# Feed my fussy, skinny tb...



## wench (7 March 2017)

Just as I'm bored! Got a slightly skinny tb I'm trying to fatten up. Yard doesn't feed ad Lib hay/haylage which isn't a help, but nothing I can do about it. (Not interested in suggestions of move yards, horse will get ulcers etc) 

Horse won't eat... any huge quantity of grass nuts. Baileys outshine unless in minute quantities. Chaff. Unmolassed sugar beet. Purple ready mash. 

Personally I don't like linseed so won't use it.

Currently horse is on a combination of a balancer, molassed sugar beet, and Pegasus conditioning cubes, with a bit of oil, and handful of outshine. Has put some weight on, but not really as much as I would like over past couple of months.

Any suggestions welcome!


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## Pinkvboots (7 March 2017)

How much hay or haylage is he getting? If his not getting enough roughage no amount of bucket feed is going to make a huge difference.


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## tallyho! (7 March 2017)

wench said:



			Just as I'm bored! Got a slightly skinny tb I'm trying to fatten up. Yard doesn't feed ad Lib hay/haylage which isn't a help, but nothing I can do about it. (Not interested in suggestions of move yards, horse will get ulcers etc) 

Horse won't eat... any huge quantity of grass nuts. Baileys outshine unless in minute quantities. Chaff. Unmolassed sugar beet. Purple ready mash. 

Personally I don't like linseed so won't use it.

Currently horse is on a combination of a balancer, molassed sugar beet, and Pegasus conditioning cubes, with a bit of oil, and handful of outshine. Has put some weight on, but not really as much as I would like over past couple of months.

Any suggestions welcome!
		
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Sorry but grass is the only way to do it. Oil is no good in large quantities - they don't have gallbladders as I know you already know... 

I can only suggest providing more hay, try a different grass nut (Pre alpin weisencobs?) a hit with ours and add micronised linseed by the mugful/copra? and more hay and grass. Have you thought about sprouted oats?


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## Exploding Chestnuts (8 March 2017)

I certainly would never allow retriction to forage, poor thing standing in an empty stable with a rumbling tummy!
If yard limit hay then you go and buy your own, haylage is also available in small quantities. . I have no idea why micronised linseed is a no no, it is barely processed and is great for skin, coat and slow release energy.
I've never had a horse which is skinny due to lack of food, though some fussy feeders may need five short feeds if they arrive in poor condition and need to adjust. Ideally horses are checked late at night and extra hay thrown in the stable rather than have them stand for 12 hours with nothing.
Ask vet about a worming program, and get an  EDT to do the teeth.
Check the weight once a week with a weightape, averaging out over three weeks he should be able to put on something like 1kg per week as a minimum, most horses can put 2kg per week if not in hard work.


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## paddi22 (8 March 2017)

Yep agree, if yard limit hay go and buy your own. or get the littler hay block things and put them in a haynet so the horse can always pick at them. theres a few other products that we use on the rescues some times - equijewel, or bluegrass flax plus. also equerry conditioning mash is brilliant.

Have you spoken to a feed specialist about the diet? i know they push their own products, but if the pegus conditioning cubes are a full feed, then you mighn't need the balancer? If you feed pegus feed have a chat with their rep and see what he suggests. Not that you have to follow it, but it will give you ideas of the quanities needed. 

But id def throw in my own hay.


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## NOISYGIRL (8 March 2017)

For weight gain I fed my 38 year old 5 feeds a day of Topspec fibre plus cubes and senior lite balancer, if you contact them they are very helpful and will send samples. Also micronized linseed is good or Saracen releve and equijewel


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## SEL (8 March 2017)

When you say they won't feed ad lib, does that mean they won't allow you to hang multiple haynets either?

Copra always gets my vote for putting weight on if you're not keen on linseed.


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## wench (8 March 2017)

Horse isn't stabled. Can't buy my own hay, as in a mixed herd. I don't like linseed as I've tried it before and it didn't do anything on the three horses I used it on. Horse won't eat copra either


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## Pinkvboots (8 March 2017)

If his in a field where the hay gets put out for them all to share if his weak in the herd he will not be getting much to eat and it sounds like he could really benefit from coming in and having his own hay, I know you didn't want comments about the yard set up but it really sounds like it's not suiting your horse, 

he is also displaying symptoms of having ulcers his thin and his a fussy eater and if his not getting much hay either chances are he does have them.


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## Pinkvboots (8 March 2017)

wench said:



			Horse isn't stabled. Can't buy my own hay, as in a mixed herd. I don't like linseed as I've tried it before and it didn't do anything on the three horses I used it on. Horse won't eat copra either
		
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and as I have said in my previous thread if a horse is not getting enough hay or haylage you can feed as much linseed as you like it won't make a huge difference they need a complete diet with plenty of fibre.


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## sunleychops (8 March 2017)

So basically you have asked a question and you already know the answers but won't do it?

If it's not possible to keep your horse on this yard whilst providing him with everything he needs to be a healthy, happy horse then you need to move. 

If you don't then you really do need to take a long hard look at yourself and ask why you aren't putting your horses needs first.

Also feed decent feed, No use trying to put condition on and feeding rubbish like Pegasus brand feed


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## Leo Walker (8 March 2017)

wench said:



			Personally I don't like linseed so won't use it ... and handful of outshine.
		
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Outshine is mainly linseed.

Have you tried something like ERS cubes? High calorie but relatively low starch etc and seem to be pretty appetising.


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## sunleychops (8 March 2017)

Leo Walker said:



			Outshine is mainly linseed.

Have you tried something like ERS cubes? High calorie but relatively low starch etc and seem to be pretty appetising.
		
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It's mainly Soya isn't it?


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## nikkimariet (9 March 2017)

Slobbermash.

Suits my whizzy poor doer exracer. He's barefoot and has acidosis.


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## Leo Walker (9 March 2017)

sunleychops said:



			It's mainly Soya isn't it?
		
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ACtually, seems its mainly wheat!

Wheat (Heat Processed), Soya (Bean) Oil, Linseed (Heat Processed), Soya (Bean) Hulls, Soya (Bean) Meal, Vitamins and Minerals, Dicalcium Phosphate, Sodium Chloride, Calcium Carbonate, ScFOS (Digest Plus prebiotic)


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## wild at hoof (14 March 2017)

just saying - if you feed your horse on a high sugar diet (like the one its on) if you remove the sugar they tend not to like it.

When i switched my mares diet she refused to eat it  ... but now she loves it ... they like sugar so you have to wean them off it.

As much has as possible is always be the best option - it seems futile to feed more in a bucket when they could just have morse hay - remember a horses stomach is only the size of a rugby ball.

I'm sure someones already asked about you aversion to linseed - personally i think it a brilliant feed. far better than a vegetable oil or soy which have imflammatory effects.  However you have to feed the right amount: so 200g per day - potentially more if you need to gain condition. (thats about 1 big mug +)

Currently you are basically dealing with a toddler thats been given sugary desserts its entire life and then trying to get it to eat broccoli ... 

good luck!

ps my fussy mare now loves copra and linseed despite her refusing to eat it when i took her off conventional sweet feeds ... just saying ... i have a 22yr old tb and a 2 yr old both looking fab after wintering out being fed this.


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## Leo Walker (23 March 2017)

aidan90 said:



			When it comes to the dosage with Linseed 200g is about right but it tends to equate to 2 full mugs. It really is a great supplement!
		
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Why are you trawling the forum for old threads on linseed and then commenting?


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## impresario08 (31 March 2017)

releve and equijewel has worked well for me previously. With ad lib hay/haylage


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## JillA (31 March 2017)

I was discussing this sort of problem with a field officer from WHW this week, and she suggested either R&B Sumo, or Equitop Myoplast. Which, if you check the ingredients are both very expensive ways to buy oil and wheat feed (  , mega starch levels) or sugar coated spirulina.  Protein, protein and more protein build soft tissue, so whey, soya, amino acids, spirulina (except they don't like the taste) all wrapped in half a scoop of damp bran. And before the "No, not bran it contains starch" lobby get going, if you feed half a scoop twice a day the overall % in the diet is minimal.
For weight gain you need to be feeding 2% of his body weight in dry matter (including forage and/or grass) and unless he has a history of having been starved so has gut absorption problems, I would be pondering on whether he has Cushings.


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## Goldenstar (1 April 2017)

JillA said:



			I was discussing this sort of problem with a field officer from WHW this week, and she suggested either R&B Sumo, or Equitop Myoplast. Which, if you check the ingredients are both very expensive ways to buy oil and wheat feed (  , mega starch levels) or sugar coated spirulina.  Protein, protein and more protein build soft tissue, so whey, soya, amino acids, spirulina (except they don't like the taste) all wrapped in half a scoop of damp bran. And before the "No, not bran it contains starch" lobby get going, if you feed half a scoop twice a day the overall % in the diet is minimal.
For weight gain you need to be feeding 2% of his body weight in dry matter (including forage and/or grass) and unless he has a history of having been starved so has gut absorption problems, I would be pondering on whether he has Cushings.
		
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Mypolast is 40% sugars .
So a over 500 kilo horse get 50grammes a day .
So that 20 Grammes of abmittedly not very healthy sugars for a 500 kilo horse hardly a dangerous amount of sugar for an animal designed to eat grass .


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## HBB (1 April 2017)

My friend has had great results with D&H Build and Glow.
Composition: Rice Bran, Oats, Full Fat Soya, Vegetable Oil (9.9%), Rice, Full Fat Linseed, Calcium Carbonate.


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## Rupertthebear (5 April 2017)

Pinkvboots said:



			If his in a field where the hay gets put out for them all to share if his weak in the herd he will not be getting much to eat and it sounds like he could really benefit from coming in and having his own hay, I know you didn't want comments about the yard set up but it really sounds like it's not suiting your horse, 

he is also displaying symptoms of having ulcers his thin and his a fussy eater and if his not getting much hay either chances are he does have them.
		
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I agree with you.

Grass is the best, although sounds like you have none. :-( I hope I am no out of place saying this but the horse sounds sad, and possibly does have an underlying issue.  However it would be interesting to take it off its current diet which to me seems too processed and full of sugar and stick it in a field with decent grass. Or buy haylage, bring it in and feed it.

Have you had teeth checked, any signs of potential ulcers when brushed/ridden?


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## cyberhorse (6 April 2017)

As others have said if you don't have access to the forage then it is going to make it extremely difficult for you to do anything about it as horses are designed as trickle feeders. Access to good quality unlimited forage is more than just the weight of the feed in the diet it actually improves the condition of the digestive tract making it easier for the horse to absorb calories from it's feed. 
Every horse is different with what they can absorb best in terms of bucket feed to put on weight. Linseed worked for most of mine but for others alf alfa pellets work, and something like Saracen Luminence (or other oil based conditioning feed). Split buckets into as many feeds as you can as the horse's stomach is basically equivalent to a rugby ball and above a certain amount at any one time they are said not to benefit. 

One of my horses is extremely fussy he will literally only eat Saracen Relieve, or Sugar Beet. So fussy he spits out carrots and horse treats! He does respond to his feed being warmed in winter far less fussy (suspect it smells better/stronger). He also can be encourage to eat better with a little apple juice poured onto his feed of we get really desperate. 

Without good forage the ulcer risk is higher and if you have belly ache then you'd perhaps not have a great appetite, worth investigating this further and maybe thinking about a supplement to reduce acidity if you really can't remedy the forage issue.


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