Skinny Thoroughbred!

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cobblesswazz

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Hey Guys,

Need a spot of advice;

I bought my 8 year old thoroughbred in September 07. He came with significant weight on him but not enough to see him through the winter. I fed him up a bit but then he dropped. We are now in April and he is still not putting on weight. I have sent off for a worm count today. Should have results tomorrow or Wednesday. He is currently being fed;

1 heaped scoup of fibergy
1/4 scoup of soaked calm and condition
1/4 scoup of Baileys
Garlic
NAF easy going supplement

Any suggestions be greatly appreciated!
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Thanks
 
My TB came very skinny so i put her on a diet of 1/2 a cup of corn oil and 1scoop spillers condition nuts and 1scoop chaff twice a day and she is gaining weight really well the corn oil is great for putting weight on hope this helps
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Thanks TLilly! Actually Joe has been on spillers but it didn't agree with him. It made him Fizzy. I have no idea why but when I stopped feeding it he stopped. I have heard about Corn oil and will definately give it a go.

Cheers!
 
If you are feeding this in one feed I would try splitting it into 2 feeds, perhaps trying something like alpha oil instead of the fibergy?

How much good grazing/hay has he got available? I'd make sure he has either good grass or quality hay available ad lib.
 
It is in two feeds he has one at 8 and one about 5/6o'clock.

He has good access to hay and is stabled at night eating about 1/2 a small bail a night.

Also has good grass

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hmmm, typical thoroughbred eh! I have one just like him

In that case I'd see what worm count brings back , and monitor his weight with a weight tape that way you can monitor how he is doing sometimes when you see them every day I find you dont notice they are actually gaining.
 
Which Bailey's feed do you give him - there are a huge number of different products in the Bailey's range! Assuming it is one of Bailey's 'complete feeds' ie designed to be fed alongside hay/haylage and chaff, is there a reason why you are feeding it alongside another 'complete feed' - Calm and Condition?

Also, I would ask whether it is possible to give him a third feed - is there anyone about who could pop in a third feed at, say, 9pm?

I would decide which 'complete feed' you want to give him (either the Bailey's one or C&C), and then ring Baileys or Allen & Page to find how much they suggest you should give a horse of his type, size and workload.

Is he getting as much hay as he will eat- ie do you give him enough so there is a little left in the morning? Have you have teeth checked?
 
Teeth are fine and no it isn't the complete feed it is Baileys No4.

He is getting as much hay as he can cram in!

And I can't get another feed in him.

Hope that answers your questions,

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I use this for mine twice a day
alpha with oil large scoop
small scoop d and h build up for adding weight or maintenance pasture mix
small scoop of kwik beet
top spec balancer /just started using this week
changed him from skinny 350 kg to healthy 510 kg
I use haylage if hes in full work but when injured or resting I adjust haylage or use hay
Hope you get him sorted I really recommend build up .
 
I have a thoroughbred who is 17 years old and this is what I feed him morning and night and he keep his weight well:

1.5 scoops of sugarbeet
Big handful of alfa A
1.5 scoops conditioning cubes
1.5 scoops of rolled and flaked barley
Half a cup full of vegetable oil
 
Mine is 17 hands 19 yr old TB (ex racer)

He's fed on

One Scoop Bailey's no 4
One Scoop Alfa Oil

twice day (during winter it's same amount but 3 times a day as he drops weight quickly but now he's stable) Currently Out over night, in during day, Adlib of HAY! HAY! HAY! in field and in stable.
 
I found Allen and Page 'Old faithfull' really good to add weight when I had my TB. I fed it with 'Calm and Condition', Sugarbeet and chaff - he gained weight and kept it over winter.
 
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Teeth are fine and no it isn't the complete feed it is Baileys No4.

[/ QUOTE ] I mean a complete feed as in is it supplemented with vit/mins and designed to be the main feed alongside chaff and hay, which IS the case with Bailey's No. 4! If it suits him, then ring or email Bailey's and ask what is the recommended amount for your horse's weight, type and workload.

If you think he is better suited to Calm & Condition, then ring Allen & Page and ask for the recommended amount for your horse's weight, type and workload.

There is no point feeding conditioning feeds if you don't feed them at the recommended amounts!
 
Fed mine blue chip and he put on weight in the following weeks. Apparently he wasnt utilising the feed I was giving him due to problems in his hind gut. Dont know if this was due to him being a highly strung TB but it certainly made a difference. He seemed to have more stamina also.
 
Personally I wouldnt mix C&C and No4... both of those can also probably be fed at 3-4kg ie 3-4 scoops per day so I would pick one and up the amount fed to one full scoop per feed.

Try unmollassed sugar beet or fibrebeet as this can really help add weight, as can a conditioning chaff like Alfa A Oil...

Some Tbs however have problems digesting certain feeds due to feed intollerances, they seem to have delicate tums, and this stops them gaining weight as they should. I have 2 tbs, one oif whom I struggled to keep weight on for over 2 years. The only feed he has gained weight on is Winergy Equilibrium, after 3 months on it we had to cut it back as he was too fat..! My gelding gets the medium energy as he needs oomph as well as weight and my mare gets the growth as she just needs to add weight.... works a treat and well worth looking into...

www.winergy.com
 
This may sound odd, but you may be better putting him in a field with no/little grass over the winter, and haying him instead. This is because winter grass has little nutrient value but a lot of bulk, so your horse will lose weight on it.
I have to stop my TB mare eating grass in preference to hay, as she'll drop weight if she does.
At the moment I feed her a mix of hay/haylage, three handfuls of Dodson & Horrell 16 + mix (she's 19 and lives out), and about 1 scoop of soaked Speedibeet, with Equivite, and she's got good condition on her.
S
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I tried a lot of things with my tb who was a nightmare to keep weight on - the two things which worked best were sunflower oil, and sugar beet (along with ordinary cubes). A couple of months after I started feeding them she looked a different horse. A lot more effective than the much pricier feeds I'd tried before....
Also have you tried feeding haylage instead of hay?
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[ QUOTE ]
This may sound odd, but you may be better putting him in a field with no/little grass over the winter, and haying him instead. This is because winter grass has little nutrient value but a lot of bulk, so your horse will lose weight on it.
I have to stop my TB mare eating grass in preference to hay, as she'll drop weight if she does.
At the moment I feed her a mix of hay/haylage, three handfuls of Dodson & Horrell 16 + mix (she's 19 and lives out), and about 1 scoop of soaked Speedibeet, with Equivite, and she's got good condition on her.
S
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Thats an interesting thought, I have no grazing at home (1/2 acre paddock for a leg stretch) so mine have hay all year round, and people are often shocked at my horses bloom, so that makes good sense. Gosh how helpful of you Shils!
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I found giving equimins pro-bio to my old TB mare made a huge difference to her ability to keep weight on. You could try some of the Simple Systems feeds - they are very good and put weight on without fizzing up as they are forage based - just watch the red bag grass nuts - more energy than oats as they are from spring grass.

Years ago I found Baileys No 1 very good for putting the weight on. You could also try some instant linseed.
 
Definitely up the Baileys No4, or I'd actually suggest swapping to Spillers Conditioning Cubes but only because they work so well for my TB - he has three feeds a day each with 1 scoop dengi hi fi and 3/4 scoop spillers conditioning (he's only in very light work mind).
Other thing to note with TBs is make sure he is warm enough. Mine always drop weight if they aren't rugged enough, bless them.
 
I got a new TB on 22.03

He's on 2.5kg of alfa-a oil and 2.2kg of baileys no.4 split between 3 feeds (7am - out all day, in 7pm feed and 10pm feed). Supplemented with Pink Powder and mint, he's put on 9kg in one week.

I'm now slowly switching him onto Winergy Growth. Ultimately he'll be on just that and an antacid supp (he cribs).
 
OMG thanks so much guys! I am amazed at the responses you have given! I will play around and see what works out best for Joe.

I will keep you posted on any changes


Thanks again!
 
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