skinny stressy tb owners

cellie

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What feed do you use with your tb for adding weight .My mare is fine in summer when there is lots of grass but this winter I have struggled to keep her weight and she has lost loads.
Unfortunately had problem with haylage (she just didnt like this years batch from my supplier) and after experimenting with 3 to 4 different bales I ve gone back to hay.She is now clearing up as much as I can give her which is basically ad lib.The refusal to eat her haylage has meant she has dropped weight over last month.
Her feed twice a day is 2 scoops fast fibre ,1 calm and condition, large scoop alpha with oil ,micronised linseed(for oil) ready grass as she wasnt eating her fibre(hay) and I have been adding oil although we have just run out.She has herbal calmer as she is very stressy hacking sj etc and I have fed three times a day on occassion to try and add weight.
I have tried doubling up calm and condition but then she is unrideable very highly strung on the wrong type of feed.
She has packed haybar full of hay overnight and huge tub in paddock during day.Not sure how long it will take to add weight that she has dropped so quickly.She still has bags of energy and full of life .I really feel it was just dislike of haylage that caused weight problem.:o
 
I'm a traditionalist; oats, maize and barley mix person and just good ad-lib hay myself. Doesn't really heat any of our ones up as much as people automatically think it would :)
 
Mine has fibre beet in a bucket last thing at night mixed with a little alfa a and some nuts, he is not as a big hay eater so I use this to help him get through the winter, he also has saracen show improver mix for breakfast and tea. If your horse is stressy have you tried using one of the calmers that helps settle the tum as well as calming like relax me from horse first, I have heard some really good feed back about this product. Not long till spring now hopefully the weight shall go back on soon:)
 
I really don't rate calm and condition, I do agree with Binky that straights definitely are the best and are way cheaper.

My skinny TB is on sugarbeet, alfa and oats and ad lib haylage and has never looked better. :)
 
Mine has fibre beet in a bucket last thing at night mixed with a little alfa a and some nuts, he is not as a big hay eater so I use this to help him get through the winter, he also has saracen show improver mix for breakfast and tea. If your horse is stressy have you tried using one of the calmers that helps settle the tum as well as calming like relax me from horse first, I have heard some really good feed back about this product. Not long till spring now hopefully the weight shall go back on soon:)
Beet sends mine loopy;) thats why I use fast fibre very similiar but works for her.Relax me is magnesium based I have tried all the best brands so dont think its magnesium deficiency but something to help gut sounds good idea.The calm and condition have priobiotics(sp)so these should help not sure if there is anything else in relax me that could help ill have look thanks.:D
 
I really don't rate calm and condition, I do agree with Binky that straights definitely are the best and are way cheaper.

My skinny TB is on sugarbeet, alfa and oats and ad lib haylage and has never looked better. :)

What quantities/scoops do you use per day.:D
 
She is now clearing up as much as I can give her which is basically ad lib.The refusal to eat her haylage has meant she has dropped weight over last month.
Her feed twice a day is 2 scoops fast fibre ,1 calm and condition, large scoop alpha with oil ,micronised linseed(for oil) ready grass as she wasnt eating her fibre(hay) and I have been adding oil although we have just run out.She has herbal calmer as she is very stressy hacking sj etc and I have fed three times a day on occassion to try and add weight.

Can I ask how long you have been feeding her this amount and what work per week you do with her? :)
 
We have all of ours on it - some of the cobs, TB's, hunters, youngsters - the lot really. Much cheaper for the field lot living out who need extra also - a couple of buckets emptied out in the field each day keeps them all looking fine. Any which are 'lacking' that we get in, pick up fairly quick after a week or two.

We haven't run into any problems with it heating wise - the ones who need the additional weight aren't in work till they're adequately covered, so don't have any 'heating up' problems with them and we find utilise all the feed into weight gain anyway rather than fizziness. And the ones which are up to weight, in work and being fed it, they're in enough work to not have any problems arise. All are worked and kept accordingly for the amount of energy going in and needed.
 
Can I ask how long you have been feeding her this amount and what work per week you do with her? :)
I put her on extra fast fibre over winter months during summer she has one scoop of c and c and one fast fibre plus alpha twice a day unless she has abundant grass.I ride 5 to 6 days a week mostly hacking at moment as our school is boggy waiting for new one!! .During summer I sj every 2nd/3rd week and have flat work lessons occassional sj lessons .She has just had 2 weeks off as we couldnt get down drive for snow which resembled ice rink. She is very fit athletic petite tb.
 
Im willing to give oats a try so what quantities do you all suggest ,she 16h and normally weighs 540 and is ridden 5/6 days a week.:D
 
My tb has done well on 1 scoop off baileys top line mixed with linseed and alfa a oil. Don't forget a horses stomach can only take about 4lb at a time which is about a scoop off nuts, any more and you are wasting it. Maybe add another meal?
Tbh I feed fast fibre to my ponies I wouldn't use it for my tb but baileys no 4 really is good. I don't rate calm and condition either
 
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