Skinny Quarter Horse. Ulcers?

Hi,
I have a 15.2hh quarter horse that has been impossible to put weight onto since I got him 3 years ago. He has regular worming and dental care. He is on pasture and gets fed twice a day as well as grass hay. I've tried a few different diets. Atm he gets economix, copra and molo mix, with vegetable oil and apple cider. He has always been thin. I'm beginning to suspect ulcers? How do I found out if that's the case? He often has a dull coat too, which I know is a sign of ulcers. Is it possible he's had ulcers since I got him? He's 16.
Thanks! I appreciate any advice regarding food types or ulcers! He's currently a body condition score of about 2, maybe even 1.5

Have your vet test him for it, that's really the only way you know for sure.

Have you tried putting him on a probiotic? That helps them absorb all the good stuff from their food instead of pass it on out with their manure.

Also do you free choice good quality hay and salt?

I don't know/have not heard of any of those feeds before. But my horse bloomed on Triple Crown Senior. It really helped him and I recommend you look into it. It's a high fat feed but it has all sorts of vitamins and minerals in it.

Have you had any tests done on this horse to see if he is insulin resistant or deficient in anything? Any kind of deficiency can make it very hard to gain weight.

Hope that helped.

Get a vet involved and do complete blood work on him. My mare wouldn't gain weight and as soon as I noticed her losing weight the vet got called. Just because you do regular deworming does not mean he doesn't have worms. Sometimes a very strong dose for several days in a row is needed. A vet can give you a feeding program along with diagnose anything.

If you have had him for 3 years and he is still skinny there is an underlying problem no matter what you are feeding (as long as it is enough). Only a vet can let you know what's going on.

Hi,

A body score of 1.2-2 is very poor & if he's been like that for 3 years or more, he's got big health problems. I hope you've already consulted equine vets about him long ago & I would also have spoken to a nutritionist about it. What have the experts said? If you haven't, please do & don't allow this horse to continue suffering with inadequate care.

I agree that ulcers are a good possibility. As well as getting him scoped/treated for them & adding a probiotic to his feed, I would cut out the molo mix in favour of non-sweetened, or beet pulp or such, and consider a lower grain/starch alternative to economix. If his teeth are OK & there's no burning reason to feed pelleted stuff, I'd also give him an alternative he has to chew. If it includes grains, these need to be cooked though - micronised or such.

Free choice hay, including a few biscuits of lucerne would be a good start too, although speaking to a nutritionist re protein content may be best before adding much lucerne. Feeding little & often is best, so more than twice daily if possible. If not, I think it's more important that you avoid high starch & 'junk food' like molo. The jury's out IMO re feeding copra & I'd want to speak to a nutritionist about that too.

I'd also consider his nutrition as opposed to his diet. Eg. If he's deficient/imbalanced in certain nutrients, he won't be able to utilise the diet he gets effectively. I'd also be giving him a good complete nutritional supp.

He defiantly needs free choice hay started ASAP. Then get the vet out to find out what's going on. That's a very poor body score.
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