What's a good non-heating feed for a full TB????

[Scaty_Bird]

Hi all,

just wondering what everyone feeds/what you think would be a good feed to keep weight on a 6yr old full TB? He does need to be fed as there is not much grass at the mo and he is on ad lib hay but looking too skinny. I want something that is going to be non heating but keep the weight on him.

I am only feeding him one feed a day of 1lb of pony nuts, oil and a multivitamin at the mo but he seems to be full of the joys of spring lol

Ta very much!!

 

[Cash]

I found Calm and Condition to be good

 

[FestiveSpirit]

I shall watch this with interest - my TB has maintained condition beautifully over the winter but is now behaving like a complete numpty when he is being fed a scoop of Countrywide Working Nuts and a scoop of Mollichaff Show Shine twice a day???!!!

 

[Lippyx]

As above... calm and conditioner. Fed my TB on that, and it was very good!! Get the nuts as apposed to the mix though, as this is better for TB types, especially if they crib bite, its met to help with digestion.

 

[LaurenM]

My friends feed their TB's chaff and non heating mix from countrywide. Not sure if they have any problems holding weight but the all look healthy and pretty! I use the horse and pony non heating mix.

I want to use Dengie's Hi Fi but not sure if it would make a difference to my boy. Any recommendations for it?

 

[domane]

Oh you are soooo going to be inundated with replies now! hehe...

My boy is 15 and 16.2hh. He's a chunky ex- P2P racer and I can't feed him sugar because it sends him gaga... spring is a fun time as the grass comes through!

He gets A&P's Calm and Condition, Alfa-A Oil and Kwikbeet with additional oil and BOSS and he has done well on that through the winter.

 

[marinitagsd]

I would feed lots of fibre feeds, say two feeds per day, hi fibre nuts, maybe a measure of sumo, bit of non mollassed chop n fast fibre, soaked. This should keep the energy levels down while helping with condition.
x

 

[skint1]

Our Tbs diet has evolved through trial and error. We found that anything with oil or cereal-y sent her a bit loopy and made her wind suck even more than she did anyway. We went to a ROR event and met with nutritionists there, and daughter also spoke to nutritionist on the phone and this is the diet that evolved:

Dengie Hi-Fi, Bailey's Every Day Fibre Cubes, Apple Cider Vinegar, Fibre Beet, apples and carrots, ad-lib hay (and since end Feb haylege) when in, grazing when out.

Dropped a bit too much weight during Dec/Jan but by upping the fibre beet and cubes and getting better quality hay put it back on.

If I had a do-over of this winter I would say that maybe switching the Hi Fi for Alpha A original might have been a better choice for the deepest darkest winter. Next winter might be easier because she is now on haylage which I think is better for keeping weight on (though may be wrong on that)

or BOSS came highly recommended as well but I couldnt source any in my area for some reason

 

[skint1]

Sorry I talk too much don't I?

 

[Ziggy_]

Mines not full TB but has the TB brain and I love the winergy range. I use the conditioning one for when she needs a boost and the low energy one for when her weight is looking good. They are alfa based, cereal free and low starch - in fact I find my mare is actually calmer when fed these feeds, than when fed nothing at all!

You could make your own alternative using alfa-a oil and a balancer such as Pink Powder.

 

[Bosworth]

My TB is on Simple Systems red label grass nuts and pura beet along with brewers yeast and micronized linseed and ad lib haylage. He is totally sane, keeps weight on all winter and has a great coat with it. The key with TB's is fibre, fibre and more fibre. Not mixes and conditioning feed, just loads of fibre to keep their gut working, to stop ulcers and to help with any vices. such as weaving and windsucking. The more fibre feed you can get into them the better they keep weight on as the less time they have to stress, worry and weeve/crib.

 

[Scaty_Bird]

Sorry I talk too much don't I?

lol no, not at all! Appreciate the advice.

 

[Scaty_Bird]

Thanks for your advice everyone. Seems that we are all on the same wave-length with the high fibre way of thinking!

It's so difficult isn't it as you want to keep their weight on but not have a loon on your hands lol

He's only been with me 9 weeks and it's been very up and down (very down at the mo!). He wasn't on any feed when he came to me but had to have something as he lost lots of weight from stressing whilst travelling/settling in etc.

He also wasn't in great condition so I introduced oil to his feed (we soak our pony nuts in oil). Do you think the oil could make a difference to him and being more excitable?? (sorry if that's a dumb question!)

 

[Sleepeeze_dad]

We tried the oil and it didn't bother my lad. We've since moved to the powdered linseed cos it's easier.

OK - another vote for Calm and Condition. This is my first horse and yes he's a full TB. 5 years old today (Happy birthday Sleepy!), 16.2hh and of chunkier than average build. Has access to hay throughout the day and night (never a shortage of it) but not haylage. Has a mug full of ground linseed, have dropped him to half a scoop of C & C along with a full scoop of alfa original as he was getting a bit full of himself. Oh and a handful of carrots in his dinner too. Fed once a day. Topped off with biotin and limestone powder for hooves that will hold shoes for a full 8 weeks.

The weigh tape says he's 550kg but it is only a guide...

He's lost muscle a bit (haven't we all this winter) but has not dropped weight at all. I'm feeling pretty chuffed

Hope this helps.

 

[Achinghips]

After overcomplicating everything, I now feed:

Mollichaff Calmer, speedibeet.

naf oestress


adlib hay.

What turned my Tb loopy was carrots, veg oil, apples, calm and condition, ride and relax.

 

[Scaty_Bird]

What turned my Tb loopy was carrots, veg oil, apples, calm and condition, ride and relax.

We soak the nuts in veg oil so I may try cutting this out and just giving plain old pony nuts (my feed is in the price of my livery so need to try alternatives available first!).

Thanks all, great advise as always!!

: o )

 

[criso]

Bear in mind that the pony nuts you are using (esp if they are a budget range) may be quite high in sugar - something that sends my TB skywards.They may be fine - just read the label.

Every horse is different, mine reacts to unmolassed sugar beet but most don't so that is a good fibre feed to try.
I have had good results with unmolassed alfalfa (top chop alfa, dengie alfalfa pellets) and lots and lots of good quality forage - I feed haylage ad lib.

Coolstance Copra is also good for putting condition without energy - it's coconut based. Frankie is on rehab at the moment and he is getting this at the moment and was a joy to ride when I visited the weekend before last.

 

[KatB]

Mine is on Winergy and looks fantastic on it. She was on high fibre cubes, chaff and hayledge when i got her, and looked quite skinny. She is now a lovely round pony, and has just been on Winergy and good hay for the last couple of months Look at the before and after pics I have posted in CR

 

[Dizzle]

Speedibeet and veg oil, works a treat on my skinny tb who has come out of winter looking good, you can still see ribs a little but considering he was condition scoring around a 1 coming out of winter last year he looks like a different horse. He gets magnesium for his feet (he’s barefoot) and Hilton Herbs Gastri-x for his ulcers once this is finished (he’s had a 4kg course, cost me about £90 inc P&P and has lasted about 7-8weeks) he’ll go back onto pink powder.

I can’t feed my horse sugar, cereals or alfalfa (because he turns into one very cross little tb!), I don’t actually bother adding a chaff to his feed but in the past I have cut up hay to bulk out his feed (Cheap DIY chaff!) plus I know there’s no sugar in it if I make it myself.

I’m debating changing the oil to BOSS, but they’re about £17 a bag from Countrywide and the oil is about £4 from Tesco’s… so not sure.

 

[Scaty_Bird]

I didn't even think to look at the sugar levels on the pony nuts : o /
We also have lightly molassed chaff so this may need changing.

Going down tonight so gonna have a really good look at the bags and see whats in all the feed.

Aaaaarrggghh, confuzzled!

 

[KatB]

Oh and just to add to the above, I have tried her on Ride and relax=mad mare, alfa Oil= spooky arguementative mare

The Topspec feeds worked well for her too, the balancer with the cool condition cubes

 

[criso]

I didn't even think to look at the sugar levels on the pony nuts : o /
We also have lightly molassed chaff so this may need changing.

Even "lightly molassed" chaffs are probably about 15% sugar, the cheap ones are 25%

 

[Scaty_Bird]

Even "lightly molassed" chaffs are probably about 15% sugar, the cheap ones are 25%

OMG, that is shocking!
:-O

 

[TGM]

Mines not full TB but has the TB brain and I love the winergy range. I use the conditioning one for when she needs a boost and the low energy one for when her weight is looking good. They are alfa based, cereal free and low starch - in fact I find my mare is actually calmer when fed these feeds, than when fed nothing at all!

Although many of the Winergy range are cereal-free, not all of them are - for example, the Winergy Condition actually contains wheat.

 

[Achinghips]

I didn't even think to look at the sugar levels on the pony nuts : o /
We also have lightly molassed chaff so this may need changing.

Going down tonight so gonna have a really good look at the bags and see whats in all the feed.

Aaaaarrggghh, confuzzled!

Mollichaff calmer is chaff with no molasses, but has low starch/sugar nuts AND added calmer in one sack. So easy.
Theoretically, all you should need extra is adlib hay, but I chose to add a small bit of speedibeet too.

 

[criso]

Mollichaff calmer is chaff with no molasses, but has low starch/sugar nuts AND added calmer in one sack. So easy.
Theoretically, all you should need extra is adlib hay, but I chose to add a small bit of speedibeet too.

No molasses or low molasses - on their website they say low in sugar but i haven't checked the white label on the bag. If you look at their website it has 7% so alot lower in sugar than the other feeds but I can't see anything there that promises molasses free.

http://www.horsehage.co.uk/analysis.html

Having said that I used to give mine a little mollichaff herbal to carry supplements in and he didn't react to it like he did to other chaffs and someone I know thought their horse went too quiet on Mollichaff Calmer.