Poo'ing out extra feed?

SNORKEY

SNORKEY

Well-Known Member
Joined
28 December 2008
Messages
1,809
Location
Hampshire
Visit site
I've heard that a horse can only digest so much feed and any extra will just be flushed so if you feed big buckets of feed its a waste.
If I need to get extra condition on and I'm already feeding conditioning mix and chaff, and as much hay as he can eat, how else can I get some weight on him if there's no point upping the amount I'm feeding?
He's being fed twice a day, I can't go up three times and he's got a bit of grass.
 
Horses have difficulty digesting large amounts of starch in one go, if you can break his feed into as many small feeds as possible that would be good. If you can only manage two feeds, don 't make them too large.

Gradually add oil to his feed gradually over a number of weeks to a max of 100ml per 100kg body weight. If you feed this amount you should supplement with an anti oxidant such as vitamin E. Don 't underestimate the value of sugar beet pulp. While it's not a conditioning feed it's very palatable and easily digested.

Make sure he has enough good quality hay. If it's a bit iffy, try adding a high temperature dried forage like Lucerne or readigrass, but they do tend to gobble that down a bit quickly. Micronised linseed is an excellent conditioning feed.
 
He's 10yrs, just coming back into with after time off as I had a baby, but he still only gets ridden for about 15/20 mins a few times a week as its all I have time for.
I'm trying to get him fitter and in better condition to sell. I know there's no quick fix but is blue chip or something similar any good?
 
if you can give three or four feeds throughout the day :)

Im doing this with mine at the moment who needs to gain feed but who is also cereal intolerant so I need to keep him off all these lovely 13%+ starch level conditioning feeds :(

Hes pretty much on fibre and oil

alfalfa cubes
conditionin fibre (less than 12% starch)
linseed
beetpulp

he gets this four times a day at present and within a week is looking muh better :)
 
Mine have also been having four feeds a day...it does seem to be having an effect rather than two big feeds..only two weeks in but it is helping. I know not everyone can do more than two though
 
I might try and get up to feed him in the middle of the day then, I don't have anyone else who can do it and I've got a young baby so its hard, I could ask my elderly neighbour as its their land but he's in with two others and although they wouldn't come near him if he was eating it wouldn't be fair on them.
 
Try adding oil.

Can you share feeding with someone else? You give their morning/night feed if they give your lunch one?
 
SNORKEY said:
He's 10yrs, just coming back into with after time off as I had a baby, but he still only gets ridden for about 15/20 mins a few times a week as its all I have time for.
I'm trying to get him fitter and in better condition to sell. I know there's no quick fix but is blue chip or something similar any good?
Click to expand...

What type is he, and is he clipped/rugged or hairy? Anyway, he's not old and he's in light work. I don't think it's true that horses 'flush' away extra feed because if that was the case they'd never get fat!! If you don't mind me asking what makes you think he needs more weight? Is he overall thrifty and ribby? What condition is his coat in, ie shiny or dull? Is his worming up to date and are his teeth in good condition? What is his overall demeanour? Sorry for all the questions :rolleyes: but just for instance if he's a bit cold he'll lose more weight. I think you are right about the quick fix, so if he's in perfect health, like most have suggested I'd up the energy of his forage maybe haylage instead of hay, add unmolassed beet pulp/alfalfa/oil - and make the changes gradual. What he doesn't need is a load of sugary/starchy mixes - especially if you are trying to sell him! I'm sure he'll come right for you :)
 
If you can't fit in an extra feed what about leaving him with a trug of Alfa Oil & Speedibeet that he can graze on over night along side his hay/haylage?
You are right to keep the cereal feed small but big fibre feed in the form of alfalfa(I use alfa oil or molasses free for their high oil content) dried grass, unmollassed sugarbeet wouldn't cause issues as it it's digested differently.
 
What you have heard is half true! It is cereal-based feeds that must not be fed in too large a quantity at one time - cereals contain starch and starch is best digested in the foregut. If a large starch containing meal is fed, then starch can be pushed through before digestion of it is finished. This has two disadvantages - firstly, the full benefit is not derived from the starch because it has not been fully broken down, and secondly, the undigested starch can upset the delicate balance of the hind gut.

So if you are feeding cereal-based feeds, they must be kept small, so increase the number of feeds if you need to.

The alternative is to feed fibre-based feeds which avoid the starch problem!
 
Last edited:
Thanks. He's an Anglo Arab x Appaloosa. He's not clipped, wormed up to date, and teeth are up to date. And he's well rugged.
He's lost his top line and his haunches are a bit sunken.
I can't put him on Alfa-A as last time he was on it he came up in hives. He's ok having a little bit in his winergy condition mix but that's it. I'm trying to keep him on a low starch diet, I've recently started giving him mollichaff condition but I forgot to check the starch levels of it! I've got to try and keep him calm as well as he gets very edgy and spooky if he's on the wrong feed.
 
SNORKEY said:
Thanks. He's an Anglo Arab x Appaloosa. He's not clipped, wormed up to date, and teeth are up to date. And he's well rugged.
He's lost his top line and his haunches are a bit sunken.
I can't put him on Alfa-A as last time he was on it he came up in hives. He's ok having a little bit in his winergy condition mix but that's it. I'm trying to keep him on a low starch diet, I've recently started giving him mollichaff condition but I forgot to check the starch levels of it! I've got to try and keep him calm as well as he gets very edgy and spooky if he's on the wrong feed.
Click to expand...

It's alright us all bombarding you with advice ;) but he's your horse and you do know him best, it might be that he's just lacking muscle tone. Did you do the Horse Nutrition course that is offered online by Edinburgh Uni? It's free and it'll help you decide what is the best for him, they are running it again here is the link https://www.coursera.org/#course/equinenutrition. If not there is an excellent book I bought a few years ago - 'Feeding Horses and Ponies' by Susan Mcbane which I found very useful and basically what they are teaching on the course, you might be able to get it on Amazon, the ISBN code is 0 7153 0309 0
 
SNORKEY said:
I've heard that a horse can only digest so much feed and any extra will just be flushed so if you feed big buckets of feed its a waste.
If I need to get extra condition on and I'm already feeding conditioning mix and chaff, and as much hay as he can eat, how else can I get some weight on him if there's no point upping the amount I'm feeding?
He's being fed twice a day, I can't go up three times and he's got a bit of grass.
Click to expand...

Nutritionalists advised me with ebs to feed conditioning balancers such as top spec or baileys outshine... that way its a much smaller amount (a cup full) with the equivalent vits and minerals.

Personally Id look at
Baileys outshine 1 cup
Linseed meal 2 cups
Hi Fi Lite (as its got minimal molasses) to bulk the feed

If the above isnt enough, you could add copra meal to the mix, instead of the Hi Fi or Milk pellets - although id look at copra or even adding more linseed.
 
I would feed speedibeet, micronised linseed and oil (or Outshine if you dont mind paying a lot!) and grass or alfafa nuts and a good allround vitamin mineral supplement such as ProBalance to keep it forage based and simple. If you want something 'readymade' PURE feeds does an excellent line of fibre based feeds including conditioning pellets. I really rate them as my 23 year old is doing very well on their working mix. Most of the other conditioning premixes have a lot of starch and or cerealsand fillers in them and if you add other stuff the min/vit content becomes unbalanced (plus you have to feed a lot of it usually!)
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top