What to feed thoroughbred

Adrienne88

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Hello everyone. Looking for a bit of advice. I've just bought a TB mare, 5 years old. Came over from Ireland a few months ago to train for racing but she's too small so she was sold. She's very green, not done slot so back to basics. But I'm not sure what to feed her? Currently she's living out and fed on barley, beans and some cheap cooling mix. She's not skinny but her coat isn't in good condition. She will be living in at night when I bring her home in a couple of weeks. I don't want to carry on feeding her the same but know she will need a transitional period of swapping feeds. Just looking for advice on what to feed her? Thank you
 

be positive

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I would cut out all the feed and start with ad lib good quality hay or haylage, as she looks well she doesn't need high energy feed so something simple like grassnuts and linseed for her skin/ coat, give a balancer or vit/ min supplement to ensure she gets all her requirements.
 

Adrienne88

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I would cut out all the feed and start with ad lib good quality hay or haylage, as she looks well she doesn't need high energy feed so something simple like grassnuts and linseed for her skin/ coat, give a balancer or vit/ min supplement to ensure she gets all her requirements.
Thanks for your reply! Any balancer you would suggest?
 

ILuvCowparsely

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Hello everyone. Looking for a bit of advice. I've just bought a TB mare, 5 years old. Came over from Ireland a few months ago to train for racing but she's too small so she was sold. She's very green, not done slot so back to basics. But I'm not sure what to feed her? Currently she's living out and fed on barley, beans and some cheap cooling mix. She's not skinny but her coat isn't in good condition. She will be living in at night when I bring her home in a couple of weeks. I don't want to carry on feeding her the same but know she will need a transitional period of swapping feeds. Just looking for advice on what to feed her? Thank you
Nothing heating that is for sure- good vitamins and good quality hay, and nice basic feed like grass nuts from simple systems and fibre chaff. I would not rush out and get a balancer if it were me - I would just keep her feed simple for the moment. Till you get to know her needs.

I won't feed any of mine any sort of mix now, i would not give a mix to a 5 years old in case she explodes mentally, even cool mix can blow their brains. I know one that went loopy and it was on happy hoof.

Some her go loopy on simple pony nuts.

We feed Equivite as as a vit and mineral it has been around for years and trusted. I used to feed Malcodic Stable but that disappeared years ago
 
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onemoretime

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I would cut out all the feed and start with ad lib good quality hay or haylage, as she looks well she doesn't need high energy feed so something simple like grassnuts and linseed for her skin/ coat, give a balancer or vit/ min supplement to ensure she gets all her requirements.

I agree with this ^^^. Equinox is a very good supplement, I have been feeding it to my mare who looks very well but is calm and sensible.
 

Carrottom

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My 7 yo has 1 mug of fast fibre (allen & page), 1 mug of micronised linseed, approx 300gms Dengie Hi Fi mollases free chaff mixed with salt and Forage Plus Hoof and Skin health balancer, approx 5 kgs of good hay, and grass 24/7.
He did start winter a little porky and I'm still strip grazing onto grass not grazed since the summer.
 

blazeandlex

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My two TBs are on Dengies Alfa A oil chaff, Topspec cool balancer, Flaxseed oil and speedibeet (used to be on Topspec fibre plus which worked well until it got too cold and wouldn’t soak haha)
My gelding is also on a magnesium calmer because he’s extremely stressy.
Would recommend high fibre but low energy and sugar. Wouldn’t use anything slow release either as they seem to still manage to draw as much energy as they can from it haha. Look for non-heating on packets!
 

Scarlett

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I've currently got 3 exracers and have learned a few things about TB feeding over the years.

Avoid cereal and molasses covered mixes unless in hard work. They often heat up on this plus it can upset their bellies and contribute to gut problems. Poor diet also affects their feet - often feet improve with a diet change (mine all barefoot).

Good balancer is important. Low iron, high copper and zinc. The barefoot specific ones are great, though I have started using the Spillers Lite and Lean and it's fine.

Read the ingredients of every bag of feed - it might say non-heating on the front but even the best sounding conditioning cubes can be full of crap.

Fibre and oil are your friends. Lots of hay/haylage (mine get about 12-14kg a day in hay overnight). As much as they will eat.

Gut health is key. Often in racing they get fed a lot of cereals and thus have/had ulcers. If one is being fed a lot and not gaining weight it can be due to gut issues, same with erratic behaviour and vices. I would feed a good gut balancer for a wee bit just to help ensure everything is working as it should.

Keep it simple! Grass nuts, sugar beet, pink mash as a base and add either rice bran or linseed for extra calories. (Pink Mash is excellent for gut health, Keyplus is fab for putting weight and muscle on)

All IMO obv. I'm sure other folk will have other ideas but this has worked for me for a long time and I have calm, fat horses.
 

Adrienne88

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I've currently got 3 exracers and have learned a few things about TB feeding over the years.

Avoid cereal and molasses covered mixes unless in hard work. They often heat up on this plus it can upset their bellies and contribute to gut problems. Poor diet also affects their feet - often feet improve with a diet change (mine all barefoot).

Good balancer is important. Low iron, high copper and zinc. The barefoot specific ones are great, though I have started using the Spillers Lite and Lean and it's fine.

Read the ingredients of every bag of feed - it might say non-heating on the front but even the best sounding conditioning cubes can be full of crap.

Fibre and oil are your friends. Lots of hay/haylage (mine get about 12-14kg a day in hay overnight). As much as they will eat.

Gut health is key. Often in racing they get fed a lot of cereals and thus have/had ulcers. If one is being fed a lot and not gaining weight it can be due to gut issues, same with erratic behaviour and vices. I would feed a good gut balancer for a wee bit just to help ensure everything is working as it should.

Keep it simple! Grass nuts, sugar beet, pink mash as a base and add either rice bran or linseed for extra calories. (Pink Mash is excellent for gut health, Keyplus is fab for putting weight and muscle on)

All IMO obv. I'm sure other folk will have other ideas but this has worked for me for a long time and I have calm, fat horses.
I was thinking just pink mash and a balancer? To start anyways, or do you not think that is enough?
 
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