Feeding Thoroughbreds

by **Chezanne** on Sat Apr 05, 2008 9:04 pm

What does everyone else feed there Thoroughbreds, just wondered if there was much difference in what they were fed to keep weight on etc, mine has hay fed 3 times per day. Mollichop, Spillers conditioning cubes and Spillers horse & pony nuts mixed into two feeds per day, she is only in light/moderate work. She keeps her condition/shine etc on this. Did consider putting her on a Mix with mollichop, which is what other one has but he is a good doer (not neccesarily the same one) Was considering Baileys economy mix plus for her feeding it with the mollichop as well. But don't want her to lose any condition as she was poor when I got her and now looks brilliant. Also as I am not a feed expert was going to contact spillers to see if any harm if fed conditioning cubes over a long period of time or if they should only be fed till horse fully up to weight.

by **MOF-TA** on Sat Apr 05, 2008 9:28 pm

I give Tro the topline cubes from Spillers, but I love the dods and horrell feeds, they have a great helpline for feeds. Personally I would never feed a mix to a tb, it can said them mental!

by **MOF-TA** on Sat Apr 05, 2008 9:34 pm

sorry jayvee just reminded me he is on the baileys number 4 topline cube things, not the spillers.

by **Mrs Meldrew** on Sat Apr 05, 2008 9:42 pm

Baileys outshine is fantastic for weight gain and maintaining weight have used for for about a year on various breeds and to me its the bees knees

by **Chezanne** on Sat Apr 05, 2008 9:43 pm

[quote][b]MOF-TA (05/04/2008)[/b][hr]I give Tro the topline cubes from Spillers, but I love the dods and horrell feeds, they have a great helpline for feeds. Personally I would never feed a mix to a tb, it can said them mental![/quote]

The last thoroughbred I had was fine on a mix he was up to weight when I got him and was fed a mix that was non heating and it didn't make him mental. She is fine on what she is on just didn't know if a good idea to keep any horse on any type of conditioning feed long term, if they didn't need to gain condition.

by **sparkydoody** on Sat Apr 05, 2008 9:44 pm

Mine TB is on working cubes + OUtshine. Lo cal in the summer

Each horse should be fed as a individual though regardless of a TB or not. I no some of the sluggish TB,s out.

by **Chezanne** on Sat Apr 05, 2008 9:55 pm

I agree all horses are different with their feeding needs dependant on breed, good/poor doer etc.

by **MOF-TA** on Sat Apr 05, 2008 10:21 pm

Seriously Sparks, I have never ever seen or come across a sluggish tb! I wish I had I would probably not have had broken ribs, fractured collar bones or broken fingers!

by **LornaM** on Sun Apr 06, 2008 9:35 am

Sparks gave me a plan for Sadie (hope I can say this on here Sparks) and she absolutely loves it it has a balancer in it which smells so nice even I want to eat it. The best part is it is half the price of the balancer I was feeding before hand. :)

by **Fighter Pilot** on Sun Apr 06, 2008 2:14 pm

:D Pilot has twice daily:

1 stubbs scoop alfa a oil

1 stubbs scoop D&H top line mix

1 stubbs scoop (reconsis) alfa beet

Carrots and swede

I use also ad-lib hay at night or if hes in all day.

If you want to keep condition on alfa beet is great - ive struggled with his weight in the past until I started feeding this, now he seems to keep it on - good for him as hes the kind of horse that drops overnight!! :w00t::w00t:

by **Mrs Meldrew** on Sun Apr 06, 2008 9:04 pm

Here you are a ploddy tb he was a babe 14 and could put a complete novice on him.

by **MOF-TA** on Sun Apr 06, 2008 9:42 pm

Well there you go, I think a lot of my preconcieved ideas come from my sisters one that scared the life out of me to the point where I did not ever want to get back on a horse again!

by **sparkydoody** on Mon Apr 07, 2008 4:01 pm

[quote][b]sparkle (07/04/2008)[/b][hr]Molly is fed:

1 scoop sugar beat

1 scoop dengie senior

1 scoop bailey senior mix

baileys conditioning cubes

She has this twice a day and has the big scoops of it too :w00t:

She has 4/5/6 sections of hay a night depending on what's she's done through the day

I've tried all sorts with her and this is the best stuff so far as to keeping her weight and condition on - all the other she's gone off it or hasnt been able to keep her weight with it.

:)[/quote]

O M G sparkle.]

Im hoping were talking a mini size scoop here. Cas if you were feeding a bog standard scoop (i.e a stubbs scoop, large round deep bowl) that means your horse is on 6 scoops a day of hard feed. i.e 20 lbs a day.

If that is the case (im hoping not) that is a relative feed for one of our grand national friends. Even then that would be to much the tops normally being 16 lbs for a race horse at the top of his fitness

Me thinks you have one of those smaller diddy square scopps. (well im hoping anyway) lol:w00t:

by **sparkydoody** on Mon Apr 07, 2008 4:11 pm

Ok, dum that i am. Iv just re read that back.

What i read as dengie senior mix is infact dengie chaff isnt it? derrrrrrrrrrrrr me being stupid.

Ok he is on 14 lbs of feed not 20lbs if it is stubbs scoops. Thats still a awful lot. He may well be in very hard work. i.e eventing and working at the top level of things, in which case that is fine

Also remember peeps (little nutrition lesson here) that your horses stomach is the size of a rugby ball, this holding when full 1 stubbs scoop of hard feed. Anymore that you put into his stomach in one go will be trickling out into his hind gut without being digested propely hence possibly bringing on your digestive upsets,colic etc. Also is a awful waste of money. So as a rule. For a horse no more than 1 1/2 stubbs scoops per meal(this is including any extra chaff or beet) and for a pony no more than 1 scoop per meal

If you need to feed a large quantity a day then you must feed in more meals. Like the pony club rule. FEED LITTLE AND OFTEN

Sparkle if you would like to pm me at all we can discuss his diet and i may well be able to save you some money

by **sparkydoody** on Mon Apr 07, 2008 4:35 pm

Have pm you my dear.

Rrrrrrrrrrrrrr bless her, she sounds like she finds it difficult to utililse her food

She also sounds like a prime candidate for a pre biotic to stimulate her gut and to aid digestion. Ill tell you more about that next time