Throughbred owners help please?

[rubyrubyruby]

I recently have bought a five year old chesnunt throughbred mare.
She is a little under weight and is not in good condition.
I was after a little advice on feeding her as i dont want her fizzy she will be in medium to light work at weekend to build muscle up.

Also as i have never had a throughbred before what are your experences for a general riding pony? Pink is very quite and so far being a total dream she is bombproof on the roads and etc. But has never been schooled so thats what i am going to do. Hopefully:)

Any help would be very appreciated! THANKS

[*Sez*]

I love Thoroughbreds, but my experiences of them depend on whether they have 1) been raced, and 2) how far they have progressed in their education as riding horses.
Green ex-racers are a completely different kettle of fish to a TB that has either never been in training or has already made significant steps towards being a riding horse, whether in show jumping, endurance, dressage or as a happy hacker and a bit of showing for fun.

TBs, regardless, tend to be very intelligent and sensitive horses and with firm but fair handling and management, give a very rewarding partnership.

In terms of feeding, it will depend on whether she is generally a good-doer but has lost some weight and condition through lack of exercise over winter, or generally a poor doer. My own TB tends to lean towards the latter and loses weight just by thinking about exercise!
I make regular calls to equine nutritionists to chat over his workload, weight and condition and current feed, mostly just to reassure myself that I'm doing the right thing by him. At present, he is turned away over winter, so will obviously be eating less than a horse in work.
Per day, he is fed
1.5kg Calm & Condition
500g Alfa-A Oil
a round Stubbs scoop of Speedibeet, plus two scoops of NAF Pink Powder.

If you are trying to put weight on her, I'd also recommend ad-lib haylage and to keep a weight and condition diary. Dodson and Horrell have a downloadable condition scoring leaflet on their website. I keep all my info on the Manage My Horse website, which provides graphs of weight gain and loss. Don't forget to feed amounts appropriate for her ideal weight, so if she weighs now 475kg and "ideally" should be nearer the 500kg mark, then feed for a horse of 500kg.

Realistically, I'm afraid, it's all trial and error when it comes to feeding. We can all recommend products and brands that have worked for us and our horses, but Pink may require something different, or be intolerant of something, and intolerance can have an effect on behaviour. If you decide to have a full diet overhaul, gradually change one thing at a time and keep a close eye on the effects.
Good luck! :D

[chickyd444]

i am going to save my arthritic fingers and put...

agrees with Sez totally :p;):D

[Rowerss]

I dont own any horses but out of interest I contacted some feed companies for info a while ago and they sent me great leaflets and booklets with their different feeds and what type of horses they are good for ie: fizzy or lazy! Call or email brands like Spillers and Blue Chip

[Rowerss]

I dont own any horses but out of interest I contacted some feed companies for info a while ago and they sent me great leaflets and booklets with their different feeds and what type of horses they are good for ie: fizzy or lazy! Call or email brands like Spillers and Blue Chip

[rubyrubyruby]

That advice was really helpfull. She has never been raced has bred a foal and then just been hacked out apprantley. She has lived out all winter with no rug and just what grass grows on the feild so you can imagine not in the best nick! But i think with a bit of tlc she should be fine. I just want to be school her and getting her looking good like she should. She has no top line and can see ribs and back bone to skinny for me.

Although i know shes never gonna be like my mums fat cob lol

http://i254.photobucket.com/albums/hh119/rubyrubyruby_2008/pink4.jpg

You might be able to see her condition there.


Thanks again
:)

[Yann]

I wouldn't worry overly about her condition, they do seem to have a tendency to get a bit poor at this time of year, once the grass arrives she'll soon pick up and look a bit more rounded. So long as you're not looking at a full set of ribs I wouldn't worry too much, mine never seems to get much of a covering on her, they're naturally lean.

I would avoid mixes and cereal conditioning cubes, they do apparently send a lot of Tb's into orbit, mine is by all accounts no exception. I've fed alfa oil, speedibeet and a feed balancer through winter before but she's done really well on simple system feed and speedibeet this year.

As a general riding pony they can be fantastic, mine certainly is. She's quiet, loving, brave, and has beautiful manners, and I do find her a lot more tractable to deal with than my cob. Don't be surprised if you find another gear once she gets fit and you present her with a nice stubble or two, a love of going fast seems to be in the genes :D