“My horse needs to gain weight”
My horse is too thin. What should I do?
The fundamental answer is simple: more forage of better quality. However, sometimes the underlying causes of weight loss and addressing those reasons why he might be thin can be more complex.
Jareth is a good example. He's old -- around 30 when he arrived -- but he had most of his teeth and there were not underlying health reasons for his condition. He simply was not being feed enough hay, and the hay that he was receiving was almost straw-like in consistency, so he could not chew it. Once he was provided with good food he could actually process, he began to thrive (and is still going strong today).
Back to the original question, which we see far to often, and we see well-intentioned recommendations for this supplement or this magic pill....Horses aren't that complicated. Their bodies are designed to graze for as much as 18 hours a day. When we give them what they need, they do just fine.
Base your feeding program on good hay. Depending on your horse, this can be mixed grass, timothy, orchard, or alfalfa. Alfalfa pellets or cubes can be a great means to provide easy to digest forage to any horse, but especially to older horses who have trouble chewing hay. When we are refeeding very thin horses, we provide alfalfa or alfalfa-timothy cubes soaked to a soup-like consistency, up to 5 times a day. This time of year, pasture is not enough; the grass is dormant, and even if you're lucky enough to have acres of ungrazed grass, your horse very likely needs supplemental hay to maintain body condition in cold temperatures.
Next, the concentrate (grain) you feed, matters. We opt for low starch, high fat options such as Tribute Senior Sport, for weight gain. Choose the best quality feed you can afford, with the least amount of "fillers." Follow the instructions on the bag for how many pounds of feed your horse should be getting. If you're not feeding according to the instructions, he's not getting the balance of protein, fats, vitamins and minerals outlined on the tag. And, don't feed more than 3-4 pounds per feeding; a horse's stomach is small and overfeeding can lead to ulcers and other complications. Two or 3 or more meals per day are better for your horse!
Free choice salt and minerals are the final building block of our basic feeding program.
You can always add an extra fat if you feel like something extra is needed - in the form of flax, rice bran, or any of a number of oils on the market (Cocosoya, Omega Match, etc). Corn oil is inflammatory and while it's cheap fat, it is not recommended for this reason.
Once we've addressed providing the basic needs of the horse, we will look to the medical causes of weight loss.
- Dental checks are part of our intake vetting. Horses can have abscessed or broken teeth (and this is why a veterinarian, not a "dentist" should be your primary dental provider). Sometimes, there are old injuries to the jaw itself, the teeth, or a lifelong cribber may have worn their grass-pulling front teeth down to nothing. Older horses can lose teeth - this is when soaking their food becomes very helpful.
- Fecals and deworming under the direction of a veterinarian if you don't have a good history on your horse. The old days of rotating dewormers have gone out the window and we know better now - many parasites are resistant to the common drugs like ivermectin, so it's important to find out the parasite load your horse might have and deworm to target those specific worms. If your horse is thin and you're not addressing a potential parasite issue, you could just be feeding the worms!
- Other underlying health conditions: If your horse simply will not gain weight after all of the above have been tried and addressed, it would pay you to have a CBC (complete blood count) done on your horse. Cushings Disease can cause a "bloated fuzzy pony" look, but it can also cause loss of topline and weight loss. Liver disease and cancers can also cause unexplained weight loss.
Be sure to discuss concerns about your specific situation with your veterinarian.
