What would you feed?

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rcm_73

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What would you feed a TBx 'hatrack' just arrived Saturday. Worming is underway, teeth have been rasped and the poor boy has been lightly rugged for the first time this winter (lightly because his coat is v thick as has wintered out). Currently staying in until weekend (worming) then will be turned out onto some nice grass & in at night. Has ad lib hay. Can anyone recommend some concentrates for him to gain weight? My other horse has ride & relax with hi-fi so probably not suitable for him being so thin.
 
calm and condition by allen and page is good stuff, i use baileys no4 conditioning cubes when ive had to put weight on a new arrival. linseed oil, cod liver oil and corn oil are all good supplements. Don't overload him too quickly with feed build the hard feed up gradually.
 
I think you'll find that what you are feeding to your other horse will be fine for the new one. I've got a TB x Hann & he has the same diet as yours. It will keep him calm, it's non heating however I'd add a cup of Blue Chip Original to each feed. This will aid in the digestion & assit him to get the most from his feed.

If in doubt email Dodson & Horrell, Spillers etc, they have diet specialists there to answer any questions.
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Build it up to:
1 scoop alfa oil
1 scoop oats
1 scoop barley
twice a day (before he goes out and when he comes in).n If you can feed in the field maybe 1 sccop of horse and pony nuts x2 daily too)
Add loads of oil, salt and vit/min supplement to one of the feeds.
 
After my tb had a colic op she was like a rescue case, the vet advised me to add lib hay, alfalfa a, baileys no1 and baileys no4 x3 per day, I also swear by allen an paige calm and condition for weight gain and linseed, I will make my own if the horse am feeding is very underweight as its the jelly thats the best for gaining weight.
 
It doesn't happen overnight but the condition will soon be better when it can go out to grass daily.

My mix would be:-

ad lib hay,
Bailey's No 1 (they don't all like it) or Bailey's No4 (Topline cubes) - stud cubes are also very good for weight gain,
I prefer bran to chaff as it mixes better, but chaff of your choice; a lot of people go for Alpha A Oil,
micronised barley,
sugar beet of some description,
Blue Chip Original so you know he's getting all the right things.
It needs to be fed at least twice, preferably three times a day and you will soon see results; I've had a lot of success over the years using this.

What you must be careful of is not to overload the system so start with a half scoop of everything for the first few days then increase to a full scoop (but don't increase the bran if you use it) You'll also find if you feed too much chaff he might start leaving grub, I would rather he had the 'goodness' feed especially as he'll always have hay in front of him. It's better for him to be wanting more than be overfaced when he might get pernickety.

Have you got the camera at the ready?!

Sorry, should have added regular linseed mashes, they'll help a lot too.
 
Thank you all v much for your help...I definately have some good ideas on what to feed now. And yes..the 'before' pictures have been taken, lets hope the 'before' and 'after' pictures can be posted in about 6 months time!!
 
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