Trouble
Grand Prix Poster
Posts: 2,263
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Post by Trouble on Apr 6, 2006 22:29:00 GMT 1
Bailey's Topline Conditioning Cubes are ace!
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suzieq
Grand Prix Poster
The mind is like a parachute, only really useful when open
Posts: 2,124
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Post by suzieq on Apr 7, 2006 9:48:32 GMT 1
My sisters horse was quite poor when we got her, she still had a whopping great colt foal nursing from her at 9 months and the woman wasn't supplementing the poor girl so he was getting all her goodness! She had Alfa A and spillers conditioning cubes, with Speedi beet and mountains of hay (it was winter!) I have also had success using D&G 'build up' when my mare was in hard work and she dropped weight and also linseed (in another post some links) which you can buy as a straight for about 12 pound a 25kg bag which is good value as an american cup is usually sufficent...I have found this loads easier than oil as our girls HATE it!
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pd
Grand Prix Poster
Posts: 1,367
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Post by pd on Apr 7, 2006 11:49:50 GMT 1
likyalips' response to all these good suggestions was....
"where could i get this blue chip and wjat do youo all think of barley?"
So glad you all made the effort to reply!
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Post by fin on Apr 7, 2006 13:24:39 GMT 1
We used Simple Systems' Linseed to put a bit of weight on our horse...it worked beautifully. Interestingly because linseed is quite high in copper it also seems to have helped clear up the thrush he's been suffering from for months! You only need to feed a mugful per day, it's non-heating, suitable for laminitics, and is actually quite tasty (at least the horse seems to think so!)
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Post by stephandwinni on Apr 7, 2006 15:12:25 GMT 1
I wouldn't feed barley, ever. Horses aren't designed to eat starch and it can cause a lot of the problems we see - tying up, colic, OCD, laminitis.
Blue Chip is heavily cereal based so again high in starch and unnatural.
Top Spec is way better imho, much less cereal in it and a better profile of vits and mins, and forage and possibly oil are much better ways of getting weight on a horse than barley. Work WITH their natural digestion, not against it.
Better pd? Trouble is we had all put up replies about forage and top Spec, well several of us, and THEY were ignored!!
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pd
Grand Prix Poster
Posts: 1,367
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Post by pd on Apr 7, 2006 15:28:54 GMT 1
"Better pd? Trouble is we had all put up replies about forage and top Spec, well several of us, and THEY were ignored!! "
Yes, sorry I was a bit short, but I was gobsmacked that after all that sensible and thoughtful advice the OP only registered "feed it more Barley etc"!! Its a tad more scientific than that if they're not absorbing enough nutrients from the food they're already being given.
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cp
Intermediate Poster
Posts: 170
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Post by cp on Apr 7, 2006 18:31:25 GMT 1
likyalips, there's so much information on here it might be a bit confusing. The easiest way to get good free advice, that is tailored exactly to your horse's size, weight and particular problems is to phone one of the feed companies free advice lines. They all have them.
Have a look on the Spillers or Dodson & Horrell website or the Dengie website and the advice line phone numbers are listed. They will be able to give you detailed diet advice, including the quantities you need to feed.
Good luck...
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americanpie
Olympic Poster
Millie @ PC camp 2006
Posts: 824
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Post by americanpie on Apr 9, 2006 10:07:15 GMT 1
blue chip, and haylage rather than hay.
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Post by june on Apr 9, 2006 18:55:45 GMT 1
But Blue Chip is cereal based and can fizz up horses. It is also much lower spec than Top Spec. Top Spec is protein based and so is excellent for building muscle. It contains higher levels of vitamins and minerals than Blue Chip. Top Spec Cool and Condition cubes are designed to be fed alongside the Top Spec balancer and are high calorie so add condition. They are not cereal based either so should add condition without making horses fizzy. Both can usually be obtained easily from your local feed merchant.
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Post by hartleyhare on Apr 27, 2006 18:39:26 GMT 1
I totally agree with June. Go for Top Spec.My veteran has been on box rest for 7 months-he is prone to losing weight. I couldn't afford to feed him conditioning stuff as he is sharp enough normally. I rang Top Spec , as I have been using their balancers for ages.Cool and Condition Cubes with the balancer are fantastic., because as June says the cubes do not contain any cereal.I soak them for a min of 3 hrs, as my veterans teeth are not great. i.e 1 scoop cubes to 2 scoops water. Also a 30 yr old pony on our yard who has hardly any back teeth was looking very poor-now on these soaked cubes and has put loads of weight on, and looks so well. Blue Chip do not publish full ingredients, but Top Spec do.
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