Losing weight...

SmartieBean09

SmartieBean09

Well-Known Member
Joined
8 February 2010
Messages
1,834
Location
Berks/Hants Border
Visit site
Well, its that time of the year again and Jamin is losing weight. Her bum is rounded but there is a rather noticeable dip behind shoulder and across back. Her ribs are felt very easily and are noticeable when she moves.

She is currently fed:

1 large scoop Alfa A Oil (which must be soaked well due to her lack of teeth)
1 large scoop Fast Fibre
1/2 Scoop of Tope Spec Cool Condition cubes (shop didnt have any slow release cubes which is what she usually has)
2 large soaked scoops of Speedibeet (soaked).

She also gets her Pink Powder

She gets this once a day when she comes in off the grass for a few hours a day to have her feed, hay and a tub trug of Readi grass. All of which is gone by the time she is turned out (with the exception of maybe some hay).

She is then turned back out to more hay if the weather is very cold.

She lives out 24/7 and is rugged well. She is 27 and semi retired.

Any ideas/suggestions to help stop her from losing any more weight?

I have ordered some Veteran Vitality as I received a voucher. I may replace the FF with this.

Thanks every one :-)
 
I use Baileys No 4 on my veteran. When I really want him to put on weight, he gets 1 1/2 scoops twice a day along with his normal feed and then I lower it as he puts it on. However, the best thing for them is to have as much hay as they want. It might be worth switching to haylage as well if thats at option.
 
I thought about Linseed. I may order some this week. Worth a try.

I think No4 is quite high starch. I shall speak with Baileys to see if it is suitable. Its whats she used to be on but she was very stressy back then. Not sure if it was feed related?
 
twinkle said:
linseed meal has helped my girl lots!
Click to expand...

Yes this is great stuff,loose the fast fibre,add linseed meal. Equjewel is great stuff too. The secret is hind gut digestion of oils and fibre rather than simple carbs in the fore gut.High starch is not the way forward,but dont dismiss English oats as there is a good percentage of oils and protein . Steer clear of Barley.
 
Mike007 said:
Yes this is great stuff,loose the fast fibre,add linseed meal. Equjewel is great stuff too. The secret is hind gut digestion of oils and fibre rather than simple carbs in the fore gut.High starch is not the way forward,but dont dismiss English oats as there is a good percentage of oils and protein . Steer clear of Barley.
Click to expand...

Mike,

Would you feed the oats straight or soaked?

Thanks for your advice

SB
 
Have you thought about swopping the hay to haylage? This makes a big difference to my 21yr old boy and he holds his weight much ebtter on ad lib haylage rather than hay
 
Caz89 said:
Have you thought about swopping the hay to haylage? This makes a big difference to my 21yr old boy and he holds his weight much ebtter on ad lib haylage rather than hay
Click to expand...

Ive tried to give her haylage before but she wont eat it. Not sure if it is due to her teeth problems. I have tried different types too and have tried mixing with hay. This is why I offer her a bucket of Readi grass instead.

Its never easy ay? :mad:
 
I swear by Spillers senior Conditioning Mix, only thing that keeps weight on my old girl....
Sugarbeat as opposed to speedibeat?
Good luck
 
I have the same problem with my 16.2hh WB mare, she started dropping weight drastically a few months ago so we changed her feed -

A good scoop of chaff, competition mix, rolled barley and I know it sounds strange but 1/2 - 1 scoop of beef nuts (also known as rearing nuts) and a scoop of soaked beet... and a large amount of oil!

This has made so much difference and she's begining to look good again. We don't use anything too expensive as we have lots of horses to look after but she gets fed twice a day and is back to her old self.

Hope this helps.
 
mum2kalay said:
I have the same problem with my 16.2hh WB mare, she started dropping weight drastically a few months ago so we changed her feed -

A good scoop of chaff, competition mix, rolled barley and I know it sounds strange but 1/2 - 1 scoop of beef nuts (also known as rearing nuts) and a scoop of soaked beet... and a large amount of oil!

This has made so much difference and she's begining to look good again. We don't use anything too expensive as we have lots of horses to look after but she gets fed twice a day and is back to her old self.

Hope this helps.
Click to expand...

Thank you. Money is VERY tight for me at the moment too. I have never heard of beef/rearing nuts. I shall have a look into those. Also competition mix? Which one do you use?

becca_norrey - Spillers conditioning mix has been mentioned often on here. Another one to look into. Thank you
 
Hi SB,

Just to let you know - we have looked into beef nuts and we will not be feeding this anymore - apparently it can cause a build up in copper so please ignore my suggestion!
We will be feeding basic pony nuts instead - still doing a great job for my mare :)
 
mum2kalay said:
Hi SB,

Just to let you know - we have looked into beef nuts and we will not be feeding this anymore - apparently it can cause a build up in copper so please ignore my suggestion!
We will be feeding basic pony nuts instead - still doing a great job for my mare :)
Click to expand...

Thank you.

I have since been to my local feed shop and have not bought a basic mix and chaff for my pony.

I couldnt afford all that she was on before and to be honest it did nothing for her. Fingers crossed, this will help maintain her weight or at best help her to put some on.

I have also doubled up her Readi grass and she is getting 2 feeds a day now, so fingers crossed, this helps too.

I couldnt get hold of any oats and pillers conditioning mix was £12!

Will see how she gets on and if she needs more then I will look into linseed.

Fingers crossed it works or I win the lottery and can afford to buy her what she deserves.
 
If you are really trying to save money you could swap the Readigrass for soaked grass nuts which should give the same effect of upping her forage levels but will work out significantly cheaper. Also investigate whether any local feedstores stock Equibeet or other long soak non-molassed beet which will be cheaper than Speedibeet.

Is there any reason why you need to keep starch/sugar levels low (ie laminitis risk)? If not, then micronised barley is a cheap and effective way to keep weight on. Just remember that the cheap mix and chaff you have bought are probably not as high in calories as the previous products you were using so you might have to feed more of them to keep her weight constant.
 
TGM said:
If you are really trying to save money you could swap the Readigrass for soaked grass nuts which should give the same effect of upping her forage levels but will work out significantly cheaper. Also investigate whether any local feedstores stock Equibeet or other long soak non-molassed beet which will be cheaper than Speedibeet.

Is there any reason why you need to keep starch/sugar levels low (ie laminitis risk)? If not, then micronised barley is a cheap and effective way to keep weight on. Just remember that the cheap mix and chaff you have bought are probably not as high in calories as the previous products you were using so you might have to feed more of them to keep her weight constant.
Click to expand...

I always kept her starch levels low for a number of reasons. Those being, it is a more natural diet and last year when she lost so much weight, I noticed a difference in her when she was fed a cereal free, high fibre diet. I thought perhaps she had ulcers and vet suggested the only way to find out other than scope would be to introduce cereals. As I was happy with the way she was, I didnt bother. Having now moved her and seen yet another significant change, I believe that the change in her is mainly due to lifestyle rather than diet.

The mix that I have bought is made up of mainly barley (to be honest, I cant see much else in there) but there is no DE on the bag. Having looked at it and being advised it is made by Baileys, it looks very similar to their Horse and Pony Mix.

If she doesnt pick up then micronised Barley it is.

I shall also enquire about grass nuts too - thank you.

One thing I am slightly paranoid about is whether I am comprimising her health by feeding her a cheap brand. I would prefer to feed her something aimed at veterans or perhaps conditioning but at £12 a sack and possibly needing a bag a week, I just couldnt afford it. I am already paying £6 for a bale of hay.

:-(
 
SmartieBean09 said:
One thing I am slightly paranoid about is whether I am comprimising her health by feeding her a cheap brand.
Click to expand...

Some of the cheap brands don't contain as a high a level of vit/mins as the more expensive brands, but that is not a problem as you are giving her Pink Powder anyway. It may not be as high in calories as some other feeds, but that is not a problem if you ensure you give her enough of it. I have got a formula for working out what feeds are most cost-effective for adding condition based on bag size, MJDE/kg and bag price - will try and dig it out for you, as some feeds are not always as cheap as they seem when you look at them on a calories per pence basis!
 
I had the same problem with my old mare. I agree with changing from speedibeet to sugarbeet. How about 2 feeds rather than 1?

Also, you could add oil (sunflower or veg) to her feed.

Good luck, if you're anything like me i used to dread winter with poor doers, nothing but worry!
 
TGM said:
Some of the cheap brands don't contain as a high a level of vit/mins as the more expensive brands, but that is not a problem as you are giving her Pink Powder anyway. It may not be as high in calories as some other feeds, but that is not a problem if you ensure you give her enough of it. I have got a formula for working out what feeds are most cost-effective for adding condition based on bag size, MJDE/kg and bag price - will try and dig it out for you, as some feeds are not always as cheap as they seem when you look at them on a calories per pence basis!
Click to expand...

That would be brilliant, thanks TGM. Have bought home the ingredients label from the sack. Am going to compare with Baileys horse and pony mix.

Scranny Ann, we had so many problems last year and I was waiting with great anticipation this year and yet again at exactly the same time of year, she has gone down hill. I guess her age is taking its toll. It is such a worry. You love them so much.
 
We have struggled to get the weight back on our girl since she weaned her last foal. We've got her on:

1 stubbs scoop of A&P old faithfuls
1/2 stubbs scoop of D&H Just grass (like readigrass)
1/2 stubbs scoop of Speedibeet
a good glug of oil

She gets this twice a day and it has worked wonders for her, shes back to her old self again and is mighty shiny!!
x
 
Obi, my 24yr old is on a forage replacer diet as his teeth aren't great.

Per day he gets:

2 round scoops Dengie Alfalfa pellets (forage and calcium)
2 round scoops Speedibeet (forage)
1 round scoop wheat feed aka Thirds (conditioning, weight)
1 round scoop rolled oats (conditioning)
1 cereal bowl carob kibble (vitamins and calcium)
1 round bowl Readigrass (to chew on)
2000iu Vitamin E capsules opened and squirted in (to replace vit e lost from not eating enough forage - immune system)
300g micronised linseed (conditioning, gut lining and joints)

and Obi's Magic Powder, which contains:

15g brewers yeast (improves digestion and vitamins)
1 tbs salt
2 tbs yea-sacc (improves gut function)
10g magnesium oxide (good for feet)
20g turmeric (healthy joints)
25g fenugreek (weight and palatibility)
20g mint (digestion and palatibility)

and a herbal mix from Equinatural depending on what I need at the time. This ensures he gets a good mix of plants that he wouldn't get in an average restricted and overgrazed field.

I know it looks alot, but it is a cheap way of me feeding the absolute best to him without paying for a brand name.

I order most of his herbs and spices from eBay.

I have to say he looks amazing!
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top