# Feeding advice for senior underweight pony



## Kimimerra (26 February 2018)

Hi all, I need advice on how to get my 22yr old cob to put on weight at this horrible time of year. Every winter my pony gets so thin and he eats quite a lot. In the summer when there is grass, he's in perfect condition. But when there is nothing out in the fields his fat just falls off him. I feed him twice a day: 1 scoop sugarbeet, 1 scoop conditioning mix (Bailey's top line) and a scoop of Apple chaff. I fill his haynet every night to it's full capacity but a lot of it gets wasted as he pulls it out and drops it on the floor and poops on it. The hay I currently get is sometimes good or bad quality as I buy it from the farm across the road from me and he orders it in so, it's luck of the draw. I've tried haylage and hay mixed but I don't think it did anything for him. I've been looking at grass pellets that you soak, as I feel that he needs grass to make him put on weight? Any advice would be appreciated as I worry about him all the time. Thank you


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## meleeka (27 February 2018)

If it were mine Id feed something like Allen & Page Calm and Condition or Veteran Vitality as a feed along with micronised linseed.

Id then mix speedibeet and chaff in a trug to make a hay replacer. You can feed quite a lot of this safely. I think you probably need to discount the hay as the primary fibre source.


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## JillA (27 February 2018)

Grass pellets (no need to soak but mix with good grass chop to stop him bolting them) micronised linseed, bran - and a GOOD dental check plus a blood test for PPID (Cushings)
I'd also be getting a probiotic to help him get the most out of what he does eat (yeasacc) as well as whey protein or amino acids since what he seems to be getting is mainly fibre and he needs protein to build soft tissue. And vitamin E, found in fresh grass but degrades in forage.


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## Pearlsasinger (27 February 2018)

The first thing I would do is swap the apple chaff, which has little to no feed value, for a good grass chaff, Graze-on, Emerald Green,  or D&H.   Then I would introduce micronised linseed.  I don't usually feed coarse mix of any kind but soaked grassnuts mixed with chaff and the linseed are good for increasing/maintaining weight.


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## Shay (27 February 2018)

Both the above are good. But also I would suggest changing your chaff.  I'm assuming Dengie Apple?  Its laced with unnecessary sugar and doesn't have the best feed value.  You could switch to something like Graze on or readigrass as the closest to the good quality grass he can't get at the moment.  Or to something like Hi Fi Molasses free which has a higher calorie content than the apple but only a faction of the sugar.  Can you manage 3 smaller feed per day rather than 2?

EAT - cross posted with pearlsigner.  Great minds etc....


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## Sussexbythesea (27 February 2018)

Veteran vitality has done wonders for the very old minis I look after sometimes. Also second micronised linseed and grass nuts as a forage replacer.  

Alternatively my friends 33yr old standard Shetland has decided he loves fibre-beet after going off Veteran vitality and wolfs that down as well as baileys fibre nuts. Hes gone off hay recently but still seems to be keeping weight on eating that. 

As well as adjusting feed a teeth check and a Cushings and general blood test would be a good idea.


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## Celtic Fringe (27 February 2018)

My oldie cannot eat hay or haylage anymore as his teeth are only just hanging on in there! He has maintained weight on Graze-on and conditioning cubes, all very well soaked so he can suck it all in! He lives out and since Christmas has been on one feed a day - there is some grass in the field as well, which he can manage. However, I've just upped him to two feeds in this cold weather. Roll on spring!


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## Velcrobum (27 February 2018)

Used fast fibre for an oldie that dropped weight last year (post over zealous use of dremel by lazy vet-now let go!) That worked very well so using it this year and not needing to boil barley and linseed (yet).........


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## Kimimerra (27 February 2018)

Thanks everyone. Unfortunately, I cannot be up there 3 times a day due to work. I will take all of your advice on board and hopefully he will put on some weight! Yes roll on spring lol


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## Kimimerra (27 February 2018)

How much speedibeet and chaff or grass nuts and linseed would you recommend as a hay replacer? He's only 13.2hh


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## JillA (27 February 2018)

Kimimerra said:



			How much speedibeet and chaff or grass nuts and linseed would you recommend as a hay replacer? He's only 13.2hh
		
Click to expand...

To gain weight it is recommended that they get a total of 2% of their bodyweight in dry matter. So you need to work on that basis really, as a starting point


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## saffysmum (27 February 2018)

Ive had great success feeding my 30yr old cob with carob you can  read about it and cococarob on the ValleyView horsefeed webpage I cant recommend it high enough. Its safe for those with sugar restrictions as it doesnt give a sugar spike, its used in human food as a substitute for diabetics. The people who run the business are very helpful.


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## MuffettMischief (1 March 2018)

My old (31) pony is thriving having gone 'back to basics'. Spiller speedy mash (highest fibre content feed/mash I could find), grass nuts and micronised linseed. She isnt a huge hay eater so shes also having a simple systems grass block at night which she thinks is wonderful. She has put a ton of weight on! Much better than when I was spending a fortune on a fancy weight gain feeds!


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## MuffettMischief (1 March 2018)

Just seen comments about amounts. My 13.2 gets 3 stubbs scoops of soaked mash, 1 stubbs scoop of grass nuts and 1 large balancer cup of linseed split between 2 feeds.


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## Kimimerra (1 March 2018)

Thanks so much for your replies x


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