How to Get My Skinny Horse to Gain Weight

The expression "you can never be too rich or too thin" does not apply to your horse. If your horse is elderly, sick, stressed or just plan skinny, getting it to put on weight can be difficult. Your horse needs to be a healthy weight in order to exercise comfortably and remain sound. Horses that have nervous temperaments and don't hold weight are known as hard keepers. You may be able to get your hard keeper to put on weight by changing its diet.

Things You'll Need

  • Grain
  • Sweet feed
  • Alfalfa
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Instructions

    • 1

      Contact your veterinarian immediately if your horse's weight loss is sudden. Loss of appetite and weight loss can be indicative of serious health problems that require medical attention.

    • 2

      Ask your vet to test a fecal sample from your horse. Your horse won't be able to put on weight if it has intestinal worms.

    • 3

      Loss of appetite can be related to dental problems. Unlike human teeth, horses' teeth keep growing their entire lives. In the wild, they get filed down when the horses eat roughage, dirt and gravel. In captivity, though, you'll need to have a dentist file your horse's teeth. This is called floating. If you don't float your horse's teeth, they'll grow too long and hurt him.

    • 4

      Give your horse free choice of alfalfa. Alfalfa is high in protein and will bulk up your horse if it is eating healthily but still not gaining weight.

    • 5

      Mix sweet feed into your horse's normal grain if the horse doesn't seem interested in food or eating. Some horses are picky and won't eat their feed unless it is mixed with molasses. Sweet feed stimulates appetite and also adds calories to the feed. It can also make your horse act up though.

    • 6

      Add a top dressing such as a commercial weight-gain supplement or vegetable oil to your horse's feed. Horses process fat much more efficiently than humans do and 1 cup of corn or safflower oil contains 240 grams of fat. This should put weight on your horse safely. It will also make its coat shiny.