Weight Gain

[Anonymous]

I have a horse who is 37 years old (yes, 37!!). He gets around just fine for his age, but my problem is putting and keeping weight on him. We had the vet check him awhile back and she told me to get his feed ground as fine as possible, which I did. He is a very good eater, and it doesn't seem to just be passing through him. Any suggestions on how to get his weight up for winter would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.

 

[Anonymous]

Make sure he has a variety of minerals loose free choice. He will take what he needs. Try ProBi on his feed to help digestion and utilization of what he eats. I assume he is wormed every other month with a rotation of wormers. Do you keep his teeth floated? Try providing chopped hay, or fine stem alfalfa, or alfalfa cubes. Try spraying his hay to dampen it. It will make it softer to chew.

Good luck. My old boy is only 31.

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[Anonymous]

> I have a horse who is 37 years old
> (yes, 37!!). He gets around just
> fine for his age, but my problem
> is putting and keeping weight on
> him. We had the vet check him
> awhile back and she told me to get
> his feed ground as fine as
> possible, which I did. He is a
> very good eater, and it doesn't
> seem to just be passing through
> him. Any suggestions on how to get
> his weight up for winter would be
> greatly appreciated. Thanks. You might want to look into getting his teeth floated and putting him on a high concentration feed, such as pelleted equine senior. Also look into the TDN of the feed you're currently using, and raise that. And also check trace mineral amounts in feed to make sure that they are sufficient to help proper digestion. And if you're feeding a grass type hay, maybe invest in alfalfa/brome cross.

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[Anonymous]

Friends who raise quarterhorses had a beloved arab who was close to 40 when he passed away. What worked for them was to provide a good lick type horse supplement in a tub, and his alfalfa cube diet was fed in a bucket of water. By wetting down the cubes thoroughly, he was able to stay in very good shape the last 3 years of his life. This wasn't a light spray of water - I'm talking a bucket of water to soak the cubes in. The other suggestions you've received here are important, too.

This couple had 5 kids, spread out over about 20 years, and that horse had seen all of their kids through 4H over the years. There was quite a funeral when Smokey died. Their kids and grandkids came from all over the state for the burial and services. Lots of tears and good memories of a fine horse.

> Make sure he has a variety of
> minerals loose free choice. He
> will take what he needs. Try ProBi
> on his feed to help digestion and
> utilization of what he eats. I
> assume he is wormed every other
> month with a rotation of wormers.
> Do you keep his teeth floated? Try
> providing chopped hay, or fine
> stem alfalfa, or alfalfa cubes.
> Try spraying his hay to dampen it.
> It will make it softer to chew.

> Good luck. My old boy is only 31.

 

[Anonymous]

It is hard keeping weight on old horses!! But have you checked his teeth? Or for that matter have they been filed? Old horses like old people don't have good teeth so they might be long so get your vet to check that too!

*****> I have a horse who is 37 years old
> (yes, 37!!). He gets around just
> fine for his age, but my problem
> is putting and keeping weight on
> him. We had the vet check him
> awhile back and she told me to get
> his feed ground as fine as
> possible, which I did. He is a
> very good eater, and it doesn't
> seem to just be passing through
> him. Any suggestions on how to get
> his weight up for winter would be
> greatly appreciated. Thanks.

 

[Anonymous]

Horses teeth aren't filed, they are floated. They don't get too long, (unless some are missing), they get sharp points due to the inside of the uppers and out side of the lowers wearing off. Their teeth (unlike peoples) keep growing so the part that doesn't wear off gets sharp and will make chewing rather unpleasant.

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