Top Spec Feed Balancer

[Kobey]

I own a 16.2hh 7 year old TB gelding, ex-race horse with a great temperament, I have owned him for 2 years but have always struggled with his weigh especially in the winter.

He weights 5.25kg at the moment i think he should weight at leat 600kg??

He is ridden 4-5 times week hacking, schooling, jumping always about 1 hour, he is very fit.

He is stables through the winter at night with as much hay and haylage as he wants and is turned out every morning in large field for 6-7 hours.

I have tried many conditioning, build ups these put little weight on, but then seem to stop

I have just started on the Top Spec Feed Balancer two weeks ago after it being recomended. I have followed the nutritionists advice a feed him this =

He is feed this morning and night -

300g - TP Feed Balancer
1 round scoop alfa oil
1 round scoop sugar beet.

The Bag was £35 and has only lasted 2 weeks i find this quite expensive, for the liitle results i see?

Has anyone got any other feed ideas ??x

 

[CL66]

I use it and find it great, but then again I started on their cool and condition cubes at the same time so not sure exactly what started the weight gain but the combo was working so stuck to it!

You could try adding extra oil to his feed, and maybe another scoop of alfa oil per feed too as it's effectively forage?

 

[Kobey]

Ok i might try the cool conditioning cubes also and iam def goin to try oil.xx

 

[Skippys Mum]

I had brilliant results with Spillers Conditioning Cubes. The topspec feed balancer did work and my boy looked amazing but unfortunately it blew his brain and I had to find something else.

Thats a mainly forage based diet you are giving him so you could add the cubes as well and see how you get on.

Oh, and what about Alfabeet instead of sugar beet - its supposed to be "conditioning" - more so than plain sugar beet.

 

[Kay2]

You can feed them the same in ml as their bodyweight of veg oil to keep weight on but build it up gradually in the feed otherwise it will be unpalatable for him at the beginning.

I get a big can of oil from our local tesco for about £12 (but it is a really big can!) and that lasts for ages......really keep the weight on my TB and good for the coat too. Veg oil or sunflower oil do the job just fine....


Agree with Skippy's mum that Spillars Conditioning Cubes are good.....I feed them along with the same quantity of hi-fibre cubes, plus sugar beet, alfa A chaff, barley rings and at the beginning of the winter had her on Top Spec balancer to get her weight up.

 

[9tails]

Have you seen no results at all? 2 weeks isn't that long to see a vast improvement, but he doesn't sound underweight for a fine breed. My large boned 16.1 warmblood is only 500kg and she looks fabulous on TopSpec, I give her half rations of 250g for maintenance as I don't actually want her to gain any weight. A bag lasts 80 days.

 

[carthorse]

First of all if you're feeding 600g a day of the balancer then your sack should have lasted 33 days - either weigh/measure it more carefully or lock it up because someone else is feeding at your expense!

Are you quite certain that your 16.2 TB should be 600kg? That sounds quite heavy to me, I would have thought his current 525kg would be closer to the mark. I've got a 16.2 ID who is a lot bigger framed than even a heavy stamp of TB & I'd put his ideal weight at about 650kg.

I'm another big fan of Top Spec & have had very good results from it. When you say a nutritionist recommended his current diet was it a Top Spec nutritionist? If not I'd suggest giving them a ring as they're very helpful & not at all pushy. They may well recommend that you carry on with the Alfa & sugar beet - they suggested both to me though the SB was a huge no as it blows his brains - but in bigger quantities as to me this doesn't sound much if you're trying to put on condition. Have you tried the TS Cool Condition cubes? I've found them very very good & they're madeto be fed alongside the balancer without unbalancing the diet.

 

[Kobey]

It was the topspec nutritionists, and i use the top spec measuring scoop, think your right someone else must be using it!!!

I have seen a slight improvement, maybe iam expecting to much to soon.

He is quite a chuncky TB more a light hunter type, so 600 is about what he should be and is in the summer.xxx

I have bought oil 2day and he is quite happy to take that.xx

 

[juniberry]

I got a TB x racer too

Mine is now 19 and I have always maitained her weight very closely as if she drops off it is a night mare to get it back on again. She is 500k 16hh and looks great. For years I used local feed merchants own brand pony nuts, sugar beet and safe and sound (she hates alfa a)
Sugar beet can be good but if over fed it is actually a laxative so feeding more can undo the good it is doing. 1 big round scoop twice a day sounds a lot at molst I gave my mare 1/2 scoop twice a day but all horses are diffrent.
This winter my mare just started to lose some top line so I put her on this twice a day
1 round scooop D&H 16+
1/2 scoop safe and sound
1 cup (farriers formula size mug) of Triple crowne triple top up. This is a very high fat feed looks like bran but works like oil but is less messy. In Jan my mare looked so good on this I cut her triple topm up down to 1/2 cup. Much calmer than on the sugar beet and looks great more like 9 not 19.
I do like topspec but I use the Lite on my boy who only gets this and chaff and he is working at BD lower levels.
I would suggest all TB owners use a fat supplement or oil it is great and none heating!