Picky, veteran horse won't put weight on

B

beckyandannie

New User
Joined
11 October 2009
Messages
6
Visit site
Hi everyone,
I'm looking for some feeding advice please. My 24 year old retired hunter/eventer is a really picky eater (she will even like food for a few weeks then go off it). She is never a fat horse, but usually this time of year she is looking her best. But I'm really worried this year as she is not looking good at all and has dropped a lot of weight.
She is fed conditioning mix (3 scoops per day) and Topspec senior and has access to hay and grass 24/7.
I am looking for recommendations for hard feed/cereals that I can try with her to get some weight on. They must be palatable and not soaked feed (she won't eat these).
Tia!
 
sorry if this isnt applicable but has she been wormed regularly and had her teeth checked? also has she been checked for cushings? if not i would do all of these before changing feed. if none of these things apply it may be worth contacting some of the feed companies and ask what they would suggest and get them to send you a sample to try. that way it wont cost you a fortune if she doesnt like them. this is what i did when my mare went off everything that she had previously loved. as an example i used to feed speedibeet and had done for years but changed to fast fibre and she has been eating that happily ever since. prob not a good example as you said she doesnt like soaked feed but may be worth trying again if you can get some samples..good luck
 
Hiya,
Yep, she has had her teeth done recently, and has been wormed. She was cushings tested last year and I was told that her bloods showed no signs of cushings at all.
She has always been super picky. I've had her for over 9 years and she always goes off stuff randomly. It's just finding something high calorie for her.
I've bought her Spillers senior conditioning mix and barley rings today, which she has eaten some of this afternoon, but yer I think giving the feed companies a call might be worth a go. Thanks x
 
, you have covered the basics so hopefully you can find something she likes. might be worth giving haylage ad or as well as hay. you may find that there isnt much goodness in the grass so she may need more fibre. i know our grass isnt very good this year and we may have to start feeding hay in the field which i have never done during the summer...good luck
 
I've got a retired TB oldie who sounds very similar - has always been a picky eater and hard to keep weight on. He does best out on the best grazing available 24/7. Only hard feed he will eat is AlfaA plus Spillers or Dodson and Horrell veteran conditioning mix. We have to alternate or he too gets bored!! I also add v thinly sliced carrots. Despite looking like an old toast-rack, he is very sound and supple and seems to really enjoy life despite being 30+.
 
I have a TB who struggles to put weight on, even on a lush 3 acres to himself last year. I went to a good nutritionist who checked out his diet earlier this year and he was short on protein. My home grown haylage is low in protein so I imagine my grass is too. I supplement with soya meal and amino acids and it has really helped.
Mint is good for inappetance too - I have a mint plant at the yard and they get a few leaves in their soaking mix twice a day. Soaked or damped food is often more readily eaten, although if it left that means you have to throw it away (unless, like me, you have a four legged dustbin who is happy to help with the washing up)
Check what she is getting in terms of protein, fibre, carbs etc and also consider micronized linseed or oil (which seems not to be palatable so probably won't be accepted).
 
mine is just the same and I've found she loves Equerry conditioning mash, its advertised as being palatable and she has been eating it for months after going off everything else after a few weeks.
 
Mine was 36 when diagnosed with cushings had always been fussy eater

He was borderline when initially blood tested which was 32 and the threshold then was 29 retested few months later and was 121 which confirmed it. So I might be inclined to have her bloods done again just to make sure.

Mine was eating cushcare from Dodsen and Horrel but had quality issues and he stopped eating it as it was verging on going off. If you could get some that was ok that is good for weight gain and can be fed dry or as a mash, I would always dampen feeds though never give dry. Mine has his soaked as mash anyway.

He is currently on Top Spec Fibre Plus cubes x 5 meals a day with senior lite balanacer, you could try adding micronized linseed or equijewel from Saracen, also their releve is good for weight gain, I used to feed together
 
Funny you should say that about the protein, my horses tail was falling out and his mane hadn't recovered from winter rug rubs, it so happened I had to change his feed and went onto Top spec fibre cubes and senior lite balancer, since being on it, I noticed after about 2 months his tail stopped falling out and his mane started to grow back, I mentioned to my vet and he said it was probably the protein in the balancer
 
I just bought a bag of Dodson & Horrells new winter warm mash feed to try and my uber picky TB (who has always been a pain to keep weight on but is now 28 with no grinding surface on his back teeth) wolfed it down - not a spot left!
 
My fussy tb (turns 22 next year) is currently fed copra coolstance (soaked in warm water), her balancer and Alfa a oil. She lived out last winter and looked brilliant on it so re doing that plan.
Copra is a really good feed hitting the protein requirements.
Also make sure he has all the hay he could want :)
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top