Tricks to Put Weight on a Horse

If you have a horse that is a ̶0;hard keeper,̶1; meaning hard to gain or maintain weight, it may seem like you need to resort to a few tricks. In reality, it may simply take some trial and error, with a good dose of patience, to find the nutritional balance and other health essentials that will help your horse with its weight. Make any feed adjustments gradually to prevent digestive upset, which can lead to colic. Thoroughly assess your horse's overall health to find a solution.

  1. Teeth

    • Your horse's teeth is the first step when looking at weight loss.

      Before adjusting your horse̵7;s diet, have your veterinarian check its teeth. Dental problems can negatively impact your horse̵7;s ability to chew and digest food, thereby causing weight loss. Watch to see if your horse is dropping its food or is eating slowly. Horses of all ages need to have their teeth ̶0;floated̶1; ̵1; a procedure your equine dentist or veterinarian uses to file down sharp points or hooks ̵1; at least once and perhaps twice a year. If your horse has any abnormalities such as an irregularly shaped jaw, you may need to have its teeth checked more frequently.

    Parasites

    • You must treat parasites in your horse, such as those from fly eggs.

      As with teeth issues, if your horse has intestinal parasites, no amount of food will create weight gain. If you do not have your horse on a routine deworming schedule, start now ̵1; with caution. Suddenly deworming a parasite-laden horse can cause digestive upset. Some veterinarians recommend half a dose of a more mild dewormer, giving the other half a few days later. Give the dose early in the day so you can observe your horse for several hours. If your horse has been dewormed regularly, take a fecal sample to your veterinarian for testing. You may be treating it for the wrong parasite or need to try a different deworming rotation.

    Forage

    • An alfalfa and hay mix offers additional nutrition ideal for weight gain.

      Forage is always the best feed route for any horse able to chew and digest it well. Try adding additional hay to its diet. If your horse is on pasture, test your pasture grass for nutritional content, which can affect its weight, or try augmenting the pasture diet with horse-quality hay. If your horse is older and has a hard time eating hay, try adding a supplement such as a senior grain that offers the benefits of forage in a pelleted form. Consider adding alfalfa or feeding an alfalfa and hay mix. Alfalfa is highly digestible and nutritious. In addition to hay form, it is also available in chopped, cubed or pelleted versions.

    Fat

    • Flaxseed offers excellent nutrition and is a good oil source.

      Adding fat through oil is an easy option that can help your horse gain weight. For best results, try an oil rich in omega 3 such as linseed (flaxseed) oil or sunflower oil. Omega 3 oils offer many other health benefits, such as support for joints and the immune system, and may even serve as a natural anti-inflammatory. Other options include rice bran and wheat germ oil. You can also offer ground flaxseed, or whole flaxseed if it is soaked and boiled before feeding.

    Beet Pulp

    • Tom Tower, owner of One Iron Horse Farm in Dripping Springs, Texas, has often used beet pulp to help ̶0;hard keepers,̶1; or horses who come to him undernourished. ̶0;Beet pulp is high in fiber and easy to digest,̶1; says Tower. ̶0;An added benefit is that since you need to rinse or soak the beet pulp prior to feeding, your horse gets additional moisture. I have particularly liked beet pulp for my older horses.̶1; Tower mentions that now there are several prepared horse grains that have beet pulp added, which may eliminate the need to add your own.