Dr. Getty,
I'm posting this for a friend. She has a 21 yo OTTB who is pasture boarded on 5 acres of nice pasture with one other horse. The owner of the pasture does not provide feed except hay in the winter. This mare lost a lot of weight last winter, so her owner has been trying to fatten her up before this winter. She is still on the thin side, and now we are having a major drought so the pasture quality has deteriorated. Her owner comes out once a day and feeds the following:

3 lbs. Equine Senior
1.5 lbs. (dry weight) beet pulp, soaked
1 flake fescue hay (she can't feed more hay due to the time it takes her to eat it, the other horse chases her off if her owner doesn't stay with her while she eats)

Since she can only feed once a day, is there anything she can add to help this mare gain weight?
BTW, teeth are checked regularly, she is on a good rotational deworming program (including annual tapeworm deworming), and she has all necessary vet care. Her only other recurring health problem is that she has minor colics quite often. They usually resolve themselves or with a little banamine and some corn oil on her feed.

Thanks for your advice, I love this forum!

Kim

Where are you from? Clover, SC

How did you locate this forum? Googled "horse nutrition"

Hi Kim,

Thank you for your kind words and your patience in my getting to your question.

You asked about something you can give to assist with weight gain. Yes, actually, there are two things that I would add to her meal each day. The first one is Ration Plus. This is a prebiotic (not a probiotic that has live microbes) that feeds the existing bacterial flora that live in the hind gut. By doing this, they are better able to efficiently digest forage, hence provide more calories to her tissues so she can gain weight.

The second item is a good vitamin/mineral supplement that has a flaxseed meal base. Since she is getting some Equine Senior, I would go with Glanzen. Not only does this have beneficial fat (from flaxseed) to help her gain weight, but it also provides high amounts of omega 3 fatty acids to do many things -- boost immune function, create healthy hooves and haircoat, keep her joints in good condition, and protect vital organs. Glanzen is also high in the B vitamins, which will protect her digestive system and make her less likely to colic due to stress.

I say "stress" because she is (1) not getting quality pasture and (2) she is not getting enough hay and has the stress of other horses wanting to get her off of her hay. It is a good idea to put out more piles of hay than there are horses so if she is pushed aside, she can go to another pile.

Her colic may also be due to a meal that is too large in size. 1.5 lbs of beet pulp, when soaked, takes up a large amount of volume. Add 3 lbs of Equine Senior, and you have a colic situation waiting to happen. So, if only one meal per day is feasible, I would suggest that you keep the beet pulp, and replace the equine senior with another forage -- I would recommend alfalfa pellets -- say 2 lbs of this (dry) with added water. And, then instead of Glanzen, go with Glanzen Complete for additional vitamins and minerals (since the Equine Senior is out of the picture).

Whether you use Glanzen or Glanzen complete, she should have 3 full scoops per day (that's 6 ounces by weight).

I hope this is helpful.

All the best,

Dr. Getty

Where are you from? Bayfield, CO

Thank you so much, Dr. Getty. I will give her owner this information.
Kim

Where are you from? Clover, SC

How did you locate this forum? Googled "horse nutrition"