# what do you feed your thoroughbred horse?



## angel01 (25 February 2011)

As the title says really.

I have my ex racer 16.1hh tb since Aug, He was very fizzy hot headed when I got him so i was told to cut out his hard feed as I only do light work with him anyway,

His feed just now is big handfull of dengi original and a bit of mint plus a scoop of calm and condition. is that enough/

right spring/ summer will be here soon, and ive been told to put him on Dengi good doer which has all the vitamins in.

is this going to be ok on its own or should I add something else,,,I want him NOT to become fizzy again just calm the way he is.

he has ad lib hay day and night too

Thankyou


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## Chellebean (25 February 2011)

Mine is on Calm and condition and alpha a (started off with alpha a oil) and ad lib haylage at the moment. He has put on loads of weight since I got him in september


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## Jazzaria (25 February 2011)

Mine's on this... twice daily

1x sugabeet
1x no 17
1x alfa a oil
1/2 x calm and condition
adlib hay


have had him on everything under the sun inc brewers yeast and equijewell and nothing has put weight on whatsoever and he's healthy/wormed etc...


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## lacey111 (25 February 2011)

I feed both my TBs Fast Fibre (allen and page) they are both competed every autumn and spring in very competitive intermediate team chasing and it works a treat keeping weight on. I feed the advised amount (has vits and mins in) and feed pasture mix/competition mix (when competing) aswell as a basic chaff.

I have had major issues over the last few years with one of the TBs keeping weight on, I tried fast fibre it worked, I couldn't get it when i moved house and had major problems. He has been back on it again this year and I wouldn't feed anything else  both looks absolutely amazing and they have wintered out all winter (even with all the snow) with rugs I might add, and I have never seen them happier 

I wouldn't swap the fast fibre, only thing I would change next yr is trying to find a feed more "hoof friendly" than pasture mix/competition mix if I can as being TB's feet can be a problem but a regular scoop of biotin seems to have helped!

Oh and all have adlib hay/haylage, what ever comes out of bale :- have big bales in the field in a ring feeder


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## GypsyGirl (25 February 2011)

Chellebean said:



			Mine is on Calm and condition and alpha a (started off with alpha a oil) and ad lib haylage at the moment. He has put on loads of weight since I got him in september 

Click to expand...

I bought my mare in August .. She was very thin and we did have her on Allen and page calm and condition, origional hi fi, alfabeet, garlic and carrots. 

I weighed her the other day and she weighed 448kgs she is still on the slim side but has put on a lot since ive had her. 

Had a chat yesturday with the lady in the feed store as I want something to help bring her up more, fattern her up a bit more but slowely .. and she is now on Calm and Condition still (this suits her really well) and instead of hifi orgional she is on alpha a oil carrots and garlic. I did have her on corn oil aswell but she no longer needs it as its all in the alpha a oil. 

Weve had her on this alpha a oil since last night and it seems to be suiting her. 

She is also in light work, im just trying to help build her muscles aswell.


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## Dizzle (25 February 2011)

It's possibly quicker to list what I don't feed! 

Speedibeat, even though it's meant to be very low sugar sent him ADHD, he's a different horse since I stopped it.

Alfalfa too had a negative effect on his personality.

Cereals/Mixes... I had to remove all the leg straps off his rugs as he was trying to kill me... at one point it was taking two people to get his rugs on!

Now I feed him- a handful of Graze-On as chaff, it's fast dried grass chopped short, like a posh hay chaff and a 1/4 of a scoop of pony nuts and a splash of sunflower oil for coat shine. He only really gets this tiny feed out of habit now. 

Most of his feed comes from hay, he's NEVER allowed to run out of it, costs a fortune in winter but probably cheaper than feeding him a ton of other stuff.

Oddly enough it's since I stopped feeding him so much hard feed that he's really gained and maintained his weight. He's coming out of winter looking FANTASTIC

With hard feed:






Without hard feed:


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## Capriole (25 February 2011)

alfa a oil
grass nuts, soaked
top spec balancer


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## TheEquineOak (25 February 2011)

Hello!!

After a trial of all sorts of stuff, what works best for my TB is:

3/4 alfa a oil
1/2 baileys no 4
a handful of buildup mix
spoonful of sugerbeet

and maybe too many carrots


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## FaldingwoodLivery (25 February 2011)

Baileys no4
alfalfa
soya oil
sugar beet

and ad lib haylage whilst in at night.

He was really poor when him in august and is now looking amazing, I'd highly reccomend ringing the feed helplines, I spoke to baileys and the advice they gave me was spot on


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## gingerthing (25 February 2011)

Mollichaff calmer

ad lib haylage


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## Spins (25 February 2011)

i feed a cool and cooked mix and cubes (percentage depending on the kind of work hes in at the time)

scoop of sugarbeet and a cup of Top Spec.. the top spec really turned him inside out and gave him a top line and a neck   and didnt make him fresh or fizzy at all!! the bag lasts for ages too cuz ur only using a cup a day.. its quite expensive for a bag but well worth the money! hope that helps!


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## Solstar (25 February 2011)

I have a 17yo TB who is retired and a 27yo TB x who is in light/medium work. They are both fed the following and look fantastic on it- I've had the younger horse 10 years and he lookis the best I have ever had him!

Ad-lib Haylage- as much as they want, on average they were eating between 7kg-12kg a night, and had 5kg out in the field between them. 

Hi Fi Veteran- 4 scoops of.
Cheap Pony Nuts- about 2 scoops.
Haylage Balancer- brill stuff, helped ease the younger ones ulcers, kept the older one 'regular'.
Glug of Linseed Oil.

They are currently eating Ad-lib Hay- I have ran out of Haylage, with a scoop of Hi Fi Veteran and a scoop of cheap Nuts.

I do vary the amounts as to how they look every couple of days. Like a couple of othwer posters, I find Cereals/Mixes do wind mine up etc.


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## intouch (25 February 2011)

Simple System Lucienuts and Purabeet, and ad lib hay.  Really keeps his head right and that helps him keep condition.  If he even sees an oat he winds himself up to high do.


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## JessPickle (25 February 2011)

Our TB x gets Ad lib haylage and 1 scoop of chaff twice a day.


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## Dizzle (25 February 2011)

NB: I also feed hay off the floor now which seems to help his topline a little


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## angel01 (26 February 2011)

Hi

Your horse is lovely, is very simular to my boy, he is a bright bay gelding except he has 3 white socks ;@)

I was told not to give him hard feed with the dengi he was on by the lady at the time i was loaning her tb, so i had to cut back on his feed due to his fizzyness,

Now he just has big handfull of dengi original with calm and condition,

he will come off the calm and condition due to summer coming and ive been told to move him onto dengi good doer because of all the vitimins and oils,

What else would you recommend to mix with this or would a good scoop do him ok?


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## angel01 (26 February 2011)

Dizzle said:



			It's possibly quicker to list what I don't feed! 

Speedibeat, even though it's meant to be very low sugar sent him ADHD, he's a different horse since I stopped it.

Alfalfa too had a negative effect on his personality.

Cereals/Mixes... I had to remove all the leg straps off his rugs as he was trying to kill me... at one point it was taking two people to get his rugs on!

Now I feed him- a handful of Graze-On as chaff, it's fast dried grass chopped short, like a posh hay chaff and a 1/4 of a scoop of pony nuts and a splash of sunflower oil for coat shine. He only really gets this tiny feed out of habit now. 

Most of his feed comes from hay, he's NEVER allowed to run out of it, costs a fortune in winter but probably cheaper than feeding him a ton of other stuff.

Oddly enough it's since I stopped feeding him so much hard feed that he's really gained and maintained his weight. He's coming out of winter looking FANTASTIC

With hard feed:






Without hard feed:





Click to expand...

Awww your horse is lovely, my boy is very simular has simular markings on his face, though he has 3 white socks. he is 16.1h bright bay tb ex racer.

before I got him in August last year he was fed on 1/2 scoop dengi hI Fi, original 1/2 scoop of hard mix, mint he was in hard work then eventing, hunting, Cross country etc.

He is now in light work and now has a big handfull of Dengi, mint, calm and condition.

I was told after winter when calm and condition stops to move him onto Dengi Hi Fi good doer as it has all the vitimans in and mint.

Is there anything else he could have with it without making him fizzy, or is 1/2 scoop of Dengi sufficiant for light work? never had a race horse before lol


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## PRTeventing (26 February 2011)

Race horse cubes!


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## caramel (26 February 2011)

mine is on (twice daily)
1x Alfa A oil
1 cup Spillers cool concentrate

PM: 
same as above plus 
2x spoons garlic
90ml Joint flex


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## golddustsara (26 February 2011)

My old TBx used to have a glug of linseed oil, half a scoop of fast fibre, handful of mix and Molichaff showshine. Worked a treat.


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## china (26 February 2011)

my tb gets nothing but ad lib haylage and a scoop of hoofkind once a day with all his drugs in it. He also gets equine americas topform pellets which i think has made a huge difference. he is looking better this year just on this then he has ever looked with me pumping him full of conditioing feeds.


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## Slightlyconfused (26 February 2011)

my sisters is on three slices of hay anight, anymore and he leaves it, half a round scoop of calm and condition, garlic, pink power, naf pro feet and we have just changed him to hi fi light and was told my feed lady that the alfa oil we had him on can make them a bit fizzy when mixed with spring grass  he had put on a nice amount of weight since we got him last oct. 

xx


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## angel01 (27 February 2011)

Awww your horse is lovely, my boy is very simular has simular markings on his face, though he has 3 white socks. he is 16.1h bright bay tb ex racer.

before I got him in August last year he was fed on 1/2 scoop dengi hI Fi, original 1/2 scoop of hard mix, mint he was in hard work then eventing, hunting, Cross country etc.

He is now in light work and now has a big handfull of Dengi, mint, calm and condition.

I was told after winter when calm and condition stops to move him onto Dengi Hi Fi good doer as it has all the vitimans in and mint.

Is there anything else he could have with it without making him fizzy, or is 1/2 scoop of Dengi sufficiant for light work? never had a race horse before lol


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## honetpot (28 February 2011)

I wish mine ate so little.
Haylage as much as he can eat wihich is about two very large hay nets stuffed.
12lbs conditioning feeds nuts/mix/DE 13 or above, mixed with soya oil or veg oil if I've run out.
 Last year I used Coolstance which was really fattening but he doesn't really like it and as he is fed  with field mates he would share with his friend where there is no way he would share his nuts with anyone.
 I have to say he is the lazyest horse ever and seems not to be effected by anything you feed him just needs loads of calories.


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## rachi0 (28 February 2011)

When my filly (3yrs) came out of training she was extremely fit and on the slim side. She was chucked out in a field and not fed. She is now being fed as she's in a field with other horses that are being fed.. but in all honesty she looked great without feed!!!  - she doesn't get that much.. 2 scoops stud mix once a day. She's let down very very well.. and is growing like there's no tomorrow. 

My other mare is the same.. you prob wouldn't need to feed her throughout winter .. just hay and grass.. - she started gettin fed in January as she is in foal. 

Both mares have a silly side but aren't worriers.. they are pretty calm and chilled out which i think helps towards them not needing to be fed.. they don't worry their weight off.


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## Angua2 (28 February 2011)

After years of struggling my mare gets
Adlib haylage, (in 3 x 7kg nets), and two meals consisting each of
1 scoop hifi
1/2 scoop economy cubes
1/2 scoop sugarbeet
1 scoop pinkpowder/haylage balancer

Changed yards at the end of last year, and think that has also something to do with the fact that my girl has far more coverage than normal


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## Firewell (28 February 2011)

OP if you are happy with the calm and condition and your horse looks good why don't you just keep him on what you are already feeding?
If you are worried your horse may get fizzy or fat when the spring grass comes through why don't you cut down the calm and condition and add a general vit and mins supplement.
Just give a double handful of the HIFI that you are already giving with a vitamin and mineral supplement then you can add as little or as much as the calm and condition as you like depending on how your horse looks and feels and how much work you are doing?
Then you don't have to change again before next winter you can just give a scoop of the CC again.
Hope that helps, just think if it ain't broke don't fix it?

Incidentally my TB gets a scoop of HIFI and low cal balancer with a glug of veg oil and salt. This keeps him looking amazing in medium work. He does need lots of haylage and grass though. He also gets pony nuts in his ball. If he drops off he just gets more haylage and more oil splashed in his feed. My horse is better on low spec feeds and lots of fibre but the balancer has made a massive difference as it really helps his gut. I will always have him on a decent balancer and a simple small chaff/nuts meal and lots of haylage diet now .
My last TB was awful just on chaff and balancer (went nuts on a balancer!!) and she needed just 1 scoop of high spec, high fat performance competition feed plus haylage so even the same breeds can suit such different feeds! Thats why I think if you are happy with how your horse looks and feels you should just stick to what he is on now


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## horse_lover (28 February 2011)

My 4yr old TB is on speedi-beet, Baileys number 4 (very small amount) and alfa A oil.  My 20yr old has Mollichaff Veteran and Dodson and Horrell Sixteen Plus Mix.  They also get as much haylage as they want


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