Helping with weight gain for an oldie!!

[SamuelWhiskers]

Sammy my old pony (age 30) has just lately lost a little condition and gone slightly "ribby". The hay we have at the moment is not the best and i'm sure this is contributing as he is only picking at his hay at night, where as before he used to eat a lot more (sometimes the whole net, but not always).

He is currently out in the field for 7am - 7pm and the grass is sufficient, not poached, he is having 2 scoops of happy hoof, garlic, seaweed and 3 oils for his tea.

He has had laminitus in the past from the spring grass so obviously i want to be caution with him. He is not currently in work, but hopefully will do his veteran classes again starting in May and therefore will be pottering out again then.

His teeth have just been done and the back are wearing down (nothing unusual for his age!)

Any suggestions on how to put a bit more weight on my boy without putting him at any lami risk would be greatly appreciated...

Many Thanks in anticipation...

 

[Stinkbomb]

Have you thought of giving him some kind of veteran coursemix? Dodson and horrell build up range are very good from my experience. I am not very good with feed stuuf but what you are feeding him doesnt seem to have anything in to help him gain weight.

 

[runaway]

What about these new beet pulp things, more good quality fibre is what I'd be looking at. My 23yr olds teeth are going smooth so we wet his feed now and he is on hayledge and looks in good condition. Keep up with the good quality fibre and look for something that doesn't have "too much" feed value to avoid the laminitis. What about a adding some H&P or high fibre cubes till the hay picks up a bit?

 

[Sags_Deer]

allen and page oap mix is great not as coarse as the dodson & h one ie not so many nuts in so easier to eat. you could soak it to make it even softer, unmolassed sugar beet, conditioning cubes soaked so its all soft and easy to eat. simple systems do some great unmolassed beet. watch grass nuts if you use their beet if you have had lamini. good luck. maybe feed 3 times a day for a bit as well.

 

[TGM]

I'd leave a big bucketful of Happy Hoof in his stable overnight for him to eat - if his teeth are getting worn he may find it difficult to eat a lot of hay.

 

[Foxyfilly]

The old fella I look after has dodson and horrell 16 + nuts, unmollased sugar beet and chaff. I soak it all to a paste which he eats much easier and he has this twice a day. he doesn't eat hay or grass and this keeps him ticking over.

 

[dozzie]

I soak D & H build up cubes to a paste but not runny. These makes it easier for my 31yr old to eat. I also give him soaked sugar beet and alfa A. Ive found that if I feed him a mix he cant digest it and does not maintain his weight at all. He doesnt eat hay in the field so is on good turnout. He doesnt like being in either. I soak his hay when he is in but he never finishes it. He wont touch dry hay.

Ive seen old horses put on weight rapidly when they are fed soaked nuts so would definitely recommend you try this.

 

[AlexAndJess]

I feed my 19 year old TB, Alpha-A oil and High fibre cubes, soaked with water. So shocked this winter i haven't seen one rib!!!!!! And her condition is amazing to previous months!

From the middle of winter:

Now:

Sorry not very good pics, but you get the idea!

xx

 

[1CTrenowath]

I can highly recommend the new Fibre beet from the Speedibeet people. Its a mix of unmollassed sugarbeet and alfalfa which is soaked down to an easily eatable 'mush' (think mud pie). It has been the saviour for my old pone who just cannot manage hay any longer

. He gets his bucket of 'mush' in with him at night and is left to it. In the two months since I put him on it, he has gone from being quite poor to being described as 'quite fat' by my farrier at the weekend !! (charming)