[SPhorsemanship]

Hi,
There is a small 8-year-old gelding that I'm helping train/ride/exercise with a friend. Up until this point he has only eaten hay from a round bale. He keeps weight on but doesn't get chubby. He can get really stressed and can pace his stall for hours and he is high energy as well as rather spooky under saddle. His hooves are very good and his coat is pretty good-I'd like it to be a bit more shiny though. He's very hardy(welsh cross) and is quite healthy.
He is going to be worked 4 to 6 days per week for about an hour each time. There will be jumping and flat work.

What are some ideas for a feed program?
My thoughts are:

-beat pulp
-oil
-platinum performance equine supplement

is there any grains or supplements you could suggest? He needs some feed to keep weight on and I want an overall vitamin +mineral supplement for at least his hooves, coat and digestive system.

 

[SEAmom]

For the supplements, I recommend going through smartpak and getting a general idea of what they would suggest and do your shopping around from there.
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[BarnflyStables]

I agree with the SmartPak option. I would think that a B1 supplemnt would help with the nervousness though.

 

[To ride the sky]

Extra Magesium will calm him naturally I didn't find that Vitamin B or Thiamine worked at all nor any 'calming supplements'.

As for keeping weight on why not just lots of hay and something that contains healthy fats/oils such as Canola meal?

To be honest I would stay way far away from the beet pulp!!! The starch from that would probably send him over the moon!

As far as vit/min can you find a good basic one that just has the very essencials and amino acids etc...? I use one called Island Horse that is specifically formulated for my location based on analyisis of the local forage here. Is there anything like that where you are?

 

[Delfina]

My horse is somewhat similar, he paces like mad in his stall and turnout but he's completely calm and unspooky under saddle.

I'm giving him a grass/alfalfa mix and beet pulp with a handful of grain (not sweet feed, I think my trainer said it was a 12% feed) mixed in so he'll eat it. Started him on SmartCalm and he has stopped pacing for the most part, he also gets a joint supplement (forget the name) and starting next week I'm adding in Accel which is a multi-vitamin with probiotics in it.

 

[SPhorsemanship]

I'm thinking of putting him on a complete feed. That way he gets all the nutrients he needs, fiber, vitamins and minerals

 

[Peggysue]

hmmm Canada look into the Purina Equalizer

Beet PUlp is actually a good fiber source that carries about same nutrition profile as oats MINUS the sugars and starches

Rice Bran is a good fat supplement to help with weight gain and energy levels it's a cool energy

free choice hay is a give as well as free choice water

 

[DejaVu]

I would put him on a complete feed with the addition of a calming supplement.
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