Those of you with warmbloods

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Hovis_and_SidsMum

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Since Mr Pride has come home we've kept him just on hay and chaff as thats what he's been on and he's on his toes enough as it is!
However when he settles down we need to think about feed as we want him to have enough energy but not blow his brains.
Hovis i could shovel anything down and it won't do a thing (well aprt from robinsons cordial!!) but this is the first warmblood we've had and he is a totally different beastie!
Any recommendations?
 
Mine struggles to keep weight on esp in winter, so I feed him Alfa A oil, bailey no4 cubes (which don't seem to fizz him up) and sugarbeet, plus baileys outshine in severe weather. Sounds like yours is quite fizzy and a fairly good doer so this might not be an ideal diet for him though!!
 
He only arrived 2 days ago so he's settling down. He was a v chilled out dude when we met him at his old home so hopefully he'll calm down soon! That said we just want to be v v careful will his feed to avoid blowing his tiny brains!
 
I fed A&P Power and powermance works a treat and doesnt put on weight!! In the past I have treid both spiller comp mix no difference apart from pilleing on weight!! Oats done abstoty sod all blocked him up!! This is the only one that I finds that gives a bit more oopmh without a silly head!! O hes a good doer too so only gets fed a little and it works!
 
I'd just try him on the hay and chaff for now.

We've had all sorts over the years- warmbloods, TBs, ISHs, natives etc., and most of them get haylage and Alfa-A with a vitamin supplement if they're in 'hard' work. They all seem to keep their weight well, and if we keep fitness up, energy stays up. My sister has PN evented her horse on that diet for the past few years- chances are that if she progressed she'd need a bit more, but we prefer to keep it as simple as possible!
 
I would keep him as he is until he is more settled. I used to feed my DWB on Alfa A and Hi fibre cubes - She couldn't have any kind of mix otherwise it blew her brain completely
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I also couldn't feed haylage as she scoured on it all the time.
 
Mine isn't a great doer so she's on econ mix, nuts chaff and blue chip with liberal oil. She won't eat alfa a, so can't feed that. Ad lib hay and at the moment she's having red cell too as seems to have picked up a virus.
I find warmbloods aren't really ever "fizzy fizzy" more quite laid back but have the tendency to get sharp if underworked and over fed and not given enough to think about. I've never met a warmblood who gets sharp in quite the same way a TB type does. Best thing you can do is up his workload first then up his feed, he'll soon settle. All the warmbloods on our yard are kwpn or bel. and breeding does make a big difference too but the best thing is to remember they are bred to perform and need the mental stimulation to get the best out of them.
 
My one gets alfa-a and balancer(baileys low cal) plus haylage.Did try Allen n p[age calm and condition which she was really chilled on but put on too much condition.
 
Mine's half Dutch warmblood and had him a couple of months. He has Alfa-A and Blue Chip. He seems to be a good doer. I did have him on conditioning cubes up until a couple of days ago but cut those out completely now as he started to look and feel a bit too 'well' in himself!

I'd stay stick to hay and chaff till you think he needs more - I should have done that!
 
My boy can be quite sharp and he is a good doer. He has ad lib hay, a few high fibre nuts, 2 good scoops of dengie original, and a vit and mineral supp, twice a day. Currently cutting down his dengie as hopefully grass will be coming through soon!! Hope your boy settles in soon and that you have loads of fun with him!!
 
Captain is a warmblood and it is difficult to keep weight on him, he can also get very stressy and can be difficult. I used to have him on blue chip original, but they changed the recipe and whatever they put in it or changed sent him loopy.

He is now on very good quality haylage, at least 2 extra large nets, A&P's Calm and Condition, with mollichaff, speedibeat and his supplements. He also has loads of succulents ( carrots, swede, apples and pears) He has kept his weight on and is calm, which is is a relief to all!

So you can feed them and not have them go loopy.
 
I have a belgian warmblood (hanno x tb breeding) and he is a pretty good doer. I use a high fibre, high oil diet which seems to work pretty well and keep the fizz down!
 
Kane is a plank and also a nightmare to keep weight on if he gets stressed or cold but this winter he has been on just ad lib haylage and hi-fi light and high fibre nuts and he has actually held his weight (YAY). We have tried a range of different feeds with him though
Blue Chip - nutso not good
Sugarbeet/speedibeet - he would sweat up terribly for no reason
Calm+Condition - kept the weight on but was still fizzing him up although not as badly as the blue chip
Alfa A/ Alfa A oil - again helped with the weight but too much fizz still

I'm pretty sure we tried a couple of others but I can't think what they were.
 
mine can be sharp, is a mega good doer and has a sense of humour. Ive got him on hifi lite and baileys lo-cal. the only thing that doesnt blow his brains! i would only feed him the chaff but he needs nutriets from the balancer else his feet get poor condition
 
I have a 4 year old GWB she is not a good doer. I feed her Hi Fi Lite and Lo Cal with Global Herbs Super Calm. But she does have huge amounts of hay. This seems to keep a lid on things in the cold weather when she can be on her toes

My friend who also has a WB has noticed a drastic change in her horse since using Top Spec balancer and nuts she said he is a lot calmer and for the first winter ever is keeping his weight on.

Less is more definitely with the big WB breeds. If they are young you also have to be careful of them growing too quick. With this breed it is much better for them to be a bit leaner whilst they are young and still growing and have a sensible brain. I have not got time to deal with 17hh horses jumping around and when I want to ride I want to get on and not fanny around with having to lunge etc etc so mine get turned out all weather with short bursts of work and ad lib hay this tends to work for me. Feed according to work.
 
I feed my TBxWB on Denige Original, Baileys Conditioning Cubes and Blue Chip Original
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He has just enough energy and struggles with his weight so is on BC and Baileys but when the grass comes through he will just be on BC. I ride Red most school days and hacking and usually a show at the weekend at the moment so this suits him fine
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Good luck with your new horse :P
 
Mine is stressed in his head but lazy by nature. A good doer. After a lot of trial and error he is a happy and talented horse on Alpha A Lite, currently Dengie Performance Vits and Mins because he was on Dengie Naked Oats. However cut oats prior to Xmas and started Carron Oil. The Carron Oil is brilliant for energy without blowing his mind providing I can get the work into him to avoid weight gain. Don't think I'll go back to oats and therefore will change the Vits and Mins, just loathed to change anything as he's perfect at the moment.

In hindsight my experience has been to keep to straights and avoid mixes. You get so much more flexibility with straights.

Good luck.
 
My dutch warmblood mare is fed on high fibre haylage, high fibre cubes and safe and sound chaff ( as it contains all the vits and mins she needs) She is quite a stressy type of horse but has manageable energy on this type of feed.
 
my BWB is on alpha a oil and rolled oats and Dengie performance vits.
i adjust the feed according to his workload during the snow i cut the oats out completely.
straights are definitely better than mixes that way i know exactly what im feeding.
mine needs the rolled oats as he can be very behind the leg when he want to be.
he also not normally carrying much weight after winter but tanks it on easily in the summer.
 
My dutch warmblood also has trouble keeping condition. the best mix I have found for him is Alfa A, micronised barley, coolmix, sugar beet and pink powders. It keeps his condition on and keeps him 'alert' without being too silly.
 
My warmblood x is laminitic - but as a rescue started out really skinny.

She gets ad lib soaked hay (to remove the sugar) with Kwik Beet (3% sugar no molasses) and micronised linseed (no sugar but high calorie). To this I add my own blend of supplements.

For her I find this an effective and economical way of keeping the weight on/off as required without her getting silly. I can adjust the feed and supplements as necessary.

I think a lot of people would describe her as sharp - but on this diet I find her mostly quietly intelligent and very trainable/willing. (The exception being when her ex farrier is around when she goes into instant panic mode.)
 
When mine was competeing and growing at the same time (17.1 swedish warmblood who evented etc ) i fed him on dengie alhpa A sometimes but also 1 scoop tiger oats, 2 scoop winergy high energy racehorse mix and 1 scoop molassed sugar beet pulp. he had this twice a day with a good glug of oil. adlib good hay6 and it just abot kept weight on him. he was sharp if kept stabled 24hrs in bad weather so i used to drop it a bit then. we used to reckon high oil feeds and not too mcuh cereal based but oats for some energy as he was so lacking in his fast work.
 
I would just wait and see what he needs and feed accordingly. There are so many different types of WB and so it would be impossible to say what he needs.

When mine was in work she would get D&H staypower muesli. Shes a hot head but needed the energy and I found this was perfect for her.
 
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