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Putting weight on a horse

6K views 15 replies 8 participants last post by  Peggysue 
#1 ·
I think my mare looks a little thin and I am starting to be able to see her ribs now. They get more and more prominent but she isn't emaciated. I do not want it to get to that point. I have heard that depending on what you give your horse to gain weight, they will put it on differently. She needs to gain weight all over. What is the best feed/way to do that? Should she get more hay, grain, vitamins, etc.

Right now she is being lunged every other day and is turned out to a large pasture on days she is not lunged. Her feeding is 8 oz of grain in morning and night and 1 flake of hay three times a day, unless she is out to pasture then it is 1 flake twice a day. Plus I give her vitamins as directed for her weight per the directions. She is a 14 hand Arab who currently weighs around 800 lbs (per the vet check when I first got her but she has lost weight since). She was underweight when I got her due to no muscle and that is changing because I'm working her. Before she was just standing around in a stall, no pasture turnout. However, now she is getting a ton more exercise and I think her old feeding routine isn't giving her sufficient calories.

Thank you for your help.
 
#2 ·
if you are only giving her 8ox(1/2lb) unless it is a raitonbalancer she is lacking nutritionally and it is poosibly just not enough calories for her... what is the feed she is getting?? You can add beet pulp for calories, alfalfa cubes/pellets, rice bran ... but if she is lackin nutrition she may not use it properly ..
 
#3 ·
How much does the hay weigh? For a 800 pound horse she needs at least 12 pounds and that's for an easy keeper, up to 20 pounds for a hard keeper. Three flakes a day doesn't sound like enough. What kind of hay is it?

I'm in BC, just above you in Oregon. There is nothing in the way of nutrients in our grass right now it's dormant.
 
#7 ·
I don't know how much the bales/flakes weigh. I do know it is grown on the property in Troutdale and I don't know the type. They grow it during peak season though, no now as it is way to wet here. The only thing our hay lacks is Selenium and another thing that I can't remember at the moment but her vitamins are giving her both of those items. Our pasture grass is the same way as yours during the winter. Plus, there isn't much in it.
 
#4 ·
We have always followed this simple method.

For more weight, you want more good quality hay. With enough hay, many horses will even get fat.
For more muscle, you want more feed AND excercise. Check the feed bag for recommendations based on how hard you work the horse. A lightly worked horse requires little grain.

And patience...it takes time for a horse to put on weight.
 
#5 ·
What KIND of hay is she getting? If it's grass hay or bermuda, you need to DOUBLE her hay intake. My horses get quality fertilized bermuda. To keep their weight on in the winter, they get about 7-8 flakes a day EACH (25-30 lbs of hay). These are "normal" 15.2h horses.

Also, that little amount of grain isn't doing her any good. You're better off to ditch it completely and feed some whole oats mixed with alfalfa pellets and a vitamin supplement.
 
#6 ·
I would say that 8 oz. is definitely not enough. My horse is much larger, but just to keep weight on him, he was fed 3/4 of a small bucket twice a day of pellets. (I think Southern States.) I'd say it is about a gallon sized bucket. He also got two large flakes of grass hay twice a day as well. He does not get as much now because he's on pasture grass and not being used in lessons anymore, but that's what he was getting before going to pasture. He's also 16.2 hands and a thoroughbred. He was also being used a couple of times a week in lessons. Hope that helps a little. I do know that they added hay cubes to their pellets as well to help with extra energy. They might help with weight gain too.
 
#9 ·
Do you think I should double her grain. This is the grain they are feeding in the 8 oz plus I also am feeding her a supplement (Horse Guard I think it is called):

Dixie Grain by Union Mills
Guaranteed Analysis
Crude Protein, not less than..... 11%
Crude Fat, not less than..... 2.5%
Crude Fiber, not more than..... 13%
Calcium, Minimum %..... .35%
Calcium, Maximum %..... .6%
Phosphorous, Minimum%..... .35%
Copper, Minimum ppm..... 22
Selenium, Minimum ppm..... .4
Zinc, Minimum ppm..... 60
Vitamin A, IU/LB..... 875

Ingredients
grain products, forage products, plant protein products, processed grain by-products, cane molasses, salt, dicalcium phosphate, potassium chloride, vitamin A acetate, vitamin D supplement, vitamin E supplement, vitamin B-12 supplement, menadione dimethylpyrimidinol bisulfite, riboflavin supplement, niacin supplement, D-calcium pantothenate, choline chloride, folic acid supplement, biotin supplement, pyridoxine hydrochloride, thiamin mononitrate, zinc sulfate, magnesium oxide, magnesium oxide, ferrous sulfate, zinc sulfate, copper sulfate, sodium selenite, potassium iodine & cobalt carbonate

Is there something I should be feeding in addition to this or instead of this?
 
#11 ·
OK ... either increase what she is getting to the min recommened amount... which honeslty is prob gonna make her hyper ... OR Look for a ration balancer type feed ... look for around 30% protein on the analysis ... also look for a fieed that is NOT grain products meaning no corn, or barley ... also look for one that list actual ingredients not "products" ... the feed you are using now ccould be different every batch..
 
#12 ·
Have you had her teeth checked? If she needs to be floated she may not be grinding her food properly and it's just passing through. Also, have you wormed her regularly? Can't have parasites eating all her goodies. If your mare's top line is dwindling, that she isn't getting enough protein for the amount of exercise she gets and she's canibalizing her stored muscle. Horses need to have good forage available 24/7. Most people feed several flakes of forage grass (bermuda, orchard, timothy etc) several times a day. I have invented a 4'x2.5' small mesh hay net which is getting ready for it's debut. It allows the horses to graze continuously without us being slaves to them. Then she needs to consume enough protein (alfalfa, soymeal, beet pulp) to maintain her muscle. Once her weight is back up you can back off of the proteins a bit but keep the forage up, she'll limit herself when she's satiated.
 
#13 ·
when I bought my girl you could see her ribs. The Bo put her on endurance gold until she started gaining alittle weight. Now she is on cool balance , 1 and a half scoops ever feeding. She also gets one scoop of alfalfa in the morning. Every horse in the barn gets a smart pack in the morning. She's 13 and my BO says she's a hard keeper. But even in the winter time she's slowly gaining that weight back.

Do you use a boarding facility or do you keep her on your own land?
 
#16 ·
Ideally a horse should have free choice hay IOW hay in front of them at all times... if not a min of 1.5% of their body weight daily for a maintence horse and 3% or more for one needing weight
 
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