dropping weight ?

[MissyThea]

my thoroughbred x 19 year old mare has dropped some weight recently. she's on

breakfast;;
2scoops of applechaff,
1 scoop of coolmix,
spoonful of biotin,
a few carrots

inbetween;;
2-3 haynets, 2 small & one big

dinner;;
2scoops of applechaff,
1 & 1/2 scoop of coolmix,
spoonful of biotin
and again, some carrots.

night-time;;
2-3 haynets, 2 big & one small

i'm wondering, would it be more benefical to change her to haylege instead of hay?

and should i change her feed at all? she's living in at the moment, and a friend mentioned 'readigrass' aswell as her tea/breakfast, would that do any good?..

oh, and she's ridden 2-3 times a week ranging from 15 mins-1hr.

thanks x

 

[kezimac]

try oil always good for weight gain - linseed oil, or get soya oil or corn oil from tescos - my vet said to feed half pint a day when mine was skinny.

 

[deicinmerlyn]

You could add some speedibeet to the two feeds. Inexpensive and will help with calories without fizz.

 

[thundersprite]

speedibeet is a good idea but might be wort getting vet to do a blood test as if its liver prob causing the weight loss like it was for my mare adding oil could do more harm than good but if thats fine oils great

 

[MissyThea]

thanks you three, i'll look into oils & speedibeet!
poppyandbea; i'm getting the vet out in a week or so anyway for vac's/general check-up so i'll mention it to her then!

someone recommended i put her on 'blue chip pro' - would that be worth it? i looked at the website and it is terribly expensive..

 

[TheBlack]

my mare lives on hay grass and a handful of hifi lite and shes still well covered! Must be a nightmare having to over feed your horse to keep weight on. I would drop the carrots they don't need them in their diet. If you feed oil remember you need to give an antioxident as oil is an oxidating ingredient, when feeding more than 100ml of oil per day it should be balanced with antioxidants such as Vitamin E. Tiger oats are also good for keeping weight on instead of cool mix