adding rice bran... how long to see results?

[morganmerle]

How long does it take to see results from adding rice bran to a horse’s diet? Or, what else can I do to fatten up my horses?

Backstory…
I got the nine year old OTTB in April, and he’s always been on the thin side. He is on 23/7 turnout (about 30 acres with eight others), and comes into his stall for 5 lbs TC Senior, Smartpack of U-Gard & SmartHoof, and recently added 1 lb alfalfa pellets and 1 lb rice bran. He also has free choice hay in his stall. He is a cribber, but collar seems to be working. Was de-wormed with Quest a few months ago and new FEC sample dropped off at vet this morning. Equine dentist appt is this month. He is ridden lightly once a week.

I got the four year old OTTB in mid-August. His last race was in July. They were racing him thin, and now he’s losing the track muscling. I am just starting to see slight ribs. He has same turnout and eats the same diet (although he does not crib). His FEC sample was also dropped off at vet this morning. He has not been worked at all.

Both horses have soft, shiny coats, but I would really like to see both fattened up as we head into winter.

I have considered their turnout may be overgrazed (although the other horses are fat as ticks :rolleyes:), so this morning I had the opportunity to move them into a 20 acre coastal hay field with just one other gelding.

It is frustrating being the owner with two thin horses, yet I am trying everything I know to do. :sigh: Am I missing something?

[yellowbritches]

That’s not a ton of food, though I wouldn’t want to feed more than that in one meal. Also, it may just take them time to adjust to life on turnout (don’t know how long the older one has lived that lifestyle).

While I like rice bran and have found some picky horses tolerate it far better than oil, it is only about 23% fat, if I remember correctly. I would consider switching to oil or something that is closer to 100% fat. I’m a HUGE fan of Cocosoya, but have also see results with Cool Calories, and just plain old veggie oil.

Especially for the one recently off the track, it may just take time. His body is completely readjusting, and he is adjusting to a new way of life. You also want to be careful not to overfeed him right now, otherwise you’ll pour tons of calories into a very fit horse with NO outlay of calories. Get as much good quality forage in them both…maybe give them both a hay net when they come into eat, and consider a second meal, if possible (you could EASILY double what they are getting).

[Laurierace]

Yep, at least one more meal per day, preferably two and treat for ulcers.

[morganmerle]

I wish I could feed them twice a day, but it’s not in the cards. :no:

The older one has been off the track for more than a year. He had limited turnout before I got him. He loves being turned out. The younger one is figuring it out.

Both boys will lick their buckets clean now, but I would be willing to try oil. Where would I get Cocosoya?

I’m not worried about pouring calories into the younger one… he’s plain lazy. :lol: He never broke his maiden. That’s why I have him now,

When I mentioned free choice hay in their stalls, what I mean is they have foaling size stalls with round bales in their stalls. I leave them in overnight a couple of times a week just so they can eat hay all night long. They always have food.

[SBrentnall]

I have the same problem with one of my retirees, and I’m in the same boat in that the barn will only feed one grain meal per day. I’m over an hour away so I can’t get out to do it.

My guy is on free choice alfalfa and oat hay. In addition, he gets:

2lbs Renew Gold (very high-fat feed that my working horse only gets 1lb of)
1 scoop of rice bran
Cocosoya from smartpak
Focus-SR senior multi/weight gain
Thyro-L to correct thyroid imbalance

He lives with one old mare who’s very arthritic and doesn’t move well, and she’s definitely not chasing him away from hay. He’s eating happily every time I see him, but he just doesn’t gain weight.

We’ve checked his teeth, blood and fecal and everything’s normal. He’s eating an amount that would cause my working horse to explode, yet he still looks to be about a 2-3 with prominent ribs, spine and hips.

I’m at my wits end! Any suggestions?

[Laurierace]

If your current situation doesn’t allow for you to get enough food into the horse to maintain his weight then you have to move him somewhere that will. My guy is 24 years old and I keep him in ideal weight even though it means I have to buy my own feed and alfalfa pellets and hay. You do what you have to do. I couldn’t live with myself if I let him starve because I had him somewhere that didn’t meet his needs.

[Simkie]

When I was feeding my OTTB one meal a day for weight gain, I was feeding a scoop and a half of TC Senior (about 7 lbs) plus a cup and a half of oil. She was also getting a scoop of Ultium (4 lbs, maybe?) in the morning and was on pasture with a limited amount of hay.

What I fed in the evening was the absolute max I felt comfortable feeding at one time and we found a new barn that would feed grain 2x/day with supplements and free choice hay.

I do not think you are feeding NEARLY enough if you’re looking for weight gain, and I’m just not a fan of rice bran when a hard keeping horse needs to put on weight. It’s a bit like peeing on a forest fire, IMO. Just not enough calories. Oil is the way to go.

[Bogie]

It doesn’t sound like you are feeding enough.

My 12 year old TB gets 6-8 lbs of TC senior/day PLUS 2.5 lbs of Alfalfa pellets plus 2 cups of Purina Amplify, PLUS all the grass hay he can eat. That keeps him at a good weight but not fat.

He normally gets fed twice a day and when I can swing by and feed him lunch, he gets the extra 2 lbs of TC senior.

You can feed oil – it’s a great source of calories – but you will most likely need to add it slowly. I used to give my horse up to 2 cups/day but I had to work up to it. Too much oil and he might not eat.

I’ve fed Rice Bran in the past and while my horses did find it palatable, I didn’t think it added enough calories.

[SBrentnall]

Btw, I mentioned my guy gets free-choice hay. He’s eating about 18-20lbs of hay a day in addition to the extras.

We’ve also tried:
Beet pulp
Beet shreds
Vegetable oil
Gleam & Gain
Equine Senior
Integrity Senior

We’ve tried each addition for at least 2 months but nothing works.

[SBrentnall]

[QUOTE=Laurierace;6587972]
If your current situation doesn’t allow for you to get enough food into the horse to maintain his weight then you have to move him somewhere that will. My guy is 24 years old and I keep him in ideal weight even though it means I have to buy my own feed and alfalfa pellets and hay. You do what you have to do. I couldn’t live with myself if I let him starve because I had him somewhere that didn’t meet his needs.[/QUOTE]

Both the horses talked about in this thread are on free choice hay. That means they have hay in front of them at all times. It’s not a question of not enough food.

Mine eats pretty much all day long and every other horse on the property is fat and shiny.

[Laurierace]

If the horses are thin they are not getting enough food. It’s not rocket science here.

[SBrentnall]

Laurie, as you well know, it’s often not that simple.

[Laurierace]

Of course it isn’t but feeding them once a day isn’t getting the job done. You can’t just throw your hands up and say that you tried. Nobody said horse care was easy but it is the choice we made when we took them on.

[SBrentnall]

I think maybe you’re misunderstanding my posts. The horse is eating hay all day long. He gets fat supplements, medication and grain. Even the vet says that with the amount of food he’s getting, he should be gaining weight. The point of my post was to see if anyone else has had the same problem so they can suggest something I haven’t tried yet.

I’ve run blood panels, thyroid tests, fecal counts and dental tests. What part of that sounds to you like “throwing your hands up and saying you tried”?

Honestly, the unhelpful judgmental responses on this board are sometimes so frustrating.

[tradewind]

I believe that these horses need grain at least twice a day. The fact that they get free choice hay does not mean they are getting enough. They may need a different type of hay, more grain, more time in until they put on weight etc. I think the OP should consider changing facilities, getting someone she knows to go over if she can’t and bring them in and give them an additional meal.

[khall]

With horses that require more groceries, I like to feed smaller amounts and split them up. Sorry but one feeding a day is just not enough for a horse that needs more calories. Can you put in annual rye grass seed for winter? That is a high sugar grass that will pack on some pounds. Or feed more meals a day, usually no more than 4-5 lbs a feeding. I like TC Complete when TC Sr will not do the job. Higher in fat and with the oats, will put some weight on them. I have always used rice bran for mine that needed added weight and alfalfa hay.

[goodmorning]

You need to feed him more times a day. To be honest, I feed my TB gelding 3x a day. He needs that 3rd feeding. If I feed the same quantity 2x vs 3x a day, he will loose weight. Can’t imagine what once a day would lead too.

I also feed TC Senior, it’s great. But, I feed 9# of it. 5# is not enough. You need more calories to coat those ribs. Also love alfalfa, and rice bran, but, again you can feed up to 2# of RB a day.

Now, I know he’s getting a lot of turnout - does he like it? We all think it may be best, but if he’s not gaining weight, I’d be thinking about what he’s doing in t/o. Is he running? Fretting? How are the bugs? Where is he on the totem-pole? How cold is it at night? Have you started to blanket yet?

Treat him for ulcers. You don’t have to spend $$$, you can use those blue rocks. Or, I like the Canadian paste.

[halo]

The frustrating part is people who have OTTBs who obviously shouldnt. If you dont know how to feed a thoroughbred, then get a quarter horse or something that will stay fat on air. Because you, the OP, is NOT FEEDING ENOUGH. I dont know what part of that you just don’t understand. My thoroughbreds are on grass all day long, alfalfa, and they all still get at least 10 pounds of a good high fat feed. I dont feed all that extra garbage that you are trying to get him fat with.

Feed them!

[Stacie]

Generally speaking, you don’t want to feed more than 5 pounds of feed at a feeding. So you may need to replace the TC senior with something more calorie dense.

TC Senior is 10% fat and 14% protein.
A ration balancer is usually around 26-30% protein and 3-5% fat.
Lergends Rice bran pellets are 12% protein and 18% fat
McCauleys Omega Bran is 16% protein and 26% fat
Cocosoya is 100% fat.
(i feed coconut oil. It’s cheaper and one of my girls is allergic to soy).

So, if you feed 2 lbs of a ration balancer, you get all the protein and probably more vitamins and minerals then the TC senior and you can make up the other 3 pounds with something high fat.
The omega bran is a funky texture but I like the mix of flax and rice. You could feed two pounds of that and add some cocosoya oil. And maybe a lb of alfalfa pellets for the oil to stick to.

I love alfalfa hay for putting on weight. Can you have some of their hay replaced with it?

Also consider a gut conditioner like Opti-Zyme by Manna Pro. I LOVE that product.

[Stacie]

[QUOTE=SBrentnall;6588093]
Even the vet says that with the amount of food he’s getting, he should be gaining weight. .[/QUOTE]

He may be eating a lot of hay, but that does not mean the hay is a good enough quality to put weight on him. Hay quality makes a HUGE difference. Replace the rounds bales with good alfalfa hay. It will also help with the ulcers.