Weight gain .... What's best

[mollybee]

Our 19 year young mare has dropped a lot of weight. We moved to a new yard a month ago and she is so much calmer and happier, the grazing is good and we can put hay in her paddock where as before we weren't allowed.

she is fed on fast fibre & mixed with Spillers senior conditioning. She has a small token feed in the morning and then her dinner later. She's not ridden much now. Has recently been wormed and her teeth are fine. She eats everything we put out for her.

This is all very new to me ( she's my daughters pony ) but I'm very attached!! Is there something I can add to her feed?

 

[Polos Mum]

If she eats all you put out keep putting more and more until she has a little left each morning - good quality forage will do her far more good than any fancy feed/ cereals.
Swap some hay for haylage, make sure she's appropriately rugged (not too hot or too cold)

Have you had a proper qualified denitist do her teeth (check they are on www.badet web site) if not get someone qualified to check again.

 

[PolarSkye]

Well, when my big lad drops weight in the winter, I rely on good quality hay and haylage (in equal parts/ad lib), micronised linseed, D&H ERS Pellets (full of oil and other good stuff) and Alfa A Molasses Free (just to slow him down/stop him bolting his feed). IMHO, the very best conditioner is good quality forage, good grass and OIL.

P

 

[fuzzle]

Both fab posts above!!! oil is very good!! i use corn oil which is £2 a litre from most supermarkets, best oil for putting weight on, a good dash in each feed that you give, and it will give her a good shine too xx

 

[AmieeT]

A friend had this problem with her TB- she tried all sorts of feed/tricks didn't work.

Vet recommended Myoplast pearls which are used for the buildup of muscle- oodly enough it really helped her condition (muscle wasn't needed, she 21yo & very arthritic so retired).

They are expensive, so it's definitely worth trying other suggestions and speaking to your vet if you want to try them.

Ax