My horse loosing weight, how do I put it back on? ******UPDATE********

[FLchook]

Hi!

In June we adopted 2 retired polo horses. 22 year old throughbreds, a mare and a gelding. They came to us alittle bony, but adding a lush green pasture to thier daily diet added weight quickly. Since then Buddy has kept his weight, but Sugar has lost some. She is rather bony again

Ive added a bit of alpha cubes and grain to her meal, but nothing happened. Ive recently added weight gainer, 6oz a day, still not seeing much improvment.

When we got them we continuted thier routine diet. 1 flat of hay, large scoop of alphalfa cubes soaked in water and a large scoop of senior super horse, all given in the evening of each day. We have 2.5 acres of green pasture for them to range on all day and night.

What else can I do? Do I need to change her type of wormer maybe?

Thanks,
Shannon

 

[Henriettahen]

I know of a very good forum where you could get alot of help with this...am I aloud to link to other forums?? or is that against the rules?

 

[verthandi]

Rotation of wormers is recommended by most vets. (you may be able to find information from your local University, based on your location) A fecal sample taken to your vet may be helpful to check for type of parasites)

Teeth checked by a vet or equine dental specialist would be my starting place, expecially with older horses.

A product called Fast Track may also be helpful. It is a probiotic that will help with gut function. It helps replace lost enzymes that can occur understress. (IE their former life style, being underweight, changing homes etc. ) Really inexpensive suppliment, around 19.00 a bag in this area and last my 6 horses about 3 months.

Spliting your grain into feeding twice a day( or even three times) might also be easier on the horses stomach. I don't increase grain unless neccessary, but increase hay amounts into more feedings spaced out through the day. I don't know what you actually have left for pasture, but one flake of hay doesn't go very far with my crew. With my pastures winding down for the winter, mine get 2-4 flakes of hay three time a day plus pasture. But I am in the north.

Are they drinking enough water?

 

[CarriBrown]

When is the last time they were floated? I would check on that and start rotating wormers. Another thing you can try is beet plup, but check the first two things before adding that to their diet.
I also suggest breaking up their feed.

 

[Standard Hen]

Hi Shannon,

The first things to start out with is are they are a regular rotation worming schedule and have their teeth been floated? Are they turned out on green grass 24/7 and are you only giving them grain and hay once a day? One flake of hay is not really that much but it depends too on how much grass they are consuming. Is it thick green grass, sparse?You could up her hay amount. I feed my horses twice a day and they pretty much have free choice hay most of the day but no pasture.
The alfalfa soaked cubes and senior feed are good so maybe more hay to the diet but I do grain AM & PM. I have a retired Thoroughbred and have added a probiotic to his diet called Ration-Plus. I just top dress his grain with a squirt. He looks awesome. If you would like to read up on it the site is www.rationplus.com Remember every horse is different and you might have to try a few different things for results.What works for one might not work for another.
And I think it is wonderful that you adopted TWO retired TB's!!!!! They are lucky.

 

[FLchook]

They have pasture 24/7, the barn stalls are open if they wish to go inside, but usually dont. We live in Central FL, so everything still lush and green. I think thier teeth were floated right before we bought them, but I can check for sure. How often does that have to be done? Its not until now have I just relized weve already had them for 5 months.

We just followed thier feeding schedule, but I can change it. Ill break it up a bit and give more hay. Ill also read into the pro-biotics and fast track. This weigh gainer we have is expensive! and not seeing any results, so we will be trying something else soon.

They are due for worming soon, so we will get something different. Thats another thing we were continued using when they came from us.

Oh, they have access to water at all times. They can empty a big troff (sp?) in about 4days. Faster when it was hotter. Is that enough?

Thanks for all your thoughts!! We are true newbies, but these 2 are perfect for us! They get the attention and love they need, and we get horses that put up with our ignorence. hehe
Shannon

 

[Standard Hen]

I have my horses teeth floated once a year and their paste wormer should be rotated every eight weeks. Try and find a chart for in your area and climate on what you should be using and when. Stongid, Ivermetin etc. for the particular worms of the season. As long as they always have water they are fine, you just never want them to be without any, just keep filling it and they will keep drinking it which is good!! My horses have 24/7 access to their stalls also and prefer to be outside most of the time. When bitter winter comes they will seek shelter in pouring cold rain and or wind. They love to roll in the snow and the Thoroughbred's are blanketed. It is the best thing for them to keep moving verses being holed up in a stall but that option is not always available for many.
I would try the AM&PM feeding of the grain, more hay, and look into that rationplus, very good stuff.

 

[verthandi]

Sounds like we are all horsekeeping with a similar style. Ask horse people and you will usually get a hundred different answers to think about. All will work, but they might not be the right one for your horse.

Weight gain may not appear over night, suppliments and changes in feeding programs take a while to show up. That isn't always a bad thing, slow and steady is easier on them.

Your retirees have found a good place to relax and enjoy their semi-retirement.

Sounds like you have plenty of water and still good pastures. (I am jealous of the pastures

mine are getting ready to be covered with snow in a few months.)

TB's can be harder than some other breeds to keep weight on, just the nature of the breed. I bet as they start to realize that they really are done playing polo and adjust to their new life, that they will be a little easier to keep weight on.

 

[Standard Hen]

verthandi,,,,who makes Fast Track? I am sold on this Ration Plus and it is a liquid. You said yours is in a bag? I don't think I have ever heard of it. Also what brand of grain do you feed? I like Poulin out of Vermont, fed Blue Seal for over 25 years, switched to Polin and never looked back.

 

[serendipity22]

The best way I kept weight on my TB was with adding Rice Bran or 'ultrabloom' to his diet. It's a fat supplement. Protein and fiber in itself won't do it. They need the additional fat. Equine Senior or Adult do not have enough fat content. Only like 3%. Nutrena Compete has a higher fat content. It's a pellet you can feed if you don't feel like adding the rice bran.

It is recommend that older horses have their teeth checked every 6 months. Also, it's advisable to worm them with something that'll get tapeworms at least twice a year.