How to Put Weight on a 20-Year-Old Horse

A horse's ability to maintain a healthy body weight declines with age. Owners of older horses often have trouble keeping weight on their animals. Life expectancy for horses can vary widely -- with some animals living into their mid-30s or even longer -- but horses are considered seniors after age 15. A 20-year-old horse is a senior animal that requires special care to maintain optimal health. Putting weight on a thin, 20-year-old horse takes close attention and diligence.

Things You'll Need

  • Dewormer
  • Quality hay or chopped hay cubes
  • Extruded senior-horse-feed
  • Water
  • Vegetable or corn oil
  • Beet pulp
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Instructions

    • 1

      Have a veterinarian or equine dentist perform a dental exam on your horse. Older horses often have difficulty properly chewing their food due to deteriorated teeth. Incompletely chewed food will not provide adequate calories and nutrition.

    • 2

      Maintain a regular deworming schedule. Internal parasites can establish in a horse's digestive tract, and interfere with the digestive process. Establish a deworming routine by using periodic doses of paste dewormer, or feeding a deworming supplement daily.

    • 3

      Provide high quality hay. Horses should receive approximately 1.5 percent of their body weight in hay. Allow your horse to pasture-graze as much as possible. If your horse has difficulty chewing hay or grass, feed it chopped hay cubes soaked in water.

    • 4

      Feed a quality extruded grain specifically made for senior horses. Extruded horse-feed consists of kibbles -- and sometimes pellets -- made from ingredients that have been cooked for a short period. The cooking process partially breaks down nutrients in the grains, making them more digestible and more easily absorbed. The kibbles are also designed to be easy for senior horses to chew. Beet pulp soaked in water can be combined with grain to add fiber and bulk to a senior horse's diet.

    • 5

      Add vegetable or corn oil to feed to increase fat intake. Over the course of several weeks, gradually work up to as much as 1 cup of oil per day. If diarrhea occurs, decrease or stop oil supplements.

    • 6

      Ensure your horse drinks plenty of water. Horses require at least 5 gallons of water per day. Make wet bran mashes of soaked beet pulp if your horse is a reluctant drinker. Flavor the water -- or provide warm water in cold weather -- to encourage drinking.

    • 7

      If your horse does not gain weight after two months, have a veterinarian perform a geriatric exam. Inform your veterinarian of your feeding strategy, and discuss tests including a blood screen, liver and kidney function tests, a rectal palpation or internal ultrasound and other tests to rule out medical and metabolic issues.