At 09:04:51 on 29.06.11, NMH wrote:
My dear old Cloudy, 24, has suddenly started, first time ever, to be hard to keep weight on. Teeth, worming all checked & ok. Meanwhile his field companion is getting fat on thin air. I've had him since he was 10 months old, so am well aware what a big change this is in him. He is still lively! Any advice or experiences from others please?

At 20:55:17 on 29.06.11, JessAndGrenville123 wrote:
feed fattening feeds, highest callories you can find, usually veteran feeds have quite high callories, my friend uses allen & page calm and condition mash and i used it to pile the pounds on grenville in the winter and when i first got him :)

At 22:04:32 on 29.06.11, NMH wrote:
Thanks I'll try that Jess; the change is huge tho'- this is a chap who's never required hard feed in his life (being native)- indeed he's been on strictly limited everything for 23 years to stop him getting fat- & I just wonder whether pouring a lot of hard feed into him will make a difference??

At 22:31:45 on 29.06.11, Angelalain wrote:
The Veteran feeds are worth a try, they are cooked in a way that aids digestion, but it may, as you say, not make much difference. If he's always been a good doer you may not be giving him as much as you think! If you look at the quantities it tells you on the feed bags I'm always amazed at how much it recommends to feed, even with our old boy who's never been a particularly good doer, I've never fed as much as the feed bag recommends. It may just be his age and his metabolism beginning to fail (Sorry to be negative), but if he's still lively and happy try veteran feed and haylage. Boiled barley? That was always a fattener when I was a kid!

At 23:13:23 on 29.06.11, JessAndGrenville123 wrote:
i would also say its the quality of the hard feed not the quantity so you may only have to feed a small amount of feed to make a difference, i would also recomend dengie alfa A oil chaff, it is very good and slows down feeding time and puts condition on

At 20:51:20 on 11.07.11, NMH wrote:
Cloudy is now enjoying an Allen & Page veteran mix, loves it! Thanks for the tip. I've arranged my grazing too so part of the day he goes on good grazing, then joins Sky at night- this way he gets a decent grass intake while she remains limited (gains wight very easily & had one early go of laminitis this spring). This arrangement- & it's around a covert so they are out of one another's sight- also has the benefit that they are having to be independent of each other- he (24) makes more fuss about this than she (5) does!

At 03:00:38 on 12.07.11, JessAndGrenville123 wrote:
Glad to here he enjoys it :D let us know how you get on :)

At 17:11:00 on 13.07.11, gallante wrote:
I have a stable of oldies & they love Dodsell & Horrel's 16+ mix whic has glucosamine in , that with either Alfalfa or chop does them well, but I do also feed apple cider vinegar which seems to help with Arthritis ,I have noticed a distinct improvement in Heds joints since he has had this .Soya oil will help digestion & keep weight( I add this in the winter) ,succulants , carrots /swedes & apples help chewing & add to their liquid intake which is so important so it goes with out saying, nice damp feeds,& access to plenty of fresh water.I feed them feeds all through the summer & have pasture licks in the field as well.My Hedworth is around 34,Minnie 24, Indy 20 ish & the young pretender Gallnte is only 13!

At 06:00:58 on 14.07.11, Angwh19 wrote:
Fred is 31 and has been a feed of on low molassed chaff and high calorie oil since we got him 5 years ago... he is a 17 hand Dutch Warmblood gelding and 2 years ago he ruptured his off fore tendon. After 3 months I was gently riding him again and he is now back to almost full strength (no more long hacks as I can't do them let alone him LOL) but he still enjoys loose schooling and occasionally a bit of jumping!! In the winter I add some good quality nuts and because his front teeth are worn we soak them a little in boiled water. He is very spoiled by his 12 year old sharer and has carrots, apples, milk thistle (grown in my brother's garden LOL), the occasional muesli bar or flap jack or even prunes!! He loves dried frut but I'm aware of the amount of sugars in them so he doesn't have very often. Photo is of him in his last Veteran Class on 23 July :)

At 07:12:40 on 14.07.11, Angwh19 wrote:

D'oh!! Blame it on getting up too early LOL!! Pic is 3 July he is going to another show on the 23rd!! Have another pic tho- practice before the big event!! :)

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