[Midnite711]

Yes, he is very thin. His ribs, topline, and hips are protruding. He needs to gain probably another hundred pounds. Also oats have pretty much no nutritional value. Ask your vet. I would probably put him on a high fat feed or a senior feed for him to gain weight because he won't fill out very well on oat's. Purhaps try rice bran, some horses like some don't. I speak from experience, I used to feed my arabian horse sweet feed and oats a loooong time ago. He wouldn't ever fill out so I took him to the vet and she told me my mistake was his diet.

 

[Yogiwick]

Way too thin.

Very unhealthy/unhappy looking. He almost looks uncomfortable.

He won't look like your stock horses but the same guidelines still apply.

Henneke horse body condition scoring system - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia


I would be working closely with your vet.

Check teeth, do an overall exam, worm, etc.

24/7 hay is good. Make sure it's good hay.

At 17hh he can probably take a lot of groceries so pour it in (slow changes obviously).

I would get him some hay pellets or alfalfa cubes or something.
Beet pulp, good senior feed, maybe a high fat feed instead/mixed in or a top dressing/weight supplement.

Ditch the oats, try to feed him 3x/day if possible at least til his weight is up.

 

[Tylorjeanwagner]

Started my horse on Nutrena empower boost and have seen at least 50 lbs gained in two weeks, and that's with work. Definitely recommend it.
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[Zexious]

Yup, he's /real/ thin...

Has he been wormed recently? Or have you had a fecal done? :/

 

[HarleyWood]

I wormed him the end of May. He had his teeth done last fall. And their vet checked him and said he was fine two weeks before I got him. He's back outside and is only in with my QH so they don't do much and they get along great (got bugs under control) so he can eat all the hay he wants and we are going to start letting them out on grass soon. He's a very happy horse he's never been grumpy with me or acted out in anyway. I groom him at least twice a day (his favorite activity). He gets lounged at the walk and little trot every other day for 5-10 minutes.

 

[EdmontonHorseGal]

i wouldn't be working him at all, no lunging. he needs to gain weight and fill out and doesn't need to be expending any of those calories on exercise.

just love on him and feed him up!

 

[tinyliny]

you sure he's onlly 12?

 

[churumbeque]

Your hay may not have much nutritional value. He needs much more quality feed. Also a bale a day for 2 horses may not be enough depending on what it weighs and the type of hay.

 

[HarleyWood]

Alfalfa/mix around 60-70lbs. He's lightly worked otherwise he does what he wants.

 

[Ace80908]

He needs more than hay. I like Purina Ultium for my riders, top dressed with DAC oil. I give my skinny rehab pony Nutrena Senior. A good quality feed like ultium will do wonders.

 

[Yogiwick]

I wormed him the end of May. Did you do a fecal since to make sure he's actually clean? He had his teeth done last fall. Documented/proven? Wouldn't hurt to check him again, some horses need it every 6 months. And their vet checked him and said he was fine two weeks before I got him. There vet said he's fine??? As in weight?? Or health?? Obviously something's missing here because he is NOT "fine". Has YOUR vet looked at him?? He's back outside and is only in with my QH so they don't do much and they get along great (got bugs under control) so he can eat all the hay he wants and we are going to start letting them out on grass soon. Again, quality is just as important as quantity. He's a very happy horse he's never been grumpy with me or acted out in anyway. He's cute! However, I still think he looks unhappy/uncomfortable. That is NOT the same as saying he looks grumpy. I groom him at least twice a day (his favorite activity). He gets lounged at the walk and little trot every other day for 5-10 minutes. I don't think he's too skinny for some mental stimulation (groundwork/light lunging as you said/etc) but would not do anything physical- riding or actual work/heavy lunging/etc.

My responses in bold. Sorry I missed your response! I would highly recommend having YOUR vet out to look at him asap if that hasn't happened already.

 

[jmhehn]

Rice Bran oil is more cost effective... He needs a quality vitamin.

 

[HarleyWood]

He doesn't get worked much. I've taken him down the road a few times so he could eat grass, hand walking. He likes to be with. Me and gets upset when I walk/move away. I haven't gotten to town to get any different feed yet.

 

[Trinity3205]

That doesnt look like a saddlebred to me at all. Maybe a spotted saddle horse? Does the horse gait at all? Also appears older than stated to me as well. Teeth would tell.

Definitely still quit underweight however ponying this horse and giving him some light exercise is a great idea. You want to build muscle and increase appetite and exercise will do that for him. Id get him on a hard feed with fat in it. I like Triple Crown Senior for any age horse. Good your hay is alfalfa mix. Give that free choice and followup on the deworming. I like to use Quest Plus after using a lesser dewormer and getting them relatively cleaned out to make sure new horses are clean clean. Quest plus will kill tapes and encysted strongyles.

 

[ZaneyZanne123]

First off oats do have alot of nutritional value and are a high energy feed not for weight gain though. Race horses are fed a consideralble amount of oats. 3 lbs of oats a day for that size of horse isnt going to get it either. Thats a mear drop in the bucket.
Granted that his teeth are in good working order
I question the age of this horse also but who knows how long this animal has had nutritional problems for that can play a big role on his physical stamina and physiology. Hay is very important at this point but quality plays a big role in the nutritional content of such. If one is feeding a grade 3 hay then the nutritional content is low and the animal isnt going to get much from it and one will have to feed three times more of it to get the requirements of a better grade hay. Grade one is best but its hard to find and expensive. A good grade 1.5 to grade 2 is sustainable and with a consentrate feed like perhaps a Senior feed or a feed with a higher FAT (not a higher carbohydrate) content can help. Feeding a probiotic to help the gut adjust to the nutrient demands can help at this stage. Some times the gut PH is off and the natural gut flora bacteria isnt thriving thus the breakdown of some nutrients is either not occuring at all or at a slower rate. I have used and recommend Source WT for such problems. Increase fiber (roughage at a good quality) increase fats and decrease high carbo laden feeds. . I dont make feeding rations schedules over the forum because of to many considerations and variations occur with the horse in question and peoples opinions vary way to much. I dont know thier history (the horse) and dont know realy know how much of what exactly is being given to the animal. I f you want to PM me on recommendations and have information on EVERYTHING this horse is being given (in lbs, not volume) I might be able to help you out. Not every horse is the same. I could use a good brain work out.

 

[HarleyWood]

This is him today.

 

[Yogiwick]

Im sorry I really can't see that much from that pic.

 

[ZaneyZanne123]

OK im going mention something that is bothering me a bit.....perhaps to much but.....Why are the horses turned loose at liberty with so much "stuff" laying about. A good way for an animal to get hurt on. Its just asking for trouble. there I have said it and though I hope this is not the norm I still wonder about the over all safety of such an area.

 

[Yogiwick]

^I was not under the impression that was the usual T/O area. I thought it was just a small area she could bring them in and handle them (get pics, etc)

I agree if that is their usual turnout it is pretty unsafe. (Well, technically unsafe either way but with quiet horses being supervised I have no issue)