Weight gain suggestions

Hello all! I have a 13 year old TB with some weight issues. He isn't grossly underweight, he has about a 3.5-4 BCS. For obvious reasons, I would at least like him to at least get to a strong 4.5 and I'm looking for some suggestions as to how to get him there.

Currently his diet looks like this:

AM:

-3 scoops of alfalfa cubes(totaled to 6 pounds)
-3/4 scoop of timothy pellets (2.5 pounds)

PM:

-1 scoop alfalfa cubes (2 pounds)
-3/4 scoop timothy pellets (2.5 pounds)
-1 lb of ration balancer

He is on grass turn out day and night, because he is also a cribber, especially when stalled so in an effort to keep it to a minimum he's just out all of the time. He does wear a collar, and as long as he has grass he's pretty good about not cribbing, but there are sometimes, usually if he's hungry, that he cribs through the collar. All of those bad tasting pastes and paint don't work, I have tried them previously.

As far as actual fat building, I have tried beet pulp and rice bran with little results--mostly just a better looking coat. He is doing absolutely nothing, no work, I mean he really is just turned out and brought back in to eat, and then he goes out again. He is turned out by himself because he thinks he's a stallion and just runs everyone around and bullys them, except for this one little pony mare he's in love with (she's half his size and she beats him up, its the cutest thing) so he doesn't do anything except eat out in the pasture either. He was wormed four weeks ago exactly, and I had a fecal egg count done last weekend to make sure his worm load was low to rule out that as a culprit as well. I also plan on having him scoped for ulcers this month, but overall he's been given a physical and cleared as healthy; his appetite and his attitude are good.

So, having said all of that, any suggestions would be helpful! Keep in mind that I am trying to stay away from grain-based hard feed because of his more than likely case of ulcers, and sweet feed is an absolute no no.

Seems like you've ruled out any health related issues that could be contributing to his weight. And sweet feed is cruddy stuff anyways, it should not even exsist

Basically, you're feeding 8 lbs of alfalfa and 5 lbs of timothy daily, plus however much he consumes during turnout. 1 lb of cubed hay generally equals to a pound of uncubed hay.

My suggestion, since he's basically a lawn ornament, is Triple Crown Senior.

Being that I'm in Florida, I can't get Triple Crown, or at least I have never seen it. I have access to Nutrena, Purina, and the feed store up the road from the barn carries Seminole. There are some others, but Nutrena and Purina are carried pretty much everywhere.

He has been on all kinds of grain based feeds in the past; low starch, senior, 12% pellets, and they all aggravate his cribbing/his ulcers....its to the point where he takes a bite and cribs, takes a bite and cribs, even with the collar. I am attempting to stay away from them at all possible costs. I will try it if it seems to be the only option, but then wouldn't he be getting an overdose of vitamins/minerals, since he already has the RB?

Hm, let me get back to you in a little bit, I'll research a couple of feed options for you. I'm not familiar with feeding cribbers, but I have had a few months experience with ulcers.

How about flax? It helped my boy get over the top on the weight scale.

Also, I am not one that jumps on the ulcer bandwagon but TB + Cribbing makes me think there might be a digestion problem there. Treating for ulcers with either an ulcerguard type product or even some of the natural solutions couldn't hurt.

Add to that, my TB is content to stay slim. He has a crappy appetite unless he is in actual work. A few minutes lunging might up his appetite for not only his pellets but even for his grazing.

Where could I find it? If I could find it raw say, at Walmart, that would be great, versus having to special order it in a supplement.....

I'm going to get the scoping done because he was on the track for quite awhile; 95 starts under his belt, and they say that something like 80% have ulcers. Plus, when you get the scoping done, if you they do have ulcers, the vet will give you two tubes of Ulcerguard free, a discount on the rest. His poop is solid though, so there's really no indication of digestive upset accept his lack of fat in his ribs. He's never colicked in the three years I've had him, either.

Oh, he is not a picky eater. He's a pig. He will eat anything, all of the time. Even though he's on grass all day, if we're walking through tall grass and we stop, his head is immediately down. I am not worried about him turning food away, haha!

Right now, since he's thin and its so hot, I'm wary of putting him in work. But I am looking for someone to ride him regularly, because I can only make it to the barns on weekends, and that is just not enough saddle time to keep him from behaving like a pill when I do get to ride. In my previous experience with him, he is so much better when being ridden 4 times a week than two but I can't do that with my current job. I know that when I was riding him 4 times a week, his topline looked better, but his ribs were unaffected, but I don't have during and after pictures to really be able to tell. So while I am looking for a rider, I am hesitant about it and if I see him get thinner once that happens, he won't be ridden.

Calcium/Magnesium with Probiotics for the stomach acid and Canola Meal for gaining weight!

I would have no idea where to get canola meal, but from what I just looked at on google, it is way too much protien....also, it is high in calcium, magnesium, and phosphorous, which he is already getting from both the alfalfa and his ration balancer.
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If you're so concerned about feeding him too much protein why don't you just cut the RB and strictly go with a high fat, high protein feed instead?

Because he more than likely has ulcers, haha. With grain based feeds, while they may be high in fat, they irritate his stomach and cause him to crib. In the long run it is also cheaper. I could pay 12 dollars for a 50 pound bag of traditional hard feed, and feed 4-6 pounds a day, and pay 50 dollars for one month of feed....this would not include his hay pellets for his added forage, which in themselves are 50 dollars for one month. Or I can pay 50 dollars for two bags of ration balancer that will last me a little over 2 months, feed him at max 2 pounds in a day, and he gets the same vitamins and minerals as the other feed, with much less bulk and no irritation (the first ingredient is rice bran, if I remember correctly? But don't quote me).