Horse Question

[PoultryScienceAggie]

We just got a new mare the other day who had not been fed for sometime now. She is skin and bones. We just put her out on 80 acres of pasture but what else can we feed her to make her gain weight. We bought some high protein horse pellets but she isnt eating them well....some of her teeth are out. Is there any thing else that would be good to give her.

 

[halo]

If you can find beet pulp shreds (not the pellets, they can choke on them), you can soak them in warm water, add some corn oil and some of those high protein pellets, or a little sweet feed to make it yummy. You cant overfeed beet pulp. It has high digestable fiber, and they can't founder on it, but it will add weight to them. Its soft so even if she has poor teeth, she can eat it.

 

[RickiHupp]

You could soften up her food to a "mash" with some warm water. I would also put some pedilyte in her water to help with hydration. Have your vet come out and see if her teeth need floated. If she is still having problems try a little bread also. Make sure she has alot of good hay to nibble on also. The hay is what will keep her body warm. After she starts eating good for you try drizzling some Nutri-Drench on her food. You can buy that at a local feed store. Also you may want to worm her. Your best bet would be to have your vet come out and giver her a good check up.

Best Wishes!!!!

 

[PoultryScienceAggie]

Thanks for the advice...

 

[B. Saffles Farms]

Calf mana also works great to fatten up a horse.

 

[()relics]

Depending on her age, which sounds like it could be advanced, you could use a senior ration available from most feed dealers. I would call your vet and ask her/him the best course of action.
If, like you say, she is missing some of her teeth then she isn't getting the full nutritional value out of the food she is eating. She is just swallowing it to later dump it in the pasture. If you think she is starving you can pour some corn oil on top of her feed portion. Corn oil can be digested without chewing.
Call your Vet.
I wouldn't worm her right away...if she hasn't been wormed in a while it could get messy....ASK your Vet....
Remember the condition of a horse won't change over night except for the worse.

 

[ScoobyRoo]

You say some of her teeth are out. Is she an older mare or was it lack of care? Front or chewing teeth? I would make mash out of some good pellet feed like Rikki mentioned. I would treat my older horse canned carrots and applesauce too. He lived to be 37 year old.

 

[ScoobyRoo]

() relics said it the best

 

[FrChuckW]

If she has not been properly fed for some time, be careful with the pasture grazing, especially if she hasn't been on it for a while.

All the above suggestions are good, but definitely get the vet and a farrier out to check her out thoroughly, and the farrier to check out her feet. The farrier and the vet can tell you if you need to keep shoes on her, or let her run barefoot.

Be careful as to how much you feed her at first, if she is as malnourished as you say, then small feedings several times a day at first will help her system come back to normal. Warm mashes with sweet feed or some black strap molasses in her regular feed will help intice her to eat.

 

[onthespot]

I second that. Rich feed to a skinny horse can founder them or colic them really easily. If your pasture is green, I'd pull her outta there and give her some plain ol' hay cubes soaked or something like that. Fattening her up isn't a race. The faster you do it the worse off it will be for her. Just ger her teeth, tummy and feet healthy, put plain food in front of her and the rest will take care of itself. Diet wise with horses "Bad things happen fast, Good things happen slowly" and that you can write on the barn wall and read it every day so you don't forget it.