Need to put weight on my oldies.

TheresaW

TheresaW

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I have 3 horses that live out all year round. A 24yo, a 20yo, and a 9yo. The 2 oldies have always been very good doers, the younger one has dropped weight in the past, but is thriving on the grass.

My 2 oldies are looking a bit ribby imo. Oldest one has cushings, 20yo tested negative, he has been retired for 3 years due to arthritis. The vet has seen them, and thinks given their ages, they are ok, lacking in top line and muscle as to be expected, but I would like to get a bit more weight on them before we go into winter. Both are happy and well in themselves. Hay is put out for them all winter; and I have been putting some out for them for the last few weeks, but to be honest, they're not overly interested and I end up throwing it on the muck heap after a couple of days.

The younger one is very well covered, so doesn't really need any extra, but can separate the older 2 for short feeds.

Any recommendations welcome, obviously I need to bear/bare in mind the risk of lami, especially where my cushings girl is concerned. She has never had it in the past.
 
Cushcare is great for oldies needing weight gain. I feed that with fastfibre and some oil and my old girl is looking quite good at the moment.
 
I'd say Fast Fibre or Speedibeet, or even some grass nuts (some are high in sugar). I'd also add micronised linseed which is great for adding condition.
 
I don't see the point in fastfibre, its DE is about as low as you can get :p and just filling them up with not a lot.

copra would be my go to if they'd eat it, or I'd start adding quite large quantities of micro linseed.
 
My 16yo Cushing's mare is doing well on crushed oats, linseed, salt and pro hoof. She can be very grass sensitive, but since upping her meds from 0.5 to 1.5 tablets earlier this year after her ACTH levels had risen, albeit only to the mid 50s, I can strip graze her as well with no footiness. She's looking better than she has for a long time.
 
Linseed and also check that they are getting enough protein. As they get older they don't seem to be able to build soft tissue and muscle very well from what they do get, so more protein could help
 
I've got a before and after that'll knock your socks off. This is a 20 year old mare (WB/PRE) who arrived earlier this year after not doing very well at a larger retirement place. Absolutely nothing wrong with her clinically, she just wasn't coping with large herd life.
She is on a scoop of Copra twice a day, plus reasonable, but not lush, grass.

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ester said:
I don't see the point in fastfibre, its DE is about as low as you can get :p and just filling them up with not a lot.

copra would be my go to if they'd eat it, or I'd start adding quite large quantities of micro linseed.
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I agree on paper it doesn't seem conditioning in the slightest, but it is. I think it's probably just because it's easily digested and they do struggle with getting goodness out of any hay they eat when they get older.
 
Auslander said:
I've got a before and after that'll knock your socks off. This is a 20 year old mare (WB/PRE) who arrived earlier this year after not doing very well at a larger retirement place. Absolutely nothing wrong with her clinically, she just wasn't coping with large herd life.
She is on a scoop of Copra twice a day, plus reasonable, but not lush, grass.

20476284_10159608634805497_5675758209982306028_n.jpg


20476486_10159608634885497_7835326660521637360_n.jpg
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She looks fab! I have ordered some linseed this morning, but will have a look for copra too.
 
Cut a long story short, my 38 yr old lost weight last year and I put him on Topspec fibre plus cubes + senior light balancer, 5 feeds a day put weight on in 2 months now maintaining on half that amount. If your horse will eat more that 1 scoop per feed you could give 3 feeds

Micronised linseed is brilliant and solution mash is also for weight gain
Saracen releve also good for weight gain and their fibre plus pencils and equijewel but prefer micronize linseed
 
meleeka said:
I agree on paper it doesn't seem conditioning in the slightest, but it is. I think it's probably just because it's easily digested and they do struggle with getting goodness out of any hay they eat when they get older.
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It wasn't when I was feeding it to then out of work my oldie good doer. Thankfully! If you were feeding it all the time as a hay replacer maybe but it is too high in selenium for that. I just think there are much better soaked options if conditions is the aim.
 
The place I ordered the linseed from have emailed me to say they've changed supplier, and have no stock for a couple of weeks, so have cancelled the order and ordered copra instead. Will update in a couple of weeks.
 
There should only be one supplier of linseed (charnwood) as they have the only micronizer (fwiw if you go back to that option).
 
Thanks both of you for the links. I'll see how we get on with the copra (have read that some horses won't eat it)? Will probably try the linseed as well later on.
 
JillA said:
Really? How about these people http://www.micronizedfoodproducts.co.uk/ They also do linseed although they label it as cooked
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So the question came up as a result of marriages calling theirs micronised and cooked (marriages is much easier for me to get hold of locally) but the nutritional spec coming up quite a bit different (starch levels higher which are obviously important to some people). and therefore what the definition of micronizing actually was as it seems to get used for a few different things which confuses things. - Charnwoods use infra red and grind it. I dont think the 'term' matters so much as just knowing when things are/aren't actually equivalent.

I emailed marriages to ask more about their process and this was the response when queried with charnwood
'The micronizer is a cooking process being a quick infra red cooking process on a special machine, Charnwood as far as I know are the only company that Micronize Linseed, we do make some for other companies but not marriages, The Micronizing process was developed by Micronizing Company (UK) Ltd many years ago and they make the micronizing machines, that company is the sister company of Charnwood Milling Co Ltd.'

The one you link seems to cook (steam) not use infra red too.

How much difference it really makes I'm not sure but opted to stick with what I know, which often apparently has a longer shelf life on it too - it ended up being quite a long thread on the barefoot whole horse health group at the time.

hope they do TW :D
 
TheresaW said:
Thanks both of you for the links. I'll see how we get on with the copra (have read that some horses won't eat it)? Will probably try the linseed as well later on.
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My 4 turned their noses up at it and were very suspicious at first but that was my fault for thinking my gannets would eat anything. I started again by introducing it one table spoon per feed and doubled it each day. My lot love it, look amazing and would mug me for their buckets now. Clean buckets all round. I hope it works for you, good luck.
 
I have used Veteran and Vitality on a cushings big horse, it is too high in starch/sugar to be safe if fed at the right amount so I did mix it with Fast Fibre for a little while with added linseed. That was fine until he turned his nose up at at, he was at a good weight and could afford to drop a little so I went with the FF and linseed plus nice haylage. There must be nothing good in FF because the horse dropped weight overnight.

At the moment I am feeding a very old fashioned oats, bran unmollassed SB, linseed and a good balancer. He has been quite poorly recently and was poor but he is picking up nicely now, but the grass in his tiny paddock is flushing so I have to get him off it for part of the day.
 
Little update.

Got the copra yesterday, so added half a cup each to Doll and Macs feed. Ollie just had his token handful of chaff.

Both ate it, but Doll then choked! She has choked in the past, but not for a good 3 years or so. Took about 2 hours to clear it, was getting close to calling vet back.

Anyway, today I added probably 3 times as much water, and she ate it and was fine.

Will order some linseed too, as especially for Mac, will help with his joints.

One more thing if no one minds?

Around this time last year we moved to where we are now. Mac's skin was quite bad, he is a mild sweet itch sufferer, and Ollie was very vigorously grooming him. Mac was covered in sores and so I clipped him and rugged him for winter. Doll was clipped and rugged, but she is ridden so needed it anyway as she sweats quite a bit (cushings)? Ollie was naked all winter and thrived, was fine when ridden. So far this year, Mac has been fine, so all being well, would like to let him go native. Ollie always felt warmer, so good idea?
 
Oh no, I've never heard of one doing that with it, I'm glad she was ok and good news they are tucking in though.

I'd leave Mac if he seems ok I think. We've opted to take Frank's off in feb time as once it warms his skin is not good but leave as much on as we can (for a bit of work) for the rest of winter.
 
Thank you.

I don't think the copra caused the choke, I think I just didn't wet her feed enough. It possibly absorbed the water a bit more than her usual feed, she was fine today.

I'd rather not clip if at all possible, I hate clipping :)
 
speedibeet, fast fibre, few oats,salt, mic linseed, alfa straw chaff with mint, equivite vits {not all the time,} works well for my oldie, ,quantity seems to crucial, i up or down the quantity according to condition and feed twice a day, and lunge 3 x week during which she has a right good gallop on the arena for muscle tone.

i like to give her a good nosh up and she really enjoys it.

i think the speedibeet followed by the linseed are the most conditioning
 
Well, they've been on the copra for around a month, and last week I got some conditioning mash for them. Dolly is definitely improving, but Mac is dropping more weight, so vet is booked.
 
Another update.

Dolly is looking much better on the mash and copra. Mac still the same. Had the vet out, full bloods run, all normal, and had him tested for cushings again. Everything fine on the bloods, and cushings negative. He did have a lice infestation, and she gave the treatment for the lice. She thinks his biggest problem is his teeth. He is missing a few, and the ones he has left are very worn. Been told to keep feeding what I’m feeding, and try adding some vegetable oil as well. See how he goes.

Any other advice welcome.
 
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