Putting condition on a TB....

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_Acolyte_

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My TB is 15.2hh, weighs approx 490kg (weigh tape, so not that accurate) and has 8" bone (so not a really weedy type)

At the moment he is living out 24/7, is not clipped and is rugged to the hilt. As we are waiting for the physio to come out (again) to fix him, he is just doing approx 30 minutes of walk exercise a day.

I am feeding him 1 scoop D&H pasture mix and 2/3 scoop Alfa A twice daily, plus I have just added 1/2 scoop Kwikbeet twice a day. He also gets one slice big-bale haylage morning & evening.

His condition is not poor by any means, but I would like him to be carrying just a touch more weight going into winter, hence adding the sugarbeet. I have only owned him 2 weeks BTW!

Just wondered about changing his feed when he comes to the end of the pasture mix - I am thinking about changing the pasture mix to Build Up Cubes/Mix, OR the Alfa A to Alfa Oil.

Assuming the limited exercise and shedloads of feed he is getting at the moment dont put a bit of weight on him of course. Any thoughts please?

I should add that he has a lovely temperament, calm and laid back about life, and I certainly dont want that to change at all
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I have mine on top spec conditioning flakes(v low in starch compared to other conditiong feeds) and he looks fab on them also have you tried le brick really convienient and also take a while to eat so good for stabled horses(when he comes in) but I chuck mine out in the field with his. Maybe go to using fiber p from d&h - achaff with some added extras or fibre beet to replace your chaff and quick beet.
 
Thanks for the ideas from both of you
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I shall go for a wander around the feed store this weekend and see what they have got
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I would really like a stable for him, I dont like him living out 24/7 although it doesnt seem to bother him at all, but none free at the moment at our yard
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Calm and Condition by Allen and Page is fantastic. High oil and fibre, but gives them a really good shine and bulks them up nicely without sending them loopy!! Mine is getting that and Alfa A oil (I dont like the other ones cos I dont like molasses!) and looks fab, even his wooly coat is shiny!!
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You may find that now the grass has lost its nutritional value that he may need to come in at night, rather than upping his hard feed. Or ensure that he has access to good quality hay or haylage 24/7 if he's out.
 
I would change to Alfa A Oil first, before changing the pasture mix. That way you can increase the calories without increasing the cereal levels. However, the best thing you can do will be to give him adlib haylage - if you are not able to do so in the field, then overnight stabling will give you the opportunity to get plenty of forage into him.
 
Hmmm I will maybe talk to the YO - he is out at night on his own (although with company in neighbouring fields) but shares with 4 others during the day. I put out loads of haylage this morning (and also lots last night) but shared amongst 5 of them during the day it doesnt go that far!

A stable WOULD make things so much easier
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but I really dont want to move to another yard unless I really, really have to
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Give him a good pile of haylage over night then to ensure he has enough to last. You could also think about giving him warm boiled barley.
 
I have a 15.2hh TB as well who came to me 6 months ago as scrawny as anything.

He is on 3/4 scoop Falcon Equine conditioning cubes, 1/2 scoop molassed chaff and 1/2 scoop of sugarbeet with 365 complete and 14 lbs of haylage. So nothing clever or exciting but it has worked wonders and is probably going into Winter a little heavy!
 
My TB who I got last June was very weedy when going into winter last year.
Firstly I would start bringing your horse in at night, it is getting very cold, and with the grass loosing its nutritional value at this time of year, he is better off in with hayledge.
Secondly I would put your lad onto Alfa A oil. That got my mares weight up last year. I wouldn't put him onto the build up and the Alfa A oil at once though, the protein is just too much for our sensative TB's. Poutu was on Build up and Alfa A oil and ended up with a massive protein rash, I also find it goes straight to their heads.
Hope this helps you
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Izzi
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Thanks Izzi for some good ideas, but as I have said above - he CANT come in at night, there are no stables free (although we have about 40 odd stables at our yard!) Otherwise he would be in like a shot
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Seems like Alfa Oil is getting a few votes, so may try 'selling' my Alfa A to someone else and getting some now
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I would give- 1 scoop Baileys No4 with 2 scoops Winergy Medium ( it is just high fat chaff and oil so its an ideal thing to put with the baileys no.4 ) twice a day.

Brewers yeast
Linseed

Adlib haylage

And more rugs than usual!
 
You could try adding oil to your feed; it adds calories without fizz and is slow release energy.

I put weight on my TB (was 495kg when he arrived; he is 16.3hh) with alfa a oil, fibrebeet, baileys no.4 and pink powder. He was in at night with adlib hay. I tried him on winergy for 6 or 8wks but his weight fluctuated on it so I went back to baileys no.4.

He now weights 560kg and only gets 1 feed a day of hi-fi, baileys no 4 and pink powder with adlib hay at night (out during the day).

He gets cold easy so is rugged, still in a MW, but not over rugged as don't want him sweating any weight off.

It's a minefield! lol

Good luck
 
I use the Baileys Outshine (2 mugfuls a day) 2 large scoops of the Baileys Endurance Mix with a handful of Applechaff split that between 2 feeds. Found this is putting condition on nicely and she is lovely and shiny, and did'nt send her silly!
 
my TB mare is a nightmare to keep weight on, another vote for the Alfa A oil and Allen and Page calm and condition failing that I would go with the build up cubes. I found the Calm and condition was quite good for putting on the condition without her going silly and being unmanagable (like she does when on cereals).

If he has problems putting the weight on and you have only just got him - shoot me for asking but has he been wormed recently ???
 
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my TB mare is a nightmare to keep weight on, another vote for the Alfa A oil and Allen and Page calm and condition failing that I would go with the build up cubes. I found the Calm and condition was quite good for putting on the condition without her going silly and being unmanagable (like she does when on cereals).

If he has problems putting the weight on and you have only just got him - shoot me for asking but has he been wormed recently ???

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Not going to shoot you at all - good thought
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He was wormed as soon as I got him, but that was only a week/10 days ago.
 
He is broken at the moment
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Two days after I got the physio out to sort him, he was tied up outside the stable, got the lead rope over his head, panicked, and went down on the concrete
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He was very lucky, just superficial cuts/grazes on his near fore and near hind, but physio says just walk him until she can come out to treat him again just in case. She cant come until 6th November!

But pictures will follow as soon as he is mended, I promise
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He is broken at the moment
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Two days after I got the physio out to sort him, he was tied up outside the stable, got the lead rope over his head, panicked, and went down on the concrete
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He was very lucky, just superficial cuts/grazes on his near fore and near hind, but physio says just walk him until she can come out to treat him again just in case. She cant come until 6th November!

But pictures will follow as soon as he is mended, I promise
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sorry to hear that
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- hopefully he will be ok by the time the physio comes back.
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Speaking of pics I really need to get up some pics of my new boy being ridden (he is very fat and unfit at the moment)
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Another vote for calm & condition & alfa a oil! My TB does really well on it. I add a bit of speedi beet for that little bit extra if he needs it. He also gets pink powder.
He hasn't been clipped yet (thursdays task), but his winter coat is gorgeous!

Obviously you don't have access to a stable so ensure he has plenty of haylage at night & is well rugged so doesn't burn any calories keeping warm. Full neck essential! I know of several tb's who winter out really well, so providing he seems happy in himself & can hold his weight I wouldn't worry too much about him being out.
 
My TB lives out. He is on speedibeet, Bailey's No4, a blob of oil and Pink Powder plus good grazing (no hay yet)..
I've only had him 3 weeks but he's put on one notch on the weightape so he's heading in the right direction.
He came to me in good condition but only just covered as he was in a pretty poor state this time last year and has spent the summer recouperating...
 
Vashti can you put hayledge out into his field at night or is this not practical?
Just thought that it might help him maintain a bit of weight whilst out overnight
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Just be careful you don't get too much condition on!! TB's are not all meant to be show fat and you could end up with a horse that feels really well indeed!

Another tip, keep the number of "ingredients" in your feed to a minimum because one suppliment can undo another and then you are potentially pouring your money away.

My girl is a "paul radcliffe" type, lean but could go for miles and miles! She is always below 500kg and 16hh, never looked too thin since I have got her excrsize and diet balanced. I do have to be careful about protein, it is either haylage or blue chip not both and I don't feed her much of either. I have always found that grass does the best job and I often reduce my feed dramatically in the summer on good grazing. Redigrass or similar is quite a good addition to chaff, I did feed it as a side dish which was funny as she didn't know which to eat first "daddy or chips?"!!
 
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Vashti can you put hayledge out into his field at night or is this not practical?
Just thought that it might help him maintain a bit of weight whilst out overnight
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Whoops sorry just caught up with this! TBH I am getting a bit stressed about this Izzi, I do put good quality haylage out with him every night - and was putting it out in the mornings too - but Bob isnt eating it
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Last night for example I put some out, he ate his tea then buggered off down the (biggish) field as one of the others was still out and was lurking down there. Fine, I thought, he will come up when the other horse comes in, and will eat the haylage then! Turned up this morning and he had hardly touched it
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I have asked to move him to another field, which is smaller but with more shelter, where he will only be sharing with one other horse who is also left out at night for 99% of the time (except when he goes hunting). Hope this will settle Bob down a bit and he will start eating haylage properly....

He has been at the yard since July and was turned out 24/7 on his own before I bought him (although with company over the fence as now) - he didnt seem to stress as much before, perhaps because he never shared his field rather than sharing it during the day but not at now as he is doing at present. Or perhaps because he was one of approx 30 horses which the people on the yard, so no-one had time to notice?
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Just be careful you don't get too much condition on!! TB's are not all meant to be show fat and you could end up with a horse that feels really well indeed!


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LOL - dont worry about that, I have greyhounds so am used to the 'lean' type of animal and I abhor fat horses or dogs
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I just have a good eye for condition, and I know I am not happy with his at the moment.

I will do some gradual tweaking of his diet and see what happens... and give it time of course, nothing happens overnight
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It may well be then that he's not hungry yet - hence leaving the haylage.

Has he dropped weight?

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He hasnt dropped weight significantly, I check daily under his woolly coat which he has grown despite being rugged up well!

It is more a case that I would like more on him going into the winter than he had when I purchased him 2 weeks ago?
 
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