At 13:50:35 on 20.09.09, hilsboys wrote:
My horse is quite thin and I have been trying to increase his weight over the last month. I am giving hin 4 small feeds a day and as much hay as he wants. He is also on grass for more than 6 hours a day. I give him sugar beet Alfa A and conditioning mis ( about 3/4 scoops a day. Is there anything else I can do? Teeth have been done and he has been wormed. I had him on Blue Chip with no real improvement. Vet says he is ok health wise but I would like him to have a bit more meat on him!

At 21:06:56 on 21.09.09, Angelalain wrote:
Different things suit different horses. My daughters horse wouldn't eat blue chip. What worked for him was Saracen Bio-life.

At 17:13:53 on 26.09.09, farasi wrote:
Putting weight on a horse is a slow process, it can take a long time, best thing to do is take pictures of him fortnightly and compare, as you see him everyday you are likely not to notice any small changes, but photo are a good way to compare. Oil is a good weight gain, what the horse does not use as energy (non heating slow release energy) they will store as fat, you need to introduce it gradually to his diet. Powerstance is an oil based weight gain feed supplement only need 200-300g a day. I have ordered some to try on a skinny TB I have as nothing else has really worked thus far been trying for 6 months. As the previous post says every horse is different. But you do need to stick with a food for a while as if you keep chopping and changing it will actually be of no benefit at all to the horse, as the gut bacteria needs time to adjust to each feed. My Skinny TB is on 4kg hard feed a day plus 2kg of Alpha A oil, hence looked for something else to try! You could try increasing the amount of hard feed you are giving it, look at the recommend amount on the bag and start with half that amount, as I feel feed companys tend to tell you to feed more than they really need so you use more and buy more. Horses temprement needs taken in to account to if its nervous will burn off far more energy than a laid back horse (my skinny TB is laid back).

At 09:01:41 on 03.10.09, HorseVet wrote:
You say that your horse's teeth have been done but who did them? Did they use power tools or hand rasps and how long did they take to do it? Unfortunately there are a lot of cowboys out there doing teeth many of them BEVA qualified EDTs and having had your teeth done doesn't guarantee the job has been done well or hasn't created problems. Your horse should be putting on weight over that time period I would have thought from what you have been feeding. Best wishes HorseVet
http://www.naturalhealingsolutions.co.uk

At 07:11:55 on 13.12.09, rodeogirl09 wrote:
i have just got a t.b who was very under weight not much muscle tone and also very bad mud rash been left in a field he looked depressed when i got him but he is now looking much happier and has got his spark back and has started to put weight back on i have had him stabled for the last month fed him hifi, conditioning cubes, bran,codlivine and a little pasture mix and loads of hay and of course a lot of t.l.c this has seemed to work for me but as with all t.b they are very different some will put weight on others don't gain best wishes hope you get him better x

At 20:51:34 on 26.01.10, Rhona wrote:
Hi there. please can any1 help. I have a 20yr old Tb mare who i need to put weight on. She is out in field for around 6/7 hrs per day & stabled at nite. she is fed 2 feeds a day 9.15am & 4.30pm which includes 1 scoop of the following.... Flaked Barley,Pasture Mix,Conditioning Cubes, Half cup of Veg Oil,Hand full of Chaff,Carrots,Apples,Pears,Garlic and soaked in warm water.She also gets 1 full hay net of Haylege and 1 full net of Hay.She has had her teeth done by my Equine Veterinary Surgeon and he used hand held tools. She is eating alot better since getting them done & has also been wormed. I have taken her shoes of as not been riding for a few months now through vets advice.Can u please let me know what else i could try. many thanks Rhona

At 11:51:42 on 27.01.10, YasandCrystal wrote:
Hi can I just tell anyone with a veteran horse that the veteran horse society offer some brilliant free feeding advice for older horses. My friend who has years of horse owning experience was pumping what she thought was a lot and the correct feed in her old mare and she gained no significant amount of weight. She called the veteran horse society who suggested a completely different feeding regime involving feeding several soaked tub trugs of fibregee(not sure I have that spelt correct) and other feeds. Anyway the mare hasn't looked back and is like a different horse.

At 11:55:07 on 27.01.10, YasandCrystal wrote:
Hi again, may I also add 'well said Horsevet', there are some poor equine dentists out there, qualified or not. I had that problem with my mare! It's the same as farriers and I have to say vets to an extent too. Always best to go on recommendation I find, preferably from another professional.

At 18:40:27 on 29.01.10, HorseVet wrote:
Hi Unfortunately I don't know any vets who can do teeth properly. We don't do them enough to get good at it and power tools often create problems and should be banned from routine use in my opinion. Unfortunately the majority of dentists out there in the UK are vet trained and in the USA they seem to be mostly training people to use power tools. There are very few people I trust to do a good job however they're qualified. Best wishes HorseVet
http://www.naturalhealingsolutions.co.uk

At 11:15:11 on 01.02.10, YasandCrystal wrote:
I agree Horsevet I don't like power tools in dentistry/farriery also. A rasp/file is sharp enough to do damage in wrong hands so a powertool could be devastating. Sadly some people get qualified and good and then 'ego' gets in the way of their doing the same good job they were trained to do and instead of building on their learning they get sloppy and complacent and bad at the very job they started out so well in! It takes dedication and hard work to stay atop of new ideas and improvements and a true professional needs to keep him/herself in check with reality and the job they are doing and treat every horse as though it were his/her own.