# Best feed for weight gain?



## HorseMad. (26 March 2013)

Hi, I'm taking on a 15.2 ThoroughBred    ( my first purebred tb )- and he has a bit of a belly but no padding round his ribs and he has quite high hipbones, I was just wondering what you reccomend for weight gain? He has 1scoop of Baileys conditioning mix 1scoop of Barley rings ( good for gaining weight so I've heard ? ) 2x scoops of course mix and Garlic,sunflower oil,molasses and veg- 2x a day + 1-2haynets refilled when he runs out and he stays in at night ? I don't want to be spending loads and loads of money on feed though xx


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## Oscar (26 March 2013)

Firstly I'd worm him on arrival with Panacur 5day guard, I'd maybe switch the baileys conditioning feed for Dengie unmollassed Alfa A. Micronised linseed, and Full fat soya.  I also bulk it out with Ultra Grass, or graze on etc, as my lad can lose interest in his Haylage.  I prefer to feed high fibre to keep,the starch levels low.


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## Billabongchick (26 March 2013)

Contrary to another post on here slating it I've got our ex racer (same size as yours approx) on Calm and Condition, HiFi and have just added in micronised linseed which is meant to be amazing for TBs at putting condition on without craziness. She has been on M Linseed 4-5 days and seems very chilled as usual but more energetic riding-wise at present (she was a bit lacklustre on just C+C and Hifi). I also use a good dollop of sunflower oil mainly due to a skin condition it is meant to help. She is looking a bit less ribby already from a week or two ago as we also added in an extra feed of just one scoop of C+C at lunchtime.


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## corkhorse (26 March 2013)

Hi I rescued a little mare who was part Anglo Arab, very bloody, hot little mare, she was very backwards in condition when I got her and a friend recommended Baileys cooked cereal meal, I don't know if you can get this particular product but if you look at it online you can look at the composition and compare.
It was amazing stuff, very little needed, you mix it with water and it becomes like a porridge consistency. I coupled this with a cup of mineral balancer and within 6 weeks she gained weight, lost the dull wormy coat and a beautiful shine came up on her. 
She's now in the hands of one of the biggest showjumping families in our area, after she came on leaps and bounds, its amazing what a little TLC can do


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## wench (26 March 2013)

Sounds to me like you are feeding way to much in one feed - rule of feeding is that one feed should weigh max 2kg. I like the following combinations:

Baileys Nr 4, sugarbeet, Baileys Outshine, Alfa-a Oil
Topspec balancer, cool condition cubes, sugarbeet, Baileys Outshine
Pure Feeds, sugarbeet, Baileys Outshine

I have used Linseed in the past, and didnt find it did anything at all. Current horse (TB) is on Pure Easy, Sugarbeet and Outshine + Haylage, and is doing really well on it


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## TwoStroke (26 March 2013)

My god, what is it with people pumping their horses full of cr@p and wondering why they're not doing well?? (aimed at current owners, not you, OP!)

For the sake of your purse and the horse, take a step back from all the feed manufacturers bumpf and go back to basics.

Good quality ad lib forage plus a forage balancer. If more is needed, then use unmolassed beet, or grass nuts.

Ditch all the sugar and starch - this is bad feeding. Unmolassed beet is highly digestible fibre, and equal in energy to a conditioning feed.

If you need yet more, add oil. Micronised linseed is a good source. Something like yea sacc or protexin to help the horse's digestion would also be of benefit.

And I'd second the suggestion of worming with panacur.


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## claribella (26 March 2013)

I agree with two stroke. High fibre diets are best for horses and linseed is awesome stuff for weight gain. Fast fibre and linseed is a winning combination. Once horsey is up to weight then drop down on the linseed but start with two cups a day. Also Im just looking into trying copra meal which I will combine with the linseed. This makes for a totally natural, hih fibre high oil feed that is easilly digested. Linseed is dead cheap as it lasts months and so is fast fibre as it swells up. Just be careful as most feed companies throw rubbish into a bag and call it horse feed. If its dont a lami stamp on it then dont be fooled. Feeding horses is a minefield but general rule of thumb is high fibre less than 10% sugar and starch combined. Oh and most importantly make sure good quality hay is available day and night.


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## amandap (26 March 2013)

TwoStroke said:



			My god, what is it with people pumping their horses full of cr@p and wondering why they're not doing well?? (aimed at current owners, not you, OP!)

For the sake of your purse and the horse, take a step back from all the feed manufacturers bumpf and go back to basics.

Good quality ad lib forage plus a forage balancer. If more is needed, then use unmolassed beet, or grass nuts.

Ditch all the sugar and starch - this is bad feeding. Unmolassed beet is highly digestible fibre, and equal in energy to a conditioning feed.

If you need yet more, add oil. Micronised linseed is a good source. Something like yea sacc or protexin to help the horse's digestion would also be of benefit.

And I'd second the suggestion of worming with panacur.
		
Click to expand...

Second this. Good quality forage is the best source of energy, so feed ad lib. High sugar/starch feeds, especially in excess can upset the hind gut and cause problems with digestion so reducing nutrient absorbtion.
Beet is a highly digestible fibre (energy) source and is a great basic bucket feed providing it suits your horse.


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## wench (26 March 2013)

FF has a very low DE rating... so therefore if you want weight gain you would be better off by getting some kind of chaff with a higher DE rating...


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## TwoStroke (26 March 2013)

Also OP, make sure to introduce changes very slowly, over at least a week, to avoid further upset to the hind gut (this is a very sensitive environment, and disruptions to it can have extremely serious effects, therefore it's important to be well informed before choosing your horse's feed).


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## patchandloopy (26 March 2013)

Havens Slobber Mash...my mare was seriously ill and this was the only feed she would eat and she slowly and safely re gianed the weight.  It has sunflower seeds, linseed and high oil to name a few in it.  Brilliant stuff, which was added to alfalfa a.


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## Firewell (26 March 2013)

My TB has dropped off this winter and he is on adlib haylage chaff, fibre nuts and hifi lite. Very low starch/sugar and high in fibre. Normally it's plenty for him but with this weather it just is not enough calories. I wouldn't bother with FF it's for fat ponies. I've put my boy on Alfa A oil and a staypower cube, it has very low starch but is high in oils. If he doesn't pick up on this I am also planning on adding linseed. He's on two feeds for now but again I may add a lunch time feed in depending on how he goes.
With your boy I would get him wormed and his teeth done and change his diet to something high in oils. It is very high in sugar at the moment and it also sounds horrendously expensive!


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## HorseMad. (26 March 2013)

Hey again,
Whoaaa so many different opinions & so many different feeds! Haha,
He was wormed about 4/5weeks ago...
His coat is good and shiny but he has no topline atm as he is not in work -
His feed isnt that expensive and he eats all of it so im pretty happy with it, I think it's just him, I may add some sort of mash like speedi beet, His conditioning cubes is No.4  thanks for all the opinions guys i will upload a photo soon xx


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## TwoStroke (27 March 2013)

*head desk*

Seriously OP, do you feed all that in one feed?

It's really very bad feeding indeed and could seriously damage your horse's health. I would strongly urge you to reconsider.


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## amandap (27 March 2013)

Op, I recommend you sign up to the next intake of this free course. https://www.coursera.org/course/equinenutrition

Throwing calories and more bucket feeds at horses isn't the way to go, you need to get their digestion working properly and low sugar/starch, high fibre is the basis of this.


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