How to put condition on a horse?

Valentina

My 7 yo mare has started losing condition over the last few weeks and despite upping her feed she doesn't seem to be gaining weight.

She gets half a scoop of Bluegrass Cool 'n' Condition and a scoop of barley twice a day as well as haylage ad lib. She gets turned out only for a few hours a couple of days a week as the field is not great, quite poached in places and she has a lot of TB blood so if it's cool out I worry she will feel it. (She wears a heavy weight TO rug but still.)

She was wormed in October and is not due to be dosed again until Jan 1st. I will be sending a sample of her droppings for analysis next week to see if she has anything.

She does light to moderate schooling work about 5 days a week (lunging and flatwork, no jumping at the moment but I would like to start once she gains weight.)

Anyway, does anyone have any advice what I could do to help put the condition back on? I'm giving her a couple of days off work. Would I be better off dropping the premixed feed and switching to seperate feeds that I can do up myself and adjust as needs be? She is naturally quite hot and sensitive so I want to avoid anything that will heat her up.

Thanks in advance

fits

Ad lib hay, or haylage if you can get it, but it might heat up some horses.

edit: sorry, I didnt read the post properly obviously.

Sugar beet is good winter feed for horses and should help. Also, is she warm enough?

Valentina

fits wrote: »

Ad lib hay, or haylage if you can get it, but it might heat up some horses.

edit: sorry, I didnt read the post properly obviously.

Sugar beet is good winter feed for horses and should help. Also, is she warm enough?

Will sugar beet heat horses up? I heard about Speedy Beet (?) that is meant to have less sugar?

Yeah I'm not sure about the warmth, her rug is heavy and she feels warm if I put my hand inside it but I'm really not sure if she's warm enough? I stuck her fleece under her rug today for an extra layer. I have a heavier rug I could put on her but I'm worried if she gets too hot under it? I wish she could just tell me! :P

fits

Sugar beet would be my first port of call anyway. I dont think it heated any of mine when I used it.

You could also mix it with something like Alfa A.

And yeah, if she is inside and losing condition, and you're not sure she's warm, I would probably over rug rather than under rug. The nights have been quite cold there lately?

Heydeldel

Noticed my mare is losing a slight bit of condition too. Her coat looks great, but I can feel a few ribs and she feels thin around that area.

I started her on beet pulp and grass nuts and a little bit of conditioning mix and started giving two small feeds a day instead of one. I hope this will help her gain weight. She's get lots of haylage and turn out. She's not clipped so should be warm enough with a regular turn rug.

Now if only I had the same problem... mince pies are so irresistible!

Will post and let you know if the new diet works. Hope you get sorted OP.

Valentina

fits wrote: »

Sugar beet would be my first port of call anyway. I dont think it heated any of mine when I used it.

You could also mix it with something like Alfa A.

And yeah, if she is inside and losing condition, and you're not sure she's warm, I would probably over rug rather than under rug. The nights have been quite cold there lately?

I will try get some speedy beet or regular beet on Monday and see how it goes. I probably won't get much riding done anyway over the next couple of weeks so maybe the combo of things will help put the weight back on.

I will switch rugs tomorrow too. Her new rug is VERY heavy so it should keep her nice and snug. Her stable is in a big barn and she is near the back corner (which backs on to other buildings) so she hasn't been exposed to the very cold nights we've had, thankfully.

Valentina

Heydeldel wrote: »

Noticed my mare is losing a slight bit of condition too. Her coat looks great, but I can feel a few ribs and she feels thin around that area.

I started her on beet pulp and grass nuts and a little bit of conditioning mix and started giving two small feeds a day instead of one. I hope this will help her gain weight. She's get lots of haylage and turn out. She's not clipped so should be warm enough with a regular turn rug.

Now if only I had the same problem... mince pies are so irresistible!

Will post and let you know if the new diet works. Hope you get sorted OP.

Sounds like mine. Her coat is glossy, eyes bright, farrier checked her feet on Thursday and said they're perfect but I can feel her ribs with my hand. She doesn't look bony though, it's only if she stretches to scratch you can make them out.

What conditioning mix are you using?

mystika121

It is natural for a horse to lose some condition over Winter but if it seems like too much is being lost then feeding corn oil can help to put on weight and it's non heating. I used it on a TB that was very sharp and he was fine on it.

You can buy it in any supermarket. Start with a small amount and work up to about a cup full per day. A nice side effect is a shiny coat.

Heydeldel

Valentina wrote: »

Sounds like mine. Her coat is glossy, eyes bright, farrier checked her feet on Thursday and said they're perfect but I can feel her ribs with my hand. She doesn't look bony though, it's only if she stretches to scratch you can make them out.

What conditioning mix are you using?

I'm using a Red Mills conditioning mix. The Bailey's brand was recommended to me but can't find a stockist near me. The Red Mills is around 14e.

Apparently grass nuts are good for putting on weight. A very knowledgeable horsey friend recommended pulp and grass nuts for weight gain so that's what I'm trying.

I have the same prob, coat looks fine etc but when she stretches I can see ribs.

Esroh

One of the things that was always used in the showing yards I worked in in times past was Flaked Maze. Its 60% starch so is regarded as high energy but is a slow burner rather than a buzzing effect. You can cut it down as she puts her condition back on.

Valentina

Heydeldel wrote: »

I'm using a Red Mills conditioning mix. The Bailey's brand was recommended to me but can't find a stockist near me. The Red Mills is around 14e.

Apparently grass nuts are good for putting on weight. A very knowledgeable horsey friend recommended pulp and grass nuts for weight gain so that's what I'm trying.

I have the same prob, coat looks fine etc but when she stretches I can see ribs.

Thanks for that. I am going to try the sugar beet first and if that doesn't work I may try grass nuts.

Stuck her extra heavy rug on today and gave her a small bran mash with her barley and c'n'c. She was lovely and warm when I left but she was a bit mopey, hope it's just boredom from not doing any work today or yesterday...

Heydeldel

I made a homemade boredom breaker and hung a turnip in the stable to beat the long evening blues. Could try something like that?

I took my mare on a charity hunt chase today so she's wrecked after it! We were muck to eyeballs after it.She loved it though. It does wonders for her to get out and about like that every now and again to let off some steam. She always works nicely on the flat the day after too. She's prob just used up all her crazy for the week though.

Valentina

Heydeldel wrote: »

I made a homemade boredom breaker and hung a turnip in the stable to beat the long evening blues. Could try something like that?

I took my mare on a charity hunt chase today so she's wrecked after it! We were muck to eyeballs after it.She loved it though. It does wonders for her to get out and about like that every now and again to let off some steam. She always works nicely on the flat the day after too. She's prob just used up all her crazy for the week though.

Yeah I might try the turnip thing tomorrow. She loved the last one she had.

I'd love to be able to go on a hunt run with her but we're just not fit enough at the moment! And the roads around us are too busy for hacking so we are really just confined to the arenas and fields.

treccie

With condition loss the obvious starting point for me always has to be teeth, then feeding and checking she's warm enough. If you feel her ears late at night you'll get a rough indication if she's feeling the cold. Introducing a third feed into the day rather than increasing rations in the existing feeds can also be more effective as horses have a very small stomach.

Valentina

treccie wrote: »

With condition loss the obvious starting point for me always has to be teeth, then feeding and checking she's warm enough. If you feel her ears late at night you'll get a rough indication if she's feeling the cold. Introducing a third feed into the day rather than increasing rations in the existing feeds can also be more effective as horses have a very small stomach.

She just had her teeth done at the start of December.

Should her ears feel warm then if I check them? The latest I would be out with her though would be about 7pm, not very late at night.

The third feed is something I could easily do as I'm out with her most lunch times.

Heydeldel

It seems so obvious now but I really underestimated how much being cold can affect condition.

Bought a shiny new stable rug today as the one I had was very thin. So between the extra rug and two small feeds rather than one I hope my mare will fatten up soon!

Also, not sure how much to feed. I give her approx a quarter of a feed bucket ( standard plastic bucket size) twice a day. So roughly half a bucket a day. She's 16hh sport horse. Does that sound like enough

Valentina

Heydeldel wrote: »

It seems so obvious now but I really underestimated how much being cold can affect condition.

Bought a shiny new stable rug today as the one I had was very thin. So between the extra rug and two small feeds rather than one I hope my mare will fatten up soon!

Also, not sure how much to feed. I give her approx a quarter of a feed bucket ( standard plastic bucket size) twice a day. So roughly half a bucket a day. She's 16hh sport horse. Does that sound like enough

I'm trying to visualise the bucket - do you mean one like this?



That doesn't sound like a huge amount to me. My horse is 15'2'' sports horse and in light schooling most of the time and she would get probably a full bucket or close enough to it between two feeds as well as haylage. I suppose it depends what kind of work you're doing and whether or not she's a good doer? It's terribly confusing though and I'm really finding things out as I go along.

Heydeldel

Yep a bucket like that. Crap! I must be under feeding so. I think in my head I still think I have a 14.2 and just not used to having a bigger horse. Whoops!

She's a good -ish doer if that makes sense. Not a fatty by any means but keeps good condition especially if I've been under feeding her.

It's hard to guesstimate. I should just work it out kg feed per kg horse weight. I'll try find a conversion table on the web.

Heydeldel

Here's a link to the bailey's feed site. You can work how approx how much to feed.

http://www.baileyshorsefeeds.co.uk/feedingexplained/calculator.htm

fits

If she's not losing weight you're not underfeeding, and I'd always up forage before concentrate for most horses.

Yep plenty of charts available online but beware.... a lot of them are put there by companies trying to sell their own product.

Heydeldel

fits wrote: »

If she's not losing weight you're not underfeeding, and I'd always up forage before concentrate for most horses.

Yep plenty of charts available online but beware.... a lot of them are put there by companies trying to sell their own product.

Thanks, good advice to keep in mind. I'll up both forage and feed a small bit extra and see how that works out.

Valentina

Heydeldel wrote: »

Yep a bucket like that. Crap! I must be under feeding so. I think in my head I still think I have a 14.2 and just not used to having a bigger horse. Whoops!

Oh god don't take my advice, ha! Is there anyone in your yard you could ask to have a look and see if she has enough feed?

Heydeldel wrote: »

She's a good -ish doer if that makes sense. Not a fatty by any means but keeps good condition especially if I've been under feeding her.

It's hard to guesstimate. I should just work it out kg feed per kg horse weight. I'll try find a conversion table on the web.

I don't know what weight of feed she is getting as I work off a Stubbs scoop like this:



There is a woman in my yard that meticulously weighs out her horse feed, gram by gram but eh I can't really be bothered with that!

mystika121

Does your horse have a full clip? If so you might consider a neck cover. Lots of heat can be lost this way. If the hairs on her neck are growing back quickly it can be a sign that she is cold in this area.

If you are feeling the horses ears to establish if she is cold then make sure to use the base of the ear as the tips will generally be cold anyway. Hold for a good few seconds to allow the heat to come through.

If you are considering weighing feeds then you will only need to fill the scoop and weigh it once for each feed type.

Valentina

mystika121 wrote: »

Does your horse have a full clip? If so you might consider a neck cover. Lots of heat can be lost this way. If the hairs on her neck are growing back quickly it can be a sign that she is cold in this area.

If you are feeling the horses ears to establish if she is cold then make sure to use the base of the ear as the tips will generally be cold anyway. Hold for a good few seconds to allow the heat to come through.

If you are considering weighing feeds then you will only need to fill the scoop and weigh it once for each feed type.

She has a low trace clip and a heavy weight rug with full neck cover on. I will check her ears tomorrow.

Good point about the weighing

treccie

If you're looking at weighing feeds the pony club manual is a good guide, basic but once the basics are right most things fall into place.

Esroh

Val going on old school rule of thumb weight x2 with a starting point of 1/3 feed 2/3 hay for a horse in light work your mare would need up to 12 lbs of feed a day depending on Age and Temperment .
That scoop should be 2lbs of nuts approx and 1 lbs of dry Barley.
So your only giving her about 6 lbs of feed. This is low if the nuts are the 12%protein Cool and Condit.
Weigh it out and I know its trial and error with each animal but Id go up to 8lbs minimum

Valentina

Esroh wrote: »

Val going on old school rule of thumb weight x2 with a starting point of 1/3 feed 2/3 hay for a horse in light work your mare would need up to 12 lbs of feed a day depending on Age and Temperment .
That scoop should be 2lbs of nuts approx and 1 lbs of dry Barley.
So your only giving her about 6 lbs of feed. This is low if the nuts are the 12%protein Cool and Condit.
Weigh it out and I know its trial and error with each animal but Id go up to 8lbs minimum

Thanks Esroh for the advice. She was on 2 scoops of Cool 'n' Condition twice a day during the summer but she became absolutely wired on it so I cut it down. She's quite fizzy so I have to be careful what I give her. She seems to be settled enough on the c'n'c and the rolled barley but I guess it's not quite enough. I'm considering adding sugar beet to bring the weight up, just hope it doesn't heat her up.

Esroh

Beet pulp should not heat her up.It is a leftover from the sugar process and has 80% of the sugar removed. So has very little digestable energy. In every yard I ever worked in it was used as a conditioner on all sorts from riding school ponies to Thoroughbreds

I had a look at the Blue grass site and you could consider changing to one of the lower protein feeds which have less digestable energy. Then you could increase the amount but would not have a heating effect.

As you say its a trial and error process so take your time and do any changes slowly

convert

Red Mills feed bags have recommendations for feeding guidelines printed on them. They may be of some help to you.

Valentina

Esroh wrote: »

Beet pulp should not heat her up.It is a leftover from the sugar process and has 80% of the sugar removed. So has very little digestable energy. In every yard I ever worked in it was used as a conditioner on all sorts from riding school ponies to Thoroughbreds

I had a look at the Blue grass site and you could consider changing to one of the lower protein feeds which have less digestable energy. Then you could increase the amount but would not have a heating effect.

As you say its a trial and error process so take your time and do any changes slowly

Thanks Esroh. I will look into the beet pulp tomorrow, haven't had a chance the last couple of days to properly 'shop' for feed.

I'll have a look at the Blue grass site myself. I was wondering would I be better changing to a different mix or buying the individual grains myself and mixing them as I needed? Low protein/digestible energy is exactly what I need!

convert wrote: »

Red Mills feed bags have recommendations for feeding guidelines printed on them. They may be of some help to you.

Yes the Blue grass bags have feeding guides on them too but when I followed the recommended measures she turned into a looper!

Valentina

Ok having had a look at the Blue Grass site, I'm thinking of switching to the Nice 'n' Easy mix which has less protein and oil than the Cool 'n' Condition and then making up the feed weight with the rolled barley and sugar beet. Does this sound ok/make sense? I'm so confused!!