How to Put Weight on Your Horse

Horses just like humans have different metabolism rates. Some horses are naturally skinny, some lose weight fast once they are in consistent work and other keep weight very easy no matter what their schedule. For those with thin horses, putting weight on your horse can be tricky. You do not always want to instantly increase your horse’s feed because there is the possibility that it is an internal problem farther than metabolism. Sometimes instant feed increases can only make a horse more hyper, allowing them to burn more calories and not gain anymore weight. By taking a few steps you might find a deeper reason to your horse’s lack of weight.

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderate

1. Consult with your veterinarian. Your vet should know the medical history of your horse and they should have good ideas.
2. Worm your horse if you have not wormed them with a tube wormer in the past couple of months. Even if you are feeding your horse a daily wormer with their feed, bi-monthly tube worming is still necessary.
3. Check your horse’s teeth. Run your fingers along the side of their molars checking for sharp edges, loose teeth or ulcers in your horse’s mouth. Any discomfort can cause them to stop eating or drop food.
4. Start your horse on a digestive supplement. This is where your veterinarian can be helpful with any suggestions. Some products are better than others for horses with digestion issues or ulcers in their stomachs.
5. Feed your horse more hay along with adding digestive supplements. Leafy forage is known to help your horse’s stomach. Horses are supposed to consume 2 to 3 percent of their body weight in roughage daily.
6. Begin to put oil in your horse’s food if none of the above seems to work. The oil is adding fat to the amount of food your horse is already eating. There are many weight gaining supplements that do what oil does, but they cost more money and many increase your horse’s energy. If energy levels are a concern be sure to consult with your veterinarian before purchasing any of these supplements.
7. Increase your horse’s feed if nothing else seems to help. Instead of doing this on your own, though, talk with your feed store and ask them the best approach to boosting the amount of feed. Once again if energy is an issue, the feed store might have a feed that you can feed more of but will not increase energy levels. Equine nutrition is very advanced and worth the time to get advice from an expert.
8. Reduce the amount of work your horse is doing by a small margin as the last resort. Perhaps too much work is stressing the animal out and boosting their metabolism to a rate they cannot keep up with.

Tips & Warnings

• Consult your veterinarian if your horse's weight drops even more.