To help your horse gain weight, assuming he was getting restricted amounts of good-quality hay, Ralston suggests increasing his current forage ration until his total feed reaches at least 2.5 percent of his desired body weight.

A number of underlying issues can cause weight loss in a horse, and to help him regain some pounds, you first need to understand and address whats going wrong. The biggest concern with rice bran is that it is also high in phosphorus, which can inhibit the amount of calcium available in the horses body. It may seem counterintuitive to make a thin horse burn calories to gain weight, but the work will help him to build muscles, and exercise will increase his appetite. Like with other dietary changes, oil needs to be introduced slowly, starting with a quarter cup per day, and adding another quarter cup every few days, up to a maximum of two cups for an average size horseless for small horses and ponies.

These social butterflies may have a hard time focusing on their meals.





But if your otherwise robust horse suddenly loses weight without apparent reason, ask your veterinarian to help you investigate the causes. Likewise, a horse who is stressed by travel, intense training, herd squabbles or other disruptions may eat less and/or burn more energy and end up losing weight. Another option for horses in turnout is to distribute hay around to multiple feeders, or to use one that the horses can access from all sides without getting trapped against a fence, so that everyone gets access to a share. When your horse is too thin, whether its a short-term aberration or a chronic struggle, careful feeding can keep his weight up.

Subscribe to EquiNews Presented by Legends newsletter, an award winning newsletter powered by KER. Problems with a horses teeth can affect his ability to eat: Uneven wear can cause hooks, waves and other malformations that inhibit chewing, and cracked, broken or infected teeth can be painful enough to prevent a horse from chewing his food properly.

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All changes to a horses diet need to be made gradually. Never feed more than 0.5 percent of a horses body weight of concentrates in a single meal, says Ralston. Thats five pounds for a 1,000-pound horse. Grains, sweet feeds and other starch- and sugar-based concentrates had long been the high-calorie foods of choice for thin horses, especially those in hard work. Soaking a horses feed can sometimes encourage him to eat more, but never provide more in one meal than he can eat before it either freezes in winter or goes rancid in the summer heat.

It is intended for horses with higher energy requirements or to support weight gain.

To sustain a healthy weight, a horse needs to consume a daily ration of 2 to 3 percent of his body weight each day; of that, at least 1.5 to 2 percent needs to be some form of forage. If this is your horse, you may have to get creative, experimenting with different types of forage or changing its form.

Follow feeding instructions on the label for serving sizes for any commercial products. The quality of the forage matters, too. As with oil, rice bran needs to be added to the diet slowly, starting with about a cup at a time, working up to one or two pounds daily.

But the devil is in the details. As you develop your plan, keep one rule in mind: Go slowly.

This extruded pellet is easily mixed in with other grains to help enhance your horses feeding program. Horses who live in stable herds develop distinct social hierarchies, and those at the bottom of the pecking orderoften the very young, the aging or the submissivemay be chased away from the hay feeder and other sources of food. Horses burn more calories to stay warm in cold weather, but extreme heat can also cause them to lose interest in food.

Then one morning it strikes you: Watching him turn toward you in the paddock, you can see a faint outline of every rib along his sides, and his haunches are looking a little less rounded, too.

EquiNews Presented by Legends newsletter, View Sweepstakes Rules, Terms and Conditions. If introduced slowly, horses can adapt to higher fat intakes, and you can reduce the concerns associated with really high starch intakes such as wide fluctuation in blood glucose and insulin levels seen with high-grain concentrates. Knowing you need to can be the hard part: When you care for your horse every day, you may not notice slight variations in his body condition that indicate weight loss.

No matter what type of concentrates and added fats you incorporate into your horses diet, remember to make sure he always gets at least 1.5, preferably 2, percent of his body weight in forage each day. At this point, hell need softer foods, such as soaked hay pellets, beet pulp or senior feed, to maintain his weight. You want to choose the highest quality hay you can find for your thin horse. Another fiber supplement is beet pulp, which contains about the same digestible energy as good quality hay. Forage may be the cornerstone of equine nutrition, but its not a calorie-dense food, and theres a limit to how much a horse will eat in a day. Of course, some horses seem naturally more prone to weight loss; a hard keeper may have a metabolism that requires more than the usual amount of calories for maintenance, or he may readily lose his appetiteand drop poundsin response to even slight variations in management routine, weather or other factors.

But its important to know how much your horse eats up front so that you can begin increasing his feed in an orderly fashion. If you dont have one already, buy a food scale and weigh out your horses normal ration. Bag, RICE BRAN OIL | 1 Gallon (128 Ounces) | Kosher | All- Natural, Made from 100% Non-GMO Rice | Rich in Vit E and Gamma Oryzanol | Unfiltered, No Trans Fat and Heart Healthy | by Heavenly Chef, Renew Gold Supplement for Senior Horses | High-Fat Stabilized Rice Bran and CoolStance Coconut Meal | 30 Pounds, Sponsored | Based on star rating and number of customer ratings, Duracell Coppertop AAA Batteries, 28 Count Pack Triple A Battery with Long-Lasting Power for Household and Office Devices (Ecommerce Packaging), Near East Rice Pilaf Mix, Original & Wild Rice, 6oz Boxes (12 Pack), Near East Rice Pilaf Mix, Original, 6.9 Ounce (Pack of 12 Boxes), Manna Pro Sho-Hoof Supplement for Horses | Biotin and Zinc Methionine for Healthy Hooves | 5 Pounds.

Although beet pulp is a good source of calories, it is not a complete protein source, and its relatively low in vitamins and most minerals, so it works best as an addition to, not a substitute for, your horses regular rations.

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Take heart. If your hay and pasture are poor, then your horse is filling his gut with fiber but not getting adequate calories or nutrients.

Click here to read about common equine dental problems.



Photographs, taken in good light while your horse is standing on level ground, can be a good supplement to your records. With the free weekly EQUUS newsletter, youll get the latest horse health information delivered right to your in basket! While carbohydrates and proteins offer around four calories per gram, fats offer a whopping nine calories per gram. 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In fact, the average pleasure horse in light to moderate work can maintain a healthy weight on forage alone. In other words, if your horse currently weighs 1,000 pounds, and youd like him to be 1,100, then your target would be 2.5 percent of 1,100, or 27.5 pounds of hay. Routine dental examsannually for most adult horses, or every six months for seniors or those who have had problems in the pastcan catch and address any developing problems early, before they affect a horses overall health and body weight.

Feeding a horse for weight gain isnt necessarily difficult.



Slow feeders can keep the hay clean while helping the ration last longer.

Alfalfa is higher in calories and protein than grass hays, which makes it an excellent choice to help to add weight to a thin horse.

If youre feeding a natural rice bran, you might want to add a calcium supplement or another calcium-rich food, such as alfalfa. One of the simplest and cheapest ways to add fat to your horses diet is vegetable oil from the grocery store, which can be poured over his regular concentrate ration.

Free-choice access to hay will also help a horse to generate internal heat around the clock.

First, its a good idea to establish a system for measuring your horses weight as accurately and objectively as you can.

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Blending a flake or two of good-quality alfalfa in with a ration of grass hay is another way to add nutritional value to your forage. In the winter, steps to help a horse who is having trouble keeping on weight include adding blankets and bringing him into the barn when temperatures dip.

Slow feedershay nets or other devices with small openings that allow a horse to draw out only small amounts of hay at a timecan keep a horse interested in grazing longer, with less waste. Tick-borne Diseases and Tick Prevention for Horses, 4 ways to stay on top of parasite control. Horses can expend huge amounts of energy stomping, shaking and running away from pests like horseflies. Since few areas of the country allow for high-quality grazing year-round, most of us must supplement our horses diets at least part of the time with hay. Treating any underlying illnesses or injuries will likely be enough to get him gaining weight again. Your veterinarian will also investigate possible sources of chronic pain, which can put a horse off of his feed.

One quick test of the quality of hay is to squeeze a handful.

An extension agent can help you assess the nutritional value of your pasture and hay.

Introduce it slowly, one pound (dry weight) per feeding, up to 0.5 percent of your horses body weight.

Then theres the picky eater, who pushes his pellets around or picks out the choicest bits of hay and poops on the rest. If you want a more scientific analysis of your hay, you can send a sample off to a laboratory to have the nutritional value assessed.

The basic concept behind fattening up a thin horse is fairly simple: Feed him more calories. If youre not already receiving the EQUUS newsletter, click here to sign up.



Adding feed stations in strategic spots in larger pastures may make them easier to reach, and horses with pain in the neck or withers will graze more comfortably from a net or rack at shoulder height.

Identify gaps in your horse's nutrition program to optimize their well-being.

Introducing starving horses to too much food too quickly can cause serious digestive consequences that may be fatal. Is he sick?

Legends Feeds are fortified with Kentucky Equine Research (KER) micronutrients to meet your horses individual needs.

Shop products from small business brands sold in Amazons store. Stiff stalks that hurt your palm are not a good choice when you need a higher calorie feed.

Some horses who pick through hay will readily eat pellets or cubes. In addition, the pain of arthritis can interfere with a horses feed intake by preventing him from walking to hay feeders or covering enough ground to graze sufficiently. Some of these products can be pricey, however, especially if your hard-working hard-keeper needs to stay on them long-term to keep his weight up.

And suddenly the questions are flying through your mind: Whats wrong? Installing heaters or taking other steps to prevent water buckets from freezing in winter is crucial, and in the summer moving some of the outside sources into the shade can help to keep it more palatable.

If youre faced with an extremely thin horseone whose vertebrae, ribs, and other bones are prominentcall in veterinary help right away. Once youve identified and addressed the most probable reasons for your horses weight loss, its time to develop a strategy to put the pounds back on. Enter your email address below for exclusive promotions, coupon codes and the latest horse nutrition information!

Commercial concentrates, which are formulated for complete, balanced nutrition, can be a valuable source of calories for a thin horse, but they must be used wisely.

Most contain high amounts of fat as well as amino acids, vitamins, minerals and other nutrients that help a horse build and maintain muscle. We all know themthose busybodies who spend their time running back and forth between window and door, nickering to other horses and soliciting attention from every person. Most will be accompanied by other obvious signs, such as diarrhea, colic, fever or lethargybut in some cases signs of illness might be extremely subtle or nonexistent. Too much too fast, and your horse will develop diarrhea and steatorrhea (fatty stools)his manure will have an oily sheen from undigested oils passing through his system. Rice bran is another source of fat that most horses love, and its also rich in vitamin E as well as fiber. Abrupt changes in a horses diet can lead to colic, laminitis and other ills. Also establish a good baseline measurement, in pounds, of what your horse currently eats. To be safe, consider purchasing a rice bran product formulated for horses that contains added calcium to balance the ratio of the two minerals.



Dont forget that a horses social status can change over time, and the addition or subtraction of other members can rewrite the whole equation.

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Then, follow the instructions on the label to introduce the feed slowly and carefully to his diet.

Keep tabs on conditions in the field to make sure none of the horses are being bullied away from the food or water.

Many thin horses are suffering from nothing more than agroceroisisa lack of groceries! says equine nutritionist Sarah Ralston, VMD, PhD, DACVN, of Rutgers University in New Jersey.