Topspec Conditioning Cubes

[Hormonal Filly]

I've got a Welsh, but not your ordinary Welsh. He isn't a 'great' doer to be honest and fed 2 feeds a day.

He is an ok weight at the moment, but I'm feeding Alfa-A Original and getting through a lot of Topspec Conditioning Cubes. He was on calm & Condition previously, but spoke to a feed shop for advice and replaced it with Topspec Cool Conditioning cubes.

Is there anything similar to Topspec Conditioning Cubes with more 'in' that you'd recommend?

I've bought a sack of micronised linseed so will start adding that.

 

[milliepops]

IIRC the topspec cubes are like their other "blends" and are designed to be fed alongside a balancer (as they don't contain vits & minerals etc).
so if that's all he's getting, he may actually benefit from changing to something else.
I'm sure everyone will suggest the normal grass nuts, linseed, pink mash type of thing
There's nothing wrong with those suggestions, they are economical and horse-friendly if they like it, that's what I feed my Welsh and she does well.

I have one that won't eat stuff like that, he likes traditional concentrate type feeds. My TB has kept reasonably well on Spillers digest+ conditioning cubes, they have pre/probiotics to help the horses get the most out of their feed. He has absolutely transformed though, since swapping to Baileys Ease & Excel. Complete feeds can work well for some horses but I don't reckon the TS is the right one from what you've said.
Does he eat plenty of hay and grass?

 

[Hormonal Filly]

Thanks @milliepops, I didn't know that. He isn't on tons of grass as I like to be able to catch him. I move his fence a foot daily so he gets a good amount, I put haylage in the field but he barely ever eats it.

Baileys Ease & Excel, does it have vits/minerals in? I use to feed Equilibria for years, until I red it was mostly all oats and minimal amount of vitamins and minerals. I did feed a pure vit/mineral supplement for 2 months but noticed no difference so stopped using it.

 

[TPO]

Just to echo Milliepops. Neurotic TB was on grass nuts, pink mash, linseed, chaff, salt, gut supp and mineral supp but was overfaced by the quantities needed to keep him in the right condition.

Swapped to Ease and Excel after MP recommended it and it's been perfect. He loves it so eats his feeds right up and the quantiry of grass nuts and pink mash is halved. Hes looking well and is less crabbit which it's being attributed to E&E gut supps.

He'd already improved with the pink mash then again with new gut supp but theres been a further improvement again

Hes barefoot too and his hooves haven't fallen off since switching to a premixed commercial feed either

 

[milliepops]

so just looked, the spillers cubes would be almost like-for-like swap based on their composition (spillers have a bit of rice bran included) but they would cover off your vits and mins and give his guts a bit of help to maximise what he's getting from his feeds.

 

[Hormonal Filly]

so just looked, the spillers cubes would be almost like-for-like swap based on their composition (spillers have a bit of rice bran included) but they would cover off your vits and mins and give his guts a bit of help to maximise what he's getting from his feeds.

Sorry, I meant Baileys Ease & Excel not Spillers.

 

[milliepops]

My TB had eaten more hay since swapping to the E&E (seems to have boosted his appetite for forage) and is absolutely blooming now, still on little grass as they haven't moved fields. Yeah it includes a mix of vits and mins so if you feed at the recommended rate it'll be as good as any commercial feed, plus the other added gut-stuff
they make it in cube form too now but mine is eating this mix version https://www.baileyshorsefeeds.co.uk/products/no21-ease-excel

HHO disclaimer added, I am sure it's not good enough for the purists but sometimes the horse in front of you is the proof you need

 

[Hormonal Filly]

Great, thank you. I'll compare Conditioning Cubes and Baileys. One feed I've NEVER fed is Baileys. He was on Calm & Condition for years, but he did look to skinny at one point and the feed nutritionist said C&C is crap and recommend Topspec CC.

Might try the cubes, he has had reactions to 'mixes' before so maybe the cubes will be better for him although the ingredients look different..

 

[milliepops]

I haven't fed any commercial complete feeds for years because my horses have all done well on straights but this one just doesn't like soaked things, mashes, much in the way of chaff etc because in his mind, feed should be hard and pelleted! He just sulks if I give him grass nuts etc. But he needs something to top him up so I have put my prejudices to one side and looked into them a bit more over the last year. I think things have changed with some feed manufacturers really trying to produce stuff that is good for horses rather than just good for riders (like the old sticky mixes that looked so appealing!)

I've ended up with 2 on Baileys at the mo as my broodmare is getting their stud balancer, it's the one I can get hold of easily.

 

[ihatework]

Commercial feeds have come a long way. Don’t get me wrong, I wouldn’t feed them routinely, I’ve had years of easy keepers that have lived & competed off basic fibres.

But for a horse that needs grub they are pretty damn practical. Tried for a while mixing and matching straights and fibres with my big horse, but he is much better on the recommended levels of Spillers. He gets the digest condition when ticking over and the HDF power when galloping/competing

 

[Michen]

Commercial feeds have come a long way. Don’t get me wrong, I wouldn’t feed them routinely, I’ve had years of easy keepers that have lived & competed off basic fibres.

But for a horse that needs grub they are pretty damn practical. Tried for a while mixing and matching straights and fibres with my big horse, but he is much better on the recommended levels of Spillers. He gets the digest condition when ticking over and the HDF power when galloping/competing

Same. I love the idea behind straights but have to say my lean, fussy fit horse did do much better on compounds.

He loved the top spec cond cubes but Equerry conditioning mash worked best for him. Here he is when hunting weekly and mid winter, he always runs light but Equerry meant he never got worryingly light. He was fed at max rates with ad lib forage.

 

[Hormonal Filly]

@Michen Goh he looks superb.. I just love him!

Thank you, I'll look into Equerry conditioning mash too.

 

[Michen]

@Michen Goh he looks superb.. I just love him!

Thank you, I'll look into Equerry conditioning mash too.

It’s the only thing I’ve ever found he eats without fail consistently and he usually hates wet feed. Double win. My friends really fussy mare loves it to.

Spacefaer on here got me into it, I’m not sure why I didn’t try it sooner!!

He doesn’t look like that now ?

 

[Hormonal Filly]

It’s the only thing I’ve ever found he eats without fail consistently and he usually hates wet feed. Double win. My friends really fussy mare loves it to.

Spacefaer on here got me into it, I’m not sure why I didn’t try it sooner!!

He doesn’t look like that now ?

His bum there looks lovely. Mines behind muscle currently is awful, doesn't help hes had constant lameness problems hopefully now sorted but need to gradually build it back up. Physio has given exercises so going to start those and some pole work.
I've got to be careful feed wise as he can get really heated and spooky, which is why I think the lady recommended cool conditioning cubes!

 

[milliepops]

they've all got similar ingredients and DE/nutritional profile, (soya hulls/oat or wheatfeed, beet pulp, linseed etc) it probably comes down to individual horse preferences for textures etc as to which they will eat up well. I think the Baileys E&E is slightly different as it also has additives that are pretty similar to many gut balancers too which is why I think i've seen a difference since swapping to that.

 

[whiteflower]

Another one who has recently swapped from topspec to Bailey's ease and excel. Mine was on topspec ulsakind and needed weight gain but due to some issues I decided to change to ease and excel and the weight gain has been impressive when feeding the same volume. I've now got all the non tubbies on the yard on it(ease and excel) and very pleased with the result ?

 

[be positive]

Another who fed ease and excel, having seen mp recommend it and then noticed it in the shop, my oldie was looking a bit poor so tried him on it and he did seem to improve more than he had on the others I tried this winter, he is now back to basics but it is top of the list for next winter if he is not looking as good as he should.

 

[Horses_Rule]

I have also swapped my ex racer lad from ulsakind to e+e cubes . Feeding recommended amount which isn’t ridiculous and he looks mega! Also more cost effective as have been able to knock off the balancer as am able to easily give him what he needs. Also similarly to MP my lad is eating lots more haylage than before! Another vote from me!

 

[milliepops]

Its astonishing really, I'm arriving to empty nets and he's also tucking into the loose stuff in the hay cube that he normally can't be bothered to touch (but I always leave for him in case he gets hungry ?)

 

[fusspot]

My Welsh was very similar and I changed him from Topspec Conditioning Cubes to Dodson & Horrell Classic Fibre Cubes-he put on weight and stayed a lot calmer and they also contain a lot less sugar.If yours has the tendency as a lot of Welsh’s to be a bit hot, I would take off of the Alfa-it can make a lot hot & spooky and sometimes it just doesn’t agree with them and they lose weight
& condition. Mine went onto Dengie Hi Fi Molasses Free-they all seem to love it. You can also feed Speedi Beet.On another note I would especially with a Welsh be very careful with the Alfa and feeding Haylage.They do seem to be a lot more susceptible to EMS-with spring grass-however bare you think the field is, haylage and Alfa, please be aware of the susceptibility to problems like EMS...they can carry fat pads even whilst looking very light.Our vets said they are quite alarmed at how many horses in general are now being diagnosed.Hope yours improves.

 

[Afon_34]

What do you guys feed Ease & Excel with? Just a chaff- horse is currently on Alfa A Oil?

 

[TPO]

I feed it with chaff (dengie meadow grass) and grass nuts

 

[Afon_34]

I feed it with chaff (dengie meadow grass) and grass nuts

Is that with the ease & excel cubes or original/mix?

 

[TPO]

Is that with the ease & excel cubes or original/mix?

I feed the mix no.21

 

[paddi22]

another vote for equerry condition mash. great stuff

 

[milliepops]

What do you guys feed Ease & Excel with? Just a chaff- horse is currently on Alfa A Oil?

I just feed it as it is, my horse is a slow careful eater so I don't bother adding a chaff etc.