Getting weight on a horse fast that gets colic

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chole2020

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As says above horse every now & then gets colic not had it in 5 yrs says prev owner but need to get weight on him fast as winter is approaching fast thanks
 
Personally I wouldn't ever try and get weight on anything quickly, that is asking for trouble in my opinion. Ensure that the horse has access to good fibre sources and kept warm in the cold.

What is the animals current feeding regime? What work is he in, how big is he etc? You'll need to make sure that any changes are done gradually and slowly with a horse that gets colic. Oil/micronised linseed would be good starters as they are not cereal based.
 
Falconers said:
Personally I wouldn't ever try and get weight on anything quickly, that is asking for trouble in my opinion. Ensure that the horse has access to good fibre sources and kept warm in the cold.

What is the animals current feeding regime? What work is he in, how big is he etc? You'll need to make sure that any changes are done gradually and slowly with a horse that gets colic. Oil/micronised linseed would be good starters as they are not cereal based.
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He will be slowly going back into work, has been being fed chaff very very small amount only for last few weeks, grass he was on was not good & had hay at night, fed this evening tiny bit s/beet & chaff also on good grass & hay in to, he 17.3 hh, someone else told me pure barley flakes but im wanting to get other people opintions too as ive never dealt with colic before & feeding up at the same time
 
You cannot get weight on fast, if you try and rush it and make changes to his diet too quickly then you are really risking him getting colic, any increase needs to be done slowly and any changes very gradually.
First work out why he is too thin, then increase his hay so he has as much as he can eat with always some left over, that will be safe, make sure the quality is good, has he been wormed, had his teeth done?
If you can cut back his work a bit that will help stop him losing any more weight, plenty of turnout on good grass, then look at what he is already getting fed, if you can divide it into 3 or 4 feeds that will help then consider adding some high calorie extras such as Equijewel or linseed but do it slowly making sure all the above have already been done otherwise he will be at risk of colic or the feed will be of no benefit if it just goes through him without him being able to utilise it properly.
 
be positive said:
You cannot get weight on fast, if you try and rush it and make changes to his diet too quickly then you are really risking him getting colic, any increase needs to be done slowly and any changes very gradually.
First work out why he is too thin, then increase his hay so he has as much as he can eat with always some left over, that will be safe, make sure the quality is good, has he been wormed, had his teeth done?
If you can cut back his work a bit that will help stop him losing any more weight, plenty of turnout on good grass, then look at what he is already getting fed, if you can divide it into 3 or 4 feeds that will help then consider adding some high calorie extras such as Equijewel or linseed but do it slowly making sure all the above have already been done otherwise he will be at risk of colic or the feed will be of no benefit if it just goes through him without him being able to utilise it properly.
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Wise words as always. I recommended equi jewel as an 'extra' boost to what I assumed would be a balanced diet. I find equi jewel useful for a horse that is picky with food and it is useful if you can only feed twice a day. Calorie dense but very little is needed so there should be no reason to pack (at your peril) large amounts of hard feed into a horse. A hard worked horse will thrive on EJ, it is palatable to a tired horse.

I use ML 365 days of the year, fab stuff for skin, feet and general well being.
 
be positive said:
You cannot get weight on fast, if you try and rush it and make changes to his diet too quickly then you are really risking him getting colic, any increase needs to be done slowly and any changes very gradually.
First work out why he is too thin, then increase his hay so he has as much as he can eat with always some left over, that will be safe, make sure the quality is good, has he been wormed, had his teeth done?
If you can cut back his work a bit that will help stop him losing any more weight, plenty of turnout on good grass, then look at what he is already getting fed, if you can divide it into 3 or 4 feeds that will help then consider adding some high calorie extras such as Equijewel or linseed but do it slowly making sure all the above have already been done otherwise he will be at risk of colic or the feed will be of no benefit if it just goes through him without him being able to utilise it properly.
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Thats what im worried about, he only came today so wormer is tomorrow & teeth are booked for next week, he has a big bale hay out in field & on good grass im worried that change will affect him plus changing over the feeds what would you advise chaff, s/beet/ Equijewel or linseed which is best for him? how much into how many feeds? Ive also heard of oil into the feeds? Does that mean my veg oil in the cupboard?
 
If he's just moved from poor grazing to good grazing i'd be tempted not to make any changes to his feed just yet apart from adding a general bit/min supplement or balancer. Never mind colic, you don't want to risk him getting laminitis! (It's not just an issue for fat horses!) Let his body get used to your grass first and give adlib hay overnight if he comes in. You might find that's all he needs for now.
 
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