Fussy feeder?

[Ceifer]

My horses swapped onto going out overnight and in for a few hours of the day late April.
They moved paddocks gradually onto summer grazing. I don’t have a huge amount of grass growth but it is starting to come through now (we’re always a bit later due to location).
One horse has gradually been losing interest in hard feed when coming in and is beginning to drop a tiny bit of weight.

He has done this previously about 2 years ago, but in winter and I changed his feed and he was fine.

He’s in medium work and is fit and happy.

Physio a month ago - all good

Dentist a week ago - all good.

Recent worm count was fine. He was wormed with pramox December.
Poo and water intake are good.

I split his feed into 4 buckets to see if it was something in particular he found ‘offensive’.
He wolfed down his hi-fi and top spec balancer and left his sugar beet and ulcer kind cubes.

Partly I’m not worried as the grass will be really coming through soon and they are out 20 hours a day. He does pick on hay when he comes in but he’s never been piggy with hay or haylage.

I’m in two minds -
Either accept that he’s a bit fussy and look for something alternative to feed him.

Speak to my vet about ulcers. He’s not showing any other clinical signs.

But I’m wondering if I’m missing something?
Or what other feed to try him on?

 

[fidleyspromise]

With the grass coming in I'd just give him his balancer/hi fi and monitor him.

I've one who is really fussy and I tried adding apple juice as I was told it gets a horse to eat anything. My horse turned her nose up at it. Over winter I changed her food 3 or 4 times as she'd eat for 2-4 weeks and then refuse.

 

[Barton Bounty]

My horses swapped onto going out overnight and in for a few hours of the day late April.
They moved paddocks gradually onto summer grazing. I don’t have a huge amount of grass growth but it is starting to come through now (we’re always a bit later due to location).
One horse has gradually been losing interest in hard feed when coming in and is beginning to drop a tiny bit of weight.

He has done this previously about 2 years ago, but in winter and I changed his feed and he was fine.

He’s in medium work and is fit and happy.

Physio a month ago - all good

Dentist a week ago - all good.

Recent worm count was fine. He was wormed with pramox December.
Poo and water intake are good.

I split his feed into 4 buckets to see if it was something in particular he found ‘offensive’.
He wolfed down his hi-fi and top spec balancer and left his sugar beet and ulcer kind cubes.

Partly I’m not worried as the grass will be really coming through soon and they are out 20 hours a day. He does pick on hay when he comes in but he’s never been piggy with hay or haylage.

I’m in two minds -
Either accept that he’s a bit fussy and look for something alternative to feed him.

Speak to my vet about ulcers. He’s not showing any other clinical signs.

But I’m wondering if I’m missing something?
Or what other feed to try him on?

Have you tried spillers speedi mash? Its apple flavour. Takes a minute to soak. Orbi absolutely loves it.
I also started cutting Orbis feed down now its spring but then I saw a rib on monday so just reverted back. He needs it as he is ever growing.

 

[Kirstd33]

I second Spillers speedi mash, possibly the veteran one if he's middle aged or older, coblet loved it over the winter as a couple of feeds/day when he was living out to supplement his hay (which he also doesnt eat a lot of) I also chucked in a scoop of linseed as he's not an especially good doer.
He's now on Spillers high fibre nuts soaked as that's what the vets gave him for the week he was in and he's also eating them happily. but they're lower calorie as he's on box rest and its just to get his meds in.

 

[Squeak]

I wouldn't be too worried with the grass coming through - is it possible he's just full from grass and so a hard feed is less appealing?