Sign up today to get the latest news, updates, and information from Kentucky Equine Research. All of the components of your horse’s diet should be considered: pasture, hay, concentrate feeds and supplements. All Rights Reserved. As a basic health maintenance rule, no more than one pound a day of weight gain is advisable for horses. If you're trying to fatten your horse, consider upping the amount of food by 2.3 to 2.5% of body weight for a slow gradual gain. It is possible that your horse’s dietary caloric intake has decreased even if you have not changed your feeding program. Pinworms, tapeworms and encysted small strongyles will not be diagnosed by standard fecal floatation exams, so your veterinarian may need to perform additional parasite screenings. This increase in older horses is primarily attributable to the focused efforts of veterinarians, nutritionists, and owners to improve understanding of the special needs of senior steeds. I’m especially concerned about him as winter approaches. If you access Purina's online equine feed calculator, you can get help with this. Horse weight gain supplements are an easy and healthy way to help body conditioning, while providing fuel for performance. I've known him for over 3 years, and he's usually pretty filled out during the summer (he was a summer camp horse) but i've never seen him in the winter untill now. Offering a higher quantity of feed and selecting feed with more digestible and available nutrition becomes important in managing senior horses. There is no legal requirement to put this on a bag of feed but most suppliers do as it provides a guide to how conditioning a feed will be. Step 1 – Make sure your horse is wormed with an EFFECTIVE wormer. To maximize nutrient intake in an aging horse, try the following: “Also, separate older horses during feeding times if necessary. Another option is to feed less…less roughage but more easily digestible feedstuffs, that is. “The only concern is if the older horse has any medical concerns that have been diagnosed and would limit the use of legume-based forage,” Coleman adds. The best way is to make sure you're supervised by someone appropriately qualified. Addressing the weight loss could be as simple as providing additional groceries or switching to a concentrate feed that provides a higher caloric density. Larger breeds, such as the Maine Coon, will weigh more. Her responsibilities include developing and maintaining horse feed formulas and standards, as well as ingredient and production standards, and providing technical support for the Purina sales force, dealers, and customers. Corn Oil is an excellent source of energy and fat - start with 1/4 cup for a couple days and increase as you are led. That means two pounds of total feed for every 100 pounds that he weighs, or 20 pounds for a 1,000-pound horse just for maintenance—more will be needed for weight gain. Older Cat Not Gaining Weight. This means putting a 50 lb. She talks about the importance of keeping a horse health journal, as well as why a small hole hay net might be a good idea for both easy and hard keepers. Energy from fat does not make a horse flighty like energy from grain, and horses on high fat diets exhibit more endurance. Researchers like Joanne Ireland, B.V.M.S., M.R.C.V.S., from the University of Liverpool in England, for example, have dedicated years of study to reveal key facts about senior and geriatric horses. And, since fat is digested differently, without the risks posed by sugars or carbohydrates, oil is one of the safest ways to put weight on a horse. He's a 16.2hh thoroughbred gelding. 192:57-64. You can even go above that if your calorie intake is very high. *Ireland, J.L., C.M. Horses have hypsodont teeth, which means the teeth erupt approximately three to four millimeters per year to compensate for the tooth wear caused by the grinding motion of chewing. Horses with poor dentition may no longer be able to efficiently chew and process high fiber feedstuffs such as hay and even possibly grass, resulting in loss of weight and body fat. If that happens, the fiber and calories provided by forage in the horse’s diet must be replaced by appropriate dietary components that he is able to chew and process. She added, “It is essential to accurately estimate your horse’s body weight or body condition score to know if it is actually underweight or if it is losing weight.”. Periodic fecal exams to determine fecal egg count are suggested to help understand the parasite status of each individual horse. So feeding a 10 year old 4# of feed isn't the same as feeding a 23 year old 4#. Offer a complete feed specifically designed for senior horses with higher digestible fiber at a minimum of 0.5% body weight. This article originally appeared in the December 2014 issue of Practical Horseman. This contrasted with the owner responses that reported 23% of the animals surveyed to be underweight and only 3% to be overweight.” Some countries have adopted a BCS system of 0-5, with 0 indicating emaciation and 5 signifying obesity. Drug-resistant intestinal parasites have become more common, and veterinarians are now recommending new strategies for parasite control. Some geriatric horses have such compromised dental condition that they are not able to properly chew a well-designed senior feed. Corn or other vegetable oils add calories to a horse's meal in the form of fat. Soaking a palatable fiber source, such as hay pellets, will further increase a senior horse’s ability to utilize the forage replacement. Protein promotes weight gain. If the diet you are providing to your horse is appropriate and you have observed that he is consuming everything, your next step would be to consult your veterinarian to evaluate your horse for parasite infestation, which can significantly impact his body condition. | © CLIX/Shawn Hamilton. During her there, Dr. Young served as a faculty member in the equine science section of the animal science department teaching courses in equitation, training, and horse management, was supervisor and coach of the TAMU Equestrian Teams, and a board member of the Intercollegiate Horse Show Association. The average house cat should weigh around 10 lbs. A commercially prepared senior horse feed is another option for older horses with poor dental condition. A survey of health care and disease in geriatric horses aged 30 years or older. They are thin and therefore will need more feed to increase its weight. Finally, EGUS, PPID or other health or medical conditions can result in significant loss of weight and body condition, and there are nutritional strategies that may be beneficial to horses suffering from these conditions. The best feed for an underweight horse is good quality hay or pasture grass. An excessively thin cat can be a sorry sight. A survey of health care and disease in geriatric horses aged 30 years or older. Feed 1% of a high-quality forage daily (based on body weight). Remember, though, that certain phases and types of parasites may not be reflected in a fecal exam. The first step in figuring out why your horse is having trouble maintaining appropriate body weight and condition is to examine your overall feeding program to see if he is receiving a diet that is adequate to meet his energy requirements and that he is actually consuming as much as you think he is. Tips and Tricks to Get a Horse to Gain Weight. Part of the aging process is often loss of efficiency of the digestive tract due to decreased motility, digestion and absorption of nutrients. Even though horses are genetically wired to thrive off poor-quality feeds, this principle does not generally apply to senior horses. In such situations, providing a complete senior feed with high-quality, easily digested forage or roughage sources to replace some or all of the hay can be extremely beneficial in maintaining the horse’s body weight and condition, as well as meet nutrient requirements to support the aging horse’s lifestyle. Feeding a Rescue Horse to Survive Abuse, Being Starved & Unhealthy Weight Loss with Proper Nutrition, Love and Care For years experts have always been mesmerized by the fact that horses can lose 30 percent of their body weight, or more, and still recover and survive. Subscribe to Equinews and get the latest equine nutrition and health news delivered to your inbox. As well as being a highly concentrated energy source, fat has several other advantages. SmartPak's Staff Veterinarian, Dr. Lydia Gray, answers a question about how to get a horse to gain weight. Your veterinarian may determine that your horse is not maintaining appropriate weight and condition due to a dental condition that can be addressed by routine dentistry. The senior horse population is larger now than ever before, with many horses leading healthy lives into their 30s. 1  Give him free choice hay unless there is some medical reason (such as metabolic syndrome, founder (also known as laminitis) or Cushing’s disease) not to. Since older horses tend to eat slowly you can usually let them feed free choice. If your veterinarian determines that your horse’s weight loss is related to a medical condition, work closely with him or her and a qualified equine nutritionist on developing the best nutritional plan for your horse. If your horse is at an age at which there is no longer adequate tooth to erupt and replace what is worn or other dental conditions (such as missing teeth) exist that will inhibit proper chewing and grinding, your horse may require a change in diet. Dr. Young has worked as a trainer and riding instructor for more than 30 years, and continues do so in the Kansas City area. Hi everyone, I just got a new horse yesterday. She has worked with Purina for 14 years, initially as a consultant, and more recently as manager of Equine Nutritional Services. If you did this with a younger horse they will get sick, but so far I have not had a … Why is this happening and how can I help him? 2012. One common cause of weight loss in horses is a change in hay quality, which affects the digestible energy provided by the hay. Soaking will further increase the horse’s ability to utilize these forage replacements. Feed a senior horse more frequently, at least three times daily. 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