WINTER FEEDING HELP.

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nat_a_528

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hi guys

really beginning to panic i have a very underweight tb mare who will not gain weight , teeth checked been wormed reguarly , condition was lost whilst out on full loan.

I do not have a clue what to feed her , I have tried , readymash extra , calm & condition , Build up . none of this seems to make a difference at all .

I am now looking into speedibeet or boiled barley .

any suggestions much appreciated!!!!
 
To be honest, if she's not putting any weight on after you've been trying all that, I'd be getting a vet out to take bloods and do some tests.

The other thing, is are you feeding her enough of the feed?
 
From years of fattening up NZ TB's

First thing I do is bomb drench them with a Broad Spectrum wormer (Ivermectin and Praziquantel) Worm weekly for three weeks - this I've found is the best way to deal with a possible worm burden. Surprising that some horses though regularly wormed will suddenly become loaded. Usually the grazing they have been on is heavily enfested - this was the case with one of mine that I could just not get condition on.

Feeding twice, preferably three times a day
Crushed Barley, Meadow Chaff, Sugarbeet, Ground Linseed. Multimineral block. Add lib haylage, warm waterproof cover and if possibl bring in a night. Don't go for the processed feeds as they often contain foods that are just not good for horses.

Also have back checked any back injury can affect time spent grazing and also
 
Is she in work? My TB was skeletal when I bought him from the field last Feb. On the recommendation of my feed merchant I fed him Spillers conditioning cubes, alpha a oil,speedi beet and NAF Pink Powder 3 times a day, and it worked wonders very quickly. He was in such an appalling state that I wasn't able to work him from on board so we were doing a lot of walking in hand progressing to groundwork in the school. In addition to the hard feed, my horse had adlib haylage when stabled. Initially he was only turned out for a few hours as he needed the time out but there was very little grass. Good luck with her x
 
At the minute she is having 1 1/2 scoop calm and condition , 3/4 scoop spillers conditioning cubes , scoop of chaff . and ad lib hay .
i cant bring her in she is a typical stressy tb
 
You need to look at your mare's weight and be feeding 3 - 3.5% of her weight a day. I would be splitting this into 4 small feeds a day, soaked grass nuts, equibeet and either graze-on or readi-grass instead of chaff. I would also be adding around half a pint of oil a day to her feeds (introduced gradually). In the past, with a particularly emaciated horse we used calf milk replacer with the agreement of our vet. It may also be worth trying pink powder to see if that helps too. I would also be feeding ad lib haylage and making sure she wasn't allowed to get cold.
 
Can you feed her several times a day? I would try Pink Powder and oil,linseed is also a good conditioner these will not add bulk as you need to be careful to not over face her with huge quantities.
I assume she is wearing a rug at night as it is now cooler.
 
I use calm and condition for my stressy tb but add fast fibre for bulk she doesnt tolerate sugar beet or alpha feeds makes her over stressed.fast fibre seems to be best fibre feed for her along with adlib hay.
 
I had a tb who was bones covered in fur after I left him on livery while I was away for a month last Christmas. I fed unlimited hay and a bucket of chaff at night and another in the field as little grass and fed 3 times a day weight gain mix conditioning cubes and Alfa a oil plus propell and a good splash of oil in each feed. Within 6 weeks he was looking better and within 3 months looking almost plump
 
Hi

I have had two like this. Grass seems to have been the trick. Its getting late on for lush grass now tho! But could you find some? I did also use Pink Powder and split the fat cube ration into as many feeds as poss. I also lunged gently, strapped them and ensured they were cosy enough.
Good luck...your horse is lucky to be back with you

xx
 
Have you had a blood test to check for al types of worms?

Generally speaking I strongly believe in good forage for weight gain and would be looking to fence the horse in a paddock of its own in part of the field with lots of good hayalge.
 
Baileys number 4 conditioning cubes, lots of unmolassed sugarbeet, alpha a with oil, ad lib hay or haylage and as much grass as possible. Rug her to help her use all her feed for nourishment and not to keep warm.

Would worm count her and probably have a blood test done for tapes and to check her organs too.
 
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