Let me begin by telling you about my yearling filly. She is halter and pleasure bred. Her sire is 17 hands, dam is 15 hands and about 15 hands wide, if you know what I mean. My filly is 15 months old now and weighs 650 lbs. She stands 14.3 hands right now.

The problem: She is slightly skinny, ranking a 4 or 5 on body condition. Ribs are visible. Rest of body looks decent.

We have done bloodwork, stool sample analyzed, teeth checked, scoped----all good to normal levels. You are probably wondering what my problem is......Well, she is fed 15 lbs of feed per day and is still this skinny. She gets 15 lbs of Strategy per day and about 20 lbs of perennial peanut hay (comparable to high quality alfalfa). Free minerals, white salt block, plenty of fresh water. We cant get her to gain.

Vet now has me feeding her 15 lbs of Senior feed each day, along with free choice perennial peanut. This was decided once the scope came back clean which ruled out ulcers.

Any ideas? She was also given a powerpack last week to rule out parasites. She is stalled only at night. Pasture all day long.

Where are you from? Georgia

How did you locate this forum? was provided as a link on the paint horse lovers message board

Hi Chelsea,

The best way to help a horse gain weight is twofold:

First, give her more fat, not more starch and sugar. Strategy is not a good feed for a growing filly. It is high in starch and sugar, leading to a higher likelyhood of her developing osteopathic disorders while growing.

Second, improve the health of the bacterial flora in the hind gut by giving her a prebiotic. I recommend Ration Plus. This will feed these bacteria, allowing her to gain more calories from her forage.

So change your feed to one that is low in starch and high in fat, such as Triple Crown Low Starch. Add Ration Plus at a double dose. And give her flaxseed meal -- Nutra Flax -- 6 ounces (3 scoops) per day.

I would also caution you against feeding large meals. If you are feeding as much as 15 pounds per day you would need to feed 4 meals each day to prevent colic. Horses have relatively small stomachs and a meal should never exceed 4 lbs, and for her size, smaller than that.

If you would like to take a look at her overall situation in more detail, please consider setting up a phone consultation appointment.

All the best,

Dr. Getty

Where are you from? Bayfield, CO

Thank you very much Dr. Getty. I have placed an order for Ration Plus. I am feeding her Ultra Bloom, so I am going to wait on the Nutra Flax because the Bloom is supposed to be about the same thing and I can access it easier here. Thanks again.

Where are you from? Georgia

How did you locate this forum? was provided as a link on the paint horse lovers message board

Hello Chelsea,

Ultra Bloom is a stabilized rice bran product, not flaxseed meal, like Nutra Flax. Rice bran does not contain any omega 3 fatty acids, so while it has additional fat, it is not as effective in her overall health as flaxseed meal.

All the best,

Dr. Getty

Where are you from? Bayfield, CO