Best food to enhance a horses coat?

Question

I recently pruchased a thoroughbred mare who has her winter coat, but it doesn't feel or look very good. She has a fat tummy (and is regularly wormed), so it's not a case of not enough food- I was wondering if there were any supplements that I could be adding to her feed to help her coat look better. She is currently on grass, oaten hay, lucern chaff, oats, pony pellets (coolmax). Any suggestions ??

I live in Australia- we are in the middle of winter :)

Answer 1

Be careful with the beet pulp, I'm not saying it's bad, just be sure to read info in site listed below. Be careful changing her feed, it may be a good idea to consult your vet if you don't know what you're doing. Balancing the rations in her program is very important so maybe some professional intervention would be best.

I would use corn oil, but remember that it is high in calories, so you may need to cut her feed back a bit... it will also give her more energy, so don't do it unless you plan to exercise her appropriately. ALSO she dosn't need more than a quarter of a cup per day, a little goes a long way, and it dosn't taste the best, so do it very gradually and make sure she continues to finish meals.

Grooming and TLC are key, though, you'd be AMAZED what adding 20 min. brushing per day can do.

Answer 2

Adding oil to her food can help. Check out Dynamite supplements and feeds. I have my horse on the feeds and she looks great. The feeds are very concentrated to she only needs about 1/2 cup per day during the summer. Pony pellets typically have to much suger. Equines do not have the stomach to digest sugar(often in the form of beet pulp or molassus). It could be making her coat dull.

Check out Dynamiteonline.com

Answer 3

To take care of her winter coat, curry and use the shedding blade daily. It will seem like it's taking a while, but she'll lose the excess hair soon. Or hire someone to come in and body clip her.
To maintain a healthy, shiny coat I recommend soybean meal or clovite. You can also use vegetable oil in her feed- just a splash.
As far as maintaining her weight, reduce her feed. If she's getting 1 scoop twice a day, then reduce it to 1/2 scoop 2x a day.

Answer 4

Add oil to her feed.
You can add about 1/4 cup to start and work up to one cup.
This will also add calories so she may gain weight. It will make her coat shine and glow.
Checal makes products that you can feed one is called Balck as Kinght it makes your balck horses so dark and shinny it is amazing stuff.
They make one for paliminos and for chestnuts also. They work well but take a few months to do so.
If she still have winter coat in July you shoud be working in getting her to shed it. Unless it is winter where you live.
Once they shed the summer coat is shorter and most of the time finer.
Thoroghbreds usually have a fine coat and will shine up with little effort.
My chestnut looks about like a new copper penny. He really shines after a bath or before he rolls in the dirt.

Answer 5

It is true that a horse's winter coat can often be dull and unappealing, sometimes slightly wiry.

There is one thing you can do, and that is to put a little oil (cooking oil - vegetable, sunflower or olive...) into her food, just a little drizzle. It is really good for their coats, and when she gets her Spring coat it will be healthier and glossier.

I learnt this trick from a horse breeder, and I have spent all my life around horses and own 2. It works!

Answer 6

no horse looks that good with a winter coat,so just wait till spring and it will start to fall out,then plenty of brushing will help,you can use a supliment called groom its very good for the coat.ps try to stay away from the oats.

Answer 7

we use beet pulp just a cup full with their regular food twice a day might help other than brushing and washing

Answer 8

Try SmartPak.com. They have all sorts of enhancements for all types of problems.

Answer 9

It is Spring! What you are giving her should help. Just don't rush her. It takes time.