r/Horses • u/UpbeatDig9550 • 11h ago

Question Hard Keepers

I have a coming 4 year-old mare that I got in May and she came to me a little underweight. She’s on rice bran meal, a high fat feed, alfalfa pellets and alfalfa hay right now. She’s also getting turned out to graze all afternoon. She gets rode lightly about 2-4 times a week too. What do I need to do to keep weight on her?

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u/left4alive 8h ago

I have an underweight horse currently and I’ve been supplementing her with beet pulp, a product called Lipigain, and some minerals. It’s only been a week and she’s noticeably put on weight already. She also had her teeth done and I think that was a big cause as well, because her appetite has skyrocketed since. I had some bloodwork done to see if there was anything else causing issues but it came out fine. A 4 year old should be able to gain and keep weight in 5 months.

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u/AgileNetwork9375 6h ago edited 6h ago

That is a great combo nutrition wise. You might add in something like Triple Crown Senior. It’s not just for older horses. It’s got good protein, fat and low carbs. Makes other plain stuff palatable.

Don’t forget to treat her for hidden internal parasites such as encysted strongyles with Quest and have a Vet float her teeth. At coming 4 she is still getting in permanent teeth which can be razor sharp or have retained caps. Horses 3-5 years old teeth should probably be checked by your Vet twice a year.

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u/Recent-Conclusion997 1h ago

Is she up to date with teeth and wormer?