Tb with a weight problem

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LadyRascasse

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But not the skinny kind
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my older Thoroughbred gelding has a weight issue he is fat!!!! just when i feel he is at am acceptable weight BAM he gains a load from somewhere!

so few questions first how much haylage should a 16.1hh Hunter Type TB have a night?

and am i over feeding him with hard feed he gets 1/4 (round) scoop of fast fibre (dry weight) and 1/2 a scoop of chaff twice a day.

and any idea why he keeps gaining weight when the grazing is nothing special he is out for about about 7 hours a day and fed the above hard feed.

he won't eat soaked hay before it is suggested and i am on haylage as it is cheaper and he isn't fussy over it whereas hay he will eat it one day and not the next.
 
At least it's a cheaper problem to fix!

Not all TB's are poor doers - I know a couple of get fat on thin air.

Just treat him like a native good doer.

Is he on adlib haylage? If so put it into smaller holed haynets.

Is he rugged? If so downgrade the weight, or clip him, so he has to use energy to keep warm.

Does he need the fibrefast and chaff? If not cut it down to a token feed of good-doer type chaff.
 
he has never been a good doer, only this summer has he ever been fat. he is on 16lbs of haylage a night, is this too much for his size? (can't be in a haynet due to stable cough, Vet advice) he is rugged and fully clipped he isn't heavily rugged though. he has that amount of chaff (hifi) to slow him down otherwise he would be kicking the door down to get out in the morning (has to wait for his companion to eat his brekkie)
 
Have you thought about having him tested for Hypothyroidism? It would be very unusual for a horse, particularly an older TB to suddenly turn into a good-doer. Does he seem at all lethargic?
 
My 16.2 not chunky tb (chestnut in sig), is on 4kg haylege for through the night. She also gets a wee net of hay
It doesn't sound excessive amounts of grub, my mare is on more than that but she isn't a good doer and is ridden daily. How often is he ridden?
 
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