How to get new horse to eat? V.v.v fussy

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Christmas Crumpet

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New horse is eventing fit and too thin by my standards by far. He has been fed 1 scoop pasture mix and chaff all summer. I got him on Friday and fed him the same but with some added conditioning cubes which he ate.

He will not eat today regardless. I am concerned that I'm going to struggle with his weight and want to know what's the best thing a) to tempt him to eat and b) to put some flesh on him.

My old horse was a hat rack when I got him but was a good eater so it was easy to put condition on with conditioning cubes and lots of oil. I think the task would be easier if he actually wanted to eat. I know he's only been here 48 hours but I'm so frustrated already what with the horrific saddler experience from yesterday and him not eating today. I know he needs time to settle in though!!

He's out on some pretty nice grass and I'm intending to keep him out full time for the next couple of weeks although rugged up just to give him time to chill out and adjust. He's got other horses opposite and seems quite happy in the field.

I would be hugely grateful for some advice.
 
A friend suggested to me once to try having a few buckets in the stable with different things to see what the horse was tempted by as sometimes as her feed was mixed she just didnt fancy one bit of it. Never tried it though as she starting eating her normal food so it may not work. Even adding something to it like a little molassas(Is that how you spell it) might work
 
Sounds like he needstime to chill out. Give him a uiet couple of weeks just feeding him what he is used to eating and see if he settles down and starts to eat. Put it in for him and leave him to it for a while just check him after an hour. I'm sure he'll be better once he gets over the move, once he has his appetite back you can try and change him over gradually.

My hackney X mare is a nightmare to feed, apart from being very fussy she has allergies to a lot of compound feeds too! She can be a real worrier but ironically the one thing she will eat consistantly and is still sane and rideable on is oats and barley.
 
ditto, adding mint is great at encouraging them! also try fenugreek seeds, they encourage appetite and improve all round condition. If after 2 or 3 days he STILL won't eat then let him 'choose' his feed himself. good luck!
 
Mint/honey/fruit & veg mixed in....

Also, my horse has Calm & conditioner which needs soaking like sugarbeet - but rather than soaking it in water, for a while we soaked it in cranberry juice (there was a good reason :P) so you could always try mixing something like a low sugar fruit juice into the feed to make it more tempting?! xD

Might add that I found calm & conditioner brilliant for putting weight on my TB when we first got him
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Just put his feed in the field for him to pick at as & when he fancies it. It may be that if he's out all the time on good grass he just doesn't feel hungry in which case I wouldn't worry at the moment - good grass is one of the best things for putting weight on.

It may sound crazy but what sort of bucket are you feeding him in? I've known a couple of stressy horses that only eat properly out of shallow buckets that don't restrict their view of what's going on & give them plenty of room to chew.
 
When I had a fussy eater, somebody suggested putting golden syrup in his feed. Yours is probably just all at sea at mo, new home, new mum, away from all his friends!! I agree with fallenangel, give him some time to settle. I would so recommend Baileys Outshine to put some condition on him, it's amazing (though it is pricey) but one bag can do the trick!! Also pink powder is a probiotic and is very good for giving their system a boost if it's got sluggish or they've been through the mill a bit.

Good luck!!
 
i tried a lot of things to put weight on my girl and she was a fussy eater in the end she loved ready mash extra sugar beet apple chaff and mint herb she could not get anoth of the stuff and piled the pounds on!
 
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