Putting weight on!?!

[jodiew]

Hi all i am new on here and would really appreciate it if anyone could help me out. After loaning a horse for 2 1/2 years i decided to take the plunge and finally buy my own.

So 12weeks ago i took delivery of my 14year old, 17h TB X, i no he is older so they do somtimes tent to loose weight but when i bought him he hadnt been looked after very well, so i sorted the immediate problems and then started to tackle his weight propblem. He did seem to put some on but now is stuck and has gone no further. He gets rode for an hour a day, gets hard feed on a night and loads of haylege during the day. He is wormed regulary as well, but has diarrhoea and doesnt seem to be bothering with his haylege. Has anyone got any advice, as i am new to this and could really do with some help.

Thanks Jodie

 

[Kelly1982]

What are you feeding him?

 

[Jose]

Maybe the haylage doesn't suit him - is it very rich? I would swap to hay if possible. Would also get his teeth checked & worm count done. Regarding feed, i would contact a few feed companies i.e. Allen & Page, Baileys, Dengie etc. to ask for advice - they will recommend a suitable diet.
Good luck

 

[jodiew]

He gets, a scoop and a half of conditions cubes, one mix, one chopp, and beet. Have had his teeth checked and all is fine. The yard he is on have said that he may have to be changed to hay as he just seems to walk his haylege around. I have been reading on the site and alot of people talk about Soya oil? He is quite exitable under tha saddle anyway, but would this make him more fizzy?

Sorry if i sound abit thick tis all a learning curve for me.

xx

 

[Kelly1982]

No soya oil wont make him fizzy, some horses dont like it though but it could be worth a try.

I have just put my mare on topspec feed balancer and she has started to put on wieght after just 1 week. Its more expensive per bag but you use less than you would with any other mix/nuts.

You could also try alpha-a oil instead of the chop as that is good too and put weight on my mare when she dropped a bit coming into winter.

 

[jodiew]

The thing is you see is that he is on working livery so it is really hard to start messing and changing his feed, an sometimes the yard manages tends to think that they no best so dont really take in to account what i am saying to do. I slighty lost at the moment as dont realyl no what to do.

 

[Kelly1982]

Hmm hat is slight more difficult then but at the end of the day he is your horse so you should have overall say in what he is fed.

Does he get fed before you get down there??

If it was me i would buy him a bag of topspec or bluechip and add it to his feeds when i got down. If he gets fed before you get there then its slightly more difficult.

Cant you come to some sort of arrangement with them so you pay a bit less livery and buy your own feeds??

If the feed he is on is not working then you need to change it or at least add something else to it.

Thats why i am on DIY so i have full control over what my horse is getting but i know thats not possible for everyone.

 

[jodiew]

I did looking into getting some bluchip as another girl from our yard did recommend it, but the yard manager said there was no point unless you was going to buy alot of it. i it easier for me at the moment to have him on working liverly as i work shifts at wrk so cant get there all the time, but i do no there is a satble comin gup in April that is very close to my house so am thinking about moving him.

I am just worried as i havnt got the knowledge that some people have at our yard an am scared i would do somthing worng!

 

[Skhosu]

I would be cutting down his work if he is very poor (how poor are you talking?)
Also, if he is having the runs it will be inhibiting him putting on weight.
Does he get any turnout? If he is walking his hay in he may be box walking because he is stressed.
I would also move him off working if they are not letting you control basic elements of your horse ownership.
Any pics?

 

[Skhosu]

It doesn't sound like you are doing anything wrong

.
At least you are asking for advice! Just beware of the YO's thinking they know best, as I had our old YO try to refuse to take a shoe off that was making my pony non-weight bearing as the toe clip was going into his sole! ( i insisted and funny enough the horse suddenly became a lot better!)
Good luck!

 

[Toby_Zaphod]

QUOTE "I did looking into getting some bluchip as another girl from our yard did recommend it, but the yard manager said there was no point unless you was going to buy alot of it."

I don't know what the yard owner is thinking there? I would continue with what you are feeding him at the moment however change from haylege to ad lib hay. Some horses find haylege too rich for them & they get loose. I would buy a bag of Blue Chip or Top Spec and add a cupful to each feed, this will assist your horse to get all the goodness out of what he eats. This should not change his temperament. With the work he's getting & hopefully the correct work he should build up nicely....but remember at ths time of year there is nothing out in the paddocks so everything he eats you have to provide. Good Luck

 

[TGM]

You say he isn't bothering with his haylage which make me wonder whether you have had his teeth checked since you bought him? Older horses often have dental problems and it is possible the reason he is not eating the haylage is because poor teeth are making it difficult for him. You also say he has diarrhoea - if this is proper diarrhoea (not just slightly sloppy droppings) then get him checked by the vet to ensure there is nothing wrong with him.

 

[chriscrogul]

Lots of good advice been posted here, I would like to add something though; many people make the mistake of feeding less haylage than they would hay because its richer, however, weight for weight the haylage obviously has a higher water content therefore the horse actually eats LESS fibre which can cause diarrhea.
I am also a recent convert to Top Spec, in less than three weeks my 6yo TB has put on topline and his coat has really improved too! If you had a sack of that you could feed him the RDA as a titbit and it wouldn't matter if the yard had already fed him.

 

[air78]

I feed too spec balancer and balanced horse feeds show mix, with oil to my TB who was very skinny when i first got him. The top spec helps with digestion, and the show mix is fibre based- i can't recomend it enough.
I wold also change to hay, and make sure he has it ad-lib.
Good luck

 

[cosmicblue]

Agree with all of above.
Definatly put him on soya oil it is fab stuff!

 

[vicm2509]

You have only had him for 12 weeks so I wouldnt expect too much just yet. I got Baron in April and I thought he wasnt gaining any condition and I didnt know what to try next. Then I looked at photos from when I got him compared to now and he really did look 100 times better, that was 7 months later. I would ring round feed companies and see what they suggest, then sick with it for about 6 months. Take regular photos and im sure you will see a difference. Also I would change to hay as it sounds like the haylage may be a little too much for him. Alfa oil is good and doesnt really cost much more than normal alfa so changing to this would be an idea. But do get him checked over by the vet if you are really worried.

But im sure you are just stressing about nothing, its hard when you first get your own horse and with so many feeds on the market and so many people saying do this and do that its no wonder you are confused. Ring the feed merchants, get their advice on feed then stick with that feed for at least 6 months then review the situation.

Good luck

 

[jodiew]

Just like to say a massive thank you to all of you for your help and information, i have had his teeth checked and they saud all was fine, he isnt gettit out much in the field at the moment as it is to wet, i have been having a good look round on the net and i do think i will be going for the Blue Chip as it seems to be getting alot of good feedback and it seems the way to go.

Thanks you again for all your help and will try and post sum pics up and keep you all updated on his progress.

Jodie x