Horse dropped a bit of weight

[Kelly1982]

Ok following on from my 'what to feed post' lat week i now have another problem LOL

In the last week or so my mare has dropped a bit of weight, she was quite porky when she came to me 8 weeks ago as she hadn't been broken long, didn't get much turn out etc.

She is now ridden for about 30mins most days mainly schooling and hacking and i have been taking her out to shows about every other week. She is also turned out from 7.30am - 5pm.

She is a 17hh Han x TB.

She was being really hypo a while ago and i thought it was the alpha-a she was on so brought her some happy chaff (feed barn was running low on everything else) but i haven't started her on that yet as she still has half a bag of alpha-a and has settled really nicely again.

Anyway she doesn't look skinny but has dropped weight in general and i am starting to see her bum muscles and ribs a bit and someone else has commented that she has dropped weight too.

So my questions are, now she has settled and is fine on the alpha-a shall i keep her on that and put her on speedi beat or would it be more beneficial to put her on something like top-spec or blue chip?? (bearing in mind how expensive they are)

Winter is coming so i dont really want her to loose weight before we have even got there??

Also she is changing fields on the 1st where there is still really good grazing so do you think i should hold off until then and see if that fattens her up a bit??

I know its probably all due to her getting fitter etc but i am just unsure of what is best to feed her as all my other horses have been good doers.

 

[miamibear]

I think topspec is brill but i have to say it is quite dear - although it does last longer.

I would definately try speedibeet, i think its great for weight and its non heating so shouldnt have any effect on temperament etc.

There wont be much in the grass coming in to winter although there is now so i would put her on the speedibeet now and up it coming in to winter if necessary.

I like my horses to be slightly overweight coming in to winter because then you have something to play with if they drop a bit! Otherwise you are back tracking all the time!

Do something about it now dont wait would be my advice!

 

[Kelly1982]

Hi Mel

I know you said about Topspec last time and so did a few others so thats what gave me the idea.

Coz it is so expensive though i didn't know if it was worth trying the speedi beat first!! I think i might get some at the weekend.

Do you think its worth swapping her over to the happy chaff (its a bit like molly chaff but with soya oil added) now she is behaving on the alpha-a?? Its is low in sugar but is molassed so wasn't too keen on it but feed barn didn't have much choice. I know you can return things though.

Also i was wondering about the alpha-a oil to help with her coat??

God its such a mine field and all my other horses have lived on fresh air. The joys of owning a horse with TB in it!!

 

[miamibear]

LOL it is a minefield!!

If it was me this is what i would do - return the happy chaff and get alpha a oil. It has more energy in it that normal alpha a but its slow release energy not fizzy energy like the happy chaff would be! So it will help with weight too but not in a bad way.

Whilst you are there get a bag of speedibeet and start introducing that.

The topspec is great if you can strech to it. Its a big lump to pay at once but it does last ages i promise! It helps with coat, mobility, hooves, maintaining muscles and contains a general vitamin and mineral supplement so you can feed it on its own or alongside a any diet.

Mine this year will be on topspec and happy hoof and speedibeet. I just play with the quantites of happy hoof and speedibeet to maintain weight.

Good quality hay is a good idea to keep weight on too.

Hope that helps xx

 

[Kelly1982]

Thanks Mel that has really helped me out. I'm useless when it comes to choosing feed!!

I have just rung my local tack shop and they have agreed that they will take the happy chaff back so i will swap that for alpha-a oil and get a bag of speedi beat and start introducing that.

I will give that a few weeks to see if it works (and let my other feed run out) and then maybe introduce the Topsepc if her condition isn't improving.

Phew thank god ofr that, decision mad LOL

 

[Rambo]

Is she thin, or lean Kelly ? I would prefer to see a horse looking a little lean than fat personally

She is a high-blood horse so shouldn't have loads of weight on her...obviously she shouldn't look like a toast rack either though

We found Bo dropped a little weight last winter and just put some Calm and Condition cubes into his feed. They did the job

 

[miamibear]

Sorry i didnt mean fat

i just meant carrying a bit more weight in to winter!

I agree calm and condition is a good feed!!

 

[Kelly1982]

Well you can see her ribs slightly now (you couldn't before as she had a pot belly) and you can see her bum muscles.

I think she is fairly lean rather than skinny as she is in a lot more work now and is a lot fitter but i think she could do with a bit more meat on her and i dont like seeing ribs and poverty lines although i am well aware she shouldn't look like a cob either LOL

She is not tucked up though and in no way a hat rack

Am i making any sense at all ha ha

 

[Rambo]

Have you got a recent piccie

 

[rosedewar]

My big TB usually drops weight around now, just as the goodness starts to go out of the grass. I think (fingers crossed) that I've caught him this year, started upping his feed slightly the other week, he is still looking well.

He sounds like similar size and management/work to yours. I find that I need to feed mainly depending on the weather (how cold it is and how good the grass is) and partly depending on how much work he's doing (you should always feed depending on work, ie a bit less if they're laid off or on day off (esp if prone to azoturia) and more after they've worked).

I also use Alfa Oil and would recommend that for helping add condition. You can also feed up to a cup of Oil (eg 3 litre sunflower oil from supermarket) per day as a way of getting weight on without fizz.

Ideally to minimise fizz you should have the majority of your feed as "forage" rather than cereal; forage being chaff (or Alfa), hay/haylage, beet, grass etc. Haylage is more fattening than hay (if you can get good quality) although some horses get a bit fizzy on it.

A feed balancer is always useful to help them get the most out of their feed (saves you feeding as much!) - one with both pre- and pro-biotics would be the ideal; these usually have other minerals and vitamins as well.

another product I've used with success (but usually keep till around Jan/Feb when I really need it) is Bailey's number 1 - it looks like breadcrumbs; mainly carbohydrate I think and good for adding weight. There are other similar feeds around for adding condition.

For now I'd suggest you should also think about starting to add a little of a non-heating Pasture Mix as well, since she's working. I use D&H Leisure Mix but there are many similar.

To give you an idea; currently my boy is on a heaped scoop Alfa Oil and 1/3 scoop mix plus 1/2 cup oil and speedi-beet to soak at night, plus level scoop Alfa Oil & some beet for breakfast.

By depth of winter he'll be on something like heaped Alfa, 1/2 scoop mix, 1/3 Baileys #1, cup oil plus 1 1/2 scoops beet, and a bigger breakfast (!) - probably about half his tea without the #1. Hope that gives you something to judge against! You may not need to feed as much, but it gives you an idea of how much it might change with the weather.

Please forgive me if you know this stuff already; but I hope it's been some help!

 

[Kelly1982]

Hi Roseid

No that is really helpful, thank you.

She is on about 1 1/2 small scoops of pasture mix a day as well as the alpha-a but when that runs out i might buy some calm and condition like Rambo said as it will be slightly colder then too. She wasn't getting anything when i first got her so i have been upping it slowly and it will be upped again through the winter.

She has also started having breakfast over the past week or so as she wasn't getting that before due to her being very unsettled in the mornings and not eating it but now she has settled she is eating again fine.

My other TB was on Baileys No1 last year coz she really dropped weight all of a sudden and looked like a hat rack and it really helped her but my mare is not that drastic, just a little bit to lean for my liking.

Definatly going to get some speedi beat over the weekend i think and also change from the alpha-a to alpha-a oil for now and see how she goes.

Thanks for your advise i found it very helpful

 

[Kelly1982]

Sorry no pics, will try and get some new ones over the weekend to bore you all LOL

 

[cevans]

Bailey No 1 advocate - half a scoop a day kept my TB competition horse looking well over the winter. He used drop weight like mad when it got cold