Weight Issues..

[HiddenOaksFarm]

I need some advice. I have an 11yr TB mare that I have been having a really hard time gaining weight. I have had her fully vetted and she is healthy. Her teeth were floated and is not dropping grain. I feed her 2x a day. Currently she is on Legends Performance. Protein 11% Fat 10%. And a scoop of Legends Rice Bran. (1/2 scoop with each feeding) She is on free choice hay while in dry lot and otherwise turned out on grass at least couple hours a day. She is kept on a regular deworming schedule. I feed her by herself, so i know she is getting ALL her food. Does anyone have suggestions that would help her gain? or when I should start seeing results? I have tried endless things and nothing seems to be making a huge improvement.. She is gaining but it is s-l-o-w. Is that typical in trying to get horses to gain weight? I have run out of ideas.. any advice would be greatly appreciated. Thanks

 

[Robin]

TB horses are either easy keepers or hard keepers.
Need more information:
Are you giving her/him enough grain for her size/type/work load?
How long has she/he been on this type of feed?
How often have you changed her brands/ amounts?
Added different additives: supplements etc?

Is he/she overly active..pacing fenceline- chasing other horses-fretting separation when fed alone?

 

[paintedpony1234]

there is nothing better than great pasture, so I recommend more turnout time..

you can go to feeding 3 x a day.. if you can't come home at lunch time you can feed breakfast, one meal at 4pm and one meal at 9:30 to 10 pm.

corn oil..

hay stretcher pellets..

i feed omegatin as feed to the really hard keeper and top dressing for those in intense work..you can get it at the henyard.. it has 20% fat.. you can feed up to 4lbs a day..

http://www.omegatin.com/getdoc/46a83d14-9e81-4017-a323-906281f40323/Omegatinbrochure-pdf.aspx

you can also try beet pulp but you have to soak it for at least 20 mins and make it every day because it will turn on you..

 

[Robin]

Slow gain in weight is much healthier for them.

Depending on the horse, it just might take a while.

I had a foster Standardbred mare 11 yrs old took 8 months for her to be at a good body weight. She was 250-300 lbs underweight.

 

[Cowgirl]

I'd also suggest corn oil.

 

[highnote]

there is nothing better than great pasture, so I recommend more turnout time..

UNLESS your horse may be prone to laminitis and/or founder. Be very careful, especially if the grass is fescue. Overall I agree, but use caution especially on lush grass. Best/safest type of grass around here is orchardgrass.

Adding oil to their feed is usually a good route. Corn oil is very palatable for horses, but it can add extra unwanted energy to some horses (especially if your TB is excitable to begin with). I like soybean oil, because it doesnt make the horses too "hot" and it is much cheaper than corn oil (almost half the price... stauffers sells it, and has a jug refund program). But some horses don't like the taste... so start with s small amount. They will become accustomed to it if you make the transition gradual.

 

[devinej]

the high fat is a good idea. pasture is a good idea.

i've had luck with smart pak's "smart gain" supplement.

how many pounds of grain are you feeding her per feeding? is your scoop a 2 qt scoop?

you could add some alfalfa hay to her diet.


ALso - it is possible that she has worms that have become resistant to the dewormer you are using. I've known a horse around here who was on a regular rotating schedule, still had worms, did the power pack, still had worms, then they did quest plus and they went away. I'd suggest trying Quest Plus.

 

[persimmoncf]

Blue Seal Vintage Performance LS (low starch)and Omegatin.

 

[Bilbo]

I have a super hard keeper TB and the Blue seal LS is a great food also using Cool Calories(like this product very much for weight gain) you can use up to 8oz a day and they love it

 

[HiddenOaksFarm]

TB horses are either easy keepers or hard keepers.
Need more information:
Are you giving her/him enough grain for her size/type/work load?
How long has she/he been on this type of feed?
How often have you changed her brands/ amounts?
Added different additives: supplements etc?

Is he/she overly active..pacing fenceline- chasing other horses-fretting separation when fed alone?

She is gets about 2.5lbs of feed each feeding. I am not working her right now. So she has been on a dry lot with free choice hay, or turned out on grass. I have had her on this current feed for 2 weeks about. I switched from triple crown complete and added the rice bran to her current feed. I also have her on weight builder. Would adding corn oil be too much to try and her her to gain? She is not a "hot" horse. And doesnt pace the fence line anything of that nature. Very quiet laid back mare.

i appreciate all the suggestions. Working at a feed store and there are so many "options" to try and get horse to gain weight, but i was unsure which would be the best route..

 

[paintedpony1234]

Blue Seal Vintage Performance LS (low starch)and Omegatin.

thats what i feed our thoroughbreds ... keeps them relatively calm and chubby.. and its going to be on sale this weekend at the henyard

and lots of grass and hay..

and cookies lots and lots of cookies!! we tried the new peppermint flavored rounders last night it was a hit.. i think the molasses ones are still their favorite! but my ponies are spoiled rotten..

 

[paintedpony1234]

I have a super hard keeper TB and the Blue seal LS is a great food also using Cool Calories(like this product very much for weight gain) you can use up to 8oz a day and they love it

where do you get cool calories?? i heard a good review from Jaime at Baywood..

i would like to get a supplement so i could cut back on the amount i'm feeding one of the guys because he is up at 10-12 lbs a day.. about 4 lbs per meeting

 

[Robin]

She is gets about 2.5lbs of feed each feeding. I am not working her right now. So she has been on a dry lot with free choice hay, or turned out on grass. I have had her on this current feed for 2 weeks about. I switched from triple crown complete and added the rice bran to her current feed. I also have her on weight builder. Would adding corn oil be too much to try and her her to gain? She is not a "hot" horse. And doesnt pace the fence line anything of that nature. Very quiet laid back mare.

i appreciate all the suggestions. Working at a feed store and there are so many "options" to try and get horse to gain weight, but i was unsure which would be the best route..

2 weeks is not long enough to see much of a difference.

dont keep changing and switching things give it a little time. At least a month. Roughage is the best way to get weight gain. concentrated feeds are a good boost but Good quality hay and grass is the best they are 24 hour grazing animals. Have you weighed the feed? I give my TB's 4lbs per feeding twice a day. They do absolutly no work, they have grass turnout at night and timothy or alfalfa hay in their stall.

 

[BentleysRider]

I agree with Robin that you just might need to give her more feed. I would recommend finding the right amount for your horse, and not all horses are easy keepers. Personally, I would avoid supplements for normal horses, because I think they mostly need the nutrients and not just the calories from a fat in order to gain the weight in a healthy way. I have only fed oil or fat to horses that just cannot maintain on plenty of nutrients - - like my 34 year old QH mare (who's gone now) and my 31 year old mule gelding (who now gets a complete feed as much as he will consume at a feeding -but then again, he's a mule and won't over eat).

 

[paintedpony1234]

but why feed more of grain that only has 10% fat when you could feed your horse the same amount of grain that has 20% fat..

you'll go through 2 bags of feed at 15-16 bucks for feed when you could feed one higher quality gran at 20 bucks per bag and only go through one.. thus saving you 10 bucks per month in the long run..these are just rounded numbers but you get the point...

 

[Robin]

but why feed more of grain that only has 10% fat when you could feed your horse the same amount of grain that has 20% fat..

you'll go through 2 bags of feed at 15-16 bucks for feed when you could feed one higher quality gran at 20 bucks per bag and only go through one.. thus saving you 10 bucks per month in the long run..these are just rounded numbers but you get the point...

Who are you answering or quoting?

 

[Robin]

but why feed more of grain that only has 10% fat when you could feed your horse the same amount of grain that has 20% fat..

you'll go through 2 bags of feed at 15-16 bucks for feed when you could feed one higher quality gran at 20 bucks per bag and only go through one.. thus saving you 10 bucks per month in the long run..these are just rounded numbers but you get the point...

I will just answer in general.....

The O.P. has had her horse on said grain ration for 2 weeks and was asking suggestions

when I asked for more information some of us were able to come back with a safer answer for her and most times adding too many supplements can throw off the natural round sphere in the horses intake of products making it very unsafe.

I have my 2 TB horses on a senior horse feed. This is a complete feed and has higher calories and beet pulp and soybean oil. This is a roughage diet which is far more safer for horses than a concentrated sweet feed diet.

Feeding 2 lbs...this is why I asked if she weighed the feed because all feed has different weight to it.

quality hay verses just hay has a better content of nutrients

 

[TCF42]

Just a little something that could make a difference-- try stalling her at night. I'm in the same boat as you, a PITA senior (22 y.o.) TB mare who obviously loves her slim figure.

 

[devinej]

OOH yes 2.5 per feeding is kind of low for a hard keeper. try increasing slowing up to 3.5-4 lb per feeding. but two weeks is short i agree.

do you have a weight tape? you could measure her to make sure she is gaining. elam and robin carry them.

 

[appendixqh]

OOH yes 2.5 per feeding is kind of low for a hard keeper. try increasing slowing up to 3.5-4 lb per feeding. but two weeks is short i agree.

do you have a weight tape? you could measure her to make sure she is gaining. elam and robin carry them.

I saw this and thought this is nothing! We have an exceptionally hard keeper, and constantly adjust his feed. 6lbs am and pm of Robins 10% / 10% feed, and an additional 1lb once a day of rice bran. AND...free access to pasture, and 25lbs a day fed free choice of alfalfa cubes. Had he not gained from this we would have broken down his feeding into 5lbs 3 times a day plus the 1lb rice bran for a total of 16 lbs of grain, 25lbs alfalfa, and free choice forage. Also, have you weighed your scoops of grain? Each type of grain tends to have a different "per scoop" weight.