Fussy eater needing condition - any tips?!

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Loopypony

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I have a 6-year old IDxTB who is currently standing at 17.1hh so a big lad! He's desperate for some condition as he looks awful at the moment even after quite a few weeks on some good grass.
The problem I have is that he is a very fussy eater, and I also have to stay away from cereals as they send him loopy!!

So, he's currently on one meal a day as that is all he will eat, this consists of;
1/2 scoop Mollichaff Calmer
1/2 scoop Mollichaff Condition
1.5 scoops Bailey's No.5 conditioning cubes
Ad-lib hay when stabled during the day & 3 acre field of very good grass overnight

He will just about eat this although has to have ginger sprinkled on it some days to make it more appealing. Is there anything else I could feed aswell/instead that will also appeal to a fussy eater?

The vet has been to see him and says it is defininetly a feeding issue rather than worms or any internal problems which I suppose is a good start!


Grateful of any suggestions
 
twiggy2 said:
any pictures?

micronised linseed/speedibeet/ leave him out during day if grass is good and he eats it
Click to expand...

I will try to get some this evening.
He can't really stay out in the day as he paces the fenceline and, with the weather being as it is lately, his skin is very sensitive and he can't stand the flies! He has stayed out a couple of days this week in the wetter weather but he just doesn't eat the grass :(
 
It could be that he hasn't got a "sweet tooth". I would take out all the "molli bits" and see if he eats with more enthusiasm. I had a hunter like this once. Anything sweet and he could take it or leave it. Leave out the sweet and it went down with gusto.

Hope you sort it, it is infuriating when they need a bit more and won't co operate.
 
It was suggested that I put a little apple juice on my mare's chaff with supplements, that did the trick.
 
I would take him off th sugary stuff as well. Most of wht you have him on his high n sugar therefore harder to digest. I have a fussy mare too and we've been through tonnes of things. I've just put her on thunderbrooks base mix and I've never seen her eat so fast not leaving a scrap. She won't eat a chaff with it though lol! It was a risk since it cost 42 quid a bag. Should last her though as its so concentrated that you feed tiny amounts. She does loooove linseed though so that's worth a Try as its amazing for weight gain. If you'd like to stick with what you're feedin then try mint sprinkled over the top and fenugreek is another good one. Good luck! Fussy eaters are hard work lol!
 
Linseed, outshine and oil may help

Outshine is said to be very palatable

Powdered mint is very cheap, i use this to disguise other supplements and it works a treat - is cheap enough to be fed by the handful if necessary
 
I know you said no cereal... But I've recently put my very fussy poor doer onto oats & it's like he's addicted to them! I've owed this horse for years & tried everything under the sun,he either won't eat what's offered or it sends him crackers! He's on speedibeet,linseed,soya & oats, it's all really cheap,he looks the best he's looked in a long time plus I've never seen him so keen to eat & practically wolfs it down! He's also getting some spillers conditioning fibre as I'm using a bag of it up, in winter I'll add in some dried grass &/or grass pellets.
 
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