Supplements for a tb mare

L

lucyrebecca94

Member
Joined
22 October 2013
Messages
21
Location
Nottingham
Visit site
Just wondered what everyone else thinks about the supplements I'm choosing to feed my horse. she's a tb mare 18 years old and drops weight rapidly in the winter. I was considering feeding her chaff, sugar beet and nuts with garlic and mint, cod liver oil, pink senior (for her old age) easy breathing as she will be stabled) and some stuff for her feet? Too many supplements or not?

Thanks in advance :)
 
Would probably suggest a conditioning feed rather than just nuts.

What sort of work is she in?

Andy why do you feed the supplements that you do?
 
Alltech Lifeforce! Cracking supplement, cant say enough great stuff about it. It will definitely help with condition and also cover as a general vit/min supplement, as well as being excellent for gut health!
 
Currently just in light work because of her feet, she doesn't mind she'd rather just chill out with her field mates anyway. I feed her the garlic and mint for some taste, cod liver oil because my friend recommended to feed it. Pink senior just to cover her for being old and some stuff for her feet because they are badly cracked and trying to introduce new horn growth.
 
Its seems you are feeding a lot of supplements with no real purpose. Keep it simple - balanced minerals and a bit of yeast to help with digestion if she's old. I'd reccomend a forage balancer like progressive earth pro hoof or forage plus winter balancer and some brewers yeast. This should greatly improve her feet too. If your struggling with her feet what do you feed her? My TBs greatly improved putting her on a no starch/sugar feed with some mag ox and no cubes/mixes/chaffs of any sort and added micronised linseed. The mint and garlic isn't needed as long as she eats it up and micronised linseed is much better than cod liver oil.
 
Another vote for keeping it simple

lucyrebecca94 said:
I feed her the garlic and mint for some taste
Click to expand...
I'm sure that makes it taste lovely...to a human. Is she picky with her feed? If she eats happily without I'd drop these two

lucyrebecca94 said:
cod liver oil because my friend recommended to feed it
Click to expand...
recommended it for what in particular? could try alfa a oil instead of this and chaff.

lucyrebecca94 said:
Pink senior just to cover her for being old
Click to expand...
I think I'd be tempted to get some kind of senior balancer and drop the nuts and pink senior

lucyrebecca94 said:
some stuff for her feet because they are badly cracked and trying to introduce new horn growth.
Click to expand...
sounds fair

Then you'd just have something like alfa a oil, balancer, sugar beet and hoof supplement?
 
lucyrebecca94 said:
Just wondered what everyone else thinks about the supplements I'm choosing to feed my horse. she's a tb mare 18 years old and drops weight rapidly in the winter. I was considering feeding her chaff, sugar beet and nuts with garlic and mint, cod liver oil, pink senior (for her old age) easy breathing as she will be stabled) and some stuff for her feet? Too many supplements or not?

Thanks in advance :)
Click to expand...


I don't think so. Mine is a TB 7 yr old mare who gets all year Alfa A, Speedibeet, micronized linseed and pink powder. She is doing fine on it, holds her weight well, although I will add a bit of endurance mix (or similar) when I need more stamina.
 
Assume you're feeding her plenty good quality hay/haylage? Then (although you haven't said what her workload is like) I'd keep it as simple as possible eg unmolassed beet and balancer. Personally I wouldn't feed garlic.

If you decide to stable her (see from another thread you might keep her out) then as long as she doesn't have any pre-exisitng respiratory problems (if she does then definitely keep her out) and you keep your stable clean, dust free and feed good quality, dust free hay (or haylage) then you don't need the Easy Breathing.

Hoof supplement - important to bear in mind that hoof supplements will only help if your diet is deficient in the hoof important vitamins and minerals.
 
If mine I would go with fast fibre, pro hoof off ebay (that covers you with yeasacc for pro-biotic and covers feet), soaked adlib hay and fed on the floor.

See if you need the breathing sup after all this- plus out as much as possible will help with feet and breathing.

Good luck
 
Hi i feed my old horse CORN OIL really good for putting weight on, i agree with other posts you need more of a feed instead of nuts, my old one gets fed with Alfa a, alfa beet soaked of course with conditioning cubes with her corn oil, you say she is in the feild with her friends not really doing much, is she rugged up?? maybe a suggest a good rug which will help her with the bad cold weather now arrivingxxx
 
ellie11987 said:
Its seems you are feeding a lot of supplements with no real purpose. Keep it simple - balanced minerals and a bit of yeast to help with digestion if she's old. I'd reccomend a forage balancer like progressive earth pro hoof or forage plus winter balancer and some brewers yeast. This should greatly improve her feet too. If your struggling with her feet what do you feed her? My TBs greatly improved putting her on a no starch/sugar feed with some mag ox and no cubes/mixes/chaffs of any sort and added micronised linseed. The mint and garlic isn't needed as long as she eats it up and micronised linseed is much better than cod liver oil.
Click to expand...

This

Adlib forage when in.

Have a look at the Rockley farm blog for ideas about improving her hoof quality.
 
Everything seems fine but just make sure you give her good quality fodder without the calorific intake. To keep her condition without her getting 'fizzy' try Fibre-Beet.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top