Gaining weight on horses?

Question

I have a 14 year old dun quarter horse gelding, 15.4 hands, and he only weighs about 902 lbs. This is about 200 lbs underweight, how can I help him gain weight. Also, he dosn't have a worm because we just used a series of worm paste that a vet told us to use, and he had no worm. Also Why do you think he lost weight. He is an outdoor board horse, I come out 3-4 times a week, and don't over work him. He is half way up on the pecking order, and he gets plenty of grain. Why did he loose so much weight

he isnt agressive

*******Forgot to mention, He has a turnout blanket for winter, we put him on corn oil, but he had diahrea and had to take him off it, and we tried beet pulp, but recentally he wouldn't eat it, we tried putting molassass on it but he just dosn't like beet pulp anymore... What Kind of senior feed should I get him??? How do I know if his teeth arent good?

Answer 1

Have your vet look at his teeth. He might need them floated. We have a 16+ hand horse that was only 15 and kept loosing weight even after we wormed him. We had his teeth fixed and he gained a little weight. Some horses are just hard keepers. And....don't feed him too much grain, they can colic (I know from experience) and this can kill them. We feed our old horse senior feed that comes in pellets. It is good for them and he gained even more weight when we started him on it. Good luck :)

Answer 2

We've got a TB at my barn who also has ulcers, is 28 and REALLY needs to gain weight. She was extremely thin when she came. We've been feeding her hay stretcher in addition to her hay. It's a more concentrated form of roughage and only roughage (and fats) will put weight on. Grain just adds quick sugars. You can also feed a large amount because it is really just hay. The Triple Crown Safe Starch is also very good, if your horse will eat it (for the most part they all LOVE it). It has some oils mixed in but doesn't feel drenched so its a good way to get oil into her diet if she would eat it on her grain. Uguard (or maybe ulcer guard) from smart pak seems to work as well and I think it's reasonably affordable. Stress relief is also good. Does your horse get a lot of turn out? Grass turnout? I guess it is coming up on winter so that's not a good option... sorry. As for grains, I prefer Triple Crown Senior to Blue Seal. It just seems to put the weight on better and they love it. Also for weight, beet pulp is great. It works miracles. Finally, I'll just add that even if there is nothing especially wrong with your horses teeth (ie no wave mouth or points or anything like that) she's getting up there. She may well just not have much tooth left so she might not be able to grind up the food very well and therefore, not be able to digest it well. Check with the vet or dentist and if that's an issue, I'd recomend starting on a diet of beet pulp, Safe Starch Forage, hay stretcher and grain. This can get pretty expensive but if your horse can't chew and there is no way to improve her mouth, then it may be the only option for putting on weight.

Answer 3

Get his teeth checked first and foremost.

Makes sure (if he's out with other horses) he's getting enough food and not getting run-off his feed.

Add a supplement: add corn or wheat germ oil to his grain (wheat germ is often sold as a weight gainer for horses)

You can also try beet pulp-- that is fattening, it's just a hassle to prepare because it must be soaked first.

Also, try putting him on a senior feed. He isn't that old, but the extra fats, etc., offered in senior diets may help him maintain his condition.

Is the winter tough in your area? Maybe he needs a little extra warmth with a turnout rug.

Good luck!

Answer 4

Make sure the quality of hay he is eating is good and not too old. Hay that has been sitting in the loft for a year has much less nutrients than the current year's hay. He may have lost weight because he has some dental issues. Get him floated as soon as you can. Also, introduce corn and beet pulp into his grain ratio. They are both high in fat.

Answer 5

I agree with him probably having to have his teeth floated.
I had an Appendix bred mare a few years back that I bought very underweight ( about 900 lb). I fed her grain, actually a senior formula, even though she was only 12, it is easier to chew and digest plus sweet feed and about 3 flakes of hay twice a day. I rode her every other day, the other times she was turned out to pasture.
Within 6 months she had gained close to 100 lb. It is very time consuming. When she died in Hurricane Katrina she was around 1150 lb and never looked better.
Good luck and take your time, can't rush a good thing.

Answer 6

Have you had his teeth checked lately? As the horse ages he needs routine dental care - a vet can float his teeth to help him chew better. Teeth can develope real sharp points that can cause significant pain as they chew. When they don't chew well they do not receive the nutrients they need.

Do you have someone new feeding ad the stable? Perhaps they unkownly are not feeding your horse what he needs.

How often is he turned out to play? You mention he is stalled, but he needs play time out in a large field as well. It's possible, now that it's winter, if he is running more than usual he is burning off the calories. I feed about 1.5 to 2 times more in the cold months just to keep the weight up to normal.

Answer 7

Give him a lot of hay, and 14% sweet feed. It is higher in fatty stuff. Also try a cup of vegetable oil over his feed everyday. You can also go to the local tack/feed store and there is a tub of stuff called Weight Gain or something like that and it works wonders as well as improves their hooves.
Don't overfeed on alfalfa, maybe a flake a day or every other day. Mostly feed him good quality (green, leafy) hay, maybe a bremuda mix. You say you go there 3-4 times a week. I'd check and make sure people are actually feeding him regularly, with good feed and not cheaping you out. It happens often enough. Even though your horse may be halfway up the pecking order, lead horses often 'inhale' their food and rush to guzzle other horses food, so separate him when he eats his grain, and lock him up at night with a ton of hay.

Answer 8

Assuming the teeth are good and has bin wormed by a vet, I'd say it's his feed, senior feed might help or you can add corn oil or try beet pulp

Answer 9

the first thing that comes to mind is, what do u feed ur horse? what kind of hay? also, when was the last time he had his teeth looked at and floated? 14 is not very old but i would suggest a senior feed. i have had to put horses as young as 9 on senior feed because of loss of weight. senior feed is a hay based formula to help horses that had a harder time with eating hay. u might need to switch ur hay over to something that has more protein in it, such as brome or alfalfa hay. but before switching ur horse over u need to get the horses teeth looked at by a vet or dentist that specializes in horses(but i would go with vet, not as expensive but can get the job done). as for Senior feed if u switch, i have from personal experience found that equine senior by PUrina is a very good quality and targets the area problems that older horses have with weight problems(withers, back, neck, hips, tummy). when u have ur vet look at ur horse, make sure he/she does not only look at the teeth but takes a sample of the horses feces and test it for parasites. also consult ur vet before switching feed.

Answer 10

ive had my 29 yr old gelding 4 about 2 yrs now an when i 1st got him he was very under weight. it took me about a yr 2 get him 2 gain afew lbs. @ ur local feed store they should carry a type of weight gain feed. i had 2 get this for king. an its does really work!! in magazines they will ship the feeed 2 u. but ask ur local vet b4 using the weight gain 2 make sure its the rite kind of rur horse. Good luck!!:)