Horse dropping weight...help!

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catwithclaws

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My 16.1 ISH mare is currently out 24/7 with 2 other horses. They are on the field with the best grass my yard has, hasn't been grazed for about 9 months.

She wears a 100g combo rug which she is toasty warm in.

Her teeth have been done and she's been wormed recently, but she's dropping weight, can see her ribs and her flanks look tucked up. I weigh taped her tonight and she is 500kg, I thought she should be about 550kg, is that right?? I'm not very good with weight.

She hasn't been having hard feed since she's been on this amazing new grass, and wasn't fed huge over the winter as shes normally been a fairly good doer, but I guess since the grass isn't working I should hard feed again?? Anyone got any suggestions for what to feed her and how much??

Thanks :)
 
Does she actually LIKE being "toasty warm" or is she so hot it's causing the weight drop?
 
Horses can weigh different amounts for their size, it all depends on body size, type etc so being around 500k may be perfect for her. The best way to assess her condition is to condition score.

What feed was she on in the winter and how much was she getting?
 
Amazing grass isn't always the best thing for horses. I mean it is mostly but sometimes it can cause problems.

It could have caused a pH imbalance and she could have gastric issues.

She could be too hot. As horses are grazing such a lot of forage, they produce heat from the digestive process. If she can't lose heat through her skin, she will sweat excessively during high sun and lose her appetite.

Are you providing enough salt? Phosphorous is at it's peak in spring which upsets the balance of other minerals. Providing salt helps the body get rid off excess phos and potassium by binding to sodium.

So many factors... however, if no improvement, call the vet in case it is something very serious.
 
DO'D - I don't think she's too hot, she was too cold in just a rain sheet, and she's never sweaty when I check her morning and night - do u think I should try same weight rug without the neck?

Trot on - I've never done condition scoring before, that's probably quite shocking :( she looks fine towards the front, but I can see her ribs (though they don't jut out or anything) and her back end looks a bit sunken.

Over the winter she was on a Stubbs scoop of mollichaff, a heaped small square scoop of speedibeet, and a little bit of fast fibre at night.

Sorry if I'm sounding really thick, it's just weights and feeding I'm not too hot on!
 
No worries :)

Ok she wasn't on a lot of feed, sugar beef is pretty much water so no real calories from that, molichaff is just bulk not calories and fast fibre should be fed in large amounts once soaked so again from what she is on no real calories.

Horses will drop weight if they aren't getting enough calories. Now that she is out 24/7 are you giving her any hay? My boy dropped weight in first 2 weeks of being out 24/7 as although he was eating grass all the time and 3kg per day if hard feed this wasn't enough compared to the amount of hay he got at night when he was stabled. He now gets 2 sections of hay per day as well as his hard feed.

Start by giving her hay in field, is this possible? Even tho she might not need hard feed in the summer a balancer should be fed to make sure she is getting her vits and mins. :)
 
She hasn't been having hay in the field as she is bottom of the pecking order and wouldn't get to eat any of it - though I could bring her in for a haynet maybe?

I will see about getting a worm count done but the yard has to be on the same worming program so not sure I'd be allowed to change anything.

Should I start giving her feeds again? If so, what's good for weight gain without fizz? :)
 
Trot_On_Dressage said:
No worries :)

Ok she wasn't on a lot of feed, sugar beef is pretty much water so no real calories from that, molichaff is just bulk not calories and fast fibre should be fed in large amounts once soaked so again from what she is on no real calories.


Sugar beet is actually a very good feed for weight gain, plenty of calories in a small amount of feed, especially if it is molassed - we use it for our oldies. Mollichaff again has molasses, so a reasonable number of calories there.

I would try giving her a haynet inside (well I wouldn't because I can't bear the nasty dangerous things but you know what I mean) and reinstating her hard feed. Unfortunately even the best grass isn't always enough to keep horses in good condition. Is she in work?
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I would feed a bit more fast fibre a long with linseed and see if that makes a difference. At least then she'd be getting essential bits and minerals. I would also add salt somewhere maybe a rock sal in the field.
 
Sorry but sugar beet is 80% water once soaked so there isn't any real calories in it. It will not aid condition, It is just a bulker.

As she isn't on any hard feed at the mo and when she is it is still very little calories, the best first step would be to use a full ration of a low energy feed. That will be more calories than she is getting now but not too much that it over loads her.

Try high fibre cubes and a low cal chaff.
 
For her size she would need around 2.5kg-3kg of the cubes and chaff combined.

Watch her weight and condition score if you can. If she looks like she gains too much reduce ration. It may well be once the grass comes through you can reduce ration right down to a balancer
 
Wet sugar beet has exactly the same number of calories in it as it had when it was dry, if the whole amount of soaked beet, including water is given. I use sugar beet, amongst other things, to increase/maintain weight. I agree with the poster who suggested linseed oil.
I really cannot see the point of feeding a low cal chaff to something that is losing weight. I use dried grass as a chaff, OP may prefer to feed alfalfa.
 
Sorry but that isn't correct. I should know, I have been a nutritionist!

The whole point of feeding a low energy feed first is because the horse is on nothing at the moment. If you didn't eat 3 meals a day and was losing weight a dr would tell you to start by eating 3 meals first not put you on a high calorie diet.

A full ration of low energy feed will be far more calories than what she is on at the moment, meaning that the mare will be getting more calories. Feeding should be sympathetic. Especially as the mare is a good doer normally, if the OP went for a very high energy feed this may overload her with too many calories too quickly resulting in distruption of her digestion system
 
Talk to your vet about the worming programme; if its redworm its safer to tackle it now then waiting until she's lost more weight. Good luck!
 
How much work is she in???

My ish was out all last summer (the first year i owned him)*and it didn't suit him at all. he dropped weight and looked awful by the beginning of September when I bought him in.*

Mine looks fab at the moment. But, he's still in a 200g rug (field is on top of a hill in rural north Yorkshire!)*and is fed now*the same as in the middle of the winter. *He's on less hayledge. The field he is on has got a good covering of grass but not amazing.*

Food wise, I can see him being on the same rations pretty much all summer. He is eventing fit so needs the intake!*

He won't be left out until (if) it gets mega warm.*

You question if she's*too hot but have u ever felt her*temperature at 2am when it's p'ing it down! I bet she's*not warm them! What's the shelter like in your field?*

Sounds like you've maybe gone onto your summer routine a little too early for your horse? Apart from those nice few weeks we had, the weather has been pretty aweful so far this year!!

Good luck!!
 
Thanks guys, some really interesting stuff here.

Trot on - I'm glad you suggested low calorie, I think if she was on high calorie surely that could give her load of excess energy - shes sharp enough as it is lol!

One poster suggested linseed, I've never used it before, how do u feed it? Does it need soaking or anything?

Shes in light work at the moment, ridden 4 times a week for about 40 mins, mostly walk and trot.
 
Oil is high in calories but is also a non heating energy source so could be worth a go but you might not need it. Going for a full ration of low energy feed is the first step, if she hasn't gained weight after a few weeks adding in oil/ changing to a higher energy feed would be the second. If you can give her some hay too that will help.

Good luck
 
I would speak to your vet about the possibility of gastric ulcers as that is a major cause of horses dropping condition. For my boy the only obvious signs were dropping condition and a 'feeling' something wasn't quite right.
 
catwithclaws said:
Trot on - I'm glad you suggested low calorie, I think if she was on high calorie surely that could give her load of excess energy - shes sharp enough as it is lol!
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High calorie doesn't automatically equal an increase in sharpness! If a horse is losing weight and it isn't due to a health condition, then you obviously need to increase the calories in the diet. You can do this in various ways - feeding larger quantities of low calorie food, or smaller quantities of high calorie food. The approach you take will often be dictated by the horse's appetite - some horses with small appetites are overfaced by big feeds of low calorie food and are better having smaller feeds of higher calorie ingredients. What ever approach you take with regard to hard feed, it is important that the horse has access to plenty of forage, so introducing extra hay is a good first step.

What does affect whether a horse becomes 'sharp' or not, is actually where the calories come from - calories coming from sugar and starchy feedstuffs (particularly cereals and cubes/mixes high in cereals) are more likely to hot a horse up than calories coming from fibre and oil.

BTW, beet IS a good conditioning feed. Dry weight it contains over 12 MJDE/kg, which is a similar calorie count to many conditioning cubes/mixes. If feeding for weight gain, though, it is a good idea to weigh it before soaking so you know you are giving enough, plus don't overdo the amount of soaking water. Additional advantages are that most horses seem to love it, plus the calories come from highly digestible fibre rather than cereal starch. The unmollassed type is best for horses with a tendency to sharpness though!
 
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When was she last wormed and with what?? Some yard owners seem to be instigating Ill thought out worming programmes that are not treating the right parasite at the right time of year. Encysted small redworm larvae will NOT show up on counts, and these are the most dangerous internal parasite to the horse and can cause unexplained weight loss.
 
I was going to agree with you TGM apart from the sugar beet comment.

Sugarbeet is traditionally thought of to be conditioning, how ever it isn't unless fed in enourmous amounts. Yes the dry weight of sugar beet is high in calories how ever you soak it therefore water is being added and it gets diluted. Think about it, if you use a scoop of dry sugar beet and add water it will swell to a bucket size amount. To get the dry weight calories of it you would have to use the whole bucket not just a scoop which isn't a good idea as a feed shouldn't weigh more than 2kg. That is why sugarbeet is 80%?water once soaked!
 
maisie - we are on the equest/equest pramox cycle, she was done in january with equest, and in april with the pramox for tapeworm

she has a big appetite so she would never turn down big feeds :rolleyes: greedy bugger :p

TGM, so does that mean i should choose between either doing a big feed of sugar beet/fast fibre or similar...or doing a smaller feed with build up (just plucked that out of my head, i mean some kind of mix or cereal) lol

i sound pretty clueless overall lol
 
Don't go for a mix or cereal, she prob doesn't need it! Plus that will cause excitable behaviour!

Go for a full ration of a low energy feed. :) or better still call a care line and get some advice by trained people :)
 
Not much to add OP but my poor doer looked brilliant through the winter on speedibeet and alfa-a and it didn't fizz him up at all, I think the simpler you keep the feed the better.

I can recommend getting a worm count done and possibly even some bloods to make sure there isn't any underlying issues for the weight loss. Is she quite stressy, or does she get stressed a lot?
 
I would be using a 5 day Panacur Equine Guard at this time of year.

As for feed, I use full fat soya to keep the weight on my TB.
 
Weigh out the feed and check against recommendations, it is no use talking about scoops, when you are feeding soaked feeds, and there are at least three sizes of scoops in regular use in stable yards.

In winter, I feed my 15.00 horse [out 6 hours per day]
80gms micronised linseed meal
0.5kg [dry weight] of Fast Fibre
0.5 kg [dry weight] unmolassed sugar beet pulp
0.25kgs oat based muesli mix dependant on his energy levels/workload
0.25kgs non molassed Dengie Chaff [palatable, provides another source of fibre, and makes his feed look nicer!]
30 gm mineral and vitamin supplement
Less than ad lib hay/haylage [7to 9kgs]
At this time of the year, he is getting less sugar beet pulp as the grass better than it was in winter. His weight is steady. I can increase the linseed and the u-sbp if I want to increase his weight.
Un molassed beet pulp takes only 20 mins to soak, so make it fresh every day.
Fast Fibre only takes five minutes, it is not a conditioning feed though.
My diet is forage based, and that is where he gets most of his energy, it is important, if not feeding cereal mixes at manufacturers recommended rates, to make sure they are getting enough vitamins and minerals.
 
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