My new horse has been home for about 2 weeks now. He is a Morgan cross, approximately 15 years old. He was a rescue and we are trying to put some weight back on him. Since he has been home, he is on grass and free choice hay. I want to see if he will gain back the weight he lost just by being fed properly, which I'm almost certain he will.
However, should he not regain the enough weight before winter I am going to opt to start feeding him grain. I want to help his skinny butt make it comfortably through the winter. I do light to moderate riding on him - trail rides, flat work and lunging. Usually 2-4 rides a week with lunging in between every once in awhile. What would you recommend as far as grain? He is a tad bit spirited (probably a 4 or 5 on a scale of 1-10) so I want to stay away from grains that will make him hot as much as possible. Also, I was planning on getting a medium weight turnout on him through the winter. Opinions on that?
as for the diet, i guess..as much as i don't like concentrates, they can help put pounds on. i had a TB that needed NO help in the energy department so i fed her senior feed, it seems to have the highest fat content. i also like to make a nice warm bran mash mixed with senior feed...tastes nummy, has calories and (T goes bonkers when he sees it comin), it warms the insides up, all nice and snuggly for those cold nights, lol...i'm such a nerd
soaked beet pulp with a little grain and some corn oil really puts the weight on fast. Be careful to start with small amounts at first and gradually increase the amounts. Begin with 1/4 cup of beet pulp, soaked in water overnight with a handful of grain. The next week go to 1/2 a cup, next week add a tablespoon of oil. You just have to be careful with any diet change. I took care of a horse for awhile that was brought over in the middle of winter and very thin. I was up to 1 1/2 cups of beet pulp and 1/2 cup of oil, with a handful of oats for flavor, by the end and he looked shiny and a good weight. I believe, someone correct me if I am wrong, not only is this an economical way to go but less likely to make them hot than the expensive feeds.
I second the beet pulp. I like to add Alfafa pellets to it for a bit of bloom. Some horses are slow to take to beet pulp, especially wet. If that is a problem, just toss a bit of dry bp in with a little grain or alfalfa pellets for a week then start with a little water added, not enough to make it soaked but just cuz.. Once they accept it go ahead and up it. Beet pulp can be fed in place of hay for hard keepers.. You still want to feed hay for the roughage. For instance my 30 yr old appy is missing teeth etc and I give him 2 cans of beet pulp, 1 can of alfalfa pellets and 1 can of Total Equine 2x a day. I also chop up a couple flakes of hay so he can munch on it as he likes. He doesn't always eat much of it, but it makes him happy to have it. Me too. He eats it dry in summer as it's a nasty fly attractant and I wet it well in winter so he gets a bit more water in him. He's not a heavy drinker.
LOL He's killing my checkbook.. Eats more than the other 5 together.. ugh.. my poor pocketbook.. I've had him since he was 12. He's not ready to go yet.. Blind as a bat too..
Please watch the corn oil.....it is high in omega 6 and if he has any inflammatory issues (allergies, arthritis, etc...) it can aggravate it.
I like dac oil myself.
There is this horse at my barn that is having issues. He is having issues keeping on weight and other things. He is a seven yr. old thoroughbred and should not be having the issues he does. They gave him 3 flakes in the morning 1 at noon and 4 at night 6 scoops of cool cals plus 2scoops of senior feed. This helped him put on weight really fast. I would recomend trying it, especially since winter is comming. Hope my advice helps!
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