 

[claireross]

Are his teeth OK???? He may have a problem eating. It would be worth having them checked