These social butterflies may have a hard time focusing on their meals. When trying to put weight on horses, adding extra hay like you’re doing is always the first and best option. A number of factors, mental and physical, can cause a horse to lose weight, and in fact, his difficulties may stem from multiple problems. One of the simplest and cheapest ways to add fat to your horse’s diet is vegetable oil from the grocery store, which can be poured over his regular concentrate ration. First, the amount of energy produced from starch by fermentation is less than the amount produced by enzymatic means. All Rights Reserved. Keeping weight on a perpetually thin horse can be tricky, but the effort will be worth it when you see him moving out across the pasture looking fit, strong and healthy. Your veterinarian will also investigate possible sources of chronic pain, which can put a horse off of his feed. Unfortunately, there is a point of no return when a horse gets too much grain in its digestive tract and the delicate balance of the microbial population is upset. If the horse is on the lower end of this range, you will need to feed them with feed that is high in protein. The limiting factor to starch digestion in the horse is the production of amylase in the intestinal tract. It can take up to six months to see normal results. The rest of the diet should be designed around the minimal forage requirement. 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. Therefore, as lignin content of a feed increases, digestibility decreases. Therefore, it is better to feed steam rolled or cooked barley and steam flaked or super flaked corn than their untreated counterparts. Sign up for free now! Without sufficient amylase in the intestinal tract, much of the starch in the diet passes through to the large intestine where it is fermented. For example, most people think that you can put any person on your back. One quick test of the quality of hay is to squeeze a handful. Supplements are available that may help with fiber digestion if the horse has a problem with the balance of the microbes in the cecum or colon. However, if your horse is only moderately thin, you can probably handle managing his weight gain yourself—just be prepared to call your veterinarian if have any questions or run into difficulties. Extra TLC can really help a horse recover quickly! Once you’ve identified and addressed the most probable reasons for your horse’s weight loss, it’s time to develop a strategy to put the pounds back on. 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. However, the one Thoroughbred in the barn who arrived a little thin six months ago has not put on any weight. Rice bran is an excellent product for improving body condition and topline of thin horses because it is a combination of rice oil and highly digestible fiber. Commonly used in commercial horse feeds, soy hulls are slightly lower in digestibility than beet pulp. Some horses who pick through hay will readily eat pellets or cubes. • Personality. In other words, a horse loses weight simply because his caloric needs are not being met. If your horse has been inactive, consider implementing a moderate exercise program. If your horse is on the skinny side, take steps now to put some pounds on him before winter arrives. The quality of the forage matters, too. It may take some trial and error to find the right combination of forages, fats and concentrates to keep your horse healthy and strong. Feed for a weight gain of 0.5 to 0.75 pounds daily. Keep the long rein, encourage your horse to stretch his neck down. A veterinarian has thoroughly examined the horse and nothing appears to be wrong. For example, Thoroughbreds usually eat more per pound of body weight than draft horses. Follow feeding instructions on the label for serving sizes for any commercial products. Studies have shown that the oat starch molecule is small and easily digested by amylase. Traditionally, fat was added to give the coat a healthy shine. If there is more leaf and less stem, or if the stems have not matured to become stiff and inflexible, the digestible fiber portion of the hay will be higher. Feeding a horse for weight gain isn't necessarily difficult. From there, the sugars in the blood are distributed to where they may be needed by the body for energy or they may be stored as muscle glycogen or adipose tissue for future use. Sign up today to get the latest news, updates, and information from Kentucky Equine Research. First, select a product that is formulated for your horse’s stage of life and activity level. Horses that suffer starch sensitivity should not be given high grain diets. Fiber is the major component of grass and hay. An average 1000 lb horse needs to consume from 2 to to 3% of his/her own body weight in forage and feed daily, or 20 to 30 pounds total daily ration for a 1000 pound horse. Sometimes, getting a thin horse to gain weight is simply a matter of increasing the caloric density of the diet. An extension agent can help you assess the nutritional value of your pasture and hay. 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