Need my horse to gain weight- any tips?

Question

My mare has had quite a hard winter with bad weather, cold and lack of grazing. She is TB x Hann, 10yo. Been living out 24/7 & having hard feed daily but at present looks quite thin. She's now stabled 22hrs a day, the other 2hrs is turned out on fresh spring grass. Her hard feed has been increased to 2 feeds (AM & PM) equal to 3 or 4 large round scoops (Containing Build Up, Calm & Condition, Cooked Cereal Meal, Sugarbeet, Hi-Fi & Soya Oil). Plus the odd 1/2 scoop feed in the day if she'll eat it. She is having ad-lib hay throughout the day. She is obviously now eating enough hard feed as leaves some of the bigger feeds. Despite having owned horses for many years i've little experience of weight loss/ weight gain problems. Is there anything else i can give her which will speed up weight gain- supplements etc or any tips anyone else has that may help her gain weight and condition quickly. I know that her condition is down to diet so not anything medical. Any advice & help appreciated.

Forgot to mention. I keep a strict working routine using Equest & Equitape so won't be parasitic problems either.

Answer 1

feed it fat. It really works. I had a horse who appeared emaciated, we fed it a lot of fat, and it became healthy again.

Answer 2

Hi i had this problem one winter with one of my mares, make sure she is always warm enough - else she will loose wait from shivering to keep warm! i found barley and also baileys no.17 which is a conditioning topline and weight gain mix! I have used them both before and this year am only using the baileys which they have in thier morning and evening feed! Its not heated so it won't hot them either! Also remember that hay should be unlimited! You want to be careful about upping or changing feeding routine too much this time of year because of colic especially as the weather had been so unprodictable lately! Good luck - try researching a few feeds to find out what would best suit your horse - both of mine are competition horses and extreamly lively and with the baileys i dont need to use and calming suplemenst liek i used to! The baileys feed website is very informative!

Answer 3

Maybe she needs smaller feeds More regularly if possible and a vitamin and mineral supplement. I think she could also be a little stressed with going from one extreme to the other you say she lived out 24/7 and is now stabled most of the time and only out for 2 hrs, that is a huge difference and may have had some impact on her weight because if she is unsettled in her routine she will worry the weight off. Even if it is not very noticeable she may be fretting. Can you not get her into a more healthy happy medium routine of keeping her in at night and going out in the day to graze? That way she is getting warmth and shelter at night and the goodness of the spring grass in the day time plus her feeds?
She may also need more fibre in her diet rather than cereals, you could try her on Haylege that is more packed with goodness and nutrients than bog standard hay.
Also is she rugged up? If not she may be getting cold and that wont help her keep any weight on!
Also I know you say you have a good worming programme but does everyone else? Because if you are worming your horse and not everyone else is doing theirs then I'm afraid your wasting your money because she will still pick up the parasites!
I suggest you get a dung sample and send it off to the vets to be worm tested if it comes back clear then thats piece of mind really and you know you haven't been wasting your time or money.
There could also be other health problems that she may be hiding like Liver Damage from eating ragwort, she may have had very limited grazing way back in her past and had to eat some that has damaged her internally! It's best to eliminate one thing at a time really, good luck and please don't torture her any more by keeping her shut in a stable for all that time!! It's really not fair on her.

Answer 4

From what I've read you've already covered the medical promblems such as teeth checked and wormed. So, check your feed for fat content. Fat makes fat. Try to feed the highest possible fat content. There is a fat supplement you can buy by two different manufacturers. Milk Specialties is one and they are now making theirs especially for horses. If you can't find it you can use a grocery store oil such as peanut oil, even vegetable oil. But start very slowly and build it up as a dressing on the feed. Also feeding smaller amounts more times a day helps. I'm not familiar with any of what you mention as far as feed except the sugarbeet and soya oil. I've always fed grain, such as oats, or pelleted feeds. Then go by the weight reccomendation on the bag. It just takes time..I'm glad she has someone that cares.

Answer 5

She's just like us - some of us gain weight and some of us don't. Having had horses for many years until I was 20 I would suggest that you don't fret too much and that you let her develop gradually. If her health begins to suffer then you should worry, but otherwise try her on some warm meals such as bran and hot water, creating a warm mash.

Answer 6

Consult your Family Doctor who will make right assessment of your body weight to know how under weight you are. Lack of appetite and voracious appetite are both signs of ill health. Remember body weight may be lost fast but it is always gained slowly so keep patience. Eating a lot may not help but eating right will. Planning a right diet is next , first find out the medical reason for your under weight condition in spite of your voracious appetite. Don't worry ;once the cause is known, with proper diet and regimen you will gain weight .

Answer 7

Her feed looks good, although I would replace some hay with grazing time and maybe add some linseed oil. It may seem odd to recommend work for a thin horse but you say she sometimes leaves hard feed, and a routine of steady, slow work will really stimulate her appetite and keep her digestive system moving. I'd try 10 minutes brisk walk and 5 mins steady trot twice a day on lunge line, or ridden. Lastly, if at all possible, divide her feed into three, given at regular times and varied with succulents etc...Good luck!

Answer 8

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Answer 9

Wow....stabled 22 hours a day? That is awful! But with the spring grass, you have to! Hopefully as the grass comes in, she can be turned out more! I hate my horses being stuck inside! We fence off part of the pasture that doesn't have much grass and they get turned out in that for the most of the day, and then let out into the other part for a couple hours, that way they can be out, but don't run the risk of foundering!

My Arabian mare has a hard time keeping on weight. We have been feeding her Weight Builder (by Farnam) and it has worked awesome! She is now a much healthier weight than when we first got her.

Good luck!

Answer 10

bailey's do a conditioning weight gain feed but i don't remember the name. you could also phone one of the feed companies as most have a nutritionist helpline, saracen and baileys do for definate. aside from that, small regular feeds will go down better than two large ones. you say your mare is leaving some of the feed, this is probably because there is too much to eat in one sitting.
try to increase her grazing. horses love spring grass and she'll probably eat as much as she can while she's out.
ad lib hay is good, but you could try switching to haylage. it is higher is fibre and more concenrated. however, it could make her more exciteable because of the concentrates in it.
feeding an oil based supplement would also help.
good luck, hope i've helped!

Answer 11

Sounds like she needs a good worming--tube worming by the vet is best if she is that poor--she will not gain weight on anything if she is wormy and full of parasites--I worm my horses every 3 months!