Weight Gain: The Natural Route

horsekrazcort · Yearling

Weight Gain: The Natural Route

dangerbunnygirl · Well Schooled

Forage first for weight gain, that being said Rice Bran is amazing stuff, I actually don't feed any grain but feed my mare a combo of alfalfa pellets, beet pulp and rice bran and she looks marvelous.

Corn oil is actually not that great except for extra calories, it has inflammatory omega 6s. You wold be better off with rice bran or flax seed.

Barnmouser Ash · Grand Prix

From what I understand, horses can't process oils that well (no gallbladder), so feeding oils is really not all that great of an idea. Hay cubes are a good way to go; as DBG said, forage first for weight gain. Beet pulp will definitely put some pounds on her and not make her hot. A lot of horses love it, too.

If you can afford it, some senior feeds will put weight on a horse pretty fast. It's not a cure-all end-all, but in a pinch, the $20 - $30 or so for a 50lb bag is well worth it. I would use this as an alternative, however. Stick to beet pulp and increased hay/hay cubes.

justice · Grand Prix

Another fan against oils here, and for same reason mentioned. I know many folks swear by corn oil but I, for one, will never : )

Agreed: Forage first. Not sure what you have for grain brands available to you but be aware that some senior formulas are higher in sugars than others. yet many are higher in fat, too, so best to read the labels and talk with the manufacturers directly if possible.

No two ways about it, horses aren't cheap!

Nikki Salo · Grand Prix

I would drop her grain and feed beet pulp personally, since it is a fibre that is higher in calories than forage and lower in energy (Mcals/kg) than cereal grain, but since it is broken down in the cecum like forage, the horse's body can better use it, so it adds a level amount of energy that would be similar to cereal grain only because it acts differently in the body it doesn't add heat/rocket fuel. I'd add hay cubes on top of that if need be, you can get a 50lb bag of hay cubes at TSC for pretty cheap (if you have a TSC close by, ours sells for 10-11 dollars, a handful of alfalfa cubes go a long way to put weight on)

I don't mind oil in the diet, although you wont start to see results for 5-6 months for the above mentioned, no gallbladder, but they can adjust to process it, but it is not something natural to them (but neither is the amount of grain that we feed now-a-days).

If you feel she'd be better off on a complete feed, depending on her age/routine, I'd be careful because they can often be really high in crude protein and you don't want to tax her kidneys needlessly -- often times a senior feed is 18%, when the average adult horse should be getting around 8-12% max (12% if you think your horse is working as hard a pregnant mare/endurance horse/high performance mount), this includes the amount of protein she'd be getting from hay and grazing.

Barnmouser Ash · Grand Prix

Nikki makes a great point about the high amount of protein in senior feed. Your average working horse, as stated, won't need more than 8-12%, with 12% being on the higher end. If you're not sure what protein % your feed currently has, it should say on the label. Some feeds even say right on the front, "12% maintenance horse feed", for example.

I think as a general consensus, removing her grain and feeding beet pulp will be your wisest and most effective bet.

:) Good luck, and let us know how it goes!

dangerbunnygirl · Well Schooled

Also going the oil route is not going to be much cheaper then adding good quality forage, Since you would be feeding at least a cup of oil a day for the extra calories that would work out to about $18 a month (1 gallon = 16 cups, corn oil seems to run about $9 a gallon)

What Nikki said is absolutely true about equine digestion, there are many resources online talking about the benefits of high fiber/low starch diets. I have gone this route with my mare and feel is completely the right move for most horses.

In my opinion you would be better off adding beet pulp or more hay to her diet then just dumping in the corn oil. Beet pulp should be soaked before feeding and I really like RiceBran for adding extra "cool" calories.

Also what type of grain is she getting? It is actually more cost effective to feed a higher quality grain. For example an average horse would need 10# of generic sweet feed daily and only 5# of a better feed like SafeChoice or Strategy. Also if you are feeding below the recommended amount of grain you should add in a vitamin and mineral supplement since your horse would not be getting adequate amounts. I really like the Triple Crown feeds, they are a little more expensive but are good. With feed you really get what you pay for.

You didn't mention how much hay she is getting but try her on free choice grass hay, if she still isn't gaining much consider checking her for ulcers,you said she is mostly stalled after being on pasture, some TBs can be prone to ulcers.

horsekrazcort · Yearling

Thanks for the opinions guys! I'm going to try to find rice bran or flaxseed somewhere. Do they just sell those at feed stores? She is getting free choice grass hay. I just found someone who knows someone who sell a medium grass/alfalfa mix for the same price I pay for my grass. But the rice bran or flaxxseed sounds good.

Thanks again!

horsekrazcort · Yearling

Dangerbunny I just read your post. Using the good ol' smartphone ;). She gets Strategy because I really like the amount of research Purina puts into their feeds. I was thinking about maybe giving her ultiumbut she has always been on strategy with me. And she does get free choice. I also put her in the pasture whenever I can get the chance (we only have one grass pasture)

dangerbunnygirl · Well Schooled

You can get rice bran at feed stores, Tsc should have it. I use the Maxiglo type made by MannaPro. It runs about $22. and a 40# will last my two horses a month.

Strategy is a decent feed but does contain a high amount of corn which makes it unsuitable for my horse (grain sensitivities) i would recommend either upping the amount of adding a vitamin or mineral supplement because otherwise your horse is getting well below the RDA of minerals.

Has she has been dewormed recently? Have you been rotating dewormers (chemical classes not just name brands)? this place does a cheap fecal http://www.horsemenslab.com/ to make sure she is clear of parasites and your program is working.

horsekrazcort · Yearling

Yeah she gets dewormed every 5-6 weeks depending on the season. And she's on a rotational schedule according to a chart we have.

dangerbunnygirl · Well Schooled

You might still want to get a fecal test, in case of any resistance.

This women has some good advice regarding supplements http://gettyequinenutrition.biz/

horsekrazcort · Yearling

Sweet thank you. I'll definitely look into the stool test too.

I went out and got some rice bran today as well.

darkhorserunning · Well Schooled

Rice bran is great have you had her teeth floated? i know some people do not like to get it done but, i know what a big differance it can make if she was wormed, and a test came back clear the next thing i would look at is the teeth, we always look at what the problem may be medically first than if nothing comes back we, start changing feed as that can end up being good and expesive.

Barnmouser Ash · Grand Prix

Sarah makes a great point. Sharp edges can make the difference between a healthy, happy horse, and a grouchy, thinning horse. If she's not had her teeth looked at in a bit, I would get that done :)

horsekrazcort · Yearling

Her teeth were floated back in March. And she has no problem chewing her hay, grain, carrots, my dandy brushes. She thinks everything with bristles is grass. But she seems to like the rice bran and she hasn't skyrocketed so I'm happy. I figure I will have to give it a couple weeks before seeing and noticeable changes. And the rain is slowly clearing up here (don't know if you guys in Canada have heard of the crazy tornadoes the midwest is getting. I live 20 minutes from St. Louis where the last one destroyed a good portion of our airport.) so she will get to go out in the pasture more often again. All is looking up :)

-- Edited by horsekrazcort on Tuesday 26th of April 2011 08:41:09 PM

deb · Well Schooled

Hi

Beet pulp pellets are cheap, easy to store, and put pounds on, they are great for the stomach, since they should be soaked with pleanty of water, they add to the ph level and help digestion, and most horses like them. They will add plenty of pounds. We add a bit of molassas (about a 1/4 cup) to flavour them, and a then whole western oats (to the dregree that the horse is allowed)... but whatever grain you feed can go in the mix. We use a kettle to boil the water, and let it sit for at least an hour (longer is fine)... one of my horses has a horrible gassy stomach, and his diet is ultra important to him, beet pulp (with daily tub of yogurt) has litterally saved his life-- he gets all the hay he wants as well-- and my other horse is a very hard keeper, that has ulcer troubles, can be nervous, was abused and has an issue with NOT drinking water-- beet pulp has changed him from a horse that was emaciated (he had lots to eat-- the previous owner spent tons on feed), to a horse that could still use a few extra pounds (due to his poor drinking habits)-- but has gained so much weight in comparission that his not recognizable to what he used to look like. You can try it...

take care, good luck

deb mcdaid

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