what to feed him?

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Grey_Showjumper

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My horse is the fussiest eater ever..
he won't eat normal nuts- he spits them out and just leaves them in the bottom of his bucket
He has had about 3 different types of hay, we are now on "racehorse" hay, thankfully at a v. good price!
anyway he's fed on this atm 2x daily:
Scoop of Mix
1/2 scoop of chaff
Carrots
Honey- for his cough, seems to help...
anyway, hes v. fussy and often leaves the chaff or the mix...
when i put him out he doesn't graze, just stands and watches.
he is the same in his stable, although now he has new hay he eats much more of it...
I want him to have something that he enjoys eating so what can i give him?
hes not underweight/overweight so doesn't need anything to help with that.
Hes in regular exercise, medium-heavy work with regular competing but doesn't need high energy stuff- he has plenty despite hardly eating!
so any ideas on what he might enjoy eating? I just feel hes not quite on the right stuff, he just doesn't seem to really enjoy it it could just be him but i would like him to enjoy eating his feed!
Maybe im just being soft but i would like him to eat it happily rather than just eating because theres nothing else and hes hungry although he has hay on offer all the time
smile.gif

thanks in advance!
 
If he's a good weight why does he need more food?

I spent ages fussing about my skinny tb before I bought him, currently he seems to be thriving on just speedibeet, grass and ad-lib hay.

What's he like other wise? Poo and teeth okay?
 
teeth are getting checked as hes due, were fine last time he was done..but poss. something there
its not that he needs more, its just i don't think he likes what hes being fed...
 
i would cut down his feed and add apples, carrots or mint to make it taste nicer. and add a vit+min supplement to make sure he is getting his full requirement. he might not be eating as what you are feeding is a fair amount. you could try give him smaller feeds more times again.

as above have his teeth check.

and after that if you are still worried have the vet give him a mot to make sure there isn't anything untoward going on inside him

good luck i hope you sort him
 
Lots of other things you can try too that don't add sugars - add fennel seed, cinnamon, curry powder, fenugreek seeds, anise seeds etc. brewers yeast. Indian shops - nice and cheap for quantity

Honestly - horses love these flavours, and like new tastes. Mine get something differerent in their feed every day and there's a real excitement about feeding time and quite funny when new things are offered.

Maybe a sliced banana (keep the skin, they like the bitterness)

I feed:

Beet, linseed meal, brewers yeast, seaweed, herbs etc. scoop of oats for the big guy.
 
thanks for the ideas!
he doesn't really show much excitement for food- he eats all the carrots then doesn't really eat much after that, will sometimes, but varies alot!
will try a few things
smile.gif
 
Just add mint its fantastic, I had really fussy TB and I bought this from my local tack shop costs around £4-£5 and last for ages. It comes in a tub and its just like powder. Just sprinkle one measure in each feed. It smells really nice and they seem to just gobble it up, it is known for fussy eaters, good luck x
 
I had a really fussy tb x she wouldnt eat anything. Wouldnt get excited about food, but everything checked, teeth, back and bloods and was happy in her environment & would eat hay all day long though needed to build condition. I could give her baileys, spillers etc and she would kick it over and just refuse point blank to eat it & wont eat chaff.
I changed her onto red mills hi oil mix (mind has oats) but it is the only thing she will lick the bowl clean for an whinneys for her feed. Massive transformation and she is so good in herself couldnt recommend trying red mills for fussy feeders enough!
 
You could try ringing/emailing round the feed companies to get samples of different feeds. Have now got my picky mare on Allen and Page Calm and Condition which she seems to really like at the moment. You feed it wet like a bran mash and can make it hot too so it's extra yummy.

However if he's holding his weight well it may be he just doesn't need the extra calories so just feed a balancer to makes he's getting all his vits and mins.

How long have you had him? Has he always been like this?
 
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