Hi I'm very new

Ailah

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Hi I am a very new, relatively inexperienced horse owner, I can feel many of you cringeing :rolleyes: I have a rescued Spanish horse, underweight, very wary but we are getting on ok, just learning to trust each other. The problem I am struggling with at the moment is what to feed him. I have had so many different suggestions and I want to give him the best that I can afford. Anyone able to help please?
 

Shady

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Hi Ailah :)
no need to cringe at all, everybody was a novice at some point, many on here still are, me included! where are you with your Spanish horse? i have one that we rescued here in France and MDB on here has 2 that she rescued in Spain, also Cortez on here has heeps of them and loads of experience! i think everybody agrees that they do not do well on a rich diet, keep the sugar low, fibre high and for myself i just gave mine ad lib good quality hay, in many parts of Spain they don't even get grass or hay but hard feed and chopped straw and if bringing them over to England from this diet they can get colic from the change to grass, i'm not too good on the different hard feeds available in England, i don't believe my horses need it so i hope others come on and advise on this, i would possibly go for a high fibre chaff and add a balancer like Progressive Earth mineral or Equimins Advance if you feel he is lacking essential vits/mins.
i wish you the best of luck and what a wonderful thing to do, don't worry too much about the trust issues, it will come, Spanish horses are super smart and quick to learn and when they start to trust and bond you get an amazing horse, i can vouch for this. x
 

Ailah

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Ah thank you so much Shady for that lovely reply. I have been following the feed plan that the person I got him from advised but he is not gaining much weight at all. He has been wormed so that shouldn't be a problem but he seems so hungry all the time. My foot trimmer did tell me he shouldn't have feed with molasses in it but also the off the shelf feeds from the local farmers shops have too much cereal for him. He is eating a lot of hay, he is in livery with 4 other horses and they eat all day & night from a large bale. She also said he did need some minerals so will look into the ones you have mentioned. I am finding him an absolute delight & you are right he is a smart cookie, even getting a bit cheeky. He has only been here for 4 months so doing really well so far.
 

jinumm

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Hi I am a very new, relatively inexperienced horse owner, I can feel many of you cringeing :rolleyes: I have a rescued Spanish horse, underweight, very wary but we are getting on ok, just learning to trust each other. The problem I am struggling with at the moment is what to feed him. I have had so many different suggestions and I want to give him the best that I can afford. Anyone able to help please?


am also new man, so if any mistake from my side sorry for tht, thnk for the advance
 

Shady

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you could add some micronised linseed and sugar beet possibly( molasses free), a good fibre source and will add some condition too and with a good balancer also aid healthy hooves! i'm going to assume the vet has ruled out any health issues?
it might be worth starting a post in the Tack room along the lines of what to feed a rescued spanish horse, there really are some great people on here who can advise you feed wise better than me, do bear in mind that some Spanish horses are greedy pigs( mine) and will scoff all day, if you have any pics you can post in the tack room or even the feed section , even better! xxxx
 

Ailah

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He is having micronised linseed along with copra, grass nuts and carob, with a cup of sunflower oil, twice a day. This is what I have been told to feed him by the person who brought him over. I am taking over sorting his food out at the end of the month so will do as you say and post in the Tack room or feed section. Thank you so much for taking the time to reply
 

sweepeep

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He is having micronised linseed along with copra, grass nuts and carob, with a cup of sunflower oil, twice a day. This is what I have been told to feed him by the person who brought him over. I am taking over sorting his food out at the end of the month so will do as you say and post in the Tack room or feed section. Thank you so much for taking the time to reply


Hi Aliah,

Just to point out (and it won't be for everyone, I'm sure) but recently I fed Copra and Linseed to my TB and his weight dropped significantly. It was scary to say the least. There is a very detailed post on this forum at http://www.horseandhound.co.uk/forums/showthread.php?597806-cool-stance-copra-vs-linseed which is worth a read. I took from this the recommendation to stick to just the linseed and my horse has started to look better already.

Personally, I would cut out the Copra and keep on with the linseed but as I say, it isn't the answer for everyone. Just make sure he is warm enough as I suppose coming from Spain he could be used to a warmer climate and has lots and lots of hay to eat.

Would love to see a pic :)
 
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