feeding tb's-new to this!!

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pixiebee

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Ok, so my ex racer isnt super skinny but def needs topline and a bit more condition-as he is racing fit 'ish at the moment-came off the track in may this year. I am currently feeding one large scoop of rearing mix (was advised to put im on bag to get some vits etc in to him) and one large scoop and a bit of chaff and 2 scoops garlic! plus plenty of haylage!

He is actually looking a lot better already in a matter of weeks but still not quite where I want him, i know condition takes time to build and topline takes even longer but am I being inpatient and am I even feeding the right amount/stuff??? I dont want to find in 2 or 3 months time he hasnt put condition on and go into the winter months with an already lanky tb!!!
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im completely stumped-am used to natives who eat practically nothing!
He is 16hh 11 yrs old- I want a feed/combination of or supplements to:
add condition with def NO sparkle!
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Coat shine/condition
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good hooves
helps joints (he has an annoying clicky hock-not lame just clicky!-damn ex hudler!)
oh and to cost around £30 per months to feed (working out my budgets for everything)!!
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any feed/combination suggestion welcome
dont want to ask feed companies, I will be more confused!
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I'm afraid I'm not sure to be honest... My TB went through the winter quite happily on 1 scoop chaff, one scoop pasture mix, and a tiny bit of sugar beet every day. She was VERY cheap to feed... For hooves you could change the chaff for happy hoof/safe and sound or something along those lines, or alternatively add biotin? Perhaps some conditioning cubes? I'm not particularly good on things like this I'm afraid, so I would probably call a feed company or ask at my local feed merchant.
 
I was looking at the allena nd page calm and condition at 11 quid a bag-guessing I would need approx 2 bags per month. Or is that kind of route a waste of money-
his feet arent actually that bad, just a few little cracks I want sorting!
 
I use Hickstead conditioning cubes & conditioning mix on my tb. He went from being a hatrack to a really nice looking, very well horse. He didn't get fizzy at all from the feed.
 
Also, I was thinking apple cider vinegar as a cheapish supplenent for joints, it is priced at 6 quid for 2 litres. It says to feed 150 ml per day-so how long would the 2l last???? Maths is really bad!
 
The best for putting weight on my tb is topspec balancer and the condition cubes..........but it costs the earth!

I have now changed to the triple crown system from badminton feeds and it is considerably cheaper!! I use the equipower base feed (like a balancer full of vits and mins), just a mugful and then chaff and speedibeet and monty looks amazing. They have a triple top-up feed that you add for more condition in the Winter which is oil based so no fizz.

I also find that barley rings are AMAZING for adding condition and the linseed adds shine to the coat. Monty wasn't affected by them at all and he is a sharp fellow.
 
i would try putting him on calm and condition and alpha a oil for the weight gain but no fizz and for the top line that will come with work this what i do with my ex racer any way plus cod liver oil!
 
i feed my previously skinny skinny ex race horse sugarbeet (although i didnt when i first got him as it sent him loopy) boiled barley, which i cannot recommend more highly, i adds condiction with no heat, its super cheap and they love it! we just wack ours in a slow cooker (be prepared to ruin the cooker though) with water and its done in the morning. He also gets bata cool mix.. but thats because its one of the few things he will actually eat. he also gets equiform happy farrier suppliment. Let us know how it all goes. For some reason i can love hearing about ex race horse feeding!
 
I feed my TB on a&p calm & condition. It is worth the money as it has put the weight onto my boy. I use a bag and a bit per month as it expands when wet. I soak mine for 10 mins before feeding.
 
I feed Dengie Healthy Hooves with Hi Fi Light (I'm only using HI Fi Light still as I have half a bag left to get through
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) , Dodson and Horrel Conditioning Cubes (they are actually 'own brand' from my local feed mrchant, but made by Dodson and Horrell) - all of which I've found to be totally non heating (and Chester is prone to being lit up like a firework at the mere sight of mollasses
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I feed Linseed oil - which is better for their joints than soya oil, as well as aiding with condtion/shine of coat. Plus, being an oil it is going to be fairly slow release energy and it doesn't give Chester any fizz.

Price wise - I think Healthy Hooves is about £11, conditioning cubes are £7 a bag and linseed oil is about £16 but the oil lasts for about two months.

He's out at night on fairly decent grazing - but gets ad-lib hay throughout the day when he is in as well as D&H conditioning cubes in a snack ball.

Chester has gone from emaciated and looking fit to go to the meat man when I got him almost a year ago to currently carrying slightly more condition than I would have wanted - but like you said, going into Autumn/Winter I'm relieved to have him like that, than last winter when he looked appalling and I had to try and play catch up.
 
Last winter I fed mine on Allen & Page fast Fibre, Mollichaff and Spillers Horse and Pony cubes plus hay on demand. He looked well and was very happy on it, kept his temperament on an even keel. Since April he has been out 24/7 with 2 very small feeds of chaff and cubes with his garlic in. I did speak to the helpline at Allen & Page and they were very helpful, no plans to change the routine this year. Not sure about hooves though, there are so many things you could try, I keep Ches well moisturised and have him reshod every 4 weeks, there has been a definite improvement since this time last year. It depends a lot on what you plan to do with him, we are just happy hackers with a bit of light schooling so he doesn;t need loads of energy.
 
QR- Your best bet is to phone a feed company. Every horse is different and it's hard to advise without seeing him. Baileys horse feeds work with RoR so they are well versed in feeding the ex-race horse. The advice isn't confusing and they will explain everything clearly to you.

Have you had his teeth done and is his worming up to date? If not, it's possible this is why he's not getting the most out of his feed.

When my mare came out of racing I just fed her chaff, high fibre cubes and Pink Powder. She is a good doer though.

When I bought my TB gelding (not an ex-racer) he as in really poor condition. I fed him 3 times a day on Alfa A oil, Baileys no.4, speedi-beet and Pink Powder.

Horse's have small stomachs and, please correct me if wrong, but I *think* each feed should be a max of 2kg or else you're just making expensive poo! Feeding often and little will give better and quicker results than one big feed a day. I'd recommend, if you don't already, getting a weight tape and a cheap set of scales so you know what you are feeding.

I think speedi-beet is great, it's umolassed and adds condition without fizz. Basically you're wanting to stuff him full of fibre. Is he out 24/7? What is the grazing like? If/when he's in does he have adlib good forage?

I've had good results with baileys, spillers, dengie and speedibeet. I've tried A&P but it wired him to the moon.

Pink Powder, IMO, is a fab supplement that can be fed at 4 scoops a day as a probiotic or reduced to 2 scoops and fed as a balancer.

A "clicky" hock/joint is just air escaping from the joint. On it's own it's not a sign or arthritis or stiffness.

When you get the feed right then you'll find you won't need a load of supplements. If feet are still a problem I've just started using the Horse First supplement, Feet First, and it's been fantastic. The results are more than visible in just over 4wks.

I hope that makes some sort of sense! I'd def recommend phoning a feed company or two though; if you end up confused they haven't done their job right! They are far better placed to advise you than peeps on a forum who can only tell you what has worked for them.

Good Luck! I'm sure you'll start to see results in no time.
 
My TB survived through winter on Bailey's No.4, speedibeet and HiFi Lite and ad lib hay. He is now on grass with a token feed.
He is super healthy with good feet and quiet as a lamb
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well i have always sworn by the following (chestnut in my sig was full TB, had been difficult to keep weight on in the early years, and she was also 20 years old in the photos - also in the full body photo she had been on box rest for 8 months!)

Spillers Cool Mix (about £8/9 per bag) lasted just short of a month i think
Feedmark Apple Cider Vinegar (great big thing seemed to last forever!)
Dengie Hi-Fi Lite (about a month in winter and longer in summer)
I also fed the Equine America cheapy glucosamine supplement in the final couple of years.

Once she was on the above, she never lost weight, wasnt excitable and when she was in work was very easy to build up muscle. oh and plenty of haylage rather then hay for her.
 
our tb only has Alfa-A and Topspec when she isn't working too much (mainly through winter).

now she is eventing and needs more energy she is on D&H Staypower Museli which gives her oomph without blowing her brain.

she is on Topspec balancer all year round and i have really noticed a huge difference with all of mine on this.

and she also has ab-lib hay/haylage in the stable and also in the field during the winter.
 
My 14yo ex-P2P racer got through the winter on Calm & Condition, Alfa-A Oil and Speedibeet. I also added a cupful of black oil sunflower seeds to his evening feed (great for coat and shine).

He also had a supplement from Natural Horse Supplies called Herbal Shine which is very similar to Simple System's Total Eclipse - it's linseed, brewer's yeast, seaweed and spearmint which are excellent for coat and hooves and general wellbeing. You can buy a 900g bag for £2.49 and that will last you 10 days so it's not a bad price for a month's supply (although buy in bulk if you can as their delivery costs are quite high unfortunately)
 
Have been doing it for 3 days now!

Scoop and a half of mollichaff (checked with them this is okay) twice a day.
300g of topspec balancer twice a day
2 scoops of pink powder twice a day

When he's in he has as much hayledge as he can eat (and then some).
He's now been turned out on some very good grass as much as possible.

Trying to add weight without fizz though, he doesn't get fizzy to ride (yet!) but the problem is on the ground, he box walks A LOT when fizzy and will walk around and around when you try and make him stand in the yard. He's a bit of a star to ride so hoping he stays like that when he's up to weight.
 
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Trying to add weight without fizz though, he doesn't get fizzy to ride (yet!) but the problem is on the ground, he box walks A LOT when fizzy and will walk around and around when you try and make him stand in the yard. He's a bit of a star to ride so hoping he stays like that when he's up to weight.

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same-this is what in weary of!! Have not had him v long so prey he is as good at good weight as he is now
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I feed baileys feeds to my girl and have found their advice line to be very helpful.

My gelding looked fab on baileys no 1 & 4 with Sugarbeet and Alpha a oil

My mare seems to thrive on baileys no 6, alpha a oil and sugar beet with no 1 if needed

Make sure that you have adlib forage and also try to rug appropriatly as some TB's will not gain condition or will loose condition if they are too cold
 
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