I always add extra hay during the cold snaps and all during winter to help keep their belly full so that helps with their staying warm, alfalfa hay is great to help with adding the weight they need also.

 

The vet had me put my geriatrics on Calf Manna. I had used Calf Manna years ago, got away from it, a d forgot about it.

Calf Manna did the trick. The vet reminded me to start out a little at a time and work up to one pound a day.

I also have my horses on Triple Crown Senior which is beet pulp based.

 

I used Nutrena Empower supplement.
Horses loved it and would greedily eat it from my hand. It smelled nice and yup, taste tested it and it wasn't bad.
I fed that supplement to my rescues as it included pre & pro biotics and all those "things" one who was so depleted of nutrients needed replaced to thrive.

I also fed Purina Amplify but that is not nice tasting and horses often refuse to eat it alone.
So, it must be top-dressed over feed.
I have also fed Purina Ultium which is loaded with Amplify but is one of the highest caloric feeds on the market today filled with daily required for thrive and weight gain to happen.
It doesn't take much to see a difference happen either I found. A week of feeding Ultium you could see it, but....I was feeding pounds at that time having a skin & bones horse that wanted to live...so we made that happen.

Then I have also done plain old corn oil poured over the feed ration or mixed into their wet food made.
When I was a kid I fed a pound coffee can of real corn at each feeding and my horse kept his weight well and he was a mid-teen in age. That at the time is what we fed, today people would freak at that but it worked to put weight on and keep it on. My horses were also ridden daily so they burned energy.
Today my vet would say use Canola oil or CocaSoya liquid....the horse I needed most weight on was in his late 20's - 33 years of age so honestly I was not so concerned with a lot of the "OMG" reactions of others...
My old guy needed to gain and it was so difficult we did what worked, period!

That is what I've done over the decades of horses in my life.
🐎... jmo.

 

I give some hay and grain but add raw honey and molasses to the grain. They love it.

 

Thanks for all the input thus far! I realized after I checked on him after work I failed to mention he gets 24/7 free access to a round bale (very good quality grass hay- even the vet admired it when she was here to meet him last week for a routine exam). I do have a few alfalfa-mix squares on hand I could feed from to supplement in cold snaps.

 

Beet pulp based feeds are generally good for seniors. I'm not familiar with Buckeye feeds, so you'd have to look at what's available in your area....

 

Jasper didn't like beet pulp, so we put him on the nutrena empower. It has worked well. And, as @horselovinguy notes, it smells nice and tastes inoffensive (to humans). Something like a light grape-nuts cereal.

 

Another that uses CalfManna when I have a horse that needs an extra boost in weight.

 

Senior Weight Accelerator by Manna Pro.

 

Buckeye cadence ultra horses love it and put weight on my 23 old gelding still feed it at a lower rate now. Feed this along with 5lbs alfalfa hay. Don't feed senior feeds either feed the buckeye ration balancer.

Tried other weight gain supplements that were powdered he ate then for a short time then wouldn't touch it.

 

Awesome! As a Buckeye customer myself I’m happy to see a recommendation from someone who’s using some of the same feeds already.
After speaking with a Buckeye nutritionist and also a Smart Pak nutritionist yesterday, I decided to order Buckeye Ultimate Finish 25. It should be here’re hopefully mid week, and I’m praying for good results with time, like I saw with what I put my other gelding on in his last years. 🤞

 

Extra hay, I use alfalfa, I give a senior feed and hay pellets and some supplements depending on the horse, vitamin mineral, finish line, and even will use veggy or corn or canola oil for extra fat in the feed.

 

I give my 31 year old a locally made alfalfa pelleted feed that includes, beet pulp, rice bran and flax. Also a chopped hay product and Horse Guard SuperGain all mixed into a wet mash. He was maintaining weight but then decided he would rather try eating hay again and not finish the mash anymore. He is able to chew some hay if he eats smaller bites. But I was concerned about keeping his weight. So then the BO offered to sell me her stash of Allegra Senior feed for only $10 a 50 lb bag! The horse she bought it for passed away this summer. So I said I'll take it and my guy loves the stuff. Normally I never give him anything with such a high sugar content but he has no metabolic issues and at his age I figure it's ok to mix some in with the previously mentioned feed that he is still getting. He finishes all his mash now too so that's a bonus. And his weight is good.

 

I feed my 27 year old the Mad Barn W3 oil. It has added vitamin E, and a highly absorbable form of omega 3. But it's not cheap. I did find she limbered up more on it, which was great.

If you're just looking for extra non-sugary calories for your horse, any edible oil will do the job.

 

I use Nutrena ProForce Textured Senior Horse Feed

Nutrena Proforce senior horse feed, which is low in sugar, higher in fat, and does contain some beet pulp. I also add alfalfa pellets, and hay stretcher and whatever he wants for hay. This combination has kept my 24-year-old gelding in great shape.

 

Manna Pro Senior Weight Accelerator. Very palatable and 80%+ fat. Cool Cal is 99.9% fat but mine won't touch it.

 

Thank you folks for posting your thoughts!

I ended up putting him on the Buckeye fat additive mentioned previously, and he started to gain wait in quick time after starting it in November. He’s managed well through the winter so far- including several nights of -30+ below temps (those he was blanketed for).
Right now I plan to taper him off and restart it in the fall to get weight on before winter is needed.
Thank you again!

Blessings,
C

 

I add finish line . horses love it and it helped with weight gain.