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Feeding my mare

2K views 12 replies 4 participants last post by  missfoxybay 
#1 ·
My mare doesn't keep weight on when she just eats hay. Is it a good idea to have her on half hay, and 1/3 pellets, 1/3 senior feed and 1/3 kahoots ex? And how many pounds of each should I feed?
 
#2 ·
Grass hay is, generally speaking, not an adequate diet for a horse because it doesn't meet all protein, vitamin, and mineral requirements.

To give any idea as to how you should feed, we will need to know:
How old your horse is
What her body weight is currently like (thin, very thin, etc.)
What kind of shape her teeth are in
What kind and amount of work she does
How much hay you currently feed per day (in pounds)
 
#3 ·
She is 31 years old. She is a little thin. Not sure if you can see in the photo below. Her teeth are good she gets floated regularly. I just lunge her and make her run in the arena, but I work her till she tells me she's done(she does this by just ignoring me) I don't want to overwork her because of her age and her bad hip. I'm hoping that if she picks up weight and more muscle, it will help with her hip. It's hard for me to keep weight on her, especially with just hay and senior feed. So I'm going to start giving her the kahoots ex which has more fats and nutrients.
 

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#4 ·
I went looking for Kahoots Ex feed.....
Found a site but no information truly about the feed.
So, what are the percentages of protein, fat and fiber?
Can you take a picture of the tag or bag back and put it up to be seen?
How much is recommended to be fed (by pounds you feed not a "scoop full")

All horse feed is fed by pounds not volume.

From your picture your horse is on a sandy lot not grass pasture so you need to feed her what she needs to thrive in hay.
If your horse should weigh 1000 pounds she needs a minimum of 2% daily so = 20 pounds. Being she is underweight she probably needs more to add some "meat" to her bones.
Although some is muscle loss, your horse is more than just a little thin {sorry}.
Her spine, her shoulder points, her hip bones and her tail head are all clearly visible...that is more than slightly thin.
So, you are addressing the issue.:wink:

First, I would stop running the horse.
A little exercise to keep her joints moving is fine but not to work her till she ignores you...that is for some animals a borderline of they just can't do anymore response. Exhaustion possibly...
She is older, she doesn't digest her food and absorb nutrients as well as she did when younger.
You are actually working off any weight she has by working her to the point she won't work anymore...
Instead of running her, take her for a walk for the same amount of time you "exercise" her....if there is some grass around let her have a mouthful here and there as a treat she will love.

So, a few things come to mind....
When was the last time she was wormed?
When was the last time you checked her for sand accumulated in her gut?
{ http://www.drgarfinkel.com/client-education/equine-care-and-anatomy/testing-the-horse-for-sand }
To much sand not only hinders nutrient absorption it also puts the animal at a higher risk for sand colic...

With what you described as now wanting to feed....personally I would ditch everything but the senior feed fed in proper amounts that the horse would not need much hay so correct nutrition was met with her eating all the hay you can put in front of her as a plus and help in her regaining her weight.
Senior feed, doesn't need hay fed for a horse to thrive.
It is manufactured very differently, to be fed alone and the horse to thrive just eating it.
Horses do need to chew though for many reasons and hay is what they love to chew if no grass is around.
Senior feed...not knowing what brands are near you I will give a link to Purina since almost everyone has this brand available...
https://www.purinamills.com/horse-feed/products/equine-senior-horse-feed/
I guessed at her size if she was fully weighed out...
Follow the link and read for a 1000 pound horse, fed Senior exclusively they would require a minimum of 13.5 pounds of Senior a day.
Add in proper amounts of hay, that number drops to 7 pounds per day.
However, since you are not maintaining but needing to gain weight I myself would be feeding her at the added weight of 200 pounds more so at the 1200 pound weighted horse...
I also would be feeding this in a minimum of 3, preferably 4 meals a day with the overall full weighted amount broken down into equal meal sizes.
If you fed say 16 pounds of feed daily, that would be divided by 4 feedings = 4 pounds of senior feed fed per meal.
I would also be offering her all the hay she could eat without wasting it.
Up off the ground or if on the ground with some type of barrier {mat} under the hay so she has less chance of eating all that dirt with her mouthfuls as she picks.
A slow feed or regular hay net or some sort of hay feeder would also allow you to offer her more hay during the day kept off the ground....

Your horse is now older and that alone makes her more challenging to keep looking good, feeling good and enjoying their life as it is...being content and happy!

So, myself....
I would ditch all the a little of this, a little of that and feed one Senior feed from whatever quality manufacturer you have nearby and a steady supply of feed.
Once the correct amounts of food are fed consistently and for a period of time I bet your girl picks up her weight and again looks like the horse of many years ago.

If she is arthritic you may also not want her fully fleshed out but just slightly leaner so easier on her older joints, muscles and such to support...along with her heart, lungs too..
However, since she is having it sounds like a lot of running around exercise she should actually be in decent shape, just pretty thin.

It will cost you some money to get her back to where she should be with needing extra amounts of feed fed, but once there she should maintain on proper levels of feed and hay for what she should weigh.
She needs the extra calories though to gain and that only comes from feeding more quantities of food.

Here is the standard by which horses are "scored" in appearances today. "Seeing" where you are and where you should be in description and pictures may help you to get your horse where you and the horse need to be...
Some examples as some are easier seen and understood than others.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Henneke_horse_body_condition_scoring_system
https://extension.umaine.edu/publications/1010e/
Body Condition Score Chart provided by The Way of Horses


I love her coloring and alertness to her surroundings she shows... enjoy her!!
Good luck.
:runninghorse2:....
jmo...

 
#5 ·
I forgot....

When you do start to increase her "feed" amounts do so slowly over a few days of time not all at once.
Her hay, all she can eat...
Her feed fed should be increased 1 pound every couple of days so easier on her digestion and gut adjusting to more food introduced and needing processed.

:runninghorse2:....
 
#6 ·
For a 31 year old mare, hay is going to be of little use. You need to be feeding her a complete senior feed as though she isn't getting hay. This is because between 28-32 years of age a horse runs out of "extra" tooth root and his teeth stop growing out to compensate for the wear of grinding feeds. When the teeth no longer grow out, 2 things happen--they start falling out and they no longer grow up tall enough to effectively grind feed. At this point, the horse can no longer effectively utilize hay because a big part of being able to digest hay and process the nutrients in it is being able to chew it well.

So, rather than purchasing some supplement, you need to feed up the amount of senior feed you are giving. Expect to feed it at a rate of 12-16 lbs per day because it supplies the forage that she isn't able to make use of in hay. In fact, I would start at the high end of the recommended amount because she actually needs to gain a good bit of weight. Then once her body condition improves, slowly back down until she is maintaining weight instead of gaining. Feed the recommended amount broken into several meals a day. You can even put it out in a large container with large rocks in it or a container that is designed to make a horse eat more slowly so that she has food in front of her longer.

If you just add the kahoots, you won't be meeting her needs because she needs the extra protein from the senior feed to rebuild the muscle that she has lost and to maintain muscle (which is harder for senior horses). Just adding a high fat supplement isn't going to help if she's not getting the protein, vitamins and minerals necessary to maintain health and weight.

Hay can be given, but treat it as a treat rather than as an actual part of the diet. She likely chews on it, but either drops chewed wads or passes largely undigested bits out in her feces. Being able to chew it will keep her happy since horses are geared to chew for a bout 14 hours a day.
 
#7 ·
Even if she's supposed to be on pellets? No hay. Her breeder says she keeps weight on better on pellets. But I've been gradually giving her senior feed and slowly reducing hay. I don't want to change her diet so fast. I hear it bad for animals to change their diet so quickly, you have to ease into the different food
 
#8 ·
Yes, even if she has been on pellets because unless they are designed to provide complete nutrition she isn't getting a balanced diet and all of her nutrient requirements met. Nor are pellets that aren't designed for horses with problems chewing going to be as easily digestible. You need to move her over to a complete senior feed and feed it according to the label.
 
#9 ·
I'd leave her all the hay she can eat, and onto a senior feed developed for few or now teeth. Triple crown is the only super textured I can think of. However you can soak it and make things easier and then feed and GOOD senior feed. Triple crown, legends, I've heard good about Purina senior. If that didn't do the trick I'd then start adding beat pulp, and something like cool calories. But a good senior feed is a first, the hay is mainly to avoid boredom and ulcers.
 
#13 ·
Also, get a dentist to check her teeth. This is a big thing for seniors

She is floated regularly and she isn't due for a few months. Ive been given her senior feed and less and less pellets but she also gets hay to munch on, because she eats it slow and they are supposed to have food in their tummies most of the time. She has gained weight, she was 846, now she is at 897. I don't want her to gain weight so fast as i think that is bad for humans it should be bad for horses.
 
#11 ·
I wouldn't add beet pulp or other supplements on top of a complete senior feed. It's not as easily digestible as the senior the way it adds calories is through a higher fat content. You are better off just upping the senior feed or, if you are feeding the label recommended amount of senior feed, adding a little vegetable oil to the feed (less than cup). Vegetable oil is very calorie dense and is easily digestible, but you must be feeding adequate amounts of protein, vitamins, and minerals so it should only be used once you are feeding the recommended amount of feed.
 
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