Any ideas as to why horse dropping weight?

P

pipper

Well-Known Member
Joined
3 June 2009
Messages
430
Location
WILTS
Visit site
She is a 15hh 21 year old mare. Fed adlib hay and fast fibre. our fields havent been too good lately due to the awful weather so not much grass. She isnt out all day because of this so once she comes in she has as much hay as she wants. She is clipped but rugged well.
Teeth done and in good health....
I have had her a long time and she is a good doer. so i am alarmed that she is dropping weight. She doesnt look awful but i can feel her ribs whereas before she had a good covering (not overweight).
any thoughts? i guess its her age but should i be doing anything different? I know that its good to go into the summer a little light but the fact that this has never happened before is worrying....
Should i stop worrying as she is in good health???
 
Your horse is just coming out of the winter & although rugged much of the hay she's eating is being used to keep her warm so this is not going to keep weight on her. When this damn weather breaks & we get the proper start of spring, it warms up & grass comes through you will see a big difference in your mare. I wouldn't worry too much at the moment, 21 years old isn't that old really. :)
 
FF is a food designed for good doers so you just need to up your mares calorie in take until the weather improves .
 
Goldenstar said:
FF is a food designed for good doers so you just need to up your mares calorie in take until the weather improves .
Click to expand...

This.

Also, you are not alone . . . many horses and ponies are struggling to keep condition at the moment . . . prolonged cold weather/end of winter/no Spring grass is taking its toll and all we can do at the moment is up the calories, keep them appropriately rugged/warm and keep an eye on them. Ours are getting hay in the field, Kal is now getting three feeds a day (as are some others), and many of our horses are wearing three turnouts (layered) during the day.

P
 
The fast fibre is really just a belly filler, not much in it so upping it will just fill her belly. Try a balancer, I used to use TopSpec but it is expensive. I switched to Suregrow which, although a feed for youngsters and broodmares, seems to work really well for getting those vitamins in.
 
You could consider adding some oats and or micronised linseed to her fast fibre ration this weather is knocking lots of horses back a bit .
 
9tails said:
The fast fibre is really just a belly filler, not much in it so upping it will just fill her belly. Try a balancer, I used to use TopSpec but it is expensive. I switched to Suregrow which, although a feed for youngsters and broodmares, seems to work really well for getting those vitamins in.
Click to expand...

FF contains minerals and vits so a balancer is not probally the best use of money in this case I feel the mare needs calories added to get through the end of the winter.
If a horse looses wieght add calories -and or reduce work and increase rugging if apporiate.
 
Yep my TB has struggled this winter. For the first time I have had to put him on some conditioning feeds to try and keep his weight on. He's also in 3 rugs. This cold weather is just going on and on and on :(.
 
Don't worry my haffy is also quite skinny! I would add some oil, micronised linseed would be ideal but corn oil or vegetable oil are options and cheap! Just add a splash and work your way up if needed.
 
Most horses love oats and they can give them a real lift , the veg corn oil is a good idea and cheaper than linseed .
 
My horse has lost weight more than usual too, this winter has been tough so think a lot of people are in the same boat with their horses so don't worry too much :) spring will soon be here hopefully!
 
I have a lot of old ponies and horses most of which are good doers. The pattern seems to be that they maintain their winter body weight for years until one year some thing happens and they to lose it. Once you know which ones it happens to its not so bad as you start feeding them conditioning feed end of August and keep on top of it.
I have a new oldie and although she has been fed the same as the others and is essentailly the same breed/type shes lost alot in the last couple of weeks. I think wind chill is a big factor as however much you rug the wind is wistleing underneath them.
I would diffenately increase her calories, there quite a few choices but linseed is cheap and easy to add to the feed you already have and swap the fibre feed with something with a DE of 12.5 or above
 
Oh thanks everyone for the replies, it has put my mind at rest a bit knowing that others are having this problem, its not something I've ever had to think about before luckily. Yes this winter has been a hard one, hopefully once the green stuff starts coming through she will be back to normal. I will be keeping a close eye on her - she hasnt been ridden much lately due to bad weather, so once she starts 'working' again (and i mean that in the very loose sense of the word!!!) i will have to decide how to up the calories, will be thinking about all the good advise here and choosing from upping fast fibre, adding oats, or going down the oil or linseed route.
again many thanks
 
honetpot said:
I think wind chill is a big factor as however much you rug the wind is wistleing underneath them.
Click to expand...

Definitely agree . . . this is why I try and buy really deep rugs for Kal . . . at least give his belly some protection . . . at the moment, though, I just feel like getting weight on him is like fighting a losing battle. It's all about feeding the most efficient feed for him to stoke his engine without fizzing him up (easily done - fizzing him up) . . . so lots of fibre-based hard feed and lots of forage and as little sugar and starch as possible . . . and lots and lots of rugs for now (even though I hate over-rugging).

P
 
Apart from upping feed/hay etc as you would do back in December/January for bad weather, worth thinking about getting bloods run at vets?
Have you had her teeth done recently?
Sometimes if the teeth at the back get sharp the hay etc is not chewed properly & this then doesn't help as it just gets expelled more quickly.
Worming - up to date? or done a count recently?

Worth double checking on the above just to alleviate any issues that are under the radar :)

There are many of us who have poor do-ers at present - even my big fella is in a full neck HW & eating a bale a day to maintain weight!
 
Rather than oats, barley has always been recommended as a weight gainer.

I'm a bit "old school" and the feed shop has a dazzling array of mixes and I was swamped by which to choose.
Come on here and everybody recommends keeping it simple and avoid the commercial mixes.:D

I suddenly find "old school" is the new "new school". So gone back 40 years, sugar beet, barley and chaff and will drop the barley when the weather improves.
 
Aarrghimpossiblepony said:
Rather than oats, barley has always been recommended as a weight gainer.

I'm a bit "old school" and the feed shop has a dazzling array of mixes and I was swamped by which to choose.
Come on here and everybody recommends keeping it simple and avoid the commercial mixes.:D

I suddenly find "old school" is the new "new school". So gone back 40 years, sugar beet, barley and chaff and will drop the barley when the weather improves.
Click to expand...

Barley can be a bad choice for an older horse especially if it's been on a grain free diet many horse react badly to barley , oats is an easier grain for them to cope with.
 
I would add micronised linseed, it will help her put on weight without fizzing up and is balanced in omega 3 and 6 inthe same way as grass.
 
What we really need is some b***dy grass !! Please weather please!

My oldie/ companion hasn't done well for the first year this year - he's not got great teeth so doesn't eat much hay. I tried barley rings Nov/Dec/early Jan - no change, then I tried M Linseed, just getting to end of 20kg sack and honestly I don;t think it's made any difference.
Will give oats a try from next week when ML all gone - thanks GS for the different suggestion.

Each mixed with Speedibeet and alfa a oil three times a day and I'm still embarissed by his appearance.

OP I feel your pain - we can only keep hoping the sun and grass will come soon.
 
My friends have both had to put their good doers onto calm and condition!!!! I think it's because last summer's hay wasn't very good either.
My lami risk had to have high fibre cubes added to his FF but I have switched him onto mollichaff calmer now as it's got extra magnesium for his feet.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top