What to feed new big boy?

[Blizzard]

Ok, so new boy, 17.3hh, no work at all for 8 months, lost all his topline and although isnt skinny has nothing to spare.

Before we got him on Sat he was getting a scoop of hacking/leisure mix and a scoop of chaff twice a day.

However he needs more , espec as he will be ridden now.

So Ive started him on Spillers conditioning mix, hifi, and the feelgood 30 garlic/linseed oil supplement as it gives them a lovely shiny coat.

Currently he isnt getting much as of course he has just moved homes and changed feed, so MI building up gradually, but im aiming for:

3.5kg of spillers conditioning mix or cubes
1 and a half/2 scoops of chaff (hifi)
6 squirts of the garlic/linseed.

This would be split up between 3 feeds, breakfast lunch and dinner, with a few carrots and apples too.

Would this be enough or can anyone recommend anything else?
Perhaps a better chaff that actually has something in it that will help him?

I want only non heating food, someone suggested adding some speedibeet and someone has some barley cubes that she said I can use.

Would appreciate any advice, this is how he looks now:

 

[Morrigan_Lady]

I think he looks lovely! Nice coat.
I feed all mine on Calm and Condition and Badminton Herbal chaff with garlic and a multi-vitamin suppliment. They all the great even the youngster that was really poor when we got him.

 

[sleepingdragon10]

What a honey he is!!Tell you what, you give him to me, then I'll tell you what you could have fed him

No?

Damnit!!

Oh well......in that case I'd use something like Alfa-a instead of the HiFi as the HF really has not much by way of calories in it. I'd opt for the cube over a mix(although that's just personal preference) and see how he does with that

Try and make his feed regime as simple as possible, and go for adlib forage(again your pref re:hay or haylage).

Good luck with him

Bethxx

 

[Blizzard]

I will have to get a full body shot of him tomorrow as his quarters need a lot more rounding, I just dont want him losing any condition and really he needs a bit on.

Who is the calm and condition by?

 

[Morrigan_Lady]

Calm & Condition is by Allen & page. It really is good stuff, Ive fed it to all types of horses, young and old and you do see the results. Of course, I had to put alot of hard work in aswell !!

 

[Blizzard]

Thanks Beth!

LOL nice try he is going nowhere!!

Yes I thought of changing to the Alfa, would you recommend Alfa oil for its conditioning properties?

Yes Im going with the cubes next I think because he needs less of them than the mix for the same nutritional value.

i just dont want to feel like he is getting a huge complicated meal but want him to get everything he needs.

He goes out in the fild on thurs, he is currently being turned out in the school with 3 huge haynets, and has adlib haylege when I bring him in, and he eeats all day LOL.

They are on haylege and as much as they want, so Im hoping that will get some condition on him too.

 

[sleepingdragon10]

Well it was worth a try

If you feel he needs the oil component then try him with that. The presence of the oil may mean that you can reduce the amount of cubes you feed too....just monitor him and see how he gets on. It's not long til the grass'll start coming through so don't worry too much about his weight.

Well the chaff and cubes should be an uncomplicated way to feed....last thing you need is several bags of food hanging around if you can break it down as much as possible

xxx

 

[Scarlett1980]

I think what you have him on sounds perfect! If you ask for advice on these things you will get millions of different opinions!!

I agree with sleepingdragon, you could use Alfa A Oil or SPILLERS Happy Chaff (used to be showing chaff) which is a high oil chaff and has garlic, rock salt and limestone flour in it so you wouldn't need to buy the supplement.

 

[JessPickle]

OO he is lovely well you knew I would say that I LOVE big horses!
Sounds like your feed is about right for him at the moment

 

[Blizzard]

Thanks, yes its the chaff i was a bit concerned about as hi fi lite is relaly just nothing isnt it, and I might aswell give him chaff that has goodness in it!

I may try the alfa oil as ive heard good things about its conditioning properties.

 

[Bright_Spark]

Alfa-a or Alfa-a oil are both good and have lots more goodness than hi-fi lite.

Speedibeet is good for putting extra weight on fairly quickly (at least thats what I have found).

 

[Blizzard]

OMG Haz, 4 days!!!!!!

LOL as long as the Alfa oil doesnt make him hyper!

 

[fizz-tally]

alpha a iol blew jays mind,like most things do lol.

hes on hifi/pasture nuts/speedibeet & sunflower seeds & slowly putting condition on

he looks a lot like my lad

 

[Bright_Spark]

[ QUOTE ]
OMG Haz, 4 days!!!!!!

[/ QUOTE ]

I know- plopping myself is not the term lol.

Do you know why Beau's owner had him on that feed (ie does he get loopy on certain feeds)? Might be worth asking her.

Only other thing is just try him and see. Some horses do better on certain feeds. A TB at my yard thrives on show mix but put him on anything else and he loses condition.

 

[Pidge]

hello

topspec feed balancer for all his minerals and vitamins
alpha a
topspec conditioning flakes to get him up to scratch and then swap to their cool and condition cubes
speedibeet in the winter
You've seen what it did to Pidge so I can't recommend this diet highly enough

Good luck with him whatever you decide to feed him.

 

[Blizzard]

No Hazel he doesnt go loopy, they just fed all the horses the same thing and of course he wasnt in work.

LOL Sue I know you really rate the topspec, I asked Nicola for her advice and she said cool condition and hi fi too,

I suppose I need to see what effect ad lib haylege will have on him too as he is used to only getting hay.

 

[Pidge]

LOL You know me and my topspec

Never fed haylege so don't know what difference that would make?

 

[Blizzard]

Well all our horses are looking, ahem, well on it!! (cough, a bit fat!)

 

[Happytohack]

As he is a big horse and hasn't been worked for a while and also needs a bit of condition, I would feed him a high fibre, cereal & sugar free diet. You obviously want to avoid getting him hyped up! I feed my big horses (1 x 17.3 and 1 x 17 hand) on unmolassed sugarbeet, high fibre cubes, dengie hi fi and Top spec leisure balancer. They also have ad lib hay/hi fibre haylage. As a guide, they each eat one bale per day of hay! This diet keeps them looking great and also very chilled out. I am only a happy hacker so don't want them on their toes. Anything that says "conditioning" on the label could well be heating, so best avoided.