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I have taken a
horse on loan and she is underweight, although she seems quite well in
herself?
First, speak to your vet about a good worming programme and have her teeth
checked. Then you need to feed her a conditioning feed such as Badminton
Show & Conditioning Mix or Badminton
Conditioning Cubes. The addition of Speedi-Beet
or sugar beet pellets will also help to add condition. Feeds should be
split between at least two feeds per day. Feed ad lib good quality hay
in the winter months and provide access to good quality pasture in the
summer.
My 17hh Thoroughbred
needs to put on condition, but can't tolerate cereals. What can I use?
Triple Top-Up
will provide the calories to put on condition and is cereal-free. Easy
Rider or High
Fibre Complete Nuggets will provide a good maintenance ration as they
are both high in fibre.
My husband's 17hh
heavyweight Hunter is a real star, but I struggle to keep condition on
him towards the end of the season.
He has a big frame to fill so make sure that he is getting enough fibre.
Ad lib hay is best and sugar beet feeds such as Speedi-Beet
and Eurobeet
will increase fibre intake. A diet lacking in essential nutrients
or calories will show up as lack of condition or performance towards the
end of a hard season. Feed 2kg/day of Equipower
Basefeed and 2kg/day Extruform.
You can increase the Extruform
up to 4kg/day, but due to its concentrated high calorie content, it is
unlikely that the horse would need that much. The extrusion process breaks
down the starch molecules and makes it easier for the horse to digest
than raw grain.
My 24yr old pony started to lose weight last year and now he really
looks old. He has just recovered from his first every attack of laminitis,
so I have to be careful what I feed. Do you have anything in your range
which might help him?
Loss of weight followed by laminitis in an old, but previously healthy
pony, suggests that he may benefit from a 20-day course of Remount,
a liver tonic. The liver is under constant onslaught from toxins. It has
a remarkable capacity for self-regeneration but under certain circumstances,
especially in older horses, the regeneration fails to keep pace with degeneration.
Impaired liver function is often only a temporary condition, but due you're
your pony's age, we would suggest you give him a 20-day course 3-4 times
a year.
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