Weight gain - older horse

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Michelle1109

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Hi All

I'd like to know what you are feeding your seniors (he is 20 17.2, still very fit) he needs to get a bit of weight on as he drops over the summer in dubai due to the heat.
He is on full livery here.

I have gradually worked him up to

2 hard feeds 3x 1.5 flakes of hay
(Feed is a standard cool mix style 1 scoop and 1 scoop sugar beat all non heating)
On top of this he gets a good splash of linseed oil soon be changed to soya oil, vitamin supplement.

I will now work him up to 3 feeds per day + the hay x3 per day as above


I've been very confused by lots of different opinions with very technical systems!!! That seem far to complicated to maintain and seem to be more for competition horses, what they have read about for elite horses, rather than for a good working horse (he is ridden every day)

The simplest version was as follows;
3x feed (hard mix, sugar beat) with a ration of rice bran
Oils and vitamins
3x hay (1.5 flakes x3)

The feed and hay is what he has always had but the rice bran is new and uppping to 3x is new so it will be slowly introduced

From experience what do you think?

Simple is best? Up the cool calories for weight gain including a short time on the rice bran to help aid the gain and up the hay to close to his max suggested.

He is not a fussy eater and always manages to keep weight on but over summer he does alway drop and picks back up- but as he now a little older I want help him along- I'm also not expecting miracles. I would just like a bit more weight on him.

He looks fine, but due to his size he does look a bit scrawny :)
Ribs are not showing and not concerned for his weight but I know he should be a bit bigger

Would be great to know if any one has experience with a similar feed situation
Or if you think the above feed system is a good and simple system (maybe you have the same system)


Thanks
 
The hay ration doesn’t sound a lot, depending on the size of your bales of your bales. How are his teeth?

I’d up the hay and sugar beet as a start. Do you have micronised linseed? That’s an excellent thing for condition.
 
I'd be weighing his hay, to make sure he was getting enough - unless they are pretty big sections, that doesn't sound like enough. My horse is a similar size to yours, and when he's having hay, he gets around 15kg per day - if he needed more weight on, I'd be feeding him more than this.

Why is he changing to soya oil? Linseed is better for him, so I'd be inclined to stick with that - or use micronised linseed. I'd also be looking at whether his diet is balanced, bearing in mind that he is having a mix, and oil, and now rice bran.
 
Auslander said:
I'd be weighing his hay, to make sure he was getting enough - unless they are pretty big sections, that doesn't sound like enough. My horse is a similar size to yours, and when he's having hay, he gets around 15kg per day - if he needed more weight on, I'd be feeding him more than this.

Why is he changing to soya oil? Linseed is better for him, so I'd be inclined to stick with that - or use micronised linseed. I'd also be looking at whether his diet is balanced, bearing in mind that he is having a mix, and oil, and now rice bran.
Click to expand...

The hard mix we feed is very good and balanced good pre mixed like a bailey or British horse feed - I was also told to make the supliments compliment the feed I.E. if I feed. Bran and mixed hard feed make sure I balance out with the right vitamin supplements so I think I've got that right.

In terms of hay they are fairly generous slabs here - he getting about 14kg (1.5 flakes x3 give or take weighs about 13kg) I forgot to mention with his 5am feed he gets another half flake so all in all hay is about 13.5 -14 per day
So I'll up that a little bit on the late morning hay to 2 flakes that should be about 15/15.5 kg

Teeth are ok for his age no troubles yet in munching through the hay :)

Oil: I was told soya oil is higher calorie (and way cheaper here than linseed) he uses to be on corn oil but I nwanted a better coat so switched - but the soya as I mentioned may be better for the calories ???

I also feed linseed seeds boiled about twice a week


What do you think?
 
Sorry each slab weights about 3kg
So if I do 2 slabs x 3 = 18kg

I'll slowly up his hay over the next few days

+ his 3 feeds and all other goodies

I'll try and add a little more sugar beat also

Sound ok?
 
Michelle1109 said:
Sorry each slab weights about 3kg
So if I do 2 slabs x 3 = 18kg

I'll slowly up his hay over the next few days

+ his 3 feeds and all other goodies

I'll try and add a little more sugar beat also

Sound ok?
Click to expand...

That’s what I’d do. If you aim for ad-lib hay, ie, he never runs out, you know you are feeding all you can. I always increase the Fibre before adding other stuff.
 
I, too, would increase the hay before anything else and tbh I wouldn't bother increasing slowly, the horse already gets some hay, so there's no problem in giving more. Do be careful with proprietary brand mixes. The feed companies are often better at marketing than nutrition. We feed our oldies, soaked hay cobs (mixed grasses) and cooked linseed with added salt and a splash of linseed oil. they also get Aloe Vera juice to protect their stomachs from acid.
 
Michelle1109 said:
The hard mix we feed is very good and balanced good pre mixed like a bailey or British horse feed
Click to expand...

They are balanced, hence why I said about making sure the additives aren't putting it all out of whack - but sounds like you're on it. Personally I wouldn't feed a mix, as they are full of molasses, but that's just a personal preference

Michelle1109 said:
Oil: I was told soya oil is higher calorie (and way cheaper here than linseed) he uses to be on corn oil but I nwanted a better coat so switched - but the soya as I mentioned may be better for the calories ???
Click to expand...

Linseed is anti inflammatory - rich in Omega 3, whereas Soya is pro- inflammatory, and the process of producing it is questionable, hence the cheaper price. I'd be inclined to stick with the linseed.

My horse is fed Alfalfa chop, oats, linseed and un-molassed sugar beet, and he looks fantastic for an older horse
 
I believe The mix we have is un molasses (it's a cool mix)


We can have a mix with molasses if we compete but I choose non!

He gets HOT very easily Blimey I couldn't ride him if he had molasses hahah!!
Sometime in summer he gets it in his water to makes sure he drinks lots but I pay for in the next ride hahaha!!!

Would it be worth using soya just for the interim for weight gain and switch back? Or just stick with a good glug of linseed
 
Really it is quite hard to say without knowing exactly what mix you are feeding, plenty of unmolassed mixes have ingredients I wouldn't want in them and higher sugar/starch than I woudl want.

My own oldie has ad lib hay, grass chaff (just becuase he is fussy otherwise), beet, micronised linseed and a vit/min supplement

If he starts to struggle with weight he will likely move onto copra.
 
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