Irresistible feeds for weight gain

[dorsetladette]

Normal vegetable oil you get at the supermarket works?

I use supermarket veg oil in the winter. When people ask why, I just say its like deep frying his dinner instead of grilling it. Extra calories without the volume.

Could you give her haylage instead of hay?

 

[ForeverBroke_]

Equijewel - or also agree with Auslander, I'd feed her whatever she liked!

 

[AandK]

Saracen Releve or Agrobs Musli. Both smell lovely, but suspect the former may be more tempting as it has some molasses.

 

[meleeka]

My lot are either on Veteran Vitality or the one that is hard to keep weight on is on Soothe and Gain. They are delicious apparently, more so Soothe and Gain. I have one that won’t eat most of the feeds listed above.

 

[Lintel]

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.

Exactly my thoughts...

 

[ozpoz]

Mine adores agrobs mash and he picked up quickly when he dropped off a little in the winter. He's shiny and settled too. I've used agrobs muesli too, which my old boy loved but I think the mash is best for condition.

 

[Pearlsacarolsinger]

Another vote for soaked grassnuts - but put some grass chaff in it, our elderly cob choked if she swallowed the mash too quickly We also added linseed/linseed oil for weight gain.

 

[Roasted Chestnuts]

My fuss pot would eat

Veteran Vitality

Equerry Condition Mash

Saracen Releve however please
Soak this quite a bit. Many people are finding their horses choking on it

Calm and condition

readigrass/grassnuts/alfalfa nuts

I also added up to 500g of linseed meal
Daily and split the feeds into 3/4/5 depending on my shifts

 

[windand rain]

Old boy loved Agrobs but he dramatically lost weight on it he was having double rations. Only picked up when he went back on linseed,grass nuts and pure grass chaff. We lost him this early summer but he was gaining weight. I would be inclined to give her what she likes unless it makes her poorly, or you could try Equidgel it is easy to drink and is high in oil and carbs but is alfalfa based

 

[JJS]

I have a very fussy 28 year old, who also has PPID and so needs a low sugar and starch diet. He turns his nose up at most things, so I eventually tried him on TopSpec Linseed Mash (which has a hugely high NSC). I then switched him to TopSpec High Fibre Mash, and he’s been happily gobbling his dinners ever since. I also mix it in with grass pellets and Fast Fibre in winter, and while he won’t eat either on their own, even they’re acceptable to him when they’re mixed with his mash.

 

[splash30]

Our fussy older generation need weight go for:
Balanced horse feeds show mix
Topspec ulcer nuts soaked
We are very much if they eat it they can have it, weight is more important esp for the near to over 30's

 

[tallyho!]

Have a look at the agrobs range. Expensive but very good feeds.

The saracen uses molasses and alfalfa - not a fan.

 

[Caol Ila]

That was sort of a fail. I tried her on an Agrobs feed and she wasn't impressed. Of course, now I have a bag of the stuff. If I mix it with something she likes, I'm sure she will get through it. Any suggestions for a tasty conditioning mix feed? I've looked around and every feed company has one, which leaves me overwhelmed with choice. She generally likes mixes with grains and maize and oats and things.

 

[windand rain]

Cheap and cheerful competition mix with the agrobs mixed in. Sometimes it is the best you can do. If thats what she will eat then thats what she would get. Life is too short to try and change the way they want to be. Pehaps eventually you could give more of the mash than mix but if not she needs grub if she needs grub

 

[milliepops]

I'd echo the saracen re-leve then, I haven't come across a horse that didn't like it. it smells amazing and has a nice texture.

My fussy skinny one is doing well on Baileys Ease & Excel No21 (also comes in cubes). he ate it up straight away whereas he is fussy about what he considers "boring" food. it gave him a greater appetite for his forage too. I chuck some extra rice bran in (currently on Keyflow) but if she likes stuff like flaked grain then you could get a bag of barley or something and add to her taste.

 

[Caol Ila]

She is clearly like an 80-year old who wants to live on fish and chips and whisky.

 

[Caol Ila]

What do we think of Bailey's No. 9?

 

[SpotsandBays]

Another vote for soaked grassnuts - but put some grass chaff in it, our elderly cob choked if she swallowed the mash too quickly We also added linseed/linseed oil for weight gain.

This is exactly what my old mare gets over winter and she does really well on it! Grass nuts, a handful of two of alpha a oil, and micronised linseed

 

[Caol Ila]

I know she was a lot younger then, but she was an easier keeper in the US. She's been a tough horse to keep weight on ever since we got to the UK, and she was about 13 when we moved here. I don't know if it's the difference in hard feeds or the hay or what. Americans looooove competition mixes, though.

 

[WelshD]

One that hasn't been mentioned is Spillers Speedy Mash - I sell feed and always recommend it for fussy horses, its high fibre so not exactly conditioning but its cheap and you can always add to it with a small amount of something high calorie - I have yet to meet a horse who can resist it - it smells strongly of of apples

 

[HelenBack]

Many years ago Baileys recommended this for my old horse who couldn't keep weight on:

https://www.baileyshorsefeeds.co.uk/products/general-leisure/no-1-cooked-cereal-meal

I fed it with speedibeet and some soaked high fibre nuts (he didn't have many teeth left) and it certainly did the trick for him, although probably not a good idea to look at the starch content too closely!

I have to say back in the day Baileys were great with advice for me as something would work for a while and then he'd need a bit more.

I do agree with those who say at her age to let her have whatever she likes and I have also had success with Releve. Red Mills do a nice range of tasty mixes too if you can get your hands on their stuff.

 

[Winters100]

I have had some success previously using St Hippolyt Best Years muesli (it smells wonderful and the horse seemed to really like it) 2 feeds per day with oats, plus 2 feeds per day a mix of soaked beet pulp, grass cubes, oats, mash, linseed oil. Good luck!

 

[Polos Mum]

If your happy to try not necessarily good for them things - barley rings is very old fashioned but some of them love them.

Maybe give a couple of the manufacturers a call and see if they will send samples of their worst for you most molasses filled sugery mixes - save buying tonnes of different bags

 

[Caol Ila]

I got her a straightforward competition mix, which she was very keen on eating when I offered her a handful. Mixed it with the Agrobs, and she tolerated the Agrobs because she wanted the sweet feed. If you mix the healthy thing with the junk food, it's a balanced diet, right? I apply that rule to myself. Like having a chocolate cake after a salad.