Help!! Skinny horse

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lil_jodz

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My 11yo 16.3hh tb x id is a nightmare to try to put weight on. He is turned out 24/7 in a grass paddock he is brought in every night to get a hard feed. In which he gets 2 cups of bluegrass nice & easy mix, 2 cups of cool & condition cubes and a scoop of sugarbeet and a scoop of garlic chaff. He is also get equine america Glucosamine 10000 plus MSM. He is worked 4 days a week for about 30-45mins and jumps at a show every other weekend. Anybody any ideas as to how i can get some weight on to this big boy. Ill try an post a picture later.
 
grazing isnt to bad he gets hay in the morning and at night into the field just to bulk him up. he seems to get worse when i take his rug off. So itll be staying on now unless its really warm.
 
That sounds like a lot of chaff and not much actual feed, I'd give him a good scoop or two of topline cubes or similar split into two feeds a day
 
I'd give him a mug full of micronised linseed in his feed(s) too. Google Charnwood Milling - they're cheapest (in bulk).
Maybe hay or haylage in the field too?
 
We have had success with Saracen Prep 14 which is excellent at getting weight on.
I'm assuming you will have had a worm count done within the last month and had him checked for tapeworm?
It is always best to do that and get their teeth checked before tackling the feed but from reading your feeding regime it sounds far too little for your horse.
Ring the Saracen rep for your area and follow their advice, they are very helpful.
 
Try changing to 'fast fibre' it's a clear bag with red writing, it needs soaking,
Put him on blue chip and give a good scoop of hard feed and one scoop fast fibre per meal ( 1 dry scoop that is soaked) is he wormed regularly? Is he skinny because of lack of muscle or skinny because he has no fat? If possible, feed hayledge.
Another option is add a good squirt of linseed oil or bran mash to his food. Linseed is great for condition.
If you don't have the budget, try pelleted oats, contrary to belief this kind of oats is a slow release high fibre and fat content feed.
I would definitely change to allen and page weight gain/calm and condition mix or the fast fibre, or pelleted oats ( need to be soaked for 24hrs) give 3 squirts or half a cup of linseed(also known as flax) oil and top spec/blue chip. My w/b mare went extremely skinny due to being bullied constantly from other horses, and it's taken weeks to get her weight back on, always remember its a long process! He may need more to compensate for the workload he has.
Good luck!
 
Thanks guys he already gets a good bit of linseed oil in his feed! He wasn't in great condition when I got him in January and I moved yard and he gets more now than he did then! We have been having very up an down weather I.e it's hot 1 day an cold the next! He really loses condition when he has his lightweight rug off for a few days! he was wormed about 6 weeks ago! Will get a worm count done though just to be sure! I live in northern Ireland an had never heard of a worm count until I read about it in a magazine! I have ordered equijewel so will try the bag of it an then maybe move onto some of your other suggestions! I'd really rather keep him on bluegrass I do think it's a really good feed I have my mare on it an she does exactly the same as him an she is in excellent condition!
 
I'm confused as to why you stopped feeding twice a day? It may not appeared to have been helping but it wouldn't hurt. I have a 34 year old whom I feed twice a day to maintain condition. They can't easily digest large meals and it really helps to spread feeds throughout the day, at least twice. Giving the extra hay in the field is a great idea; the more forage you can feed the better.
 
Linseed is wonderful stuff. I have photos somewhere but it did a great job with hubby's mare after her foal literally sucked her dry, just made sure she had plenty of forage, she had a scoop of Fast Fibre with a good mug full of micronised linseed and a balancer.
 
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