Irresistible feeds for weight gain

[Caol Ila]

My 27-year old doesn't keep weight on that easily, and she is only out grazing for about five hours per day. Nothing I can do about that, and you should find my threads about my yard-moving saga if you want to know why. Grass has been the best way to keep weight on her, but that is what it is.

Unfortunately, she's a picky horse, and turns up her nose at a lot of things. At the moment, she's not touching senior balancers, speedibeet, or Ready-mash with speedibeat in it. She was horrified by Dengie Hi-Fi Senior. Like a person who just wants to eat chips and burgers, or my ex-boyfriend, she loves feeds containing grains and cereals. I know those aren't the greatest for them and should not be fed in large amounts.

Any suggestions?

 

[Ellibelli]

Saracens Releve?

 

[DabDab]

Agrobs mash - it's basically just really nice grass with bits of apple etc in it. Even my fussy one goes bonkers for it consistently.

 

[pansymouse]

Try Saracen Show Improver, I have a friend who has been using it successfully to keep weight on picky horses for years. I tried it when my often fussy mare dropped weight one winter and she bloomed on it.

 

[criso]

What about swapping some of the hay for haylage. There are senior versions which are easier to chew as she's a little older. Also given that grass works for her, grass nuts or chop.

Eta my fussy tb goes mad for the agrobs musli, it's not huge lly calorific but gets him eating.

 

[The Xmas Furry]

Try Pure feeds? My lot find it very palatable!
The Veteran one did great things for a very weak rising 9 over a couple of months.

 

[ihatework]

First one I’d try would be Saracen Releve

 

[HashRouge]

Allen and Page Veteran Vitality has been a hit with my fussy 27 yr old. She is another who will turn her nose up at speedibeet, but she's been on Veteran Vitality for over a year and *touch wood* not a sign of her old fussiness returning.

 

[PapaverFollis]

Saracens Releve. Or as someone said the Show Improver cubes for weight gain. But the Releve is the tasty one.

 

[BarneyTheChestnutOne]

I had my old boy on veteran vitality for 2 years and it was fab, all of a sudden end of last winter he went off of it and now won't touch it at all. He is now fed just spillers digest condition cubes, with minimal grass in his field but ad lib hay by the round bale in the field. He looks fab on this, lovely shiny coat.

 

[Meowy Catkin]

My fussy mare is an oat lover. I do find that adding about a 1/3 of a stubbs scoop of oats to her feed gets her to eat up better. So not a huge amount of oats but enough to make her feeds more tasty and appealing. Maybe you could come to a compromise like this with your mare?

 

[emilylou]

Topspec linseed mash. Has some cereals in and smells delicious but mostly sugar beet and linseed.
I’d add a appetising flavoured chaff, small amount of grated carrot or apple juice and oil as well

 

[Coblover63]

Copra? I think they'll send you a sample.

 

[Caol Ila]

So many things. She's on the Saracen show improver already, which she likes, but I don't think she's getting enough fibre due to turnout restrictions, hence trying her on the Dengie and Readymash. So I need a high fibre supplement that she will actually eat. That Agreb stuff looks promising.

 

[Spotherisk]

Roman Barbary Ready Mash extra as the feed, with added oil...

 

[Caol Ila]

Yeah, the Roman Barbary Ready Mash is the thing she's decided she doesn't like. It added noticeable weight gain as well. Yesterday, she was begging every livery who walked past her with a feed pan in hand for food, whilst ignoring the bucket of Ready Mash at her feet. Then she started eating hay, still ignoring the Ready Mash. Point made.

 

[Otherwise]

Another vote for saracens releve, I was having trouble getting bute down a fussy eater but a handful of releve and he's now desperate for his feed and licks the bowl clean.

 

[Chinchilla]

Our oldie is currently on micronised linseed soaked with spillers cool mix and blackberries.....bit unconventional but might be worth a shot if nothing available commercially does the trick.

 

[Caol Ila]

Do horses get fussier as they age? She's always been a bit fussy anyway! My barn in the US had to occasionally change hay suppliers due to draught, and she would get offended and refuse to eat certain bales.

My ex-yard owner was pissed at me when she went off Speedibeet. Because Speedibeet was the Thing that all the horses at his place were fed. I didn't really know what to do about that. I'll take her aside and have a quiet chat?

 

[Spotherisk]

Feed her what she likes and just add oil?

 

[Auslander]

At 27 years old, if she wants grain, I'd give her grain!

 

[Caol Ila]

Normal vegetable oil you get at the supermarket works?

 

[NinjaPony]

Have to agree with Auslander-feed her grain if that's what she likes, but I'd also give her micronised linseed, a grass chaff and think about switching her to haylage. Timothy is very palatable.

 

[TPO]

Pink Mash - not that high in calories but definitely helped put weight on TB. Not sure if the "science" is that it makes the gut healthier so that they absorb more from other feeds? Everything I've offered it to has loved it

Copra

Baileys Ease & Excel. It's marketed as an ulcer feed so while it does contain grains it's been processed to not send them loopy. TB got some this past winter and it worked absolute wonder for him, even feeding below RDA when he picked up. He's neurotic and barefoot but the feed didn't make him wired or have a negative impact on his hooves. Baileys will send out a sample too.

Keyflow steam extrude their feeds so while they also contain grains they are low in starch. They do a few different mixes so you might find one that suits, they'll also send out samples.

Rice Bran (Keyflow and Falcon Feeds/ Omega)

 

[Griffin]

We're currently having good results with Bailey's No.4 Conditioning Cubes.

I would be inclined to let her eat what she wants to maintain her weight at the moment. They only other thing I would try would be adding things like apple juice or grated carrot to try to tempt her to eat more.

 

[PapaverFollis]

Winter Mash always tempted Granny horse when she was feeling fussy. Not sure how weight gain friendly it was but she liked it.

 

[Quadro]

Frickers formula showing and conditioning mix

 

[conniegirl]

I find baileys number 4 topline cubes are nigh on irresistible to even super picky ponies

 

[Polos Mum]

If she does well on grass - how about grass nuts. They are what they say on the tin, pelleted spring grass. You can soak them so oldies with poor teeth can eat them easily.
You can feed as much as she'll eat - I had one 14hh eating 3 x stubbs scoops twice a day when he got too old for hay.

The are sweet and I can hide wormers in them for my fatties so worth a try.

 

[spacefaer]

I'm a massive fan of Equerry Conditioning Mash. I've found it very palatable with even the fussiest of horses. It puts condition on like nothing else I've used. You can make it as wet /sloppy or dry as she likes

I tried Re-Leve on one horse and he nearly killed me! Totally blew his brains!