Example Diet to Support Weight Gain
| Feed | Weight Gain Diet |
| (Amount / Day) | |
| Hay | 10.5 kg |
| Beet pulp | 0.5 kg (1 lb) |
| w-3 oil | 100 ml (3 oz) |
- Allowing 24/7 access to pasture or hay (or as much forage as possible).
- If increased amounts of hay aren't enough, try offering a higher quality hay such as alfalfa or an immature grass hay. ...
- If you aren't feeding any grain, try adding a grain product meant for working or performance horses.
Is there a guide to feeding an underweight horse?
If you have done this, or you understand the weight loss, this guide to feeding an underweight horse will provide some useful ideas and practical solutions. This guide looks at how horses evolved to eat, and the problems with many horse diets today.
What should I Feed my horse to gain weight?
If you aren’t feeding any grain, try adding a grain product meant for working or performance horses. These grains will contain higher levels of protein and fat that will aid in body weight gain.
Should I Feed my horse more grain if he is thin?
Thus, you should minimize or avoid feeding large amounts of grain if possible. If your horse is thin without any underlying health issues, and simply needs more calories, you can fix the problem by: Allowing 24/7 access to pasture or hay (or as much forage as possible).
How many pounds of feed for a horse?
So, for the average 1,100-pound horse, meal sizes should be limited to no more than 3½ pounds. Get a scale and weigh your feed – do not rely on a scoop or coffee can as they tell you nothing about weight, only volume. Carbohydrates from cereal grains (oats, corn, barley) provide less than half the number of calories than fat.
What can I feed my horse to gain weight?
One of the simplest and cheapest ways to add fat to your horse's diet is vegetable oil from the grocery store, which can be poured over his regular concentrate ration. Corn oil is palatable to most horses, but you can also use canola, peanut or any other vegetable oil your horse likes.
How do you fatten up a malnourished horse?
According to the UC Davis Refeeding Program, starved horses do best when initially fed frequent small meals of a high-quality alfalfa. During each feeding, you can slowly increase the amount of alfalfa fed, while also gradually decreasing the number of feedings that you provide over the initial 10-day period.
What is the best horse feed to put weight on a horse?
Feed lucerne hay. Lucerne (known as alfalfa in North America) is a high energy forage and makes a valuable contribution to raising a horse's calorie intake above their daily requirement to encourage weight gain. Lucerne will also provide your horse with good quality protein which will facilitate muscle development.
What do underweight old horses eat?
Common alternate forms are hay cubes, hay pellets, chopped forage, and beet pulp. Senior feeds often include some type of alternate forage like alfalfa meal, soy hulls, and/or beet pulp. For this reason, their feeding rate is usually double that of a normal concentrate feed.
What oil can I give my horse to gain weight?
Adding vegetable oil, such as canola oil, is a useful way to boost the caloric density of your horse's diet without significantly increasing his feed intake. Another fat source to consider is stabilized rice bran, a high-fat supplement that is often pelleted.
How can I put weight on my horse fast?
What is the fastest way to put weight on a horse? High fat, high protein grain combined with a rich alfalfa hay can quickly put weight on a horse, if there is not an underlying medical condition.
Is sweet feed good for weight gain in horses?
Adding highly digestible fibre sources such as sugar beet is beneficial for promoting weight gain in horses. Dengie Alfa-Beet is an ideal feed for underweight horses as it combines alfalfa with unmolassed sugar beet. Studies have shown this also helps to improve the digestibility of other fibre sources in the diet.
Does beet pulp help horses gain weight?
Beet pulp can be used to help underweight horses gain weight, as it provides approximately 1,000 kcals per pound (one quart of dry beet pulp shreds weighs approximately 0.5-0.6 pounds).
Do oats put weight on horses?
Do oats help horses gain weight? Oats alone don't help horses gain weight. Horses love oats, but you should feed them in combination with other food sources. Whole oats are difficult for horses to digest and can pass through their digestive system without being absorbed by the body.
Does alfalfa gain weight horse?
“The biggest issue with alfalfa is weight gain in horses that don't have adequate exercise.” Additionally, it supplies more nutrients than most nonworking horses need, leading to obesity and its associated issues.
Why is my old horse so skinny?
Older horses don't have to become underweight horses. If senior equines begin to lose weight, there is usually a reason for the change such as dental inadequacy, gastrointestinal inefficiency, immune dysfunction, or the stresses associated with pain.
How much corn oil do you give a horse?
1 to 16 ounces per dayIt should never be fed at more than 15% of the total diet, but 1 to 16 ounces per day is safe. Too much oil will decrease feed consumption and may cause loose manure.
What type of feed do older horses need?
As a result, older horses may need a type of feed known as a “complete feed”. Complete feeds: Contain 100 percent of a horse’s daily fiber needs. Are fed at higher amounts than typical grain products.
How to slow down a horse's water intake?
If a horse’s water intake is lower than usual, their feed intake will also slow down . Provide fresh, clean water between 45 and 65 F to encourage horses to drink. Place water sources near the horse, as horses often limit how far they are willing to walk for water.
What does it mean when a horse scores 3?
Horses scoring 3 or lower are underweight or thin. In situations of extreme neglect or poor health with a horse that scores 1 or 2, we recommend working with a veterinarian or equine nutritionist to create a re-feeding plan. For more information on body condition scores visit Purina's Animal Nutrition website.
Why do horses eat less forage?
Digestion creates body heat from fiber in hay and pastures. Because forages contain more fiber than grains, forages produce more heat. As a result, it’s natural for horses to eat less forage during hot periods. Offering hay during cooler parts of the day can help.
How much energy does a horse need?
This threshold can differ between horses, based on the climate a horse is used to. For each 1 F drop below the LCT, a horse requires a 1 percent increase in energy or about two pounds of hay. Some horses may require up to 50 percent more calories in extreme cold.
What is the best BCS for a horse?
The ideal BCS for most breeds and disciplines is 5, but ranges from 4 to 6. A horse with a score of 4 is considered healthy, but it’s important to look at the overall picture.
How to help horses with temperament?
Using fat to increase the energy in a ration can help reduce temperament changes seen in some horses eating large amounts of starch or carbohydrates. If you are unable to change the grain product, add a high-fat supplement to your horse’s regular ration such as: Rice bran. Flax seed.
Is Your Horse Underweight?
How do you tell if your horse is underweight? Both body weight and body condition scores are important metrics to determine if your horse needs to gain weight.
Causes of Weight Loss in Horses
There are many potential causes of weight loss in horses; it is usually a symptom of a much larger problem and not a disease in itself.
Example Diet to Support Weight Gain
It is always recommended to work with an equine nutritionist to formulate a feeding plan based on your horse’s individual health history and current body condition.
Conclusion
There are many potential causes of weight loss in underweight horses. Some horses are “ hard keepers ” and appear to require more calories to maintain a healthy body condition.
What feed should I feed my OTTB?
Your OTTB likely needs a source of more concentrated feed than hay alone. Performance feeds and senior feeds can be a good choice. Keep in mind that at the track she was likely fed textured feeds and or oats rather than pellets.
What are high fat and fiber feeds?
High-fat and -fiber feeds are a great way of adding considerably more calories without feeding as much starch. They utilize fermentable fibers such as beet pulp and soy bean hulls as well as fat sources such as vegetable oils, flax, and rice bran.
Why do horses have ulcers?
Gastric ulcers are a common problem with racehorses due to the high demands of training as well as the high-starch diets they are often fed. Horses with gastric ulcers often go off feed, especially grain, and are generally unthrifty in appearance.
What is the best prebiotic for gastric health?
Providing a prebiotic such as Saccharomyces cerevisiae or Saccharomyces boulardii might also be beneficial in helping to establish a healthy hindgut and improve feed utilization. There are a good number of supplements on the market that claim to help support gastric health and some of these might also be useful.
Why are pellets not as appealing as textured feed?
Textured feeds can be a great choice not just because of the familiar form but also because there tend to be more high fiber high fat options within the textured feeds versus pellets.
Is alfalfa good for horses?
Utilizing some alfalfa in the ration can help with this as alfalfa is generally higher in calories-per-pound than most grass hays. Additionally, few horses turn their noses up at alfalfa and the high calcium content is a good stomach acid buffer. Your OTTB likely needs a source of more concentrated feed than hay alone.
Can horses eat grain?
Horses might not only be less inclined to eat grain in this situation, but also could turn their noses up at hay. The use of a hindgut buffer can help rectify the acidification of the hindgut and allow the resident fiber utilizing bacteria a chance to gain a foothold.
What to feed a horse at 450kg?
Some dietary options for this example when the horse is at 450kg and requires 18.99Mcal/day are provided. In these diets, I’ve used a slightly higher quality hay than normal, a ‘mixed, mostly grass’ hay, one that would, therefore, have some legume such as alfalfa in it at about 25 per cent. In Example Diet 1, I used a high-quality commercial grain mix example, some oil (to increase calories, but not overload other nutrients) and salt. Vitamin D is a little low in this example, but would only need supplementation if the horse had little exposure to sunlight or if the hay was stored for more than six months. In Example Diet 2, I used oats, a commercial supplement and salt.
What is a starved horse?
Starved horses are defined as those with a body condition score (BCS) of less than 3 (on the 1-9 Henneke scale), that haven’t eaten anything for five or more days, or that have lost more than 15 per cent of their body weight within two months (unrelated to disease). While it might be tempting to offer them as much food as they can eat, this can actually cause a life-threatening condition called refeeding syndrome.
What are some ways to burn calories on a horse?
Stall walking, weaving, cribbing, and fence pacing all burn calories. Trying to address these unwanted behaviors or feeding hay in a hay net may distract the horse from performing the unwanted behavior.
Why do horses eat less forage?
Digestion creates body heat from fiber in hay and pastures. Because forages contain more fiber than grains, forages produce more heat . As a result, it’s natural for horses to eat less forage during hot periods. Offering hay during cooler parts of the day can help. You may need to feed additional grain products during hot periods to meet the caloric needs of an underweight horse if they refuse hay.
Why is it hard for horses to chew?
In addition, as horses age, their digestive tracts change. These changes make it harder to digest and absorb nutrients from their food, especially hay. As a result, older horses may need a type of feed known as a “complete feed”.
Is it rare to see a horse that is too thin?
It’s rare to see a healthy horse that’s too thin since thin horses may be at higher risk for health problems. Before setting up a feeding and management plan for a thin horse, determine why the horse is thin by working with an equine veterinarian and nutritionist.
