My pony has dropped weight. Feed ideas please

[haras]

My gelding has been living out 24/7 and just coming in for feeds am and pm. He has a neck and belly clip and has been in a medium weight combo rug. He is about 20 now and is arab x welsh. He has always been a poor doer, since I've had him.

His teeth were last done in March, but he is known to have wave mouth. He is on intelligent worming. His last egg count was zero, and he has started a five day guard today. (I just do what intelligent worming tell me to do!)

However, tonight is the first time I've taken his rug off in a week / 10 days and he has dropped rather a lot of weight I have made the decision to start bringing him in at night, so he can have hay, and as my in foal mare, who is on box rest recovering from colic surgery has to have a night time feed I will give him an extra feed then too.

At the moment he has

1/2 round scoop alfa a oil
1/2 round scoop conditioning mix
2/3 round scoop speedibeet

was twice a day and will now be three times

he also has

a full haynet of hay

2 cups of high fibre cubes in a treat ball

His hay will be ab lib, but the pony isn't a big hay eater. I wonder if haylage may be better? What about readygrass for putting weight on?

I'm not really wanting to put more feed in his bucket, as I am not a fan of massive feeds... I think they are asking for trouble to be honest. I'm just after putting the best combination of food for him in his stable at night.

So post your ideas below!

Thanks

 

[xxRachelxx]

My friends 16 year old arab x welsh has always been a poor doer until last year when we put her on blue chip original. Shes like a diff horse! Looks amazing. She has blue chip, half scoop of chaff and half scoop of alfa beet/sugar beet/fibre beet. Blue chip may be expensive but worth its weight in gold in my opinion!

 

[TGM]

If he is a veteran with a wave mouth, doesn't eat a lot of hay and last had his teeth done in March then I would suggest another dental checkup would be wise. I would also suggest feeding a tub trug of grass chaff (such as Readigrass) or soaked grass nuts overnight alongside his haynet to make up for the hay he isn't eating.

 

[haras]

Thanks for that.

I forgot to say, I've also just added a half a mug of balancer to his each of his feeds. Not blue chip though, so may look into that, or pink powder maybe.

Thanks for that reply TGM, I was wondering about getting his teeth done again. I will get him booked in. I will also get a bag of readigrass and see if he will eat it. He doesn't help the situation by being the worlds fussiest pony! Also, the not eating a lot of hay isn't a new thing.... He has never eaten a lot of hay. Two sections of a small bale in a night is managing a lot for him.