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How to put Weight on...??

4K views 17 replies 14 participants last post by  Mercury 
#1 ·
I have a pleasure mare that had a foal this year for a friend of mine cuz I was going to college. I get her back in a few weeks and when I go to see her she looks like a typical broodmare with a foal on her side. She is skinny, her ribs are showing and the top and points of her hips are showing. She is a Quarter Horse and is a adverage size, not stocky or have that thoroughbred look. I was wanting different ideas and suggestions as to add weight to her. I plan on trying to show her in about 1-2 months at a series show.

She is up to date on all of her shots and is wormed on a regular basis. She currently gets 2 scoops (6 pounds) of Strategy 2x a day. She isnt on a good pasture and doesnt get alot of hay but my barn there is ample grass and good supply of Quality hay.
 
#2 ·
I think with some mares (and I'm not a breeder, so hope that someone that does breed will reply to this as well) that they just burn themselves up making milk regardless. Not all mares, of course. Some can be quite fat and lactating.

But the unlucky few that just can't seem to eat enough to gain weight until the foal is off, I think may be part of that concept of weanng early to keep them from dragging down the mare's condition for the winter (or if she's bred back, etc). I would maybe see about upping her feed a tad more to keep up with calorie demands and see if that helps, adding some extra fat to her diet. I don't remember what Strategy's label reads like, a the moment, so maybe I shouldn't have chimed in. :oops:

With her having free access to forage, and still being skinny, I would up her concentrates .Esp when you are going to be conditioning her for showing. Exercise might help fill in the hollows a little with muscle tone. Being pregnant sort of relaxes things that weren't before, and not being ridden, they loose a little tone in the back and hip area.That's about all you can do until that foal comes off her, but I'd leave the baby as long as you can for his sake.

Oh, and starting to creep feed the foal will help take some of his demands off her...
 
#3 ·
hm.. ive been having problems with my mare putting weight on.. but she is better now they we have been giving her minerals and extra fatting suplements added to her feed.. cool calories 100 works really well.. the vet said to me mares use up there minerals and vitamins and electrolytes really easily.. how many rugs does she have on?
and when you ride do you keep going or cool down and get off when she starts to sweat on her neck ?

theres lots of reasons as to why shes not putting the weight on..
 
#5 ·
Beet Pulp

You might try giving her soaked Beet Pulp...that is almost guaranteed to get weight on any horse! Grain helps too, if she's currently just on hay/pasture. :?
 
#6 ·
Re: Beet Pulp/sand

hrsrdr said:
You might try giving her soaked Beet Pulp...that is almost guaranteed to get weight on any horse! Grain helps too, if she's currently just on hay/pasture. :?
Oh yes, and if it's a sand problem the beet pulp will also help!
 
#7 ·
Shes not on a sand Pasture. She gets 2 scoops of Strategy (14% protien) 2x a day...We live in TX so she doesnt get anything but a fly mask put on her. She has a foal on her but Im trying to get advice on the weight subjuect before i get her back in 3 wks. She will probably need 100-150 lbs put back on her. She is on electrolytes right now. I just want to see anyones ideas on weight building supplements. I have heard the Beet Pulp Idea. I might try that but the last time I tried it she didnt like it.
 
#9 ·
My three year old Friesian cross was always a hard keeper until just over a year ago when I put him on Omega Horseshine-now his weight is perfect. It's the best supplement I've found--plus it does wonders for the coat and hooves. It's a stabilized flax seed base and it's full of Omega 3 fatty acids.
Here's a link to it:
http://www.omegafields.com/

My friend put her elderly mogan/saddlebred on it because he was always thin. He's now put on at least 50 lbs and looks wonderful. Two farriers and a vet in the area have been really impressed by it.
I buy mine from SmartPak or Fleet Farm.
 
#11 ·
The feed you are using has a very good vitamin/mineral package blended-in already. It also has a 6% fat content, which is fine for most horses but may not be enough to support your mare while she is producing milk.
And bear in mind that milk has a lot of fat in it...which can only come from one of two places. It will either come from your mare's diet, or it will be pulled from her own reserves.

My suggestion would be to mix about 1/4-1/2 cup of pure corn oil into her feed, 2X a day. Reason being, corn oil is highly digestable and it contains 120 calories per spoon-full.
Walmart has their GV-brand corn oil at $2.98 per 48 OZ bottle.
And don't neglect her required roughage. I'm in your area of Texas and right now, folks are baling-up their second-cut hay. There's been ads for good hay posted in the Houston Chronicle, for the past few weeks.

Hope this helps.
DGW
 
#12 ·
i suggest stabilized rice bran (seminole's ultra bloom or manna pro's max-e-glo) over soaked beet pulp and any sort of oil.

I've used beet pulp and just have not seen the same results as with rice bran (and you give less rice bran)

Personally, I don't like giving horse's oil. It spoils easily and is not as easy on their stomach as rice bran (or beet pulp) - IMO.

i'd also up her hay a bit...strategy packs a power punch of protein and fat...some forage might be what she needs :)
 
#13 ·
Give your horse 24 hour access to good quality grass hay or pasture.. Feed lucerne hay. Lucerne will provide your horse with good quality protein which will facilitate muscle development. Add high energy feeds to the diet like high energy fibrous feeds such as soybean hulls, copra meal and sugarbeet pulp and cereal grains and grain based feeds.
 
#15 ·
First off, she needs access to good quality pasture or hay 24/7. You can also increase her grain. I am currently feeding the M-G feed which is similar to Stradgey but I am feeding a 12/8. I have an older mare who got pulled down from her baby and are in the process of bringing her up. She is currently on the Focus SR supplement which is a probiotic type supplement that helps her to process better the food she is getting. She is also on a high fat, low starch fat supplement called Moor-glo. I have seen it work wonders. She gets about a cup of that each meal. For her grain, we have worked her up to 3 scoops of grain 3x a day. I haven't had a lot of success gaining weight with beat pulp, but have used it when we had the hay shortage a couple of years ago for the fiber content. Also, while oil is a good fat supplement, many horses wont eat it. Just depends on the horse. Good luck
 
#16 ·
Both my mares are on corn oil and digestive aid. That is all they have ever gotten for weight and it works wonders. The digestive aid helps add weight because it better digests the grain and hay. They both are nice and plump and keep the weight on without a problem.
 
#17 ·
Yea soaked beet pulp and corn oil helps. But also since ur in Texas and it's really hot you should try using electrolytes too bc she may be sweatin everything out. The other thing you might try is using 12% sweet feed, that always helped fatten up our horses too.
 
#18 ·
How soon can you get the baby off her. Its difficult to get a mare that has a baby sucking on her to gain weight. Although I will throw in a vote for beet pulp, but the easiest way to get her weight up is to wean the baby as soon as possible since it is likely sucking majority of the nutrients off her.
 
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