Both of my horses are in need of some help with building some muscle in their top lines. One is coming off a layup and has improved greatly with some diet changes and regular lunging with a chambon as well as pole work, transitions, etc. He still has a ways to go though. The other is currently out due to injury and his back is wasting away to nothing. The one that’s in work is on Total Health Enhance Muscle Mass, but I haven’t noticed much of a change for him. He’s been on it for a few months now. My horses prefer pelleted supplements, but it doesn’t matter that much.
What is the diet of each horse? Muscle is protein, you may not need a supplement just a diet tweak.
Definitely need to know the current diet - what, and how much (hay/grain), or how long (grass, how lush)
What is the reason for the layup? Have you had body work done? What did layup involve - strict stall rest, small paddock turnout, hand walking, etc?
Well the poor guy got sick and injured one after another. That was when kissing spine was then found. He’s 100% recovered from everything and had injections for the KS as well as regular theraplate sessions and lunging with a chambon. Due to personal circumstances, I was slow to get him going again but he is back under saddle and is working up to his normal fitness (he’s a mounted shooting horse). Here is his diet:
1.5lbs Renew Gold
2lbs Whole Oats
2.5lbs Alfalfa Pellets
1cup whole flaxseeds
A few handfuls Beet Pulp (to get supplements to stick, I don’t know the weight)
The aforementioned Total Health Enhance custom blend
Unlimited grass hay in a slow feeder-quality of the hay varies from mid-low. I have no control as he is boarded.
Now that the weather is nice and there is some grass I try to let him out and graze for an hour or so while I’m doing barn chores but fresh grass is not a consistent part of his diet.
Even wtih 2.5lb alf pellets, I would imagine his diet is low enough in protein and lysine to hinder good muscle development.
If you could swap the RG for a good ration balancer, that would help that department a lot. If some of the grass hay can be replaced with some alfalfa, that would help too.
I’d get rid of the slow feeder and let him have all they hay he wants.
You can feed all the protein and muscle supplements in the world, but steady slow, and consistent work will build the top line. Without that you will have a fat horse and wasted protein.
And he is in slow, consistent work 
I just want to do everything I can to help him grow that muscle and if he’s lacking in nutrition that would surely hinder his development. I can add some more alfalfa, probably pellet form because that’s more economical (I can’t buy bulk bales bc I have no place to put them and no way to transport them). He really likes his slow feeder and it keeps him from getting bored. He has NO problem finishing 20+lbs of hay a day out of it. We used to give it to him just loose but he’d either snarf it down in 3 seconds or pee on it and waste it. Either way he was then without hay for several hours and put at risk for ulcers.
Here are the ingredients in the Total Health Enhance. I don’t know the amounts of each ingredient, which I should…I know a rep from them and so bought a bag to try. I’m not committed to it, I like it but haven’t noticed any sort of dramatic change or anything. But the feeds in my area are EXTREMELY limited. Basically I have Purina (not a fan-Ultium made 2 of my horses INSANE), Nutrena (REFUSE to buy their products), crappy local feeds-they’re horrible, and Renew Gold, which I LOVE. It has done wonders for my horses. The only way for me to get a ration balancer is to order online.
Soy Flour
Flax Seed
Chia Seed
L-Arginine
Cinnamon
Zeolite
Cordyceps
L-Alanine
Beta Alanine
Ketoglutarate (L-Glutamine)
L-Valine
L-Ornithine
Taurine
Serine
Ginger
Vitamin C (Ascorbic acid)
Ginseng
Vitamin E
N-Acetyl-L-Cysteine
Spirulina Powder
Licorice
Turmeric
Zinc
Schizandra Berry
L-Citrulline
L-Carnitine
Manganese
Calcium D-Pantothenate (B5)
Pyridoxine (Vit.B6)
Vitamin A
Choline Bitartrate
L-Tyrosine
Niacinamide (Vitamin B-3)
Thiamine/Vitamin B1 Hydrochloride
Riboflavin (Vitamin B-2)
D-Biotin
Folic Acid
Vitamin B-12
Vitamin D3
Iron
OK OK OK. I did just find out about ONE feed company that’s ionophore free that I can get locally. It would cost more but is more of a complete feed. Here’s the link to the feed I’m looking at. Tell me what you think.
http://www.prognutrition.com/pn/products/horse-feeds/proelite-hf-horse-feed/index.jsp
or
http://www.prognutrition.com/pn/products/horse-feeds/premium-performance-8-pellet/index.jsp
Progressive is an excellent company, and I wouldn’t hesitate to use either of those feeds. I don’t know their NSC value, but based on the ingredients probably not that high. The ProElite is probably higher due to the barley, but barley also has a lower glycemic index than the lower NSC oats, so it’s a tradeoff.
For the reason of the barley, I’d probably try the Performance 8 first though. But call them and ask for the NSC (sugar + ESC, and get the WSC too) on both.
Progressive also has a ration balancer, so you could do that and alfalfa pellets, as an alternative to the above feeds, especially if he can’t eat enough o the above to be fed the minimum feeding rate.
Your THE still doesn’t tell me anything about how much of those things are in it. My guess is not enough of anything that supports muscles to be worth using it.
Based off the results of the THE, I’m inclined to agree with you. The NSC for the Performance 8 Pellet is 18.5% and neither the sugar or carbs are listed on their website for the ProElite HF. I’m leaning towards the Perf 8 Pellet anyway, because it’s half the price and the bag is 10lbs bigger. You only feed 2lbs more of that per day than the ProElite. Also it appears to have biotin and more ingredients that will help him build muscle. He’ll have NO problem eating 8lbs of feed every day.
Hmm or I could do the ProAdvantage RB with oats. The NSC is slightly lower and everything else is more concentrated. Ugh decisions. Why.
I understand the frustration about wasting hay, but it’s usually the best choice for the horse, and easier on the wallet. My horses actually gain weight over the winter once I put out the round bales. There are lots of different types of hay nets, bags and feeders.
Or increase the alfalfa pellets if you can since your hay quality is mid to low.
His pen is not big enough to fit him and a round bale. He really has gained weight with the slow feeder. My barn only feeds maybe 10 lbs of hay per day. A couple forkfuls in the morning and a couple in the evening. So he is sitting without hay for 22 out of 24 hours. That’s not healthy. If I load up his slow feeder, which is HUGE–you could fit a sumo wrestler in it–he gets significantly more hay and gets it consistently throughout the day. He never has trouble finishing well over 20lbs of hay per day. He’s NOT skinny either. I can’t post pictures on here but he’s a good weight, just lacking in muscle tone.
I agree with the general consensus-- add protein to help build muscle. A ration balancer at 30-32% protein is great; for easier keepers, feed RB instead of grain. For harder keepers, try adding a pound to their regular ration.
If there’s any way you could fill his slow feeder with straight alfalfa (18-20+% protein) that would be best to supplement his diet. Always feed the best forage you can. My horses eat 20-30lbs of excellent hay daily, and only about 2-4lbs of grain. 20lbs of 18% protein alfalfa mix hay with 5lbs 12% protein grain is significantly more pounds of protein than feeding 10lbs of 12% protein grain and 20lbs of 8% protein grass hay.
Add pellets if you can’t get the hay, but honestly many alfalfa pellet products are lesser quality than nice small square bales.
[QUOTE=Rusty15;8224257]
His pen is not big enough to fit him and a round bale. He really has gained weight with the slow feeder. My barn only feeds maybe 10 lbs of hay per day. A couple forkfuls in the morning and a couple in the evening. So he is sitting without hay for 22 out of 24 hours. That’s not healthy. If I load up his slow feeder, which is HUGE–you could fit a sumo wrestler in it–he gets significantly more hay and gets it consistently throughout the day. He never has trouble finishing well over 20lbs of hay per day. He’s NOT skinny either. I can’t post pictures on here but he’s a good weight, just lacking in muscle tone.[/QUOTE]
If your barn only feeds 10lbs a day? You need to move. Consensus is average horse in average work needs 20-25 pounds per day, by actual weight, not guesstimates. Alfalfa is a little less, thin grass hays can be a little more.
You need to weigh your hay to start with, try a fish or produce scale or just lug the bathroom scale out, weigh yourself then weigh yourself holding the hay, better then nothing.
Have you weighed the alfalfa pellets and other stuff or are you going by a scoop or coffee can? Need to weigh those too if you haven’t.
Most condition problems are lack of calories, not specific nutrients. They just need more overall.
I weigh everything but the hay, since I only have a teeny tiny kitchen scale. I know the 20-25 rule but since I don’t have a scale big enough I just give him as much as he wants. If he runs out before I get out to refill his net the staff will give him some loose hay. I don’t know why they feed so little to the horses in pens. The larger pens have round bales with nets over them, but in the smaller single horse pens, there isn’t enough room so they do 2 feedings of hay that (just estimating) are about 10-15lbs a day. Boarding options are EXTREMELY limited in my area and my barn has a lot of benefits that outweigh having to hay my own horses. This is the net I use. Before that I was just giving them a huge pile of hay when I went out, but I can cram way more in here without it going to waste. My vet knows all about history and said the net was a good idea so it’s not going anywhere
You still need to figure out the weight of the hay in a full net before you can make meaningful decisions about your feeding program.
How long does it take him to finish a full hay net?
I would just add Tri Amino. I have a retired mare that cannot have any soy or alfalfa. Despite giving her unlimited hay her topline looked terrible till I added Tri Amino. She looked amazing in less than a month - right now I see her topline melting away again since SmartPak has been back ordered for more than a month. Might need to try ordering it straight from Ukele.
I’ll second the suggestion of Tri-Amino from Ukele, great muscle builder and relatively quick results.
If you have a Walmart of fish tackle shop near you, they have a cheapo fish scale for weighing hay. You really need to know how much in lbs. you’re feeding.
