Our Arab Mare foaled in July she doesnt seem to be putting on weight ?

Question

You can see ribs and tail bones she has belly down but not out. I am told this is just pulldown but I am concerned any advise? Thanks

Thanks for all your replies.. She has been on regular all stock for about a month or so Probably a big source of the problem.. We bought her when she was pregnant. She is 13years old now. I will get her back on the Mare & Foal. She is up to date on worming so I know that isn't it. She is getting 4 scoops of feed per day and fescue hay we also recently introduced alfalfa cubes so we will use those and add the mare and foal back into the diet and hope that will help.. Thanks for all your help.

Answer 1

well now you haVE TO WORRY ABOUT THAT

Answer 2

Is it possible that her belly is down because she's wormy? If you haven't wormed her in the last month and a half or so, get ready to do so. Wormy horses will not gain weight as quick, and they can look thin (ribby) and yet fat (weight dropped downward in their guts) at the same time.

Given the fact that the mare is going into the winter thin, I say you should wean the foal. Some people have preferences on when they wean, anywhere from 3 to 6 months. I don't even like to have my horses going into winter at a "normal" weight, I prefer them to be a bit fleshy so that they can stay warmer and because the winter will probably take some of it off of them anyway.

So basically, worm her and wean the baby, especially if she is an older mare (late teens and above). A 4-5 month old foal is plenty old enough to be away from its dam. Then you need to add more fat to her diet and raise her hay quantity. Be careful about giving alfalfa, it can make her "hot" and Arabians are already a bit moreso than your average horse without it. I would suggest looking into beet pulp. Our Arab stallion always lost weight in the summer and would have problems gaining it back towards the end of the year but he gained and maintained weight very nicely with beet pulp. Just remember, you HAVE to soak it. Some people say you don't, but you can cause choke (different from human "choking") in your horse if you don't. Do your research on it. It will also keep her warmer because it ferments in the belly like hay.

Answer 3

I would switch to some alfalfa hay, but do it slowly. She should not be so skinny from nursing yet- if the foal is still by her side, it shouldn't be drinking that much. The belly down could be from her muscles not being worked to tighten up. If she has been sitting in the pasture and not worked, or is a brood mare, it is just stretched out. If she is eating hay, it could be a hay belly as well.
Usually, if it is not because she was a broodmore for several years, it is because of nutritional imbalance. Do you feed a high quality grain? high quality hay? She needs to be putting on weight, and should have gained it back by now.

Answer 4

She is not getting the amount of feed that is required for a mare with a foal. I would check around for feed that is called mare and foal. If you cannot find it then put her on Equine senior. Equine senior has a higher protien and fat cotent. The baby can start eating grain as well. Make sure the mare and colt has all the hay they can eat. There is also a su[[lement I have used when I get a rescue horse that is under weight and it works great plus it's very healthy for them. It is called milk plus or calf manna. This supplement comes in a pellet and you just add a cup to there regular feed. You can buy this at your feed store.
You might have your mares teeth checked to make sure they don't need to be floated and also make sure she doesn't have worms. If she loses a lot of grain when she eats then I would say she needs her teeth floated. Sharp teeth will cause major weight loss. I really think you need to up the amount of feed you are giving them. Horses that need to gain weight requires 2% of there body weight. So if your horse is suppose to weigh 1000 LBS. then you should feed 20 LBS. of food a day, this includes hay and grain together, so for instance you need to feed 10 lbs. of grain and 10 lbs of hay. To maintain weight is about 1% of there body weight. Good luck if you have any questions feel free to email me..................

Answer 5

This is certainly something that can happen on a mare that isn't probably getting quite enough nutrition from her feed intake. She is supplying all the nutrition to producing milk.
My suggestion, re-evaluate what you are feeding. Make sure she is getting an adequate amount of hay and a properly balanced grain.

My Tennessee Walker mare has always been a slender framed horse and after her foal hit weaning age, he started pulling her weight down.
I feed a sweet feed/pellet mix but changed over to a sweet feed/recleaned oats mix. Even two years now after the foal, I still feed the oats since it had put the weight on and has continued to keep a good weight on her.
Something to consider along with the amount she is actually getting.

Answer 6

You don't give very much information, like how old she is, if the foal is still nursing and factors like that. You could see about adding oil to her grain to add some extra calories.

Here's an article:
http://www.ces.ncsu.edu/resources/livestock/horses/ag558-7.pdf

Buy some corn oil or sunflower oil and add a tablespoon or so first and build up over several weeks to let the horse adjust to the fat without getting diarrhea.

I gave oil and rice bran to my mare toward the end of the pregnancy through the lactating. She was shiny, but lost weight feeding a very big foal .

That mare is 25 now and kind of thin, so I've bought more oil and a squirt bottle like you'd use for ketchup for the oil. She likes anything that's food.

Nursing a foal takes a huge amount of energy form the mare.

Answer 7

The foal still has about a month before weaning, so I would imagine it is just the foal dragging her down.
I have geldings now, but our last mare (Quarter Horse) I was sure to feed her up & suppliment her with START TO FINISH. When the baby started showing interest in grain, I also put START TO FINISH in his creep feeder with his grain.
You may also want to have her teeth checked to see if they would benefit from floating. Be sure that both get alot of fresh feed & water & plenty of exercise.
Feed the mare up....
NOTHING TOO HOT!!!!!
Maybe wet c.o.b. with MARE PLUS or START TO FINISH...
1/2 flake leafy alfalfa 1/2 flake clean grass (morning)
1 flake alfalfa (evening)

Also, the baby should be on some hay & wet c.o.b. by this point also.

I forgot to say something about her belly.... Is she current on worming?? If not, she & the foal are probably both ready...

Answer 8

It is nonsense for someone to tell you not to be concerned. Most studs will lose weight during rutting season, but a mare that just had a baby should still be healthy. So, the need for concern. I would try giving her a vitamin shot. Also, the age and the amount of pregnancies affect health. Be sure not to overbreed the mare, if she has had multiple pregnacies already in her condition it would be safe to retire her from breeding. Also, if she happens to be an older mare I would definitely not breed her anymore. Do try the vitamins, it may work miracles.

Answer 9

Purina Amplify is a good high fat, low carb weight gain that works really well

Corn Oil starting with 1/4 to 1/2 cup is a good for weight gain

If you can afford Flax Seed Oil it has really good Antioxidant properties in it too - start with 1/4 to 1/2 cup. Use this instead of the Corn Oil

Calf Manna start with 1/2 cup

I'd also suggest a good probiotic and digestive enzyme. As humans and horses age our stomachs do not continue to produce these as well. If you supplement with them your horse should digest it's food better than before. You may not need all the extra fat supplements but only have to take care of the stomach.

Check teeth

Hope this helps

Answer 10

I would add fat to her diet. Either by adding oil or stabalized rice bran. Both are very safe ways to add calories with out makeing her hot or risking lamanitis or colic.
We feed rice bran and also beet pulp. YOu soak the beet pulp and give it to them. Ours like it in the cold months a I use warm water on it and mix some of the grain with it sort of like a warm soup for horses.
It works well and we feed our off track thoroughbreds like this to get them to gain weight after the come from racing.

Answer 11

go to this article it might helphttp://www.ces.ncsu.edu/resources/livestock/horses/ag558-7.pdf