Not sure where to go from here.

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Florrie

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Hi all,
After having my poor doer TB on Baileys Number 4 for 4/5 months I haven't seen much improvement and I'm sick of feeding the recommended amount with no result. Now his condition has dropped slightly and I'd like to change feed, however I'm not sure what to change to?
Heard positive things about Micronised Linseed but I can't find any. Also Coolstance Copra and Calm And Condition - can anyone give reviews?

I don't have a high budget to spend on feed either and I don't want to be feeding ridiculous amounts.

He is also fed on Alfa A Oil which seems to be working some magic.
 
My ex racer does brilliantly on calm and condition. He looks like a warmblood! He also has ad lib haylage/hay which i find is key to keeping his weight on.
Every horse is different tho. Many people on here rave about linseed- can't remember where they get it but do a search and there will be loads of posts.
 
I use calm and condition for 2 of mine and Baileys no 4 for one of those, you would have to feed huge quantities of c&c to make it worth changing, my horse gets 3 large feeds a day of c&c with some alfalfa pellets this maintains him well but if I wanted to put weight on I would change the alfalfa to Baileys no 4. I hope that makes sense, adding more oil or linseed may be better than a complete change.
 
You can order linseed off efeed which is about £29 including ext day delivery which should last you a good few months. The best starting point is ad lib hay.. My tb has this, speedibeet, fast fibre and oil and she is keeping her weight on lovely :)
 
I am also having this problem. He is reasonably new to us but dropped off very quickly. I have wormed him. He is now fed conditioning mix, Hifi original and micronised linseed spilt into 3 feeds and ad lib haylage and hay so much so that he has loads left in the morning and I can't feed him enough during the day, he just does not eat it all. He is a Tb who used to hurdle.

The other 4 we have are looking really good but he still looks poor but has energy and is keen in his work. Have owned 3 full TB's before him but never had this issue. Will follow this thread with interest.
 
morrismob said:
I am also having this problem. He is reasonably new to us but dropped off very quickly. I have wormed him. He is now fed conditioning mix, Hifi original and micronised linseed spilt into 3 feeds and ad lib haylage and hay so much so that he has loads left in the morning and I can't feed him enough during the day, he just does not eat it all. He is a Tb who used to hurdle.

The other 4 we have are looking really good but he still looks poor but has energy and is keen in his work. Have owned 3 full TB's before him but never had this issue. Will follow this thread with interest.
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When I got my extremely poor tb I fed her every conditioning feed under the sun including baileys, calm and condition etc..with no real effect, so for winter she in a pure fibre and oil diet with as little sugar/starch as possible, I think that's key in reducing weight loss by stress, hyperactivity from sugar rush etc.,My girl fence walks when the other livery is on the yard but she she's still holding her weight on a simple diet well despite this as she's not so stressed.
 
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morrismob said:
I am also having this problem. He is reasonably new to us but dropped off very quickly. I have wormed him. He is now fed conditioning mix, Hifi original and micronised linseed spilt into 3 feeds and ad lib haylage and hay so much so that he has loads left in the morning and I can't feed him enough during the day, he just does not eat it all. He is a Tb who used to hurdle.

The other 4 we have are looking really good but he still looks poor but has energy and is keen in his work. Have owned 3 full TB's before him but never had this issue. Will follow this thread with interest.
Click to expand...

Your horse may find the cereals in the mix are harder to digest, he may also have ulcers which cereals and sugar will not help, think about changing to a fibre based diet or cubes which are more easily digested. The horse I feed c&c with alfalfa pellets was showing signs of ulcers, although he scoped clear, he has improved considerably since coming off mixes even though c&c is highish in starch it is easily digested and suits him well.
 
be positive said:
Your horse may find the cereals in the mix are harder to digest, he may also have ulcers which cereals and sugar will not help, think about changing to a fibre based diet or cubes which are more easily digested.

The horse I feed c&c with alfalfa pellets was showing signs of ulcers, although he scoped clear, he has improved considerably since coming off mixes even though c&c is highish in starch it is easily digested and suits him well.
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Thank you for replies. I have used C&C before with my TB broodmare who dropped off after weaning and it worked, was only using Conditioning mix as this is what he was fed before me. He works well and has a lovely shine to his coat but is ribby and not as good as the others. Thank you. :)
 
I have my daughters pony on baileys conditioning mix, as he was poor enough, but I'm not seeing any real results. It's difficult to find the "one" that works for your horse. My father in law swears by bloodstock conditioner. I'm going to give it a try, and see how it goes. How long after you start them on a particular feed but you would see results?? I presune after 3 months you should see a difference if it's going to work.
 
Have to agree with ImmyS. My TB was very poor when I got her, tried all the feeds like calm and condition, build up etc but again I have had the best results with a simple diet. My mare is on chaff, speedi beet, and spillers original balancer with some oil and her supplements once a day, and a good amount of hay. In summer I drop the speedi beet (just feed it to maintain her weight over winter) and she looks fantastic, perfect weight now and actually holds its very well! :)
 
Florrie said:
Hi all,
After having my poor doer TB on Baileys Number 4 for 4/5 months I haven't seen much improvement and I'm sick of feeding the recommended amount with no result. Now his condition has dropped slightly and I'd like to change feed, however I'm not sure what to change to?
Heard positive things about Micronised Linseed but I can't find any. Also Coolstance Copra and Calm And Condition - can anyone give reviews?

I don't have a high budget to spend on feed either and I don't want to be feeding ridiculous amounts.

He is also fed on Alfa A Oil which seems to be working some magic.
Click to expand...

I detest calm and condition.... I'd try something like A&P veteran vitality fab for conditioning and weight gain, keep up the Alfa oil, and add some micronised linseed too, three smaller feeds if you can and access to hay/haylage at all times if poss. A good probiotic... Yeaa sac is good. Should wack the condition on, I personally steer clear of c&c have seen it send too many horses loopy
 
popeyesno1fan said:
I have my daughters pony on baileys conditioning mix, as he was poor enough, but I'm not seeing any real results. It's difficult to find the "one" that works for your horse. My father in law swears by bloodstock conditioner. I'm going to give it a try, and see how it goes. How long after you start them on a particular feed but you would see results?? I presune after 3 months you should see a difference if it's going to work.
Click to expand...


Mixes are far harder to digest, something cubed is better, and a step on from this is something like A&P and something designed for veterans... It cuts down on the work the gut needs to do making it easier to digest, takes less energy out of the horse and more of the feed is properly utilised. If a horse is under the weather or lacking in condition I would always add a blood tonic too, one with b vitamins to enhance the guts performance. Haemavite b+ is fab and inexpensive
 
my tb started dropping condition for the first time coming into this winter. I put him on calm and condition, readigrass and sunflower oil from supermarket, and he also has ad lib haylage, which has help him put weight back on. Alot of people i spoke to recommended a balancer, either haylage balancer or pink powder, but as mine started imrpoving i havent tried that yet.

I know you've said about wormer, but it may be worth having horse egg counted too just to see if wormer has had any effect. Also think about teeth - they were a contributing factor for my horse as they hadnt been done for a long while. Even if yours was done recently (say 6 months) there may be some kind of problem?
 
Last year our oldie was doing fine on speedibeet with a slug of linseed oil (about £15 from Scats IIRC for 4 or 5l) and Bailys No 4 & a scoop of Pinm Powder - previous winters he'd lost a bit of weight and I struggled to keep the weight on which is why I went from ordinary pony nuts to Bailys No 4 for winter . Had a visit from an A&P rep to our RC this summer and they used our oldie as an example he's old, has lost a tooth and is hard to keep weight on. This meant I got a free sack of veteran vitality, so this year I'm giving him half and half VV and Fast Fibre, and I've upped the hay more. Have to say he looks just the same as last winter and I think it's working out quite a bit cheaper as no pink powder no linseed oil.
 
Dubsie said:
Last year our oldie was doing fine on speedibeet with a slug of linseed oil (about £15 from Scats IIRC for 4 or 5l) and Bailys No 4 & a scoop of Pinm Powder - previous winters he'd lost a bit of weight and I struggled to keep the weight on which is why I went from ordinary pony nuts to Bailys No 4 for winter . Had a visit from an A&P rep to our RC this summer and they used our oldie as an example he's old, has lost a tooth and is hard to keep weight on. This meant I got a free sack of veteran vitality, so this year I'm giving him half and half VV and Fast Fibre, and I've upped the hay more. Have to say he looks just the same as last winter and I think it's working out quite a bit cheaper as no pink powder no linseed oil.
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Gotta love their yard visit and free sack of food! I got that this year too :D
 
Does no one feed straights anymore? Then you can balance your own fatteners such as flaked micronised maize in with grass nuts,suger beet,oats and mollichaff.Too old fashioned for all these brand names,just wondering.
 
EAST KENT said:
Does no one feed straights anymore? Then you can balance your own fatteners such as flaked micronised maize in with grass nuts,suger beet,oats and mollichaff.Too old fashioned for all these brand names,just wondering.
Click to expand...
I feed unmolassed beet, alfalfa as I hate the icky coating of molasses on mollichaff, sometimes feed A&P fast fibre which is close to grass nuts, haven't fed oats in a long time but wouldn't have a problem doing so although I prefer slow release energy from oil as opposed to intense from oats. Nothing wrong with straights, but there are some good per made mixes out there if you know what you need and what to look for and steer clear of
 
I am always amazed by how much my tbs are able to eat. I would start by doubling his hay ration.....he should be leaving a small amount each time you go to top him up!!!
 
Buy micronised linseed from charwood. It is great for keeping weight on. I'm using it with speedibeet and a supplement for my poor doer.
 
I get micronised linseed from Gjwtitmuss online or ring up. (20kg for £18 plus deliv, or free deliv if u order enough).
I have fed TopSpec cool conditioning cubes to several horses who dropped weight/condition and have never not seen a rapid improvement(within 2-4wks).
In addition to linseed and the top spec cubes I would carry on feeding plenty of the fibre of yr choice(Alfa oil might be good for yr horse?) and a balancer(cube or,if you think he's over faced by volume of his feeds,a supplement form of balancer.)
Plus of course,(which you're already doing),as much hay/lage as he can eat.:) Hope he picks up soon.:)
 
I feed my recovering grass sickness boy barley rings. There the only thing that doesn't send him loopy and he's gone from being about 300 kgs to 395kgs :-) also pink powder and speedibeet but your alfa oil could substitute the speedibeet x
 
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