What to Feed Horses to Gain Weight

An underweight horse is more likely to experience health problems and to heal slowly from injuries or illnesses. It is important to have your veterinarian determine why your horse is underweight. Health problems can prevent a horse from gaining weight even when receiving adequate nutrition. Consult your veterinarian to develop a healthy plan for your horse's weight gain and to avoid problems with horses that have sensitive digestive systems. Make feed changes gradually.

  1. Quality Feed

    • The first thing to look at when you want to help a horse gain weight is the quality of feed you are feeding them. Low-quality feed has a lot of fillers and not enough nutrition, which can cause a horse that is getting regular or high levels of exercise to lose weight. A high-fiber, high-fat feed can increase weight without giving the horse a significant amount of extra energy to go with it. If you want to increase energy levels as well, you may want to consider a high-protein feed. A sweet feed, which contains whole oats and grains, can be a choice for helping a horse gain weight, but any high-quality feed should do the trick.

    Senior Feed

    • Most horse feed manufacturers offer a senior version of their feed products. Senior feed is designed to help older horses get adequate nutrition and is generally a good idea for any horse 15 years old or older. It can also help keep weight on horses that regularly lose weight, are hard keepers or have severe dental issues. If regular feeds do not seem to be helping, consult with your veterinarian about switching to a senior feed.

    Roughage

    • A good quality hay can help a horse gain healthy weight. Alfalfa is a nutritious favorite hay for helping with weight gain, and peanut hay may also work. Low quality hay does not have as many nutrients in it and works more as a filler than as a source of nutrition. A horse kept in a good pasture with lots of healthy grasses to graze on may also gain weight. If you have the option to keep your horse in a good pasture, you should do so.

    Supplements

    • Weight-gain supplements and feed additives for horses include rice bran, chaff and alfalfa cubes. As well, specially formulated supplements typically contain a mix of high calorie ingrediants such as flax, protien, various acids, wheat germ, soy and corn oils. At the time of publication, available supplements include Farnam's Weight Builder and Manna Pro's Equine Fat Supplement. Consult your veterinarian if you decide to start adding specialized supplements into your horse's feed.