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Gaits of Gold Gaited Horse Community Messageboard > Please Partcipate in our Gaited Horse Polls & Surveys! Start your own! > Gaited horse polls and surveys > Another ?-What to use for weight maintenance |
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Gaits of Gold Gaited Horse Community Messageboard > Please Partcipate in our Gaited Horse Polls & Surveys! Start your own! > Gaited horse polls and surveys > Another ?-What to use for weight maintenance |
| Moderated by: Brenda Im | Page: 1 2   |
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| Another ?-What to use for weight maintenance | Rate Topic |
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| Posted: Sat Feb 4th, 2006 08:16 pm |
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1st Post |
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vthorse G.O.G Community Member 
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I made the HUGE mistake of giving Walker cracked corn last year, way too much, to put some weight on him. He went psycho his first ride out in spring, and my poor non-horsey son-in-law took the ground hard. Thanks. Lois btw, although he's non-horsey, (so far), he did serve us in Iraq for a year, and came home safely.
____________________ "If you can't be brave, then be determined, and you'll end up at the same place." |
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| Posted: Sat Feb 4th, 2006 08:37 pm |
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2nd Post |
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countrygirl G.O.G Community Member 
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When I bought a starving Belgian, the vet told me to feed her white bread to help fatten her up.
____________________ Liz |
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| Posted: Sat Feb 4th, 2006 09:49 pm |
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3rd Post |
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gaitingal Ranch Hand 
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Just increasing the amount of hay can do it. Another good & safe option is using beet pulp as part of the roughage. It comes in shreds or pellets, with or without molasses added. I prefer the pellets. Corn by itself can be a bit of overkill, and you can run into problems using too much of it (I foundered a pony years ago...). I have read pros & cons on the white bread thing, but I know a man who feeds anything free/cheap to his horses, who look so thin all the time. Some people claim that the bread w/o roughage in the gut at the same time can kinda glob up in there. Maybe just increase the amount of concentrate you may be feeding now, but w/in reason. Weight gain should be a slow thing...so take before & after pics to compare the progress. What does everyone else use? --Debbie in GA
____________________ "Wrinkles should merely indicate where smiles have been." - Mark Twain |
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| Posted: Sat Feb 4th, 2006 09:55 pm |
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4th Post |
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gaitingal Ranch Hand
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Gosh - I forgot about rice bran! That is a good one to fatten a horse up!
____________________ "Wrinkles should merely indicate where smiles have been." - Mark Twain |
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| Posted: Sun Feb 5th, 2006 01:15 am |
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5th Post |
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vthorse G.O.G Community Member
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Both horses are at nice weights now, but when spring comes, all the horses stop eating the hay and start grazing, and the new grass goes right through them.
____________________ "If you can't be brave, then be determined, and you'll end up at the same place." |
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| Posted: Sun Feb 5th, 2006 02:31 am |
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6th Post |
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gaitingal Ranch Hand
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Gosh - it's been so long since I've had horses on pasture, I would have thought it to be the other way around. What have you done in the past to keep them round? --Debbie in GA
____________________ "Wrinkles should merely indicate where smiles have been." - Mark Twain |
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| Posted: Sun Feb 5th, 2006 03:03 pm |
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7th Post |
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frecklefacedfrannie G.O.G Community Member 
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I live in Ms and it really doesn't get cold here for long. We have a TB we are struggling to keep weight on. I have tried the rice bran and fat with senior feed, he is on pasture and has free access hay. Now we are trying the senior feed and beet pulp and, actually this is what i think is helping the most, if it is below 50 degrees outside he gets a blanket. I just think his metabolism is so fast that he burns more to just stand. To give you perspective, he gets the same amount to eat as my 25 yo Belgian who has started the aging weight loss issue stage of her life. She is getting fat and his ribs are showing. Since we have started the strict blanketing, his ribs are faintly showing only and I bet in a week you won't see them and in 3 weeks he will be doing okay. This after trying lots of different things. I think all horses are different and different horses respond to different tactics. Good luck Fran
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| Posted: Sun Feb 5th, 2006 03:15 pm |
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8th Post |
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gaitingal Ranch Hand
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Yes, I know what you mean. All of us are different & will need different feed requirements. I sure wish I wasn't an easy keeper! Plus, a TB is really an athletic horse, like the greyhound dog. Most runners tend to the ribby side. Sounds like you have hit on a good program for the TB since you are seeing some weight gain. I think beet pulp is a great choice for many reasons, esp. since you can really add the BP w/o risk of foundering. Blanketing to help him conserve energy should help too. Sometimes I wish I had a horse I could just "pour the feed to"! I love to hang out at graining time & listen & watch them. Mine are lucky to get a little green bean can full twice a day. Keep up the good work! --Debbie in GA
____________________ "Wrinkles should merely indicate where smiles have been." - Mark Twain |
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| Posted: Sun Feb 5th, 2006 03:50 pm |
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9th Post |
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countrygirl G.O.G Community Member
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My aged TB (18 years old) started getting really skinny a few months ago. We ran the whole gamut .... wormed him, put him on Strongid daily, increased his feed, switched him over to Purina Senior. The vet did blood work and didn't find anything ...... no parasites, no other obvious problems. Duh ..... we finally figured it out. Moon (our Paso Fino) was stealing the TB's feed. The TB is top of the pecking order and Moon is bottom so it took us forever to realize it because our habit was to pour the feed into the stalls and then go back inside, leaving the stall doors open. We never had a problem before .... each horse would eat their own feed and then go out to the hay we placed in the paddock. Now, I'm staying with them while they eat to keep Moon away and the TB is putting on weight fast. Sometimes, it's the simplest things.
____________________ Liz |
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| Posted: Sat Feb 25th, 2006 04:30 am |
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10th Post |
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happytrail G.O.G Community Member
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Try a cup of corn oil in his feed. Adds weight in a few months and gives them an amazing shine to their coats. You can buy corn oil in a 5 gallon container at restaurant supply stores for a lot less than buying it at a grocery store. I have used cocasoya oil from Uekele. That worked well for my QH a few years ago.
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| Posted: Sat Feb 25th, 2006 04:36 am |
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11th Post |
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frecklefacedfrannie G.O.G Community Member
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I lied about my TB. It has been 3 weeks since I posted and his ribs still show - barely. I bought some really expensive probiotics and am adding that now.......... The search continues for summer. Fran
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| Posted: Sat Feb 25th, 2006 08:32 am |
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12th Post |
jean58
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Adding fat will add calories without the heat, such as any kind of oil.
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| Posted: Sat Feb 25th, 2006 01:47 pm |
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13th Post |
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frecklefacedfrannie G.O.G Community Member
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I tried the fat route with my TB and he just got nice runny stools. Thought that wasn't working like I wanted - but his coat was GOR GE OUS. The Purina man told me to go to 11 pounds of senior a day. I thought I might try the probiotics first for 2 weeks. Went to an expo and they had a lot of before and after pictures. I took some before pictures and will take pics again after 2 weeks. Fran On the other hand all of my other horses are fat and sassy - just like their owner
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| Posted: Wed May 17th, 2006 12:53 am |
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14th Post |
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LARHAGE G.O.G Community Member 
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frecklefacedfrannie wrote: I tried the fat route with my TB and he just got nice runny stools. Thought that wasn't working like I wanted - but his coat was GOR GE OUS.Purina makes a product called Ration Plus that works great for hard keepers, it helps them assimilate their feed and gain weight.
____________________ God Forbid that I shall go to a Heaven without Horses. |
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| Posted: Wed May 17th, 2006 08:32 pm |
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15th Post |
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Brenda Im Pasture Boss 
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I like the corn oil advice, have done it often with rescue horses who come into the barn. They tend to be hard keepers even after they've been dewormed, vetted, etc. Cocasoya Oil is also very good. We have such hard winters and long, cold and wet springs that it is sometimes a real challenge to keep the weight on, especially older horses or those that were originally rescues. Cocasoya is my 'go to' when I realize one of these horses is losing weight. It can happen fast, too! PB 
____________________ Always forgive your enemies. It's good for you - and really messes with their heads! |
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| Posted: Thu May 18th, 2006 03:30 am |
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16th Post |
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happytrail G.O.G Community Member
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I've used cocasoya oil in the past and it worked on my QH. I believe its made by Uekele.
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| Posted: Thu May 18th, 2006 01:36 pm |
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17th Post |
shimz
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I used "Ultimate Finish" by Buckeye to put weight on my mare. It comes in different concentrated powders and pellets. Lady preferred the Ultimate Finish 100 - and you just mix into their feed. Really makes their coat shine also. I tried the vegetable oil, but it seemed to have a residue that really attracted the flies! ...and the barn manager really frowned on that...so I found the Ultimate Finish worked great!. ..in fact I just had the vet out for her spring shots and he said she's done real well in the weight area and could maybe lose around 50 lbs! That was music to my ears because when I got her so was so thin...She looks so much better now!  Good luck
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| Posted: Thu May 18th, 2006 09:01 pm |
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18th Post |
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Beth G.O.G Community Member 
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Hi, I have used Weight Builder with success on my TWH. He has kept the weight that he gained on very nicely. I had him on it for about 4 months.
____________________ God is good, ALL the time. Jeremiah 29:11 |
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| Posted: Fri May 19th, 2006 04:38 am |
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19th Post |
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Nelliebly G.O.G Community Member 
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For a year now I've been using shredded beetpulp, soaked in water for at least 6 hours, to keep the weight on my 2 oldest. They're not doing too good with the hay anymore. The oldest turned 30 today.
____________________ Rack on home, "Wild Man" Joe |
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| Posted: Fri May 19th, 2006 01:34 pm |
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20th Post |
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vthorse G.O.G Community Member
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Happy Birthday to your 30 year old! My Paso mare just turned 26.
____________________ "If you can't be brave, then be determined, and you'll end up at the same place." |
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