Help getting some weight on a hard keeper?

I'm assuming his teeth have been checked to make sure there are no chewing/digesting problems.

You may want to see if your horse has Cushing's Disease, a metabolic disorder that effects many older horses. Your vet can do this with a blood test. Cushing's horses are notorious for having difficulty keeping weight on. At least you'd know what you are dealing with.

The beet pulp is typically soaked until it is soupy so perhaps putting the weight gain supplement in there will help him to eat it.

First thing is to have his teeth checked as he may have some problems there. Second is even if he's been wormed get him onto a five day panacur course as some rescues can have lots of worms which require multiple wormings to deal with them.

By the pelleted hay I presume it's the type you can soak. The ones I've used are called a hay replacer and are a good high calorie feed. Try giving lots of it soaked as well as the hay as it will be easier for him to eat and digest.

I would add a pint of oil a day (build up slowly as too quick will give the runs) as this is an excellent calorie source without all the starch.

I would also put him on a pre and pro biotic suppliment to help support his gut as this will help him digest the food better.

Depending on how he copes with sugar you could add some molassis into his feed as well.

If possible I would give him a scoop of the senior, one of sugar beet and one of the alfalfa pellets 4 times a day, I realise this might not be possible in which case give as often as possible, minimum twice a day till his weight gets up.

Personally I wouldn't worry about how quickly his weight comes up, but closely monitor it so that he doesn't become too fat, but from experience it's unlikely you'll have that problem.

You don't say what's up with his legs but given his age I would guess it's arthritis in which case get him on some sort of joint suppliment and also try a devil's claw suppliment as this will help with stiffness and pain and so will help keep him comfortable and doesn't damage the gut in the same way that long term bute can.

Also make sure he is really well rugged as having a horse a bit cold is one of the fastest ways to get weight off them.

Good luck.

You can do about a quart of beet pulp soaked so it makes an ice cream pail of very digestable fiber about three times daily. Roasted cracked soybeans add protein. Vegetable oil is a huge help added to grain and great to add as winter approaches or for very high calorie infusions. You can add up to about a quart a day (slowly upping the amount like all things). I think most people who feed oil twice a day top with 1-2 cups at each feeding. Adding oil to soaked beet pulp helps mask the oily texture which some horses hate. Beet pulp when soaked in water with grain mixed in does tend to mask a lot of other supplements. You can add some applesauce or chopped apples and carrotts to make it more appealing if there is stuff in there you must get into the horse. You might try a liquid vitamin supplement like Go Max as vitamins help them digest the food but it doesn't sound like he is deficient so this might not help. You do need be careful about his overall iron load and those products contain a fair amount of iron. I never have a problem as long as I am conservative with products that contain iron and are sold as "blood builders". Your vet can draw an iron study on him to tell you. Wetting down his hay helps him digest it a bit better. And three feedings a day. Watch out you don't add a lot of high sugar things as sugar is a problem in an aged horse especially. And, don't keep him with horses who are food hogs or chase him away at all from the hay. Keeping him warm will help him conserve his fat stores. Good luck, he's sure a sweet and cute looking boy!

you haven't mentioned his dental care or deworming schedule, both things that need to be addressed in any horse with weight issues, especially an older guy. Also the amounts of the feeds you are feeding.... if you are only giving him a pound of senior and a scoop of beet pulp he's not getting much... also the quality of the hay he is being fed makes a difference, because if it is stemmy and low quality it pretty much just fills him up on unusable fiber. Also there are *a lot* of weight building supplements, from regular old grocery store vegetable oil to fat granules, so you do have options there, although sometimes these old guys just don't want anything added! (you can get creative with bran mashes, other additives lie applesauce, molasses etc to hide the supplement flavors). You should also having your vet check him out for any issues that might be affecting him--physical examination and probably bloodwork as diseases of the heart, lungs, liver, kidneys, intestines etc may all result in a failure to gain weight.

My old mare is the same, very picky. I give her 50/50 alfalfa/orchard. And Elk Grove Milling Pellets(pelleted hay). Plus Beet Pulp and unlimited all-in-one. She wasn't a big fan of all-in-one at first but over time she has learned to love it.

I do have to say that no matter how much I feed her she never looks fat.

Good Luck with your horse!

Continue the beet pulp, rice bran, alfalfa pellets & find a high fat grain or ration balancer. Make sure its low in NSC (non-structured carbs) and even add a pro-biotic to help him digest the food better & absorb more of the nutrients.

Just a small idea that works for our oldies: we feed them steer feed (steer sweet feed) because it is lower energy; therefore, we can feed more without worrying about the hyper side effects.

My older appaloosa gets a mix of senior and sweet (steer) morning and evening. Just ask your local feed store about a steer feed alternative to horse sweet feed.

Barley is really good for keeping weight on and it doesn't make your horse hot and excited. It's also very cheap.