OTTB Won't Gain Weight

Maybe I should be more specific---Florida bermuda/coastal hay is junk. Just like our grass (where we have it) there's little nutrition to it. Our soil is actually sand, so pretty much everything has a tough time growing and if it does, its not very nice, unless you fertilize and chemically treat the heck out of it.

Totally forgot to ask, where in FL are you located devildog?

Ahh... well that makes sence! Nothing from nothing leaves nothing!

Honestly, I think this:
is the key issue. Dumping a ridiculous amount of grain/sweet feed into him does not make up for the fact that he is,essentially, starving. If he is out in the paddock "most of the day and night", what good does having hay in his stall do him? It's little wonder he would continue to lose weight.

Yup, all the feed in the world won't do any good if he can't eat it. That also brings up another point (forgive me if someone has already said this, I havn't read all the replys) Have his teeth been checked recently?

Just one of the drawbacks of Florida....other than the heat and the bugs and the hurricanes!

You paint such a pretty picture of the state, lol. Here in Arkansas we just have to worry about Tornados, floods, ice storms, plus heat and bugs as well... But, we grow some nice hay! LOL!!!

Haha, I wish we had ice storms! I know up north in the Panhandle, near AL and GA, its been known to snow once in awhile but I've never seen it. I would personally love to live in NC. They have my kind of weather all year around. Nice pasture land too!

I had a skinny hard keeper OTTB until I finally found a barn that was generous with hay and gave them 4 hours a day access to good grass. Now I have a fat TB who only requires a minimum amount of low starch grain. I think it's more the grass than the hay, but no doubt in my mind, forage is the key.

My thoroughbred has a major weight issues, but I have found rice bran works best.

I'm actually in Tampa Bay, too.

Yea, there's no grass on the property except in one of the riding areas. I hand graze him for 30 min. When I can, but as I'm a boarder, and a home-school mom, I just don't have the time to give more than that.

I forgot to mention, he is on pelleted rice bran too. Um...1 1/2 quarts of that. His teeth are fine, but will actually be done next month...or later this month...I forget which.

Since there isn't any grass, what should I do then? Keep him stalled day w/ hay, turn out PM (when it's not so freaking hot and humid and less bugs)?

Should I cut the sweet feed totally? If so, how quickly? What do I feed instead? Can someone, or many someones, show me a sample menu of what and how I should be feeding this guy? I'm so utterly confused by all my readings at this point I'm beyond lost. LOL

Thanks for all the help!