Monday, May 17, 2010

How do i get a horse to gain weight?

i have a 16 year old throughbread and he is just amazing and i can not get him to gain weight he has had his teeth done and his insides are just fine there is just nothing that i can do to get this horse to gain weight and when i do it does not last very lond i need help i do not understand is you can write back at jj200498@YAHOO.COM

How do i get a horse to gain weight?
i have two Thoroughbred eventers,there not old but i have a hard time keeping weight on them,mine are quite skittish so they loose weight through stress.this works for me.


i feed mine high fibre cubes which give slow releasing energy,alfa a which is a dry grass and sugar beet.


i also add blue chip which is a pelleted supplement and is non heating,this helps keep there weight on with out making them to flighty.


my horses have haylage as well as its a great way of putting on weight,its like hay but the nutritional content is higher.


if your Thoroughbred is older the sixteen plus which is made by spillers horse feed might help its slow releasing and for the older horse as well.


baileys horse feed and dob son and horrel do a mix and cubes for the older horse,blue chip or equilibra another feed balancer and weight gain are great supplements.


it really depends on your thoroughbreds personality and if hes laid back and quiet to ride you could add boiled barley.its in a dry form then you boil it for two hours and it looks like sweet corn,i would never give my horses the normal barley as it would make then hyper and unreadable.
Reply:What are you feeding him ?, have you tried adding barley to his hard feed, most manufacturers such as Bailey's do barley rings and cubes. I had an anglo arab who lost weight easily and had to have barley added to his feed to help combat this
Reply:sit on him!
Reply:I have owned a throughbread and he did the same thing. I'll hit you on email.......
Reply:Try a senior feed. Check your email I sent you for a recipe.
Reply:more activity + more beans
Reply:I suggest beet pulp - we used it for a long time with my first horse, who always lost a lot of weight in the winter. You can buy beet pulp at feed stores. Feed a bunch of it (the guys at the feed store can probably tell you exactly how much) mixed in with the horse's grain every day or at every meal. Soak the pulp first; it comes dry, but when the horse eats it it can expand in their digestive tract and cause colic, so make sure it gets saturated before you feed it.





My other suggestion would be hay cubes. Hay cubes are basically just squares of compacted hay, but you can break them up and feed them along with grain. They are just another way of getting more roughage into your horses diet.





Finally, you can always go for a grain that is high in fat, such as Ultium. The only problem with this method is that in some horses (especially thoroughbreds) they get extremely "hot" and energetic and need much more exercise so that they don't get stir-crazy.
Reply:I am a polo groom and like your horse most of mine are thoroughbreds. I had one mare that was always a real hard keeper. I made a mash using beat pulp and alpha cube. Make sure you water it down the beat pulp allot, since it expands when wet.


I like, and have had good results with Equine Senior as well.


Both of these, put on weight without making your horse high as a kite on grain. You can use them together or separately.
Reply:Mix a good senior feed with beet pulp. Soak the beet pulp in water so it is not too dry and is more palatable. You can't colic them on beet pulp. It adds calories and is low-energy. I have two rescue horses I feed a 16 percent all-purpose, all grain and plant based feed mixed with ground corn and soaked beet pulp. It is working! Also try adding wheat bran or rice bran to his feed. Have you treated him for sand colic - by using psyllium husks (Metamucil or you can buy a horse desanding agent - same thing).
Reply:How do you know his insides are just fine? have you checked for worms? Worm damage affects digestion and the ability to absorb nutrients. A few suggestions:


Get him checked over by the vet, and a feacal sample taken for worm egg count. This will identify type and extent of worm infestation in any. The vet may want to do blood tests too.


Dont let the horse get cold - suitable rugs and shelter are needed in some of the weather we've been having.


Feed ad lib good quality hay if he is not in fast work.- or haylage if it doesn;t give him the runs


Try adding sunflower oil to his feeds - a tablespoon a time.


Use a weigh tape and check him weekly - at this time of year most horses are putting on weight with the good grass.


Don't stress him out when he is working - fast work and stress eat up calories.


Feed little and often - four feeds a day if you can manage it. Dont change his feeds suddenly - his digestion will suffer.





Good luck
Reply:barley or you can get a feed called coat %26amp; condition horse feed that needs to be soaked thats good. Beet pulp is often fed as a supplement because it is high in fiber which the horse can turn into energy and body fat. the shreaded beet doesn't need to be soaked for as long as the beet pellet so i would recomend it.


http://horses.about.com/od/feedingyourho...


shelly


xx
Reply:Barley is good for weight gain and bran - i find that baileys no.17 which is a non heated topline mix has worked wonders for my TB mare - who looked really poor last year - she cannot be grazed on brilliant grass as she gets colic - so she has 2 feeds per day - 2 slices o fhay in the day and then goes out in the evening - i also find that whilst she is being fed the correct amout to what she works - keeping them fit always helps better than a horse that doesn't do much - i try and do something every night - especially hill work as this really builds up muscle, your find the fitter she is the better her appetitie will be - good luck and i hope this helps!
Reply:beet pulp is a great food for helping horses gain andmaintan weight - obviously make sure its soaked sufficiently first though





Alphafa is another good feed - you can buy these from most feed merchants.





A good few hours grazing per day can also aid in weight gain.





Is your horse in hard work? If so he may not be getting enough food to replace the energy he is burning off - perhaps try increasing his feeds from one to two or two to three a day?


you say healthwise he's fine - so really its not just a matter of finding whats right for him and sticking to it!


xx
Reply:email me on aussie_rider_2003@yahoo.com.au i have ahorse with the sam eproblem, TB and all.





It depends on the feed, and if he's hungry, if your in australia, there are apetite feeds to help him feel hungry, add some molasses or some grain, feed plenty of bulk





contact me and i can o into with more detail!
Reply:Just to be on the safe side, I would get a full profile blood sample done on him, just to eliminate any underlying problems. If that is all clear, I would strongly recomend Bailey's number 1. It needs to be fed damp but it is none heating and has seemed to work fablously for any 'bad doers' that I have had. All the best.


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