Underweight!?

Flicka is struggling to put on weight, she is always fat as mud and I was scared she was eating too much! But all the sudden she got greasy heal and all her weight fell off and she looked gross with her ribs out, she has a paddock with grass, and gets fed alot to help her put it back on, I've stopped riding her even though her greasy heal is gone after spending $1800 on it and she still is struggling, she gets millrun and chaff, or cool & calm, or relax and she is still struggling. And she is a muscley horse so her muscles are all out, she has put a bit more weight on, her bum is filled in but its been 6 months of feeding her heavery and she should be back to herself, I don't know if she is lacking minerals or got sand in her belly and I know she deffinalty doesnt have worms because the vet tested her.
I need ideas!

Are you giving her free choice hay? I'd not, that is where I would start. You can also add beet pulp and stablized rice bran to her diet of free choice hay. The rice bran will give her a healthy source of calories and fats, while the beet pulp is extra fiber and can be fed even as a subsitute for you hay rations.

Also, I know you mentioned she doesn't have worms, but have you had a fecal done recently to confirm that? And what about checking her teeth? These are all things you have to look into when a horse begins to loose weight, IMO.

Reply; She hates the taste of Rice bran, she refuses to eat it no matter what its with, we are going to get her a big hay, and ill try the beet pulp, she has has a fecal done and her teeth about 2months ago,
Thanks For that though :)

I'm having a similar problem with my hrse! Heewas very thin when ig to him, and put it down to his greasy heel and bad back but tht is a;; cl;eared up and he still hast picked up weight properly. He is now on iron suppement after a blood test said he was anaemic.

Id definatley say there is an underlying problem and maybe get blood test to see if anything is lacking :)

Reply; she has had blood tests and I all comes back perfect, its strange, I thought I worked her too hard but I didnt ride her for 6 months for something and her weight still kept falling off, she looks terrible. I've gave her heaps of millrun, maxisoy, chaff and everything fatty that everyone tells us too and she isnt changing.. :/

Have you asked your Vet what to feed, since she was 'wormed' and floated ?

Reply; Yes, they weren't intrested in her weight they were concerned about her greasy heal, but they all say to feed her millrun.

HAve you treated her for apossible sand burden? Physyllium husks work well.

A tip for the Greay heel - buy a bottle of Nizoral Shampoo from a chemist/pharmacy and keep it in your medicine chest. At the first sign of greasy heel, mudfever or rain scald dilute some in hand hot water and wash the area well with it - go at least a hand span beyond the affected area - should stop the spread immediately.

Fee wise - are you giving her enough - can you weigh what you are giving her and let us know? Sugarbeet, Extruded Barley, Flaxseed, with Meadow chaff to slow down her eating. I give mine a multi mineral block in the paddock so they can lick it when they chose to.

Are you able to get Copra? This is great for increasing weight without adding to the carbs. Introduce in very small amounts as it smells strongly of coconut. Usually fed soaked for a short time before feeding.

Free access to Baleage may also help build her weight. Another thing to consider is that she may have slipped/fallen in the paddock and hurt her neck or back - a chiropractor will be able to help here.

Low grade pain will cause weight loss and failure to increase weight with increased feed. HAd this with one of mine and it took a year of chiro treatment before we finally got his neck right - after that he put on weight really fast and needed very little additional feed.

Reply; We aren't sure how to use Physyllium husks?

Ill try them foods and get her a mineral block ect,
Thanks for all that, I hope it works! (cross fingers)

People also say to give your horse a table spoon of salt everyday? What kind of salt is that and why?
What does it help with

Psyllium is a product used to prevent sand buildup. As psyllium moves through the digestive tract, sand attaches to it. When your horse passes the psyllium husks, it passes the sand with it. Step 1

Start a plan for feeding the psyllium to your horse after discussing the time frame with your veterinarian. Feed the husks three to seven days once a month following the dosage instructions with the product. Dosage will depend on the weight of the horse. Psyllium should not be a daily additive. It can disrupt the natural digestive processes of the horse.
Step 2

Place the husks on top of the feed. Psyllium absorbs water and becomes sticky. Application of psyllium husks on top of the feed keeps it from absorbing too much water before the horse digests it.
Step 3

Supply your horse with plenty of fresh water during the Psyllium feeding period. Psyllium works by absorbing sand as it moves through the digestive tract. Water softens the husks and enables them to move.


Salt is one of the important minerals and is required for many functions within the horse. You can feed just ordinary table salt, mine get iodised salt because it is easy to buy from the supermarket.