keeping weight on stressy 3yo

[twisteddiamond]

my 17.2hh 3yo is losing weight, he is in medium work 3 short schooling sessions a week, he is out at grass during the day (not much grass more mud) he is stabled at night he is getting a wedge + of hayledge (big square bale) he is also getting 500grm baileys lo cal, mollichaff show shine and alpha beet
he box walks when he is stabled so keeping weight on without sending him up the walls is difficult
however i am open to suggestions, any ideas?

 

[vickers22]

I would perhaps take him off haylage if he is getting hyper, and then give him as much hay as he will eat, and then winergy equilibrium growth

fabulous stuff. google it

 

[Maia]

Have you considered a mirror to help him keep chilled in his stable? Also, can you feed him hay in the field?

Wrt feed, if its purely fat that you want him to gain then you want something with a high oil and high fibre but low starch content. I found the mollichaff showshine sent mine loopy so just use their high fibre unmollased hoofkind and add a really good glug of oil to each feed (I use veg oil as its dirt cheap but linsead oil and soya oil are meant to be particularly good for weight gain). You could then try something like Allen and Page's Calm and Condition or the Topspec Cool Condition Cubes in addition to the chaff and oil.

Is the horse only just 3? It is possible that mentally hes getting a bit tired so maybe try turning him away to grow and chill for a few months - you'll be amazed how much they blossom when you do this at this age!

 

[Marchtime]

Is it possible he is simply growing? I found whenever mine went through a growth spurt he always looked a little skinny but within a few months he'd have put the weight back on. I kind of agree with Maia, could you turn him away for a few months especially if he is still growing.

 

[imafluffybunny]

Baileys conditioning mix is brilliant, I have started feeding it to my two horses, one of which is stressy and box walks, they have put on condition almost overnight and not made them fizzy. I also feed oil and Alpha A which are good for weight gain.
My mare who box walks I find is best if i can leave her turned out as long as possible, overnight too preferably. When I bought her she was 3 and i struggled to keep weight on her, I started feeding her equifeasts cool, calm and collected which is a calmer, it is not one of the herbal forms which usually dont work. have a look at the website, the link is below. I know people who say it hasn't worked for them but it changed my mare and i actually managed to stable her on her own without box walking (she would try and come over the door before!)
http://www.equifeast.com/Home/Problems/Behaviour/behaviour.html
I hope this has helped!

 

[AmyMay]

Doesn't sound as if he's getting much hay - how much is left in the morning???

A 17.2hh 3 year old is also going to be using an awful lot of his feed ration in growing and maturing. That coupled with the mental 'stress' of 'working', plus his dislike of being stabled will not be helping.

 

[hallarider]

I have to agree with AmyMay. My 3 year old 17.2 gets three sections of large square baled haylage a day. He also gets conditioning cubes and sugar beet. I would rather feed more haylage than hardfeed. He is also unbroken so not using much energy either.

 

[kittykatcat]

Another vote for WInergy Equilibrium Growth! Its got the high calories and protein levels in there to put weight and muscle onto your horse, but it entirely based on fibre and oil so definately wont heat him up. It did absolute wonders for my cranky gelding!!