how can i put weight back on my horse?

Question

ive got a 11 year old arab x nf and has lost weight over the winter. She is eating half a bale of hay and also has two buckets of build up a day. Is there anything i can give her to put weight back on?

Answer 1

I would ask how she lost the wieght in the first place. Was it slow and consistant due to winter feeding habits or is this loss something that happened quickly? I would follow the advice given by the person just before me if it was slow and consistant, but also be aware that silly things can happen. I once had a Tenn Walker that lost a lot of weight because the idiot bording facility put him into a pasture that was recently seeded and he got sick from the seeds????

Answer 2

Yes!Keep up the hay ofcourse.Give her all she wants to eat during winterbut watch if its alfalfa.Coastal hay is a good hay she can graze on all day.Float her teeth by a vet.I work at a feed store that carries Purina horse feed and there is a feed called Horsemans Edge.It comes in a blue bag.It has 10% fat and 10% protein.No corn in it which is good when you dont ride them hard daily.I bought a horse that was in just awful shape.You could see his ribs,hip bones,and it was just the most God awful thing.I put him on it and in a month he put on 200lbs.He was my barrel horse and didnt need no corn in it.He was high strung.Atfter 3 months he was pure musle and his coat and feet were great.Too many suppliments in the feed can have no affect.They also have a feed by Purina called Equine Senior.It is great in fat.Easier to chew for older horses and has added suppliments already in the feed.These feeds are gonna cost you atleast 5-6 dollars more than your average bag of 10 or 12% sweet feed.which is around 5-6 dollars.Make sure you are worming them as recomended.Zimectrin Gold wormer is great.It is Ivermectin plus praziguantel.It covers tape worm which your normal Ivermectin doesnt do.Also change up on your wormers once in awhile.Do the Zimectrin them maybe Safeguard.My horse is doing great now.What kind of bulid up are you using?Like weight gain products(suppliments)?Im in North Carolina and hay is so scares in the winter but with a feed store that has good knowledge of their feed they can be very helpful. Here is the number to the feed store.Talk to Vicky or Tommy.They raise paints.910-483-6309.Purina feeds are great products.Oh there is also a feed from them that helps with weight.Ultium.You can look up all this stuff online too, under Purina feeds.They can tell you your closest Purina store.I hope this help a little.Winter time can be hard on our poor horses.Bye!

Answer 3

Pellet beet pulp.You can get this at a feed store.Its in a big bag.To start out put a half of a small coffee can of beet pulp in a bucket add water to cover it let it soak for a few hrs. or over night.Do not give just pellets, pellets expand.Its great you will see the difference inabout 3 wks..Go to a whole small coffee can after the 1st wk.At 1st she may turn her nose at it but the next day she'll wolf it down.

Answer 4

I absolutely agree with the people that said that she probably needs to be wormed or have her teeth floated. i had a 10 year old saddlebred mare who was constantly losing weight no matter what i put her on, whether it be a new feed with higher fat and protien or grazed her for 24 hours.. when horses teeth aren't in proper working order it throws their whole eating situation out of whack.

contact your local equine dentist and make an appointment for them to come out and have a look. also be sure to go pick up a wormer from a local feed store.

after that you should see the weight come back.

good luck!

Answer 5

Ask your local feed store what they recommend for weight gain. I work at a feed store and we always recommend, sweet feeds, beet pulp, High Fat rice bran, livestock blend is a good one, anything with a high percent of protein is good for a horse that needs to gain weight. Inroduce it slowly, try mixing 1-2 cups to what you give her now. Worming would be another suggestion to go along with this, that is something that you need to be kept up on.

Answer 6

I've heard sweet feed with molasis will put the weight back on them, just make sure you feed her the proper amt. (recommended on bag).

I'd probably increase ther hay feeding incriments. Give her her hay atleast three times aday, more if possible. Make it so she is grazing constantly, this is good for her gut too, cuz this is how the horse was naturally designed, to be grazing constantly.

Answer 7

Try worming the horse. You are suppose to be worming your horse every other month between two different wormers. One is Ivermectum and the other is Promectum. Many times a horse will loose weight when it is full of worms. If your worming doesn't do the trick, you might take her to the vet's to see if she has Cushing's Disease.

Answer 8

Does her teeth need trimmed down? A horses teeth grow fast and it can cause discomfort when they become to large. My grandfathers horse had lost a lot of weight and when the vet came, that's what he did, and now he is eating better and gaining weight.

Answer 9

Increase the quality/quantity of the hay or add 1/2 cup of oil to her diet. I had to do both with a malnutritioned foal I had bought.

Answer 10

put a huge handful of beet pulp in her feed twice a day and also try this food called the corn dogs you can feed them the whole bag and they will not founder or collic hope this helped