Horse eating question??

Question

I just got another TB that is really underweight he's being held in a dry lot until i can bring him home to my pastures next week

is there any kind of suppliment or mineral/viatamin mix that i can feed him?

he's getting hayed and grained regularily but it doesn't hold much weight on him

oh and he's only 6 poor little boy

thanks!

Answer 1

A good quality hay is probably all he needs but consult a vet about internal parasites too. I would try the beet pulp before the grain.

Answer 2

I bought a 5 year old TB off the track a year and a half ago and had to do some research. Same problem, he was disgustingly skinny. The first part of the problem was that he had stomach ulcers (very common in TB's), Omeprazole fixed that after a couple months. Still had trouble with weight. Some wise, lifelong TB people told me to be patient because it takes a year for them to begin changing shape and getting weight on. The best thing I did was get him on Ultimate Finish by Buckeye,  http://www.buckeyenutrition.com/  It was amazing, and pasture was great for mine as well. Good luck and enjoy him!

Ultimate Finish is a fat supplement, not a grain. I tried the beet pulp route and still use some but I was surprised to learn from an animal nutritionist that it actually is effective in digestion, not so much as a fat supplement so it would likely assist in the colic situation at least.

Answer 3

Right now I am having similar problems. I added more feed and more hay and tried the red cell. The horse lost weight with it. From what my Vet says it keeps the body burning calories which she didn't need at the time. So I asked local breeders and and talked to the ones that show and they all told me to use beet pulp soaked at least 6 hours in water. This horse is looking good. She has been on it for 2 weeks and has gained about 75 lbs. She still gets her feed with it at night along with good hay.

Answer 4

Beet Pulp!

Answer 5

Give him a balanced diet and forget about supplements.  He will get everything he needs in good food.  He needs free choice hay and pasture 24/7 with lots of turn out so he can move around.  On the feed choices, Buckeye is excellent and there are several choices of ultimate finish.  You might consider Unbeetable as a primary and then top dress with UF.  These are beet pulp based foods and I would supplement with more soaked beet pulp.  Start slowly so as not to shock his system as it sounds like he has been starving for a while.  It can take time especially with TB's.  Make sure he is checked out by vet and is healthy otherwise.  I would not give him any type of bran (throws off the CA/PH balance and cause serious health problems) - not good for horses.   And I wouldn't give him junk that included corn, molasses, etc.   Bless you for what you are doing.  The plight of so many TB horses is heartbreaking and they are so wonderful.  good luck.

Answer 6

Red cell worked really good on my TB.   I also was able to put a lot of weight on my older QH with beet pulp.

Answer 7

The best feed for a horse that colics and is underweight is Equine Senior...it is easily digested which helps both to gain weight and prevent colic. I feed it, plus rice bran (1 cup summer and 2 cups winter daily) which is a good fat source for weight gain, plus hay free choice and he is on grass pasture all summer. If you switch to Senior (I use Purina) you won't need any supplements...like I said, I give the rice bran for the fat....it just gets added to his Senior.

Answer 8

Two things..Talk to the vet.

Smartpak.com is the second. they have tons of supplements. You might want to go to the feed store and see what they ahve as well.