24/7 turnout - what extra food?

[Voy_Por]

Evening all - for those of you with your horses on 24/7 turnout - what extra food do you give them?

A TB i have taken on is a bit under-weight and needs a bit more meat on his bones - i am having on corn oil - unlimited grass - and mollichop.

A lot of the recommendations on products seem high - i take it this is for horses that dont have grass? as the recommendations seem very high i think?

They have lots of grass during the day and when they are stabled (when weather is bad) they have hay in their stable.

Are there any cheap feeds that i could add during the day to add weight to the horse without making him fizz?

Thank you.

 

[horsey1]

Prob best to go to your local feed store and ask adviceor phone one of the feed company helplines

 

[vikkig]

just mentioned this product on another thread, its called 365 complete its made by equineanswers it works wonders and is cheaper then bluechip but 5 times stronger

 

[Voy_Por]

Thank you to you both.

So with grass - hay and corn oil - and Complete 365 - that would be enough do you think?

 

[RachelEvent]

doesn't sound like much for a TB to be honest

mine is on, daily, a scoop of molassed alfalfa
scoop of country cubes
scoop of micronized flaked barley
half scoop of oat mix
limestone flour
and linseed oil

plus 24/7 turnout, and there will be ad-lib hay over winter.

 

[vikkig]

Thank you to you both.

So with grass - hay and corn oil - and Complete 365 - that would be enough do you think?

should be you will need some chaff and stuff to feed the complete 365 with, i feed mine with safe and sound and hi fi cubes.

 

[BIrish]

doesn't sound like much for a TB to be honest

mine is on, daily, a scoop of molassed alfalfa
scoop of country cubes
scoop of micronized flaked barley
half scoop of oat mix
limestone flour
and linseed oil

plus 24/7 turnout, and there will be ad-lib hay over winter.

What kind of work is yours in though ? That sounds like a diet for a horse in reasonable work ?

I too think it doesn't sound like a lot for a TB coming into winter in poor-ish condition.. I'd be feeding a bit more depending on grass quality..

Ours (mine & Rips') TB's are getting no hard feed yet but they are in light work, with good grazing and are carrying enough condition.

OP - I would maybe be trying some fibre-y feeds.. Speedibeet, Alfa Oil etc to put condition on ..

 

[RachelEvent]

What kind of work is yours in though ? That sounds like a diet for a horse in reasonable work ?

yes - she's in moderate work - 6 days a week, jumping, galloping, hunting fit, and still working on steady build up from her racing weight.

not sure what level of work the OP is looking at, but if you're going to try and get some weight on, this time of year is the time to do it. I personally like feeding some straights (barley in this case) to keep her belly rounded, but then I also like them to be feeling 'well' to ride, which others may perceive as slightly over the top.

 

[Voy_Por]

He isnt in any work at the moment - he is in the field taking some time to settle in as we have only had him 2 days - this is why i want to build him up.

Is there an unmollased chaff we could get? i dont want to get something that is going to fizz him up?

Thank you.

 

[BlueWicked]

i use dodson and horrell safe & sound as a chaff with my horse - it can be an entire feed for a good-doer , laminitic type when fed in large quantities, ... but works equally well as a chaff-mixer it has grass nuts in it, and smells nice too http://www.dodsonandhorrell.com/products/horse/tailor-made/safe-sound/

Blue is more likely to eat any supplements I give him mixed in that, that the likes of Dengie HiFiLite - which is another option.http://www.dengie.com/pages/products/fibre-feed/hi-fi-lite.php

Personally, if your horse is a mare, id avoid the likes of hifi, or anything else with alfalfa in it, but thats just me

 

[fairlady]

IF you are going to feed chaff, make sure its a GOOD quality chaff like the one mentioned above, Dodson and Horrell. or Dengie, cheaper chaff is a bit of a false economy I think, and its a waste of time feeding it tbh. I would also be tempted to feed beet and maybe a good quality mix.

Feed twice a day with good grazing and good quality ad lib hay, Rug well in the Winter Months. I never had a problem with Sugarbeet or speedibeet fizzing my TB up. She lost weight quickly due to windsucking/cribbing, speedibeet certainly helped keep the weight on her.

TBH you want to be putting the weight on slowly and working him gradually to improve muscle/condition.

 

[Voy_Por]

i use dodson and horrell safe & sound as a chaff with my horse - it can be an entire feed for a good-doer , laminitic type when fed in large quantities, ... but works equally well as a chaff-mixer it has grass nuts in it, and smells nice too http://www.dodsonandhorrell.com/products/horse/tailor-made/safe-sound/

Blue is more likely to eat any supplements I give him mixed in that, that the likes of Dengie HiFiLite - which is another option.http://www.dengie.com/pages/products/fibre-feed/hi-fi-lite.php

Personally, if your horse is a mare, id avoid the likes of hifi, or anything else with alfalfa in it, but thats just me

Thank you.

He is a gelding so there we go

I cannot get on the D&H website for some reason - i tried yesterday but it didnt work either - which is a shame because i want to have a look at their products.

Thank you to everyone else too for the opinions.

 

[*Sez*]

When mine was living out last winter, he wasn't worked at all and was quite underweight. He was getting 1.5kg Calm & Condition, 250g Alfa A Oil, a scoop of speedibeet (approx 250g dry weight), and NAF Pink Powder. He came out of winter looking really good and maintained his weight over summer, so fingers crossed he'll start this winter well and come out of it looking fab