tb Needs to gain weight . help!

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Jim bob

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My boy really needs to gain weight. Dropped it suddenly and due to been on steriods at the time I could pump him full of high calorie feed. Now I can! He is feed 3 times a day and is currently been feed 1 round stubb scoop of alfa a molasses free. Around 3/4 scoop of d and h build up cubes per meal. He is also getting half a mug (if the baileys mugs ) of mirconised linseed which I add to one of the feeds. Like I say he really needs to put on some weight. He will be at the vets in two weeks if not. Since we have wormed him,upped his feed and bloods have come back completely normal


He was on this feed with alfa.a.oil and the cubes and veg oil last year in worm and did well on this which is why I am sticking to this. Would you swap the linseed oil to vet oil or rapeseed oil? At the moment my horse is doing no work and hasn't done any work since May. He has no topline. As present the grass in his field is green but not very long is some places. He is currently out 247 due to the rest of the yard been out 247 and I can't be doing with him stressing the weight off due to him been in by himself.

Thanks!!
 
I wouldn't feed linseed oil- micronised linseed, up to 500gm, instead.

There are lots of feeds to put on condition. I personally don't feed Alfa or commercial cubes/mixes. I also wouldn't feed oil as the equine digestive system is not designed for it (attended a vet talk years ago and he was completely exasperated by people feeding it).

I feed my TB a variation of the following depending on his requirements and/or time of year. All changes are made slowly and gradually.

Graze on chaff (unmolassed and Alfa free)
Speedibeet
Grass nuts (soaked)
Copra/Coolstance
Micronised linseed (fed year round)
Whole oats (soaked overnight)
Progressive Earth Pro Balance (good vit/min supplement)

Just now he's fed chaff, beet and linseed with supplement but he's needing more condition so linseed is increased, grass nuts are being reintroduced, and will eventually fully replace the beet.

I've just ordered a bag of Falcon Omega Rice Bran. My usual "go to" is Coolstance but as this rice bran is easier to source I'm trying it. Saracens Equijewel is often recommended as a conditioning feed, it's basically linseed and rice bran, so I'll try rice bran and see how we go.

Be aware that you can't feed for topline. Topline is muscle that comes from correct work. If you're looking to feed/build muscle through work then, with their higher protein content, feeds like Coolstance and micronised linseed will help.
 
All oil has the same calorie content. From that point of view, swapping the type of oil doesn't make any difference at all. Linseed oil has by far the most beneficial ratio of omega 3 and 6 fatty acids, so I'd stick with the linseed meal (or linseed oil), though I prefer meal as well.
I take it his teeth were checked too and don't pose any problems. If the grass is sparse, could you try offering hay in the field? How is his appetite? If he's struggling to finish his feeds I would try and reduce the volume - look for more calorie-dense feeds. Chaff and soaked feeds are not very calorie dense (think dry weight per volume). And you don't necessarily have to give up fibre feeds to get something more energy dense. Look for pelleted feeds instead. You could e.g. increase the calorie content of the ration by swapping the scoop of alfa a molasses free for a scoop of alfalfa pellets with an extra topping of linseed meal.
A rounded scoop of chaff weighs maybe 600g (7MJ energy). A scoop of alfalfa pellets weighs 1.6kg (16MJ), and a large mug (200g) of linseed meal would add another 4MJ. So you get much more energy into a smaller volume. If appetite is an issue, then smaller, more energy dense feeds may help get more calories into your horse.
 
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Nothing better than several weeks out with Dr Green imo. Let down/relaxed - no stress. If not much grass, then hay.
TBs, in particular, don't absorb masses of hard feed in one go. I'd go for as many small meals as you can bear to give him in the day (3 or 4?). I rate micronised linseed too.
 
First of all, is he getting any hay at all? If the grazing in the field is not brilliant, he really needs to be getting ad lib hay, but presume this might be a problem if he is turned out with others? Is there a possibility of him being in a sectioned off paddock beside other horses where he can have hay all the time, or moving to a field with better grazing? It is really difficult to get weight onto a horse if they are not getting enough forage.

I don't know what he has been on steroids for, but presumably he has had some illness or injury. It might be that this has upset the bacteria in the gut that digest fibre, so it might be worth discussing with your vet whether it would be useful to put him on a probiotic.
 
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Thank you for the replies.
TPO: my boy is on mirconised linseed. I am slowly increasing this. I know you can't feed for topline he has lost it due to not been in work for 4 months. When he gains the weight I am happy to work him

Supsup : yes he is on mirconised linseed. His teeth have been done by my dentist then my vet checked them aswrll and there not causing the issue. At present due to been in a group he isn't getting hay in the field. He has no issues with his appetite and pretty much kicks the bowl clean! The chaff he is on is 11.5Mj.

Gin:
I agree but at present I don't have lovely Dr green. Also did you read all of my thread? He is already on 3 meals a day. My horse appears to be getting bullied or atleast picked on slightly and he is a anxious horse anyway.

TMG: just grass in the field at the moment. No hay. Shall be section ing him off though partly so he doesn't get hurt and so he can have hay . He was on steriods for a skin allergy.
 
Can you bring him in daily for adlib hay?

No idea what the weather is like with you but is he warm enough? We've not had a summer in scotland this year and my usually warm TB is wearing a rain sheet most days and 100gm rug at night. It won't be long until he's in a MW.

Feeding fibre is the "fuel" for the equine central heating system. If they are kept warm, but never too hot, then they can use that fuel for condition rather than keeping warm.

If your horse is being bullied stress can also cause weight to be worried off. Is there an option to turn him out with his friends only?
 
My poor doer TB had 3 acres of good grass last year and didn't put on any top line at all. This year, as he is an ex Irish chaser and would be used to it, I have got him back on cereals - flaked barley and some oats, as well as his usual unmollassed beet and grass pellets. It has made all the difference.
You can have all the conditioning nuts and high calorie stuff in the world but if their digestion doesn't maximise it it won't do the job. Mine has a probiotic and a good balancer as well as mycosorb and did have some liver support as well, just to give his system the best chance of making the most of it. It isn't always as simple as calories in vs calories out, the nutrients have to be bioavailable to them as well.
 
Access to forage at all times, make sure he is rugged enough. Mine is a hot horse over summer but drops weight so quick as soon as the temperatures aren't t-shirt weather.

For various reasons ours are turned out individually, but mine put on weight (this is a few years ago) when separated as the other horse was constantly harassing him and moving him round etc. He's a fence walker anyway so this just added to it!

I would add some soaked oats and up the linseed to two mugs. Oats are rarely heating and my hot head has 3 soaked scoops a day. The linseed will be great for the tummy, coat and weight.

For reference Fig is schooling PSG competing AM. He has 3 feeds a day; 2 scoops winergy condition, 3 scoops soaked rolled oats, 2 mugs linseed, 1 scoop mollichaff calmer. He is supplemented with a few things but the Elite Equine Compete & Mega Build amino acids have been *amazing* at a bulk free way of getting more condition on him.

IMG_4903_zps3uqkzn87.jpg
 
TPo: he does come in daily anyhow for feed etc and does have hay afterwards and the hay is ad lib. The weather has been changing alot so he probably hasn't been as warm as he needs to be to keep the weight on. Weather says one thing that is does something completely different! We believe he is been bullied. When in another field just a week ago my boy got a kick to the head and ended up with a fractured bone. However there was hardy any grass and apparently all the horses were fighting. There has been tension for a while in the field.

Jill A : my boy did well on this feed before last winter which is why he is on this again. My horse is on a vit and min supplement aswell.

Nikki. I need to separate him so he can have the ad lib hay he normally gets but he is out at grass 247. I can't risk him getting injuries again and been stressed out possible due to the tension. We don't know which horse kicked him and it's not really possible to separate them to a degree. The other owners don't want to separate the horses until the grass is ate down more but in some.places the grass is very short.
 
The sugars will be higher in short grass and in "stressed" grass ie grass that is eaten right down.

Again because of our lack of summer there's not been much goodness in the grass this year compared to previous years. Two of mi e have been fine but the TB has mainly stayed on winter feed rations.

If there's no grass that's a contributing factor to an unsettled herd. If separating him to better grazing isn't an option is looking for a more suitable yard an option?

Tbe weather is a nightmare and I can't find a reliable forecast either. The joys!
 
I have seen miraculous results with equerry cool condition mash on an old racehorse that was very nearly pts 10 months ago!

Mine doesnt need *that* level of conditioning but does fabulously on baileys outshine - I would be looking at combining the two with a good general purpose vit/min supplement
 
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