# Anyone who has a thoroughbred..



## flashy (Jun 25, 2009)

What do you guys feed your thoroughbreds? Like what kind of grain and how much etc.? I have trouble putting weight on my TB and was just wondering what you guys feed yours.. feel free to add a picture of your tb if you want 
Thanks!


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## JustDressageIt (Oct 4, 2007)

I have a hard keeping OTTB.
First, if your horse has trouble keeping weight on, please have the teeth floated. It is such a simple thing to fix and it can mean the difference between the horse gaining weight or not. Most OTTBs will have never had their teeth floated in their lives, so it is imperative to get that taken care of as soon as possible. If the teeth aren't breaking down the food properly, any extra feed you're giving him might just be passing through the gut because it can't get digested properly.
Secondly, get the horse on a regular deworming program. If the little ******s in the horse's system are eating all its food instead of the horse, you have a problem. 
On to feed:
If at all possible, keep the horse on free choice hay, so the horse can pick and choose when he wants to eat, rather than being forced to gobble down as much as he can before his paddock mates get it.
The grain that put weight on Denny like none other is called "Enhance." It's a 22% fat, 12% protein feed, and it is amazing quality feed. 
Lastly, consider putting him on a probiotic supplement. I myself prefer Biotic 8 by Omega Alpha, but there are many good supplements on the market.

September 19 2008 (when I bought him):










November 10, 2008:










June, 2009:


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## Sophie19 (Apr 13, 2009)

I feed my TB a mixture of oats and black oil sunflower seeds and he holds his weight really well. However when I was trying to but weight on him I supplemented his oats with a high fat pelted grain. I can't for the life of me remember what it was called. It worked really well but was quite expensive. If I remember what it was called I will let you know.


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## luvs2ride1979 (Nov 9, 2007)

Some good information in this thread: http://www.horseforum.com/horse-health/does-he-look-better-32496/

When I owned my last full TB, he got 4 (heavy) flakes of Alfalfa hay a day, 2 flakes of Bermuda a day, a big 5-gal bucket full of soaked beet pulp, 1 lb of rice bran, and a vitamin supplement. NO GRAIN. He was 16.3h and kept his weight on beautifully, even when working hard (riding 5-6 days a week, 1-3 hours a day, jumping and trails). I lived in So California at the time, hence the mostly-alfalfa diet.

My last few half-TBs (here in Arkansas) have been on a similar diet: free choice bermuda/grass hay (at least 20-25 lbs a day, half of a small/light bale), 2-5 lbs of alfalfa pellets (less for maintenance, more for weight gain), 1/2 cup to 2 cup of fat (flax or rice bran), and a vitamin supplement, NO GRAIN.

Grain and many feeds tend to hype up TBs and other "hot" or "hard keeper" horses. This increases the metabolism, burns more energy, and makes them lose weight, even if you're giving them a TON of food. Taking them OFF grain and most feeds will help return that metabolism to normal, making weight gain easier! 

When buying alfalfa pellets or beet pulp, make sure there is NO molasses and no animal fat. When looking for a vit/min supplement, look for one that is "complete" with high levels of vitamin e, magnesium, and amino acids. I have used, successfully, GrandVite, Select II, SmartVite Maintenance Grass (from smartpak), Uckele's Equi Base Grass, and I'm currently using Nutri-Plus++ (most complete of all of them). 

My horses have done very well on a grain-free diet. They are calmer, healthier, do not need ANY extra supplements (improved feet and skin/coat), my mare's PMS is barely noticable (she used to be a real WITCH!), and they hold their proper weight more easily. My current TBxArab was a hard keeper and now keeps his weight on nicely with just 2 lbs of alfalfa pellets and 1/2 cup of flax!


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## themacpack (Jul 16, 2009)

Our 4 yo Thoroughbred mare is on free-choice hay (it's an orchard, timothy, alfalfa mix that I absolutely love) and pasture 24/7. She also gets 2 lbs of beet pulp morning and night with 2 pounds of alfalfa pellets. We don't do "grain(meaning sweet feeds, straight oats, etc)" because it can be somewhat counterproductive in putting weight on a horse that already runs somewhat hot, such as the TB. Some suggested feeds from my feed guy also include using SafeChoice (Nutrena), Strategy, or 12% Horseman's Edge (can you tell he's a Nutrena dealer, lol). Really, though, for me it is HAY, HAY and HAY.
Of course the other things to consider would be teeth and/or worms.


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## flashy (Jun 25, 2009)

i have had her teeth floated and she is on a regular de worming schedual. I have also taken a fecal sample to the vet to check for any additional parasites and everything turned out good, but still no weight gain. We are going to try hi fat hi fibre feed, has anyone else tried that? what did you think?


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## luvs2ride1979 (Nov 9, 2007)

Sophie19 said:


> I feed my TB a mixture of oats and black oil sunflower seeds and he holds his weight really well. However when I was trying to but weight on him I supplemented his oats with a high fat pelted grain. I can't for the life of me remember what it was called. It worked really well but was quite expensive. If I remember what it was called I will let you know.


I did have my Anglo on Oats for a while. They put weight on him nicely (along with alfalfa pellets and flax), but he was "boogery" in his attitude, lol.


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## luvs2ride1979 (Nov 9, 2007)

flashy said:


> i have had her teeth floated and she is on a regular de worming schedual. I have also taken a fecal sample to the vet to check for any additional parasites and everything turned out good, but still no weight gain. We are going to try hi fat hi fibre feed, has anyone else tried that? what did you think?


It depends on the feed. I tried Ultium on my Anglo and he gained a little weight, but he turned in to a fire breathing monster, lol. I also had to feed him a LOT, like 8 lbs a day, along with his nearly free choice hay.

What is the brand and formula name?


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## flashy (Jun 25, 2009)

luvs2ride1979 said:


> It depends on the feed. I tried Ultium on my Anglo and he gained a little weight, but he turned in to a fire breathing monster, lol. I also had to feed him a LOT, like 8 lbs a day, along with his nearly free choice hay.
> 
> What is the brand and formula name?


 
It is Purina Hi Fat Hi Fibre 
http://www.agribrands.ca/Documents/Equine/Fact Sheets/Hi Fat Hi Fibre.pdf
There is the details on the feed.. she is moving to a new barn tonight. A place that has better hay, and better grass so hopefully that helps as well


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## luvs2ride1979 (Nov 9, 2007)

flashy said:


> It is Purina Hi Fat Hi Fibre
> http://www.agribrands.ca/Documents/Equine/Fact%20Sheets/Hi%20Fat%20Hi%20Fibre.pdf
> There is the details on the feed.. she is moving to a new barn tonight. A place that has better hay, and better grass so hopefully that helps as well


I'm not a big fan of Purina feeds. They're usually not fix-formula feeds, meaning their ingredients and values can change. This feed doesn't list its ingredients either.

You could try it, but watch her behavior, weight, and hoof/coat condition. If you notice her become more high strung, spookier, or more "mare-y" when in heat, then take her off.

Make sure you feed at the bag's recommended levels of the feed. If you feed less, she won't be getting enough nutrition and you'll need to add a vitamin supplement. Talk to your new barn owner/manager about giving her extra hay.


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## CheyAut (Nov 26, 2008)

I have two TBs and an Arab who are all hard to keep weight on. THey get LOTS of alfalfa hay and an alfalfa based pellet. Here are my guys (19 years and 28 years):



















The 28 y/o is really hard to keep the weight on, and he's due for teeth floating, so I'm hoping to get that done in the next month or two.


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## JustDressageIt (Oct 4, 2007)

flashy said:


> i have had her teeth floated and she is on a regular de worming schedual. I have also taken a fecal sample to the vet to check for any additional parasites and everything turned out good, but still no weight gain. We are going to try hi fat hi fibre feed, has anyone else tried that? what did you think?


Does your horse have any behavioral problems, i.e. cribbing, weaving, etc?

PS - Denny is now just on hay, supplemented with Safe Choice with added minerals and Biotic 8 whenever I go see him


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## eventerdrew (Mar 13, 2009)

When my 17 yo TB mare was competing I had her on Ultium. BUT it tends to make some horses hot. So if she isn't in full work, I woudn't recommend it. Some kind of maintenance feed might be good... like Purina Equine Senior. I use it on senior horses as well as young horses that need to gain more weight and develop a better coat and hooves. Works wonders and doesn't make them hot.

I have my 3/4 TB 1/4 Shire on a supplement called Amplify. It's a blend of rice bran and flax seed (with lots of other things) that helps hard keepers gain weight. My mare has done very very well on it and my trainer put her OTTB on it, who is a very hard keeper as well. I've known people to use it on all breeds, all body types, all ages and it has worked well.


Good Luck!


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## dressagebelle (May 13, 2009)

I had a hard keeping tb mare, and I used a large blue square scoop that you get at the feed stores for measurements for the feed. She was on 10lbs of alfalfa/bermuda twice a day, and I fed her farnum weight gain, fed according to the instructions, a full scoop of equine prime, a full scoop of rice bran, a full scoop of cob, and half a scoop of equine senior (only cause we had a 35 year old gelding as well, so not necessary), and then vegetable oil mixed in. She ended up doing fine on that, and finally kept on a good weight. She was ridden every day though, pretty hard, and competed regularly in dressage and jumping, so she needed to be fed a lot more than say a horse just going out on easy trails a few times a week. I would ask your vet for his/her opinion on what you should feed as well, and see what he/she recommends.


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## luvs2ride1979 (Nov 9, 2007)

dressagebelle said:


> I had a hard keeping tb mare, and I used a large blue square scoop that you get at the feed stores for measurements for the feed. She was on 10lbs of alfalfa/bermuda twice a day, and I fed her farnum weight gain, fed according to the instructions, a full scoop of equine prime, a full scoop of rice bran, a full scoop of cob, and half a scoop of equine senior, and then vegetable oil mixed in. She ended up doing fine on that, and finally kept on a good weight. She was ridden every day


10 lbs of hay is what a 500 lb PONY should be getting. No WONDER she needed so much extra food! Especially considering how much work she was doing. If the hay was 50% Alfalfa, she should have been on 20-25 lbs of a hay, at least.

A horse should be getting 2-3.5% of their body weight a day in food, or in the case of an underweight horse, 2-3.5% of the goal weight of the horse. If your horse is 1,000 lbs, that means 20-35 lbs of hay a day, grass hay, timothy, or mixed grass hay.


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## TroubledTB (Jun 26, 2009)

I don't know weights, but she is on a good hearty flake of alfafa twice a day, maybe more by some people's standards, we feed big flakes, and she gets a scoop of O+M, scoop of Timothy pellets, rice bran, beet pulp, and platinum performance supplement.
She wasn't always fat, as a younger horse she was harder to keep weight on, but as she has gotten older she keeps weight better. Also when she was younger I would switch between grass or oat hay to keep her calm. I know we add senior to everything above to feed underweight horses.


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## luvs2ride1979 (Nov 9, 2007)

I used to board in San Diego (North County), so I am familiar with the bales there. My 16.3h TB got 4 flakes of Alfalfa a day plus 2 flakes of Bermuda for lunch, along with a big bucket of beet pulp, rice bran, and vitamins. Our bales were about 90-100 lbs, and we got 15 flakes per bale, so he was getting around 25 lbs of alfalfa plus 8 lbs of bermuda. I rode him daily, and let my trainer use him as a lesson horse, so he got a LOT of exercise (he did jumpers and dressage). He kept nice and rounded on this diet, no ribs and lots of muscle.

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HAY is key to keep a horse in good condition. The only time a horse would "need" grain is if they cannot eat enough hay (or hay/forage products) to keep a good weight, or just a little to mix some vitamins in (or a ration balancer feed, only feed 1-2 lbs a day for full nutrition).


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## Barrelracer Up (May 22, 2009)

I like the Ultium feed. Most of mine get 5# a day split into 2 or 3 feedings.

I add 1 to 2 oz of dac oil and 1 oz of DDA or 911. The DDA seems to be the secret ingredient for my TB type colt. He is growing so fast I have trouble keeping him as padded as I like.

If you surf around through Omega Horse Solutions' site you will find all kinds of info on ingredients and their pros and cons. Check out their helpful articles link.


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