I need some feeding advice!

Girlracer

Girlracer

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Major and i need some feeding advice!

Major is a 6yo TB ex-racer, he's been in re-schooling since last October and is now in relatively hard work. I'm just a little bit concerned that i'm going to struggle with him this winter. He's not an horrendously poor doer, but i'd like him to put on a few KGs! We have next to no grass (well we have 3 new paddocks with good grass but the people with obese horses have taken it upon themselves to nab those - but that's for another rant!) he is fed ad-lib hay (and i mean A LOT of hay) then 2 feeds a day, half a scoop pony nuts and a scoop of low sugar alfalfa. Oh and 2 25ml scoops of globalherns supercalm!

Basically i only have to walk past him with a handful of haylage and it blows his mind (of course i'm exaggerating but he is really sensitive) when put on a feed that sends him loopy he is a different horse, absolutely horrible.

So someone please recommend me something to put some condition on him without blowing his mind. Loads have said calm and condition but i've seen that blow horses minds so am apprehensive to try it.

This is how he looks at the moment, not a hat rack by any stretch of the imagination but i'm just worried he'll drop off now there's no grass and un-likely to be any.

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I'm no expert but I always think fibre based diets are the best idea with any horse but especially stress heads. My advice would be to call feed companies for advice, I have always found them helpful, especially dengie xx
 
I have an ex-chaser who I had the same issue with. He was OK on Calm & Condition/Cool & Calm but what really works for him is a good glug of oil on his feed (vet advised basic veg/sunflower oil will do the same job as v expensive equine ones) and ReadiGrass. I know there are people who will come on here and say that they don't like it as it us very dry and dusty but I can only say I have never had any issue using it.
 
Iv had my tb for five years and fed him on loads of different feeds! they either blew his mind, made his feet and coat pants etc! He had his shoes off last year so went of a high fibre low sugar and starch diet and he has never looked better! in the coldest snowiest winter i have seen to! I fed him on Hi fi original or hoof kind chaff. what ever was on offer etc! Alen and page Fast Fibre, soya oil and the main thing that made a difference i think was equine americas top form pellets! comes in a little pot, about £17! its basically a balancer but cheaper than others! cant fault it! and ad lib forage!
 
I think a rant is in order re. grazing. Your boy obviously needs it more than obese ponies.:confused:
I have found fast fibre to be good ,it will not heat them them up and you can feed plenty of it. I use it as a base now instead of chaff and then add the supplements as needed.
A young ISH did really well on it last winter and I didnt need to cut back during the snow when turnout was limited.
 
Top spec balancers are really hard to beat. A bag is initally expensive but lasts up to six weeks it will give him all the vits he needs to stay healthy and the balancer will make sure hes getting the best he can out of his hay look up their website and give them a call.
 
I've been feeding Readigrass for years and it's never been dusty. I never feed it dry because one of my horses had choke on dry Readigrass, so never again. I also add chaff, Speedibeet (in winter) and a vitamin supplement. I also add ASU for one of my arthritic mares. They love it, do very well on it, and I love the results. I haven't fed concentrates for donkeys' years.
 
I would feed him a fibre based diet. e.g. suger beet, alfalfa chaff and something like Pink Powder as it contains all the vits and mins needed and will help him digset the fibre efficiently. PP is a balancer in powder form and works out cheaper than most pellet balancers. I would also add some micronised linseed for a few extra calories and to give him a good shine to his coat.

I have tried Calm & Condition in the past and was not impressed at all.
 
Winergy low energy, works wonders, puts weight on slowly with out blowing their brains out, all my 4 are on it from a Welsh sec d to a irish tb mare. Give them a ring very nice and helpfull people .
 
I like Top Spec cool condition cubes for putting on weight, they seem to do the job very efficiently and I've never found anything to be loopy on them.
 
I agree with the high fibre, low starch comments. I feed top spec cool and condition and top spec feed balancer with some speedi beet. Top spec is great products. call them for some advice, they are really helpful.
 
be positive said:
I think a rant is in order re. grazing. Your boy obviously needs it more than obese ponies.:confused:
I have found fast fibre to be good ,it will not heat them them up and you can feed plenty of it. I use it as a base now instead of chaff and then add the supplements as needed.
A young ISH did really well on it last winter and I didnt need to cut back during the snow when turnout was limited.
Click to expand...

There will be a rant over the grazing if it's not put right, i've been long awaiting these 3 paddocks (the grass was cut for hay first and is just ready) and i was told by the YO not to put anything in them until we'd decided where eveyone was going. IMO there are 3 horses on the yard incl Major that need the grass and the few that have taken it upon themselves to take the paddocks without permission are not them. Their horses are HUGE.

But my mum did them tonight as i didn;t get off work until near enough 8 so i wasn't there to say anything and the YO has been away today, hopefully sort it after work tomorrow.

I'm thinking trying Fast Fibre as my old boy (with no teeth so can't have hay) is on it. He's also on ultra grass so could perhaps try that.
 
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