Which feed??

alainax

alainax

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Hi!

Im riding a 3 year old, hes in very light hacking work, and lives out 24/7.

He is 15.2hh ish ,medium build, a bit leggy, and is still growing.

The other week i noticed my girth no longer fits him (too big) and his ribs are now showing.

He has been wormed, de-loused, and his teeth have just been done. He has some grass in his field and gets hayliage and a hard feed at night.

I was planning on going over in the morning ( if its ok with his owner) and giving him an extra feed to give him a bit more condition.

I was wondering what you guys would recomened me feeding him??


We would need something that keeps him calm, as hes wonderfully laid back and dont want to spoil this.

Thanks so much in advance! :)
 
I would start by giving him baileys lo-cal (about a cup per day) and some speedibeet. That will give him all the vits and mins he needs and some extra fibre for energy without the fizz.

depending on his breeding he may be going through a growth spurt as he's only 3. It may be worth IMO giving him some time off to grow back into himself, you'd see his condition come back right as the growing slows down again.
 
jenhunt said:
I would start by giving him baileys lo-cal (about a cup per day) and some speedibeet. That will give him all the vits and mins he needs and some extra fibre for energy without the fizz.

depending on his breeding he may be going through a growth spurt as he's only 3. It may be worth IMO giving him some time off to grow back into himself, you'd see his condition come back right as the growing slows down again.
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Thanks for your reply Jen. I was thinking on getting sugarbeet, as this is what i used to feed my horses ( is there much difference between this and speedibeet - except the time it take?)

Id never thought of looking at lo-cal feeds (me being too narrow minded obivously!)- have you had experience of these helping with condition gain??

I used to feed sugar beet, alpha-a, pony nuts and course mix. Being old fashioned i would head straight for these, but would love some more up to date advice!
 
Sugar beet has very high sugar levels due to the amount off molasses pumped into it. Speedybeet hasn't had the molasses added and there fore a good fibre source and low in sugar.
Topspec is fab and also has hoof supplement, pre/pro botics for the gut and so much more. A lot off grass lacks goodness which people don't relise unless you soil test so your horse could well be going short. So many people moan about poor coat poor hoofs in summer but if they aren't giving them the goodness to support the body where's it coming from??? The grass people say, nope not always.
We just had soil tests back our land is very low on most things ESP copper and mag with others so at least by feeding topspec they get what they need.
A good alround feed needs no supplements.
 
that's the topspec one. Either that or the baileys, I've used both and find they're excellent value. When the horse isn't getting any (or very little) hard feed then its a very good place to start for putting a bit of condition on a horse.

the two differences between speedibeet and sugar beet is that the speedi beet is not molassed (no added sugar, so less fizz) and that it has been micronised (microwave cooked) so that it is more digestible for the horse. This means that the horse can get the absolute maximum from it making it cost effective for you.

I'm sorry if that sounds a bit patronising, but I don't know how better to explain it without knowing your background/experience! feel free to ask me as many questions as you want. My background is animal nutrition.
 
Monsters said:
Sugar beet has very high sugar levels due to the amount off molasses pumped into it. Speedybeet hasn't had the molasses added and there fore a good fibre source and low in sugar.
Topspec is fab and also has hoof supplement, pre/pro botics for the gut and so much more. A lot off grass lacks goodness which people don't relise unless you soil test so your horse could well be going short. So many people moan about poor coat poor hoofs in summer but if they aren't giving them the goodness to support the body where's it coming from??? The grass people say, nope not always.
We just had soil tests back our land is very low on most things ESP copper and mag with others so at least by feeding topspec they get what they need.
A good alround feed needs no supplements.
Click to expand...

Excellent, thanks for clarifying, so speedibeet and a balancer ( possibly the top spec one - or baileys as mentioned by Jen - depending what i can get my paws on lol!)
 
jenhunt said:
that's the topspec one. Either that or the baileys, I've used both and find they're excellent value. When the horse isn't getting any (or very little) hard feed then its a very good place to start for putting a bit of condition on a horse.

the two differences between speedibeet and sugar beet is that the speedi beet is not molassed (no added sugar, so less fizz) and that it has been micronised (microwave cooked) so that it is more digestible for the horse. This means that the horse can get the absolute maximum from it making it cost effective for you.

I'm sorry if that sounds a bit patronising, but I don't know how better to explain it without knowing your background/experience! feel free to ask me as many questions as you want. My background is animal nutrition.
Click to expand...

No your not patronising at all Jen, thats an excellent explantion! oh you'l regret that kindness, be prepared to be bombarded with quesitons :p;)
 
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