Neglected Racehorse! - What to feed?

[laurajane]

I picked my big lad up about 2 months ago, he's put on weight since but to outsiders he still looks really bad.

Does anyone have any recommended feets and amounts?

Also any suppliments?

Thanks x

 

[Holly Hocks]

Rowan Barbary Readymash Extra - made my mare go from looking like a cruelty case when she came out of hospital to looking like a little stallion! I have had to take her off it as she got overweight on it!
It's amazing stuff - I can't recommend it enough.

 

[Dizzle]

Copra meal and pink powder!

 

[Mlini]

Mine had the following twice a day:
Allen & Page Calm & Condition - 1 scoop dry weight, must be soaked in water before feeding
Alfa A - 1 scoop
and NAF Pink Powder

 

[Cluny]

Brewers yeast to help restore the gut flora balance so your horse can get the most nutrition out of it's feed.

I bought a 15kg sack from our local feed suppliers and it was cheaper than a tub of Cortaflex and will last alot longer!

 

[AmyMay]

What's your general management of him?

 

[Holly Hocks]

Brewers yeast to help restore the gut flora balance so your horse can get the most nutrition out of it's feed.

I bought a 15kg sack from our local feed suppliers and it was cheaper than a tub of Cortaflex and will last alot longer!

Am I being thick here? What have Cortaflex and Brewer's yeast got in common?

 

[BigRed]

I shouldn't worry, it is better for him to gain the condition slowly. Suddenly giving him a huge amount of extra calories is not good for him. Increase his work and food accordingly and he will be looking fab in no time at all.

 

[skydancer]

Hi, a few years ago i picked up an ex racehorse that had actually been beaten up by his field mates, a skinny nervous little boy. I put him on Blue Chip and im not kidding you the difference is amazing - he turned out to be mr perfect in the end = bless him!

 

[laurajane]

thanks for all your help guys

I suppose the weight he's gained especially at this time of year is probably normal.

He's not in too heavy work as the poor things exhausted after half hour! Hopefully we'll get there.

He's on C&C at the minute, so think i'll just increase that and i've been advised that pink powder by loads of people so i think i'll try that too!

x

 

[pebblemania]

I used nesler solid gold feed Balancer with my ex race when he was super skinny and was wonderful

 

[laurajane]

I used nesler solid gold feed Balancer with my ex race when he was super skinny and was wonderful

Oh could be worth a try?

Can you just pick it up from your local feed store? x

 

[pebblemania]

you can find stockists on their website or give them a call I was lucky my old YO stocked it. last time tho I searched for it on google and went from there.

was quite expensive but didn't need to have him on it permanently just until the weight went on

good luck x

 

[Slinkyunicorn]

All he needs is fibre and plenty of it. Ad Lib hay and high fibre nuts will do the job - more effective then a lot of the more expensive conditioning feeds.

 

[*Spider*]

The main ingredient in Calm and Condition is unmolassed sugar beet, so why don't you just buy that? It's cheaper, lasts longer and does the exact same effect.
I find Speedibeet the best, it absorbs more water per kg. so therefore lasts longer.
Alfa A Oil is also especially good, but if short of cash, normal Alfa/chaff will be okay with a glug of Soya/Veg Oil in each feed for that boost.
Another option for extra condition is barley, which is present in most conditioning feeds such as Dodson and Horrel Build up mix/cubes (this feed is fantastic!!!), but Dodson and Horrell do Barley rings which I'd recommend as it's cheaper and more concentrate so less needed.

I hope you're boy improves. My boys lost a hell of a lot of weight and put it on very quickly! We've tried all different feeds but found the above worked best. He gets garlic as a general supplement. Garlic is good for the immune system, cleansing the blood, maintenance of the respiratory system and is proven to have anti-bacterial, anti-inflammatory, anti-cancerious, deoxidating properties.

My boy also has Equitop Myoplast to help build up muscle (he's coming back from an injury) but this is £60 odd quid a tub (even though I paid nearly £90 from the vets).

 

[*Spider*]

Am I being thick here? What have Cortaflex and Brewer's yeast got in common?

I can't see the simmilarity in Cortaflex and Brewer's Yeast either.

 

[Mare Stare]

There's a thread on here somewhere about what's actually in Pink Powder and tbh it sounds like it's mostly fillers.

I'd say conditioning mix, unmollassed sugar beet, micronised linseed or some oil, and ad lib hay.

 

[kirstyl]

I fed my extremely emaciated ex racer Spillers conditioning cubes, alpha a oil, speedibeet and pink powder split into three feeds with adlib hay/haylage. 20 months on and in full work and looking well and maintaining weight, he is on 1/2 scoop high fibre cubes, alpha a, pink powder + sugar beet twice a day and adlib hay.
On the Pink Powder front, I was a bit cynical but I fed it when he was extremely poor as the pot said it would 'kickstart the gut' and as my poor boy had had so little food over that winter, I was ready to give it a try. I started feeding it again in the summer this year. His feet, which have always been really good, just weren't growing and he was on barely any hard feed, being a good doer. The Pink Powder seems to have made a real difference to his hoof growth, may be a coincidence but I'm not stopping feeding it now!

 

[AmyMay]

Drop the c&c, its useless. Feed a conditioning feed alongside high fibre cubes, alpha a oil, and plenty of great quality haylage. I would also stop working him until his condition has improved.

 

[3bh]

I swear by Havens Slobber Mash - I've got the whole yard on it but more specifically I find it is amazing on the ex racers and thoroughbreds (which is my specialty!), its totally non heating and very economic - I feed one scoop of that twice a day, nothing extra (other than grazing and haylege) - I'll let the pictures speak for themselves. (Some of you might have seen these on their tradestands at YHL etc- I'm not advertising, I don't work for them, I am just a horse owner who has found a genuinely amazing product and so I like to tell everyone about it!)


5yo arriving at my yard straight out of racing in March 2011-

Same 5yo, August 2011, winning an RoR class. (Fed solely on Havens slobber mash - one scoop twice a day)

R&R Country at Melton stock Havens feeds, if thats not convenient PM me, I am East Midlands too (the other side of Leics) - can either point you in the direction of the main UK distributor who will deliver or if you just want to try a bag I can help you out.

 

[Scarlett]

My friend had great results with Falcon Feeds Omega Rice when she got a TB in need of some serious weight gain - she fed that along with Brewers Yeast to help digestion, unmollassed beet (Simple Systems Purabeet) and an unmollassed chaff. Horse piled on weight and has lots more stamina to work with.

I've had a fair few ex-racers and found the fancy conditioning feeds and millions of supplements didnt make as much of a difference as just pure fibre, brewers yeast and linseed. Sometimes we can totally over complicate things!

Be careful not to feed too much in one feed in an effort to get weight on. Feed as many smaller feeds as you can a day, over a certain amount the gut struggles to process the feed and it ends up just passing through without the horse getting the benefits.

 

[Cluny]

Am I being thick here? What have Cortaflex and Brewer's yeast got in common?

No you aren't being thick, I am not comparing them like for like, as they are obviously used for completely different purposes. What I am saying in my clumsy way, is that Brewers Yeast as a general feed supplement, is good value, compared to the more expensive supplements.

 

[coen]

Best combination I have found is alfa a oil, speedi beet and blue chip original. I held out for a couple of years trying various combinations before giving in to the price of blue chip (thought balancers were a total con) but I have had to each my words as it is brilliant.