Helping a Warmblood To Gain Weight

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Permalink Reply by Queenrider on November 25, 2009 at 9:48am

You did not specifiy amounts of what she is getting fed. You also mention she is getting skinny in the back and hindquarters. This can be due to something as simple as a lack of exercise or to muscle atrophy problem which requires a vet exam.
Some barns donot feed enough despite what they tell you. (I have been there and had that done to my horse).
She may simply need a greater quantity of feed.
My last TB needed 5 gallons of Purina Senior per day plus free choice hay (preferably alfalfa when available) plus a hot of supplements to maintain her weight. My current horse gets a handful of Equalizer per day plus free choice grass hay.

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Permalink Reply by Jan Jollymour on November 25, 2009 at 10:00am

Hi, Eden:

I agree with Queenrider - most barns don't feed nearly enough hay. I have a barn full of WB's, ranging in age (right now) between 4 and 16, and all of them eat at least 1/2 a bale of hay per day right now (that averages 30 - 40 lts. of hay per day). If the weather gets colder they'll increase their hay intake. The hay is 19% protein grass/clover mix, second cut, quite fine, easy to eat. The hard keepers on the barn also get (on top of the hay) up to a gallon of alfalfa cubes, 5 lbs. of High-Fat 20 (a 20% fat high-fibre horse feed), Body Builder, DMG, and 3 cups of Total Equine (5% fat vitamin/mineral mix).

What kind of hay and grain is being fed and in what amounts? Often grain is not your best bet - take a good look at beet pulp instead. How much canola oil, what state is the flax in and how much is being fed? The Regenerex won't be doing much for her bones, but it might help her joints if she's got an issue. What's the status of her de-worming program? What's her exercise regimen? Does she have access to lots of free exercise and if not, what do you do to replace that?

We need more information to adequately help you....

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Permalink Reply by Michelle Synnot on November 28, 2009 at 11:10am

I would get your vet to do a fecal sample and try and rule out worms, also a probiotic supplement can be helpful.. I have a Canadian Warmblood (Oldenburg x TB) who tends to be a poor keeper in the winter, I started giving him 2 big flakes of alfalfa per day and he has since been keeping a good weight.

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Permalink Reply by x.comehomefriday.x on December 9, 2009 at 4:38pm

I rescued a TB and he was skinny as can be, We fed him lots of grain but that doesn't necessarily mean it'll put more weight on him. Beet Pulp is a great thing to give for weight gain, I put my horse on weight gain for a couple of months just to get him started then I put him on Corn Oil which is good for weight gain as well, Feed with lots protein it is best but protein also means hypers, depending on your horse. My horse is on something called Gro'N Win, my horse on;y gets 1 cup twice a day and you can see the difference in as little as 2 weeks.

http://www.buckeyenutrition.com/equine/gronwin.html

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Permalink Reply by A_Sassy_Temptation on December 11, 2009 at 10:37pm

I give my hard keeper yearling, half a coffee tin of sweet feed, 1/2 cup of milled flax, daily mineral, 24/7 salt block, and about 4 cups of This 20% highfat feed for stallions called Super 8 (something like that), and 2 ice cream pales of timothy/alfalfa cubes a day. The highfat feed I mentioned is very decently priced (about 20.00 a bag) and lasts me a month (for you about 2 bags per month), its made for hardkeepers.

I am totally impressed with this feed, and recommend it for anyone.

I dont like to feed lots of hay as most of it goes right through them, and if she is in with other horses some horses may not need the extra. For instance my yearlings buddy is a 13 yr old Paint WP/halter horse and because of his Halter side he has very small feet, and a HUGE body to carry so he can get a bit ouchey if he is overweight, and he can get fat off of air..so both my horses get the same ration of cubes/hay, and my yearling gets the extra supplement feeding outside of the paddock.

PS the 13 yr old gelding has seen a good professional barefoot trimmer, and we are working on preventing navicular, and his joints are given glucosamine and MSM, and he gets his Hocks injected every 6 months..he is well maintained.

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Permalink Reply by Tilka Marzolf on December 12, 2009 at 8:57am

Are you worming enough? Also like some of the other answers, how much the barn owners feed their QH can be as little as a 1/4 of what your mare needs. Many "cold bloodied" types can look good and be very healthy on very little food, comparied to TH or WB's. Hence that is why those type of horses were used as rough cow ponies. I mostly have TH & TH Crosses and they take so much more grain and hay then the QH's that I have worked with.

As far as hay" going right through them" this is bull. Horses need roughage via grass and or hay. Horses are grazing animals, unlike dogs or cats. Your mare should have hay/grass at all times. As an eventer, trainer,unless a horse is about to compete there should be grass/hay for them at all times.


Oil does help,as does beet bulp with weigth gain.

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Permalink Reply by A_Sassy_Temptation on December 13, 2009 at 10:47am

"As far as hay" going right through them" this is bull. Horses need roughage via grass and or hay. Horses are grazing animals, unlike dogs or cats. Your mare should have hay/grass at all times. As an eventer, trainer,unless a horse is about to compete there should be grass/hay for them at all times."

This is your opinion, but my opinion stands, if you feed lots of hay, your wasting your money, horse should get their required amount by weight, yes in the wild they are grazers and therefore grazed but believe me there grass was nothing like the hay we purchase now. The better idea as I do believe horses should be getting hay many times a day is to seperate their required amount more than twice a day.. So they get the effect of grazing.

I would like to see you guys give your horse a round bail and see how much it poops, then give them their daily requirement and then see how much they poop..I bet there is going to be a difference. Same with the reason why you feed grain after hay so that the supplement doesn't get pushed threw without complete absorbtion of the nutrients.

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Permalink Reply by Kathy Masters on December 13, 2009 at 10:56pm

Hello,

Lots of times horses don't gain wait because they are not digesting the food that we give them, like everything they are all individuals. From what I have learned in the past is that you do not want to feed oils to your horses especially conola oil for the reason that they do not have gallbadders. I would probably give him a beet pulp with bran mash so that the horse is getting alot of fiber. I also would put him on a probiotic there are a couple that I would go with Biotic 8 (Omega Alpha) or Riva's Remedies has a good one also. That would probably keep him from eating his poop. I too would get a fecal sample and get it tested. I suggest you get the book from Riva's Remedies web site it is an easy read and very informative. This is just my suggestions. Also for building the hind end up if you have some hills to go up while riding will help there is also exercises to do to help that.

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Permalink Reply by Carrie Bale on December 16, 2009 at 3:05pm

Not many people know this, but feeding canola oil by itself will CAUSE your horse to lose weight. I learned this from a biochemist who has done extensive studies on it. If you mix it half and half with corn oil, then you will get the effect you want - weight gain without the inflammation. Corn and vegetable oil are inflammatory to the intestines.....but if you mix it with the canola oil, it negates the inflammation, I believe, from the Omega 3's.

I see she is getting Flax, which also provides Omega 3's. However much Canola oil you are giving, give an equal amount of corn oil.....

She may simply not be getting enough to eat.... I would add a good digestive product to her regimen. A wonderful one that has microencapsulated probiotics (important so that they reach the hind gut) is called GastroSmooth - great great product.

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