# Best way to put more weight on thoroughbred?



## BigGinger (19 January 2013)

My boy has started to drop weight and I am starting to wonder what else i can be feeding to gain more weight. 

You cant see his ribs when standing but they are visable when moving and has definately lost condition as he was quite tubby for a TB October time.

He had ulcers over 12 months ago so have to be very carefull with what he's fed. He is also barefoot so is current on a barefoot friendly diet.

He currently has 1.4kg (dry weight before soaked) of fast fibre. 1kg of alpha oil. 2 mugs of micronised linseed, brewers yest, magnesium and salt. This is split between 3 feeds and he always has adlib hay or haylage. He always has enough rugs to keep him warm and is healthy otherwise.

Is there anything else i can be feeding that is safe to feed? Everything i see for weight gain is either full of sugar/starch or is cereals which he can have.

Work wise he get worked 4 tines a week up to 45mins.

Any advice welcome...


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## Palindrome (19 January 2013)

You could try unmolassed sugarbeet, it has lots of calories and still a fibre feed.

From "The Myths and Reality of Beet Pulp	" (on http://www.allcreaturesanimalhealth.com/site/view/212994_EquineNutritionArticles.pml)

Feed Type      Energy  
                (Mcals/kg)       Comparison 
                                   to beet pulp 
Vegetable oil  8.98           385% 
Corn grain  3.38              145% 
Wheat bran  2.94             126% 
Oat grain  2.85                122% 
Beet pulp, dry  2.33          100% 
Alfalfa hay, 
early bloom  2.24              96% 
Alfalfa hay, 
full bloom  1.97                 85% 
Bermuda hay, 
29-43 days growth 1.96       84% 
Timothy hay, 
mid bloom  1.77                 76% 
Oat hay  1.75                     75% 
Orchardgrass hay, 
late bloom  1.72                  74%

(sorry the table didn't paste properly so hard to read)


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## Lulup (19 January 2013)

Alfa Beet - looks like cow pats once soaked (!!) but great for adding condition and fits the bill for your horse, I think, in terms of ulcers etc.


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## BigGinger (19 January 2013)

Thanks for the suggestions.. I have been looking for something more like cubes or nuts to give some consistency as he's always eating slop and isn't that kean, he always leaves his feed over his net although its always gone in the morning. Can't seem to find anything!


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## LynH (19 January 2013)

I have a 21 yr old TB who is living out 24/7 for the first time in her life. I have to feed her the same volume of feed as the fatties so they all finish eating at the same time. I feed Molasses free Hifi, speedibeet, High fibre nuts, micronised linseed, Omega Ricebran and Supershine Soya Oil. She's kept her weight well with only a MW rug on. She gets 2 secs of hay twice a day or 3-4 times if it's cold or snow.


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## be positive (19 January 2013)

If he is alright with Alfalfa you could try the pellets, I have been using them for some of mine, although have cut them out while they are not in full work, they do not need soaking so may suit your horse.


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## china (19 January 2013)

I would have thought that what he is on is ample. That's plenty of fibre, is the linseed full fat? My tb has had to be cut down to half a cup of linseed because he was looking abit podgy! Perhaps up the fast fibre?


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## BigGinger (19 January 2013)

china said:



			I would have thought that what he is on is ample. That's plenty of fibre, is the linseed full fat? My tb has had to be cut down to half a cup of linseed because he was looking abit podgy! Perhaps up the fast fibre?
		
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I thought the same myself, it is ample and he always tucks into his hay but has recently dropped off a little. Was thinking of upping the alpha a oil and adding either speed beet/fibre beet to see if it tempts him any more to eat up.

I was thinking of putting him back on calm and condition as he never dropped off weight on this but I stopped using it as he was slightly footy and once off it he improved.. But then again he wasn't in work and I'm wondering if this is why he's more lean than I'd like..


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## ellie11987 (19 January 2013)

BigGinger said:



			I thought the same myself, it is ample and he always tucks into his hay but has recently dropped off a little. Was thinking of upping the alpha a oil and adding either speed beet/fibre beet to see if it tempts him any more to eat up.

I was thinking of putting him back on calm and condition as he never dropped off weight on this but I stopped using it as he was slightly footy and once off it he improved.. But then again he wasn't in work and I'm wondering if this is why he's more lean than I'd like..
		
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Only horses I've seen that gained weight on C&C were absolute hat racks so not a fan personally. I never use chaff to add condition either as its basically chopped alfalfa with a little bit of oil and just a bulk, the quantities you have to feed for a noticable differance is insane. Waste of money, I don't feed chaff anymore, the fibre in it can come from forage. I'd swap the ff with speedibeet and maybe add some omega rice or something. I also know of rowen and barbary solution mash that might fit the criteria but I'm not an expert on this product. Hope this helps, good luck


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## monkeybum13 (19 January 2013)

I'd swap the fast fibre for something more conditioning. I know several people who have found top spec cool condition cubes brilliant for horses prone to ulcers


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## MillionDollar (19 January 2013)

I would add a balancer such as 365 Complete, and this also can be fed at a higher rate to add condition...

http://www.equineanswers.co.uk/prodpage.asp?ProdID=1


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## Antw23uk (19 January 2013)

My TB mare is possibly one of the healthiest looking on the yard right now. Her coat is definatley has the winning shine for sure 

One scoop spillers cool mix
Two scoops Dengi Hi-Fi Light
Garlic powder
100g Micronised Linseed

The above is twice a day with Ad lib hay.

She is currently in 24/7 with school turnout for a couple of hours and work  every other day (mainly lunging) and in Heavyweight rugs, unclipped.

Cant help other than the above is working wonders for me


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## whizzer (19 January 2013)

Amongst other things I use the top spec condition cubes for my poor doer TB who's had ulcers several times & also cannot tolerate anything starchy as starchy feed=bonkers behaviour!


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## Holly Hocks (19 January 2013)

Spillers high fibre cubes or Pure Easy by the Pure Feed Company?


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## horsey mad matt (19 January 2013)

fine fettles charcoal powder is brilliant for ulcers also try adding more oil even just cheap cooking oil is good. again speedi-beet is good also i really like spillers cool mix, i know it is very non heating but don't know if it would help with weight


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## Chestnutmare (19 January 2013)

My girl is fed hi fi molasses free and high fibre cubes and she has done brilliantly on it also as lib hay


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## Antw23uk (19 January 2013)

Oh and a course of Omeprazole via USA as well .....


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## Pigeon (19 January 2013)

Mine is just having a couple of scoops of Pure Feed at the moment, with Calm and Condition if it's really cold. He's on ad lib hay, if he started dropping weight he'd get switched to haylage, and feeds complemented with cod liver oil. He looks pretty good atm, considering the weather, this is him earlier today.













Could probably do with a bit more chub if this weather is here to stay, but his coat and feet look healthy. (I have no idea what I'm doing in the second pic)

I don't really know much about barefoot, and what changes in feed regime you'd make to cater to that, but if you can use Pure Feed in place of chaff, it seems like good stuff to me


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## BigGinger (19 January 2013)

Pigeon said:



			Mine is just having a couple of scoops of Pure Feed at the moment, with Calm and Condition if it's really cold. He's on ad lib hay, if he started dropping weight he'd get switched to haylage, and feeds complemented with cod liver oil. He looks pretty good atm, considering the weather, this is him earlier today.













Could probably do with a bit more chub if this weather is here to stay, but his coat and feet look healthy. (I have no idea what I'm doing in the second pic)

I don't really know much about barefoot, and what changes in feed regime you'd make to cater to that, but if you can use Pure Feed in place of chaff, it seems like good stuff to me 

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He looks lovely.. I will try to get some photos of him tomorrow in the daylight


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## Pigeon (19 January 2013)

Good idea  Is he getting ridden much atm?

Also if you have the option of hay or haylage, I'd switch to haylage!!


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## Elsiecat (19 January 2013)

Pigeon - at first glance I gasped at those pictures - it looked like he had the worlds WORST topline because of the darker unclipped patch! 
Now I've re-looked, he looks fab


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## Pigeon (19 January 2013)

Elsiecat said:



			Pigeon - at first glance I gasped at those pictures - it looked like he had the worlds WORST topline because of the darker unclipped patch! 
Now I've re-looked, he looks fab 

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LOL!! Like a hammock!! Bless, those are my slightly dodgy clipping skills, that saddle patch is a good five inches smaller on the other side... :S


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## Vetwrap (19 January 2013)

I also have a tb who has recently been diagnosed with ulcers and ndergone treatment.  I am also struggling to get weight back on him.

I was recommended to use rice bran, but couldn't find where to get it from, though it is used in some feeds. I found that Tesco sells Rice Bran Oil, so am feeding that instead.  I think that he is starting to improve a little.

FWIW, my old boy always looked really good on Saracen Biolife2000.


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## LynH (19 January 2013)

Vetwrap, I use Omega Ricebran which I buy from our local feedstore. It's sold in a very large tub as well as sacks. 
I'm not sure if this is relevant or not but I had really bad stomach ulcers myself last year as a result of taking NSAIDs. I take Omeprezole but nothing really worked until I started taking Turmeric tablets which cleared them up immediately and I've not had any problems since. It may be worth googling to see if turmeric helps horses. Fine Fettle Feeds sell a pure charcoal supplement called Happy Tummy which I've used on a horse we nearly lost to colitis and a pony who has had digestive issues due to not being wormed before she came to us. Both have not had any reoccurance since being on the Happy Tummy.


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## eatmyshorts (20 January 2013)

I've found Readymash  Extra good for poor doers and veterans - you can feed it as a lovely warm mash. It has a sweet smell so they sometimes take a few days to get used to it. l add Mollichop Show cherry chaff (not sure that is the right name but you can Google it!), good for condition as it has a high oil content. The other thing you can try if feeding beet or similar, is soaking in some grass nuts. Oh, and micronised barley is also useful.


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## ghostie (20 January 2013)

Spillers high fibre cubes are fab for getting barefoot tbs to eat their feed imo. Mine  has unmollased sugarbeet and micronised linseed but a handful of high fibre cubes will get him eating anything


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## TwoStroke (20 January 2013)

It's mid jan, so I wouldn't be alarmed at a horse dropping a little weight; it's perfectly natural and a good preparation for the coming spring.

That said, if you want to increase feed, oats are usually well tolerated by barefoot horses. Copra is also well rated.


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## BlackRider (20 January 2013)

Might also be worth looking at A&P's veteran vitality as that sits between Fast Fibre and Calm and Condition for digestable energy.


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## BigGinger (20 January 2013)

ApacheWarlord said:



			Might also be worth looking at A&P's veteran vitality as that sits between Fast Fibre and Calm and Condition for digestable energy.
		
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I was thinking about this also... But didn't know weather it was seen as 'ok' to be feeding a rising 6yo a veteran feed


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## BigGinger (20 January 2013)

This is Kero this morning.. What do you think weight wise?


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## amandaco2 (20 January 2013)

Maybe add copra cool to his feed?
My chap is 17.2 and in adv Dr work.
He gets fast fibre, oil, linseed meal and pro hoof....I am going to add copra as he's dropped a bit too much.
If it was the end of Feb or mid march I'd not be worried.
He is unshod and has sensitive hooves


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## TPO (20 January 2013)

QR- you can buy Omega Rice bran online from Falcon feeds. Another option is copra/ coolstance; I've had good results with it.

I feed my Bf Tb Speedibeet(instead of FF), Alfa A oil, micronised linseed, equine answers 365, salt & Aviform glucosamine. He has adlib hay too.

 I noticed he dropped off a little with the snow (hay in field) so added a scoop of spillers hi fibre cubes. I've just bought a bag of winergy growth as a "boost" for him as a friend with Bf tbs had good results. It is low sugar and starch even though it contains mologo. I'd prefer to use copra but postage charges make it expensive and no one near me stocks it or would order it. Winergy is worth a shot IMO but if it doesn't work I'll fork out for copra.


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## BigGinger (20 January 2013)

Anyone else? A little shameless bump


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## ellie11987 (20 January 2013)

BigGinger said:



			Anyone else? A little shameless bump
		
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he's not bad for mid-jan IMO. I'd just knock the fast fibre on the head for speedibeet and some sort of ulcer/barefoot friendly hard feed such as Saracen Re-leve if you want more cover.


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## Sare (20 January 2013)

I swear by topspec cool condition cubes, no cereal, low sugar, low starch

http://www.topspec.com/products/topspec-cool-condition-cubes/


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## Belzandwhistles (9 February 2013)

Re: Rice Bran- Keyflow does a Rice Bran feed, its called KeyPlus, I've found it great for helping put weight on my usually skinny, fussy TB. I've just been feeding it with their Stay Cool mix, and HiFi chop. He's looking the best he's looked in ages, being the middle of winter that's saying something!!


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## Zargon_91 (9 February 2013)

Fast fibre is great as a mixer base or as a forage replacer but for weight gain it serves no more purpose than straw chaff, because thats basically what it is...
Id go down the speedibeet route, or fibrebeet for getting the extra calories from alfalfa in (although may not be necessary if you are feeding alfalfa chaff). My fizzy warmblood has done very well on fibrebeet. Just remember with any sugarbeet diet you have to feed LOADS to make up the dry weight...
https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?...6381572.-2207520000.1360431628&type=3&theater
this should help


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## FfionWinnie (9 February 2013)

I have just started my mare on cool stance copra. I have to say I didn't think she was going to eat it as she turned her nose up at it for two days but now she is onto it she seems to love it. I have dropped the fast fibre down as previous stated its not much use for putting weight on and I'm now feeding 2kgs cool stance copra and 600grams micronised linseed per day, and 500grams FF, that's all dry weight obviously.  She is willing to eat more than she was previously when I was feeding speedi beet in place of the copra.


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## Firewell (9 February 2013)

I put my TB on FF for a bit and he dropped off, I found it just a very expensive way of feeding mushed up straw! 
I like fibre nuts personally, the d&h ones. They are 98% cereal free. I asked what one of the rehoming ex racer
 charities what they fed their horses as they looked so good and they said lots of fibre nuts! Ive fed my TB them since I got him and he does really well in them.
If you want to go for a full on conditioning feed topspec cool and condition are good and they are also cereal free .


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## zangels (9 February 2013)

I really feel for you as I know how hard this situation can be. I'm currently going through this with my mare. She has 1kg of unmollased beet, 1kg grass nuts, 250g micronised linseed, and 550g top spec senior balancer split between 3 feeds a day plus adlib haylage and turnout at grass for usually 8 hours currently. 
I physically can not get her to eat any more as anything I up amounts on she will cut down on something else. 
I also feed low starch and sugar as barefoot.
I hope you find the answer for getting some weight on your horse op. I will be reading this thread in hope


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## muff747 (9 February 2013)

BigGinger said:



			Anyone else? A little shameless bump
		
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How old is your TB?  If in his teens, may be worth having a blood test for PPID?


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