Those of you with seniors or hard keepers
TXBelle1174
Posts: 615 Member
I just acquired a 17yo gelding. He is SO awesome but he is very skinny. I know what I personally have used in the past to fit a horse but I was wondering what others have used to their success when trying to keep weight on an older horse or fatten up a skinny horse.
I think its rather ironic that I am on a weight loss site chatting about fattening up my horse!
I think its rather ironic that I am on a weight loss site chatting about fattening up my horse!
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Corn oil added to their diet will help a lot and will keep the extra food you do give them sliding right through too as a colic prevention with the older horses. I would go with a LOW Protein diet so that they don't burn the calories that they are given. Depending on how skinny they are you can work up to about a 1/2 cup or what they are willing to tolerate in their grain as far as the oil is concerned. And as much hay as they can eat as well.
I would also get their teeth checked, some of the main reasons that an older horse that age has trouble with weight staying on is the fact that they can't chew as well as needed.0 -
Depends on why they are skinny. Naturally hard keeper? Ulcers? Picky eater? etc.
I have tried all of the following, with (sort of) varying success. Really depends on the horse.
-Beet pulp (easy to add oil and other things once they are used to it)
-Vitamins
-Flax (ground, or boiled)
-Barley (seems to work better than oats) - boiled barley with boiled flax, cooled off or mixed with beet pulp to cool off, seems to work well & they love the taste
-oil (can give more like 2-3 cups a day, just work up to it, 1 cup per grain meal)
-dried fat (e.g. Cool Calories) - didn't really notice a difference with this
-alfalfa
-cubes (some prefer soaked, some like them dry) - if the horse is just picky, sometimes having food in different forms, in different types (e.g. alfalfa or timothy)
-hay available at all times (even when they are on grass)
-make sure they never get cold, and try to avoid excessive sweating
-break feeding up into many small meals (3-4 a day)
-add molasses or carrots/apples to cover up additives like vitamins. Also may help keep them interested in their food.
-sometimes they need work reduced in order to gain weight before they are ready to work and gain muscle0 -
If it's available in your area....Triple Crown Senior works fantastic! It's a beat pulp based feed and I have my 18 year old 17h appendix on it and it's amazing how much less feed I can feed him on it versus the other kinds of senior feed out there. I also put my mare on it when I got her at 4 years old as she was underweight and it worked great with her as well...didn't cause excess energy or anything. The other thing that helped was adding something like Seminole Ultrabloom or Legends supplement as they will help with the weight and the coat, and both are extruded pettets and high in fat. I've also in the past used the corn oil too but found the tc senior works really well and is made for easier digestion and upkeep of the elder horses.0
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I have a 30-yr old and a 26-yr old... to keep decent weight on them I feed 5# alfalfa-bermuda pellets, 5# Triple Crown Senior, 1# Calf Manna, and 1-2 flakes alfalfa TWICE A DAY. Be sure to be up-to-date on your worming and teeth-floating. One horse requires his pellets to be wetted or slurpy in order to consume them. Every horse is different, so keep trying different stuff til you find what works for YOUR horse!
:)J0 -
17 isnt really considered old these days!!
We have a 34 year old 17.2 ID X whose teeth have stopped growing and has a heart problem and arthritis in his withers. He's fed on a fibre diet, Fast Fibre, Unmollased sugar beet and a little chaff twice a day. He struggles to eat some stalky chaffs or long stalk haylage so he's on hay. In August to April we feed an additional 250ml per day of vegetable oil which keeps the weight up... He's also given as much turn out as possible.
My first pony was 44 when he passed away and eventually we had to liquidise his feed.
Teeth are priority, then feed oil twice a day and a high fibre diet.0 -
Every case surely is different. I have a rescue that I put 400+lbs on in a year..Free Choice Bermuda hay, Half scoop of each Alfalfa pellets/beet pellets, soaked.... then added a high fat grain to the mix.
I thought surely he would be looking poor for a long time but it worked. Now he is doing so well he can be on pasture with 1 scoop a day and Max-e- Glo...0 -
He is more like 19 or so and could be a few years either direction since he his registration papers are missing.
I balanced out a ration for him, which we have worked up to over the past few weeks and he is definitely feeling better and his attitude is improving every day. When I first brought him home, he was very lethargic, always with his head down, etc. Now, he greets me at the gate, he expression is bright and happy, and if I am outside where he can see me, he always comes up for a scratch behind the ears. He was pretty bad off when I got him. BCS of MAYBE a 3. Thats begin somewhat generous and he is a big horse so he looked terrible. He was missing hair in some areas but it is starting to grow back. His teeth have been floated, he has been dewormed and I think he is on the right track.
Spread out over two feedings - I am feeding him Purina Equine Senior Healthy Edge - 7lbs (14% protein/8% fat), Amplify (30% fat - High fat for weight gain and coat care) - 3lbs, water (double) soaked beet pulp no molasses - 6lbs, and a joint supplement. He is also out on grass pasture so he gets as much of that as he can eat. I am going to keep him on this for at least 30 days to see how much he gains. Its only been 2 weeks and his coat is already looking better. He is about 16.2 with very thick bone density. He should weigh well over 1000lbs - probably closer to 1300. He weighed 875 when he came to my house. My 15 hand QH weighs more than he does.
Anyway, thanks for all of the input. The Triple Crown Senior is pretty similar in composition to the EQ Senior. I wish they carried it at a feed store nearby, I wouldnt mind trying it. I will be posting pics as some of my horsey friends on MFP have requested them. I am taking pics weekly so that I can measure his progress.
Also, I took him out on a 5 mile ride. Easy trails but I wanted to see how he did. He is such an awesome trail horse. No spook, very eager, loves the water. I love a willing horse. I feel like I really got lucky, even if he does eat as much as an elephant. 0 -
If it's available in your area....Triple Crown Senior works fantastic! It's a beat pulp based feed and I have my 18 year old 17h appendix on it and it's amazing how much less feed I can feed him on it versus the other kinds of senior feed out there. I also put my mare on it when I got her at 4 years old as she was underweight and it worked great with her as well...didn't cause excess energy or anything. The other thing that helped was adding something like Seminole Ultrabloom or Legends supplement as they will help with the weight and the coat, and both are extruded pettets and high in fat. I've also in the past used the corn oil too but found the tc senior works really well and is made for easier digestion and upkeep of the elder horses.
The EQ Senior is also beet pulp based and doesnt add extra "energy". I dont need my horse to be "hot", just healthy. They are pretty similar although the TC has more fat, which I like. I tried to find a dealer in my area but the closest is about 50 miles away. If the EQ senior doesnt prove itself, I may make the drive. I have always had good luck with purina feeds though.0 -
If it's available in your area....Triple Crown Senior works fantastic! It's a beat pulp based feed and I have my 18 year old 17h appendix on it and it's amazing how much less feed I can feed him on it versus the other kinds of senior feed out there. I also put my mare on it when I got her at 4 years old as she was underweight and it worked great with her as well...didn't cause excess energy or anything. The other thing that helped was adding something like Seminole Ultrabloom or Legends supplement as they will help with the weight and the coat, and both are extruded pettets and high in fat. I've also in the past used the corn oil too but found the tc senior works really well and is made for easier digestion and upkeep of the elder horses.
I have a friend that swears by Triple Crown Senior!0 -
My horses if they drop weight all get the same thing...Its always worked wonders for any skinny horse to put weight on them
Beat Pulp...Soak it in water, drain and feed... All the good properties of alfalfa but no getting them hot
THRIVE feed...IDK if its avaible nation wide, but its amazing
Equine Senior....it works wonders on most horses
Apple Cider Vinegar...1/2 cup a day, helps with stomach ulcers which can cause weight loss
Aloe Vera Juice...Helps with digestion
Calf Manna...
Wheat Germ Oil
TEETH TEETH TEETH! They can't gain weight if they can't eat...0 -
What works best for my hot hot hot TB mare is hay. As much hay as she'll eat.0
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I second the TC Senior. MyOttb mare is 14, so not "semior" per se, but she was a hard keeper and VERY picky.
After trying many different brands / types of feed and weight suppl, I finally found a combination that she loves: TC Senior + crimped oats. She gets 2 qts in the AM and 3 qts PM and cleans up her bowl
She also gets free choice GOOD quality hay (in a hay net just outside her stall, just like at the track ) .
I have to keep her on a regular dentist schedule because she has "wavy teeth" and so has to be done every 6 months or so for optimum chewing.
And lastly, I keep her on a regular deworming schedule that's appropriate for my area.
She's past her "hard keeper" years now, but I notice that if she gets low-quality hay, or can't get free choice (when I board her for the winter months for instance), she tends to lose weight.0
