BB123
Full Member
Posts: 210
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Post by BB123 on Jan 4, 2012 22:32:11 GMT
Just wondering if anyone has advice on weight gain feeds? And the best one to use? My horse has recently become slightly ribby, I have had to vet check him and she said he is fine and is the correct weight as he's a tb. I would like him to put a little more weight while the cold weather is here.
He is currently on top spec conditioning flakes, sugar beat, chaff, conditioning mix and corn oil. - and ad lib hay.
Does any one have any good tips?
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jensam
Junior Member
Posts: 129
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Post by jensam on Jan 4, 2012 22:43:57 GMT
Maybe a Topspec feed balancer. Their recomended quantities have worked wonders for all ours (I know this will not add condition, but it would top up micronutrients that may be lacking in his diet, and allow your horse to utilise existing feed better?)
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Post by Guestless on Jan 4, 2012 23:59:21 GMT
Cool Stance Copra Meal is good if you can get it. High fibre, but puts on condition quite quickly (and smells lovely)
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Post by andreab71 on Jan 5, 2012 7:28:22 GMT
I use Rowan Barbary ready mash extra for my hard to keep weight on wb.
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Post by laraapril on Jan 5, 2012 8:23:45 GMT
another vote for ready mash!
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sarahp
Happy to help
Posts: 9,510
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Post by sarahp on Jan 5, 2012 8:38:38 GMT
Balancers aren't designed for weight gain, but to supply all necessary micronutrients for optimal health in all ways. It may be that if something is lacking in the diet before feeding one they will blossom when it is added though.
My top tip would be to talk to Top Spec for advice, they have an extremely good helpline. I have natives and not TBs, but always start working out a diet with fibre feeds and balancer, then add high calorie feeds for weight gain only if needed, most usually not with my lot. Probably not as important with a TB, but I always avoid cereal grains and molasses, on the grounds of avoiding sugar and starch in the diet so not predisposing any to insulin resistance in the future, so would use TS Conditioning cubes, which are grain free, and not your flakes, and never feed mixes of any kind because they are normally bound with molasses. Or I'm look for a high oil product, or even both! And only unmolassed sugar beet. You could also look for a higher calorie chaff (you don't say what sort of chaff you feed), TS do an oiled alfalfa for example but I'm sure there are others.
My second top tip is to always read the bag labels of anything you feed!
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Post by catkin on Jan 5, 2012 9:06:53 GMT
Agree with much above. The only thing I would add is that there is nothing better than good grass for putting on weight!
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Post by tbmare on Jan 5, 2012 9:22:30 GMT
Agree with Sarahp on most things i would like to say though from trial and error of the past 10 on my sisters Anglo Arab she is one of the most difficult horses for maintaining weight she is aged and a cribber... but hey this yr she is ok compared to previous yr...ok protein food like flakes are hard to digest.. and so is mix, suger beet is the same .. mollasses is one of the most hardest food for the horse to digest.. i suppose what i am saying .. you horses is likely to be loosing condition because of the amount of engery required to digest his food.
The ready mash extra is designed to help digest the food more easily. have you tried the extra fibre range form the same peeps,chnge you chop from a mollassed to an oil based...suger beet if still required to alph beet. hopes some of this helps.. i have had many a tb and never had many with weight probs only the arabxtb. the other would be a balancer we use spillers light balancer.. and if you can get good grass at this time of the yr that would be a massive help
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BB123
Full Member
Posts: 210
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Post by BB123 on Jan 5, 2012 10:09:32 GMT
Thanks everyone for your help and advice. Will look at swaping my flakes to cubes and introducing a ready mash, will keep you posted on how it goes!
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sarahp
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Posts: 9,510
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Post by sarahp on Jan 5, 2012 10:11:19 GMT
Not much grass around this time of the year catkin - and what there is is most likely under water! I do of course agree with you in the grass season.
Are the flakes a high protein feed? The don't put the analysis on the website, but they do plug them as a high calorie feed for weight gain, relying mainly on cooked cereals. Horses don't digest starch well though, although when cooked as they are in the flakes it does increase the digestibility.
I've looked up the Ready Mash Extra, and can't find out what's in it, although it would be a no-no for me personally because of the sugar (in the form of glucose) in it, which I try to avoid feeding as much as possible. I suppose being presumably milled fine and then soaked makes it easier to digest for oldies who can't grind their own food any more.
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Post by tbmare on Jan 5, 2012 14:48:05 GMT
Sarahp yes maize is higher in starch than protein, but it is a protein... i say this from many yrs back i had a mare that had blood in her urine.. and the vet said to aviod protein rich food including maize, mix and barley .. i have never analised it.. but by trial and error of 30 yrs of owning horses of all sorts.. you get an idea of what is right.. and in all my yrs i have never fed anything more than high fibre cubes, hifi, and good quliy hay/haylage.esp to the tbs .. i found them difficult to control if i put that sort of food in them.. and as i say never needed.. i had an exrcer who was only on hfc and everyone used to ask me how i got her to look so good lol..
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sarahp
Happy to help
Posts: 9,510
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Post by sarahp on Jan 5, 2012 17:24:29 GMT
That may have been an inability in that particular mare to metabolise it, if kidneys are not fully up to speed they can have trouble with protein. Yes, agreed, you get a feel of what is right and we agree that fibre feeds are the way to go - I do like my balancers although having natives I'm usually struggling to keep them slim rather than put on weight and they were originally developed for youngstock that was growing too fast so needed to have their calories reduced but without at the same time reducing all the essential micronutrients.
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jensam
Junior Member
Posts: 129
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Post by jensam on Jan 5, 2012 19:28:47 GMT
I always use a feed balancer first, they are a brilliant food basis and some may only need them as all of the essential micronutrients are their. I add Alfa-A-Oil to stop the greedy ones bolting their food, and for that little bit of extra fibre, then I may add conditioning cubes or speedibeet depending on the horse/pony. Our horses seem to do very well on this But mine are natives of varying ages not Tb
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Post by lisadundee on Jan 5, 2012 19:34:48 GMT
I add thirds to my feeds, my stallion lost a lot of condition when covering last year and thirds piled his weight back on
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Post by tbmare on Jan 5, 2012 20:46:21 GMT
Thirds is a cow food and the have 3 guts i think...Thirds can cause collic in horses., i would not reccomend this at all.. no value food what so ever. sorry
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Post by perfect on Jan 5, 2012 21:33:36 GMT
Slobermash. i beleive puts weight on ive never used it myself but this is what some people tell me. I use D&H orrell Build Up Mix on the dressage horse with chop and he looks great
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Post by lisadundee on Jan 5, 2012 21:56:04 GMT
Thirds is a cow food and the have 3 guts i think...Thirds can cause collic in horses., i would not reccomend this at all.. no value food what so ever. sorry rubbish It is a by product from Wheat Bran production (hence "Thirds" as it is the 3rd part of the process) Read more: horsegossip.proboards.com/index.cgi?board=general&action=display&thread=45564#ixzz1ichmfNfg people have fed thirds to horses for years, it was an economy feed in the olden days for equines, it is not a cow feed, I'm not saying it is not fed to cows but it is not a specific cow feed, it is primarily used as an equine feed!
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Post by tbmare on Jan 6, 2012 10:07:39 GMT
I know it s a by product of bran... but i know of more than one feed store here in the north west won't stock it because if the relation to colic.. this was their words not mine... and if both of my main suppliers + others won't stock it they have good reason. Thirds IS a cow feed, it has no nutrional value what so ever, and is purely a bulk food... it not fed wet enough it can cause compaction .. which could lead to colic...
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Post by Mildred on Jan 6, 2012 10:34:20 GMT
bailey number one is fab x
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Post by lisadundee on Jan 6, 2012 10:34:56 GMT
There are many feeds that if not fed correctly can cause colic! I mix mine with mixed Allen and page fast fibre and alfa a and all my horses look fab and none of them have had a poorly day in their lives!
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Post by Dipsy on Jan 6, 2012 10:49:36 GMT
We use Bailleys No 4 and Topspec conditioning flakes on our youngster who weight is up and down like a yo-yo....and its been the only food thats worked !
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Post by MoodyMare on Jan 6, 2012 10:55:08 GMT
another vote for slobber mash!
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Post by karenp1980 on Jan 6, 2012 18:53:31 GMT
we feed all the tbs on the yard Copra Cool Stance. Its non heating and you can really see the results in a month!
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Post by bennybee on Jan 6, 2012 21:00:48 GMT
i really like calm and conditon by allen and page with a bit of chop. and good quality hay or haylage. i also think its important to give smaller meals more often if nessecary to make sure the stomach isnt being overloaded and the horse missing out on all the nutrients. And make sure teeth are ok etc.
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Post by bennybee on Jan 6, 2012 21:02:13 GMT
I've also heard of a feed called Frickers feed, i think its tiny tots nuts that help with weight gain etc, went to a talk from the company there quite new but had had brilliant results.
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hels
Junior Member
Posts: 77
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Post by hels on Jan 6, 2012 21:42:36 GMT
Rowan Barburys- Ready Mash extra another vote- fab stuff
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Post by emanjet on Jan 10, 2012 0:13:04 GMT
calm and condition has put weight on my irish sports horse he looks fab now
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Post by TabbyCatty on Jan 15, 2012 11:43:22 GMT
Hi, you could go all old fashioned & add boiled barley & linseed. Fab for weight gain & a shiney coat (we used to always have a boiler on for the show hacks & it kept the feed/ tack room toasty warm too ;D ) You can do it in a big pan in the kitchen
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sarahp
Happy to help
Posts: 9,510
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Post by sarahp on Jan 15, 2012 12:35:31 GMT
Depends if you are of the school that prefers to avoid cereals though doesn't it? Horses are less likely to be affected by it though I suppose. And it smelled really awful, we used to have out childhood ponies living with an ex-stud groom from a big local family (hacking in Rotten Row, ladies riding side saddle only etc) who always hd some on the go and I can still smell it now!
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Post by tigger on Jan 15, 2012 14:06:20 GMT
My TBs are currently doing very well on a combination of dengie original chaff, condition cubes, calm+condition, sugar beet and a balancer. One of them has just started getting a bit of stud mix which will be increased over the next couple of months as she's due to foal in April. They also have ad lib haylage. I have found them much harder to keep weight on than my part bred arabs - who mostly just have chaff + high fibre cubes and ad lib hay. The easiest by far is my 2 welsh C's who are just on hay!
Definitely found that my TB, much more than any of my others, really need good grass to do well. They still have a good quantity of grass but obviously not much nutritional value in it this time of year.
I have tried ready mash on a TB gelding that used to be on retirement livery with me and it was a disaster! Lost tons of weight and took a long time to get it back on him. Just shows that each horse is an individual and different things work for each horse.
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