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Post by Gingersmom-Tate on Aug 15, 2007 13:58:42 GMT -5
As most of you know, Sione is my first TB and she was down in weight about 250lbs when she got here due to some medical conditions. I have managed to get about 150lb on her, but the last 75-100lbs have managed to stall. When the vet was here a few days ago he commented that she needs close to another 100lb. I've come to the conclusion that I may need to change my feeding strategy, I've been feeding her the same way I've always feed my QH's and it might not be enough at this point. I've read some about feeding OTTBS, but I dont think that applies to Sione since she has not raced in 13 years. So please excuse my ignorance if I have not provided her with enough feed. This is her normal diet. Please feel free to comment on how those of you with older TB's keep the good weight up. I really appriciate the advise.***also Vet said she does not have an ulcer, her cribbing is a habit only***
am-1 flake orch/tim mix, 2.5lbs of safechoice,1 scoop of cool calories, joint supplements.
Allday turnout on pasture grass.
pm -the same minus the joint supplements.
During winter months in addition is 2.5lb soaked tim pellets and a flake of Alfalfa per day.
ps: after 5 months of Sione, I realize they are alot different to manage...I'm still learning.
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Post by winterlakesfarm on Aug 15, 2007 14:04:38 GMT -5
ooooooh ask Schwung.....this is RIGHT up her alley!
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Post by Just Jolene on Aug 15, 2007 14:18:22 GMT -5
My 11 yo mare gets two to three flakes hay per feeding, and app. 10 pounds grain daily.
edit to add: in addition to pasture.
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bsnlark
Junior BB Member
SAFE Adopter
SAFE's Larkspur and Ishmeal n Buckwheat, too
Posts: 71
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Post by bsnlark on Aug 15, 2007 14:22:40 GMT -5
I can also say, TB's ARE alot different to maintain than the QH. ( one reason Buck is so fat, and almost foundered this past spring). Lark has been with me for 2 years now, and was extremely underweight when she got here. It took a long long time for her ribs not to show. I got so caught up in the putting the weight on, I wasnt noticing that she finally had. I started feeding Ishmael the same way, loaded on the senior feed twice a day, cool cals, supplements ... I was feeding my 2 other QH's almost the same Sr. amount, cuz my hay sucked for nourishment. They didnt need the extra weight, but Im a sucker for a sad face and cute tricks ( buck ) Finally took a step back and looked at Ish and Lark and sayd, youre not boney any more ( Ish really wasnt underweight, Dakota2Mariah did a wonderful job rehabing him ) I always gave them more than 1 flake of hay ( grass ) twice a day. Now Lark and Buck get 2 flakes AM apiece and 3 apiece at PM feeding. When buck isnt looking I will sneak another flake to Lark. Morph is now up to a great weight, but I still give him 1/2 scoop oats am and pm..( and since Ish is in the same paddock, I spoil him w/ the same and they both get supplements with dinner ) They are in an area w/ no pasture to nibble on, so I tend to give them each 3 flakes am and pm.... During the winter when they all will be inside at night I will give them all some grain/ sr / oats supplements PM. plus the hay... everyone, including my dogs, gets carrots every evening. Morph is funny eating the oats , his mouth gets all foamy. But Im certainly not an expert, Ive had to ask many questions, and of course everyone w/SAFE has been extremely helpful ;D Good luck, and I dont think it would hurt to even give 2 scoops of the cool cals....( I was even sneaking  it to Clover, but told Cat later ) ... |
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Post by huskiesnhorses on Aug 15, 2007 14:27:45 GMT -5
What finally put the weight on Redmond (and maintains it on Chewy) is 50% grass hay and 50% alfalfa.
I feed 2 flakes alfalfa in the am and 2 flakes grass in the pm (per each horse) plus grass pasture 24/7. The pasture grass definitely helps keep the weight on.
Redmond gets LMF Primetime 1 scoop twice a day and Chewy gets LMF Showtime 1 scoop twice per day.
Plus vitamins and Grand Hoof supplement.
edited to add that during the rich spring/summer grass - I may cut down to 1 flake alfalfa and 1 flake grass (but that will only last for 2 months or so.
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Post by winterlakesfarm on Aug 15, 2007 14:42:43 GMT -5
My 2 cents is that Safechoice is a GREAT feed(I feed it to all) but not great for putting weight on as it is a lower carb feed. You can get a horse to gain on it but Redmond's suggestion of LMF Primetime(senior) is a good one or Nutrena Senior or I always have great luck with Purina Senior. Jaime should wade in here soon.....she has a good regimen for her TB's and they all look beautiful!
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Post by cat67 on Aug 15, 2007 15:34:41 GMT -5
I am with Redmond. My hard keepers never look as good on any kind of hay but alfalfa mix. I buy them very expensive hay right now, but it is well worth it - Sunline looks great, and it took me quite a while to get her where I wanted her in the first place.
Probably a silly question but have you had Sione's teeth done?
Also, a round of Psyllium is not a bad idea. She may have come from a sandy area and if they have sand in their gut they won't gain weight and are at high risk of colic. Psyllium (like Sand Clear) is cheap - just put her on that for a month.
Another thing to try - a probiotic like Probios. I had a rescue that was a really bad windsucker, and that decreased 90% after I put him on the Probios. It just seems to help settle their stomachs.
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Post by schwung on Aug 15, 2007 15:45:46 GMT -5
A few thoughts -
FREE-CHOICE hay. They need to be able to eat as much as they can. TBs won't overeat, they will eat their fill and no more, but make sure it is always available for them, because their metabolism is so high they are burning calories like crazy even when taking a nap. I agree with the mix approach as well. I would either do free-choice 80/20 grass/alf mix, or free-choice grass plus two flakes of alfalfa a day.
The grains that I would recommend are Ultium or Allegra Cadence. Both are very high fat (Cadence is rice-bran based so it doesn't make them hot either). Then add fat on top of that. Too many carbs will make TBs too hot, so I prefer to add calories by adding fat instead of more grain. I use Cool Calories because it is palatable, but I add vegetable oil on top of that. It takes something like 6-8 scoops of Cool Calories to equal 1 cup of oil, so you get a lot more for your money with the oil. I use the oil to mix the Cool Calories in with the grain and get it to stick to the grain. I also add stabilized rice bran pellets to the mix, 1 cup twice a day.
There is always beet pulp as well. You have to soak it and I have had issues when I have tried it with getting my horses to eat it, but some people have had great results with it. The hay pellets are good to add also.
It is even harder to put weight on cribbers. I think it distracts them from eating as well as burns calories.
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Post by hooti4me on Aug 15, 2007 19:06:56 GMT -5
I've had TBs in the past, and ALWAYS free fed, with a nice grass/alfalfa mix (more on the grass side) Never been a big grain feeder, if the horse wasn't worked. We nursed a horse back from starvation, body scale of 1 (which I later purchased) with free choice hay, then later we added supplements with COB. I personally have never fed beet pulp, just a personal prefence. I think turnout, and free choice hay is your big ones for your horse.
It definately takes a while to figure out what a OTTB needs. Kudos to you, for asking for advice!
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Post by Gingersmom-Tate on Aug 15, 2007 21:13:25 GMT -5
You guys are fantastic, thank you for all the advise. I think her weight gain has been by luck only at this point. I realize she is underfed. Cat, I had her teeth done at the end of January and were checked on Monday, they are good. I did forget to mention she turns her nose up if the color of hay is not the correct shade of green, seriously. I'm relieved to know that adding more alf would be ok, it's her favorite. I'm going to take your advise and finish fattening this girl up. Tina.
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Post by cat67 on Aug 15, 2007 21:38:42 GMT -5
I did forget to mention she turns her nose up if the color of hay is not the correct shade of green, seriously. Oh, same thing here. If the hay is not green and fine stemmed, my princesses glare at me and pee on it. |
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Post by huskiesnhorses on Aug 15, 2007 22:04:14 GMT -5
I did forget to mention she turns her nose up if the color of hay is not the correct shade of green, seriously. Oh, same thing here. If the hay is not green and fine stemmed, my princesses glare at me and pee on it. Member of the same club. I used to try to recycle hay (gather up the leavings from last meal and include in next meal. Redmond now pushes off to one side what he finds distasteful - and to make a very clear point to me to NOT recycle it - he takes a big dump on it...sometimes two.............point taken. |
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Post by jaybird on Aug 15, 2007 22:44:41 GMT -5
I am in TB feeding hell at the moment....Jay is so skinny right now....  he spent a week on pasture board when I was at the show, and he dropped a lot of weight. So I am currently stuffing him to the gills with food right now in hopes that he'll get back to where he was earlier this summer. He won't eat as much hay as I wish he would, but he always has it in front of him. Three times a day, he gets a bucket containing Beet pulp pellets (about a pound of dry) soaked in water with about a pound of rice bran powder, topped with three pounds of Ultium. He also gets Cool Calories along with his other supplements. The resulting bucket of food is so heavy I can barely lift it. He usually finishes it off between feedings, sometimes he leaves a little beet pulp behind. For a while I was just feeding the beet pulp/rice bran without the Ultium and he appeared to be losing weight on that. Before that, he got just the Ultium, and seemed to do pretty well. Now he gets both.  The crazy part is he is shiny and covered in dapples....and skinny as a rail. He drives me nuts. |
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Post by slew on Aug 15, 2007 22:53:29 GMT -5
When I first started feeding a TB, I could not get weight on it.....
I thought I should feed it like every other horse I had.
A cowboy told me......"the more you stoke the fire, the more wood it burns".
I was feeding my boy three times a day, a ton of grain and still had a skinny horse.
I now feed good quality timothy, premium senior feed , lots of fresh water, pasture and in the fall when the air gets cooler, I add beet pulp.
My TB's are fat.
Want pictures?
cat can tell you that I got weight on Mesa when no one else could.
right?
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Post by huskiesnhorses on Aug 15, 2007 22:54:00 GMT -5
The crazy part is he is shiny and covered in dapples....and skinny as a rail. I used to be like that - I called it my twenties......dapples, pimples...whatever....but skinny as a rail! what happened to those days?!? |
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it to Clover, but told Cat later ) ...
he spent a week on pasture board when I was at the show, and he dropped a lot of weight. So I am currently stuffing him to the gills with food right now in hopes that he'll get back to where he was earlier this summer. 