what is the best thing to put weight on my horse?

senior feed! (my vet recommends it everytime). Someone said above to get her teeth checked and worm her, and put her on pasture. Great ideas!

Also instead of doing 2 large feedings, morning and night, spread it over the whole day and do numerous feedings throughout the day.

Ok...like everyone else says have her teeth checked though in saying that she will still put weight on with bad teeth just not as quickly!

Horses have a small stomach, so feed little and often...eg:

Beak her total daily ration of feed up into approx 6 feeds per day....it will help her get used to the amount of feed and also put weight on quicker. Feed 6 times a day for 2 weeks, then slowly drop back each 2 weeks - so 4 feeds p/day, 3 feeds p/day and finally back to 2 feeds each day.

Make sure the horse has either good pasture available all the time or feed Clover hay as this is the best hay to fatten them up, lucern is a great hay but will not fatten them up as much as clover or meadow hay!

The best feed that is still economical for putting weight on them are:

- Steam Rolled Barley (wont 'heat' the horse up).

- Speedi Beat (beet pulp) this is the best for weight and you only use a little bit...soak for 10 mins prior to feeding!

- Rice Pollard - ensure you always wet down

- Mitvite Economix

- Cool & Calm Pellets - they have copra meal, pollard, bran etc in them.

Of course feed along with lucern and oaten chaff.

You could always go for a pre mixed feed eg. Robank Feeds - Horse Museli, Hygain feeds - Balanced etc.

Hope this helps...i would recommendthat you try the Spedi Beet first it is the best as putting weight on without the laminitis issues.

First things first; have her evaluated by a vet to check for any underlying health issues. Then, get his recommendation for worming protocol and follow it to the letter. Lastly, have her teeth floated.

The absolute cheapest thing you can do for putting weight on a horse is turn - out on lush pasture. Be sure you work up gradually to being on grass full time as a sudden change can cause founder and colic.

Here in the US, I've never heard of giving a horse cooked rice. However, I do believe giving a commercially forumated feed with 10% fat is the best way to go. Research Kavalor brand feeds. Again, switch her diet gradually so as not to cause health issues.

One can give a low carb oil like vegetable oil, or Cocosoya oil (I prefer this one) to help increase fat intake. Start slowly with just a splash over grain ration twice a day, gradually working up to a half cup or more, depending upon your horse's tolerance. Horses seem to enjoy the tast of Cocosoy oil, so giving a cup or more per ration isn't unheard of and tolerated well.

Lastly, if your horse had even slight exposure to stress (ie: inconsistent turn out/ feeding/ routine/ heard population) she may be suffering from ulcers. Again, while having your vet work her up, discuss the possibility of either having her scoped, or perhaps a trial of Ranitidine (acid reducer) that can help eliminate the symptoms of stomach ulcer. If the gastroscopy comes up positive, or if you see sudden flourish of her condition and her temperament calms drastically, you can then decide to treat ulcers with Gastrogard.

Very expensive, but you'll have a heck of a time getting an ulcer prone horse to gain weight otherwise.

good luck.

Generally, you can tell when teeth are a problem. A horse will tilt its head to the side and drop a lot of feed as its eating. I usually try feeding corn [whole uncooked kernels... not cracked] for a week to see if it improves before I call an equine dentist out.

I feed a really good feed with high fat content [I'm a label reader] with a mineral and if I have a horse who still needs weight, I'll feed soaked beet pulp and I add Cool Calories 100 to their feed. Cool Calories 100 is like 99% fat and an 8lb tub is the equivalent of a 40lb bag of rice bran. It is awesome.

Hiya,

If you haven't already, worth a check on her teeth & worm her :)

You could add a 1/2 - 1 cup of oil to her feed (canola/vege/corn), this is a very cheap way of putting on condition. Just add it slowly, start with just a spoon full then a 1/4 of a cup a day and so on, very gradually increasing. It can make their manure a bit loose till they get used to it, as long as manure is firm keep adding. Another option would be speedi beet, but the oil is definitely more money friendly, particularly if you are already feeding weightlifter, which is my favourite complete feed, but i find it can be sooo expensive :)

Give free access to lucerne hay when she is not grazing (is your grass good?) The legume hay is generally a better condition builder than grass hay. I know w.lifter has lucerne chaff in it already, but maybe add another scoop of that to her night feed.

I might have read wrong, but is she getting any weight lifter at

night? or just oaten chaff with garlic? Not knowing how big she is, but as long as she is at least 15hh, you could feed up to 4kg a day of weightlifter, split it equally morning and night, add oil to both feeds, & bulk it up with extra chaff. Split equally into 3 feeds a day would be ideal, but I know this is often impossible.

Good luck :)

vegetable oil. it works wonders. i use it on all my horses. and alot of other people use it. its much cheaper than everything else. in the US it costs $8 for a gallon. and that lasts me 2 1/2 months with 4 horses. put 1/3 cup in her feed, mix thoroughly do this twice daily when you feed her. most horses wont turn their head at vegetable oil either. you will notice her to start gaining weight within 2 weeks. it also makes their coat shiny, very soft, and their manes and tail with get better condition. also try worming her and having the vet look at her teeth. feed as many times a day as possible. feed the same amount you are feeding her now but divide it into 3 portions if possible and feed morning, afternoon, and evening. when you feed a couple times throughout the day it stays in their system longer and doesnt all get flushed out when they poo, causing them to gain weight faster.

soaked barley balls/rings and/or conditioning cubes, and oil i use soya oil for my mare just to keep the weight on her it is very high in calories i have heard corn oil is good as well and cod liver oil can be used to clear up the skin and put a bit more shine in the coat.

hope this helps!

good luck!!

barley rings is a good way to get your horses weight up and grass and hay as theres fibre and nutrients in them which some horses lack of if there not getting enough .

LOTS of grass and Blue Seal Hay-stretcher (use in addition to hay/grass)

Ooo i had this problem

it took me months to put weight on my Thorough bred.

Crushed barley

Barley rings

Happy Hoof

Coarse mix

Large portions.

Leave out in the field as long as possible.

don't ride her and only do light lunge work :)