Weight gain newbie - help!

Toodledo

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Hi all, grateful for any feeding advice.
I have a 17 year tb x that I've had since he was 10. I've never had to give him hard feed, he's always wintered very well on ad lib Hay and a balancer.
We've moved this year to a new yard as our old one retired (sold off for houses 😔). The yard is great, lovely people, school, riding etc. He's on a good part livery, all included except hard feed.

But, they don't allow Hay in the fields. I understand why on a bigger yard but my boy has really dropped off - and it's not even winter yet. I'm now feeding him two feeds a day of conditioning cubes with chaff and balancer but he's still dropping a bit. Not rspca thin but certainly not what he should be. I've even had the vet out to check him and theyve given the all clear.

Which is nice but I think its just lack of food, vet agreed. It was a very hot summer of course so the grass just didn't grow and now here we are going into winter. I could ask if he could come in but! As most of yard is still out plus he can be a stress head in the stable I don't really want to do that - especially as they will be in soon anyway.

Everyone else on the yard looks okay but they're all either fat cobs that live on air or competition horses having expensive food poured into them.

Can you give me your feeding for weight gain - but not fizziness tips please! He does get super dumb quite easily (I blame the tb half 😆). Plus also not being too expensive if poss 😬

I can go up to three feeds a day of the topspec but then that's a lot of back and forth that I was hoping to avoid. He's on max ration per feed so can't put extra in the two. I was thinking of adding linseed?

I've never had to feed for weight gain so this is all new to me!
 

be positive

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As you are on part livery, hay included, the yard should be making arrangements to deal with this before it gets any worse and if that means feeding hay in the field or bringing him in to eat hay for the day then that should be done, if they cannot deal with him now it will only get worse as you go into winter properly, it will be an uphill battle to get the weight on.

Linseed may help but he most likely requires more forage one way or another, you need a frank talk to the YO as this is not acceptable and you are not getting a "good part livery" if his needs are not being met, they may have not had his type in the yard before but that is not an excuse, my part liveries would be getting hay in the field if they needed it and I would also be giving the feeds as part of the livery deal especially as he is still living out and not being provided with hay or bedding.

If they cannot offer what you need start to look elsewhere, not everywhere has no grass, my fields are fairly lush since the rain because I am not overstocked so they can be rested, everything here is in very good condition on no feed or hay.
 

vickie123

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I’d definitely recommend the linseed, it has really helped with our 4 year old who came to us in March very lean. His coat looks lovely and he looks so different now. I’ve not noticed it making him fizzy or unmanageable. This flush of autumn grass on the other hand :oops:
 

meleeka

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I too would recommend linseed, but I think you are still going to have problems once the winter really sets in, unless turnout is reduced anyway so he’ll have longer in?
 

twiggy2

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If there is not enough grazing during the day to keep him eating, you risk ulcers and behaviour issue, I would request individual turnout with hay even if just for a couple of hours during the middle of the day.
I would move yards if I had to increase hard feed to keep weight on a horse that needed hay during the day but could not have it.
 

Bartleby.

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This is exactly one of the reasons why I've just left a yard, the provision of hay in the fields in winter wasn't good last year (small amounts and for a very limited time of the day). I always wanted mine out 24/7 on decent forage with little hard feed, but I ended up having to pay for stabling just so I could give him a load of hay at night to make up for it. If you chat to the YO and you don't get anywhere I would seriously consider moving, it was very stressful to see my horse hungry and not be able to change the hay situation in the field.
 

Toodledo

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Thanks for the replies. I had thought that could be case but not having had to deal with this before I thought maybe it was just me! Especially as everyone else looked fine, hence why doing getting/blood tests etc.

I've been to yard at lunchtime to speak to yard owner. She said will not hay in field but can bring him in at night - going to try tonight and see how he gets on 🤪

It has been really hard around our way and everyone else I know is either haying in the field or bringing in. I don't want to leave the yard as everything else is great but it is really stressing me out and I don't like seeing him like this 😔

I have had a look around but not found another yard I like yet. I don't want to jump out of pan into fire 😕 YO said he's an older horse now - can they change like this in a year? I even suggested if I could feed him like I want for a couple of weeks I could show how he would look but she wasn't up for it... She has eventers, there's a couple of big hunters on yard and they look OK so I can see why she thinks Im fussing as they look fine - mine isn't that big and not in hard work (couple of local competitions, hacking etc) but he just needs a lot to eat! All hers are on quite an extensive feeding programme of course, she said to swap to alfa a?

Ideally I'd like another little yard like I used to be on where I can manage him how I like but have no idea how to find this! Ugh but I really like this yard too - but can't see him hungry
 

TheMule

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Will they feed hard feed in the field? I'd want him in at night with hay if they really won't provide it or better grazing, and a lunch fed in the field. I keep it simple and feed soaked grass nuts with a bit of alfalfa chaff
 
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