Any tips for putting weight on senior thoroughbred horse?

Question

(Already on vitamins, beet pulp, corn oil, alfalfa and grain)

Answer 1

Hello, I rescue and rehabilitate malnurished, neglected, abused horses. What I recommend and has done me well in the past and currently, is rice bran...one pound of rice bran contains the equivalent of 1/2 cup of vegetable oil and has the side benefit of other nutrients/protiens. I feed in combinaltion with Nuterena SafeChoice, beetpulp with molasses, good quality timothy hay and alfalfa pellets.

Since this is a senior horse, be sure to check his teeth regularly, some horses need their teeth floated more than once a year, also have your vet check his thyroid levels and other crucial hormone levels as these can affect weight.

Answer 2

what type of grain? We use a high fat sweet feed with beet pulp, molasses, soy beans, oats, etc all mixed in already that we get from the feed mill.
Equine Senior (its pelleted) is also a good thing to mix in- that is easier to digest and munch down for his old teeth. Grain does not always get digested or eaten because their teeth are old.

How much grain/hay are you feeding him? We had an old arab that needs 4 lbs of grain AM and PM to keep him at his current weight (vet said that much was ok for him). He also gets free choice alfalfa.

Make sure he is warm enough as well- being cold makes him lose weight pretty quickly.

Other than increasing the amounts you are giving him (plus adding the highly palatable equishine) you really can't do much more to aid him.

One suggestion: do you exercise him as often as you used to? One older mare we had that we retired from dressage would lose weight because she wasn't worked. We started riding her just at a walk a couple times a week and she started eating vigorously and gained all her weight back. She just didn't feel like living with no purpose, or something like that.

Answer 3

Mitavite 'Gumnuts', specifically created for senior horses. You won't believe the difference in the colour and texture of the coat on this feed too! I never noticed that my horse was so spotty before this!

I used to give my senior draught horse bran, molasses, pony pellets, lucerne hay, lucerne chaff plus vitamins etc such as cal-plus with biotin, garlic granules. Buy big bags of carrots wholesale from markets and give bread a little more often.

Feed 2 or 3 times a day, smaller amounts.

Just remember that tidbits always make animals put on weight, it's more to do with the animal being aware of eating more often rather than what it is being fed or the quantity!

Answer 4

Be sure you have his teeth checked and not just by a vet but by a horse dentist. I have had 3 old horse that I have taken in as rescues and the main problem of any horse loosing weight (not just old ones) is their teeth. I learnt the hard way that vets don't always know everything and the dentist that I now get to check my horses teeth is also used by the vet I normally use. The fastest, healthiest and cheapest way to get weight back on a horse is whole barley grains that you soak over night in hot water before you feed them. Be sure to worm them (over worming is preferable), and be prepared for it to take some time, old horses take ages to put on weight and some never fully recover.
I wish you the best of luck as it is time consuming and a labour of love to restore an old horse to it's former health and fitness.

Answer 5

There are plenty of specially formulated "senior" feeds on the market, so i suggest you speak to your feed merchant about which ones are available in your area. Be aware, that they do tend to cost quite a bit more than ordinary feed though.

I feed my older horses a mash of rice bran, non-heating pony pellets and warm molasses water. Mixed into their normal feed, it is really good for keeping weight on any age horse, and it is fairly inexpensive!

Just make sure you have your horse's teeth checked every 6 - 12mths, and that you cut way back on the grains and concentrates, and increase his roughage intake. Lots of hay is excellent for the older horse (providing his teeth are okay), otherwise make sure he has access to pasture continually and is getting two or three regular feeds a day. Increase his energy intake on days when you intend to ride him.

Also, make sure he is kept well rugged (or stabled) so that he maintains warm all though winter, and cool and protected from insects during the summer. A cold or irritated horse will fidget more and be harder to keep weight on.

Good luck!

Answer 6

I would switch to a senior feed- these are specially made for your seniors motabolism and is easier for his body to digest. Also make sure your horses teeth are floated properly- he may be dropping more grain than what he's eating. This will also help prevent colic in your horse because he is able to chew to smaller pieces. A great weight gain supplement I sometimes use is Amplify- it comes in pelleted form and is great to use.

Answer 7

What my grandfather used to do when needing to put weight on his mares for foaling season, was a mixture of oats/molasses and a good oil ( sunflower is good) upping thier intake of richer feed and decreasing their daily excercise, also heating the paddocks so that they used less energy to keep warm, there is no on fix to a putting weight on a horse ( any breed) its a combo of richer more fatty foods, and less excercise and energy use.
these above are some of the best ways to fatten up your horse if they are all applied. and also switch to alfalfa hay if you are not already using that type.

Answer 8

Have you tried feed that is formulated for senior horses? Often these feeds will have everything you are putting in the horse now and even more. Most feed stores will have senior feed but Tractor Supply and Southern States have a pretty large selection.

Answer 9

My horse had the same thing, i used mill run with loosen charf in the morning and a biscket of loosen hay in the arvo...

Give him A LOT of every thing...but u have to work him as well

Answer 10

sun flower oil.