weight gain

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Hello,

I have a 23 year old, 16.2 standard bred gelding who is currently slightly underweight. He has free access to oaten hay and has been wormed last week but hasnt put any weight on. He only gets ridden occasionly by children mostly (some times by small adult's) because i am quite heavy set. He is very lazy and rarely trots/pace. I was curious if anyone could help me put that last couple of kilo's on him. He is currently larger than xander but not by much, and i was hoping to get him to look like patience for example. He dosn't lounge, so i can't build muscle that way. He has no way of getting to any grass, so bulky feeds are the only solution. I love my little boy dearly and want him to be healthy, but with all the books i have read they haven't got any suggestions for a horse in my case. Also there is no sign of obvious cancer or liver problems and he dosn't drop feed when he eats, so his teeth are fine. If you could help me i couldn't explain how much i apreciate it.

Thankyou,

Hi there,

I would get his teeth checked again just in case as he might be balling it up rather than dropping it. Also I'd recommend getting blood test done as this will show up if there are any medical reasons he might not be holding weight. I'd also get him some sandlube as sand in the gut is one of the most common reasons horses don't hold weight well.

If blood tests show no issues and the dentist gives the all clear and the sandlube doesn't work, I'd be talking to an equine nutritionist who will assess him and recommend a diet appropriate for his age, condition and workload. Richard Marsden would probably help: richardpmarsden@bigpond.com

I recommend these steps in that order.

Best of luck and let us know how you go!

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Thankyou sooo much,

He has put on some more weight. maybe the wormers took a while to kick in. Although some part of the day i can see a bit of his ribs and his topline and other parts of the day i can't, is this unusual...?? I can usually see a bit more bone in the late afternoon. When i can get in contact with a local ferrier i will get his teeth and feet done.

Thankyou sooo much for that infomation...

Perhaps it is to do with his hydration levels? Speak to a Vet if you can and ask them. Most Vets don't charge just to answer questions.

Please do not get a farrier to do his teeth, get a proper qualified dentist. If you can tell us what area you're in, we could probably recommend somebody who you can call.

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The reason you can only sometimes see his ribs is probably to do with his 'gut fill'. After a horse has eaten a large amount of hay, the gut expands because lots of gas is let off from the fermentation process in the caecum and water is drawn into the gut. This makes the horse's belly expand and stretch and you can't see their ribs as obviously. When the gut is empty, the ribs are more obvious. You should aim for not being able to see his ribs when his gut is empty. Definitely add in some hard feeds and chaff as these will be more digestible for an old boy. And I second Jess that you need to get his teeth checked!!

Maike

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"The greatness of a nation and its moral progress can be judged by the way its animals are treated" Mahatma Gandhi.

What a lucky horse to have such a diligent, attentive owner Smile

I second the comment about having a specialist equine dentist come out. Although from lack of options, I did have a very good vet/dentist do my boy's teeth last month: Rachael Stone. She was thorough, handled the horse well and explained absolutely everything, step by step.

Other bits & pieces I've learnt about ageing...

* The intestinal wall deteriorates with age, making the absorption of nutrients into the blood stream harder & harder. Early worm damage (scarring) on the intestinal wall from younger years will also hinder this.

* Hormone levels change with age: effecting the body's ability to regulate body temperature. This contributes to older horses losing condition in the cooler months quicker than younger, if not kept warm enough. Tumours in the Pituitary gland are common among geriatric horses, which will of course effect these hormones even more noticeably.

* Liver function slows down through time, making the conversion of essential nutrients harder. A simple blood test will determine liver performance.

* Teeth need doing every 6 months. Even if you feed ad lib hay, sometimes the teeth just cannot chew down the fibres small enough for optimal digestion.

* Age Specific feeds for older horses are always extruded, micronised or steamed in some way, to help aid better digestion. Have a look at Mitavite Gumnuts and Equi-Jewel. Rice Bran is another good feed, easy to eat and a very good weight lifter.

All horses are different though. Some age with more grace than others (like people I guess, lol)

Thankyou guy's sooo much,

I live in merredin and i don't have a float so i cant "ship" him to a town that does have a dentist. If possible does anyone know of a farrier near merredin? just for his feet. I had a mare that was about Ashas weight when i got her and she just never put on weight even with large feeds lucky enough i had a lady who would look on internet sites i didn't know of and print off info. I started her on gumnuts and she slowely put on weight but she wasn't even close to a healthy weight, but a couple of months later we had to put her down for liver problems and cancer, she was a 22 year old grey arabian mare. I got them both at the same time and they were and are my first horses. I am wanting to adopt/foster Shishka when i can talk my parents into it.

Sorry, back on subject. I was planning on putting him on gumnuts and was wondering if anyone knew of a good feed mixture for him? I will try to ring my vet tomorrow and see if they have any advise. He is slowely putting on a bit more weight. He was fine when we got him but he was slowely getting a little thin so i just wanted to nip it in the bud before it got out of hand.

Thankyou soooo much,

G'day Amanda.
By the look of it Robbie needs alot more hay. He needs to pick at it 24/7 seeing there is absolutly nothing in your paddocks (thats Merredin for you).
What are you feeding him right now? Are you giving him a good hard feed twice a day?

It took me a while to adjust to how to feed a horse in such drought conditions. While I had my two at your place I hadn't quite adjusted yet.
Now I feed a lib of hay. Everytime I go out the door I throw King a bikky of hay. He's only a yearling and he's on two LARGE feeds a day which consists of Wheaten Chaff, Lucerne Chaff, Full Fat Soya (I found this stuff AWESOME to put weight on), Weaner pellets, Kohnke's Energy Gold (for a coat conditioner because he's shown) and Kohnke's Cell Grow (for strong bones and healthy growth).
Although he gets the recommended amount of everything he gets the max limit for everything (with conditions) and this is keeping him nice and round and healthy, any less and I'd be having weight troubles.
Feed out here is so important because there's absolutly nothing to pick on he needs his roughage to eat allday and he needs something in his hard feed to give him back of what he's missing out on in the paddock. Hence why his energy levels are low because he isn't getting it back through his feed.
I'm no expert and can't really recommend what to feed him as I'm feeding young horses and not older horses. My oldest is 16 but she's out on a farm with all she can eat un-harvested oats and doing fine. Although Gracie is about Robbie's size and she THRIVES on whole soaked lupins, maybe worth giving these a go.
There are people you can contact to discuss his diet with that will help ballance it out for you.
But remember what ever you try you've got to give many weeks for a real improvement.
Also I'll pop round sometime over the next week or so when your home and I'll give you the number to a farrier who comes to Merredin and also does teeth.

Last edited by Kelsarni on Mon Mar 17, 2008 3:09 pm; edited 1 time in total

I second ad lib hay - its BRILLIANT for putting weight on! Just stick a round bale in for them and let them go at it Smile

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What si lib hay? Robbie gets a free supply to an oaten round bale 24/7, but he hasn't been on a large supply for long so mabe i should see what will happen to his weight in the near future, are you available this wednesday afternoon?

A lib of hay means 24/7 Smile

so your doing that. Keep it up and you should see a difference.
I may be free this Wednesday avo...

he isn't on any hard feed. If / when i put him on hard feed the best for senior horses that i have used is gumnuts. So i when he does get put onto hard feed i will give him the mesurements on the packet, chaff, pony cubes. Does this sound alright? I think i will get his teeth done, and let him eat all the hay that he wants, if there isn't enough improvement in a month i think i should get a vet to get blood tests and what not, just to check there isn'e a medical reason for him to be thin. I wasn't able to call the vet for his hydration levels. When i do call them (got the day off tomorrow) do i just ask what the symptoms of low hydration levels are, how do i fix it ect. ? Can i check the hydration levels by pinching his neck skin and releasing to see how quickely his skin goes down, or is this something completely differant? When i do pinch his neck his skin goes straight back down, whether it be morning or afternoon.

Personally I'd put him on a feed twice a day. Hay isn't enough for him and with the cold weather coming he's going to use any fat he has to keep warm there-fore he'll lose weight, rugging can only do so much.
Definently put him on the basics of chaff, lucerne chaff and the gumnuts. If feeding gumnuts you won't really have to bother with pony cubes. But he needs it twice a day.
Feeding horses out here is a lot expensive then in Perth! They definently need atleast one good hard feed a day and a lib of hay but because your bloke is 23 and on the leaner side I'd recommend two feeds a day.
But remember to re-introduce it slowly.

i cant see his ribs or topline! even in the afternoon. Thankyou guys sooo much, i still have to put more weight on, but its happening, Laughing

when i relised this afternoon i gave him a huge hug, so i guess he got two things he wanted a hug, and as much hay as he can eat!

Good work! Razz

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