Does anyone know how i can put weight on my pony??

Question

I own a 16 year old 14.6hand thouroughbred mare. Her name is Ruffian and she has gotten really skinny, her saddle made blisters on her back when my instructor rode her while i was on vacation, she is really skinny now and we can't get her to gain much weight!! Even with all the new spring grass...

Answer 1

Have you tried a vet? This could be more serious than not being able to gain weight. Do not know much about horses, but that is what i would do. Precautions

Answer 2

my mare needed a lot of weight last summer...  we used alfalfa pellets and soybeans and she's at a really decent weight now.  and we had constant hay available for her.  both the alfalfa and the soybeans are very high in fat.  it wouldn't be a bad idea to talk to the vet before making any drastic change...  but i'm pretty sure both alfalfa and soybeans are safe.

make sure she's eating though too...  if she has teeth problems or isn't digesting properly, you can feed her anything and it won't help.

remember to make gradual changes too...  don't shove lots of new food in front of her at once.

Answer 3

She may have worms in her stomach. have a vet take a look at her. because of her age deworming her now will not have as good of an effect as it does on younger horses

Answer 4

put her on a really hardy hay and alot of it.

my tb is the same way so we have her on a very high protien high fat diet (blue seal vintage victroy) she eats half a quart morning and night. with 2 flakes of hay.

i also put her on blue seal sunshine pellets which helped her put on alot of muscle.

avoid high carb diets that will just give her way too much energy.

you can even add a hay stretcher pellet to her feed.

but really push her high quality hay

Good luck, my mare only took like 2 weeks to really bulck up

Answer 5

You need to have the horse checked out could be something wrong, and sounds like you need a new instructor also.

Answer 6

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Answer 7

Try adding molassas in her grain and hay it may help. Plus she will like the sweet taste and it will be a treat for her.

Answer 8

i would deffinatly talk to a vet, but beet pulp is good i used it on my pony and she gained wieght in like 2 weeks..its kinda like oatmealish looking. but talk to a vet because it could be more serious. something like worms.

Answer 9

Give her some Equine Senior (horse food). Give her about a coffee can. Give it to her for lunch to. Thats what we do at our barn.

Answer 10

First, I have a couple of things you need to look into before you start giving your pony extra feed. The first thing I would do, if this were my horse, is to have my vet out to examine her to rule out physical problems. While the vet is there, ask him or her to do a blood test to check for thyroid problems, for Cushing's Syndrome ( which is common in older horses and can make it difficult to keep weight on them) and pituitary problems. The next thing is that your mare needs to have a thorough dental exam. A horse that can't chew feed properly will not get the benefits that it should get, and such an animal is very vulnerable to colic, founder, and a whole host of other problems. Your mare needs to be checked to be sure that her teeth aren't causing her pain when she tries to chew, and also that she doesn't have other conditions in her mouth that will prevent her from being able to eat properly, such as an abscessed tooth. The next item on the list is parasite control and worming. How long has it been since your mare was last wormed? Horses need to be de-wormed at least 4 to 6 times a year in most states. Get the vet to do a fecal count, and then follow his/her advice as to which products to use. Make sure that you practice other worm control activities, such as picking up the manure in your pastures, and mowing them regularly to control both the weeds and parasites.  On the subject of the blisters- the blisters are a sign that your saddle needs to be refitted, and that you may need to use extra padding for a while. Ask your instructor to help you with checking and fitting your saddle, and you may also want to ask the vet how to treat the sores and prevent them from happening again in the future. Lastly, I would ask the vet what he/she recommends as a feeding program and routine to help your mare put on weight. I can suggest a couple things, such as adding corn oil to your mare's feed, that may help. The other thing I would suggest is that you look into feeding your mare some rice bran. Rice bran is a high-fat product, but because it is a bran, it doesn't make horses "hot" and silly when they are ridden. I have had good results with it with my horses.  Otherwise, make sure you are feeding your mare good hay as a supplement to the rest of her diet- timothy or a timothy/alfalfa mixes are good for putting weight on a horse- and that she has access to clean water at all times. Good luck, and I hope this helps you.

PS: After reading a couple of the other responses, I think I need to clarify some things. The suggestion that your mare may have a ulcer is a good one- I would definitely get the vet to check that out. However, on the subject of feeds, you should be aware that simply adding molasses to your pony's feed will NOT put weight on her, and it may have the disagreeable side effect of making her "hot" and hard to ride and control. The reason I say this is because molasses is mainly sugar- in fact, it is a by product of the sugar refining process. Some of the Arab breeds have trouble metabolizing the sugar, and it can make them hyper and silly when they are ridden or trained. Another thing I want to clarify is that you should be careful about increasing the level of protein in your pony's feed. Protein builds muscle, yes, but it too can make a horse crazy and silly when it is ridden. There is also the added risk of the pony foundering from too much rich feed ( this is the same terrible disease that killed the famous racehorse, Barbaro, back in January) or suffering from colic from a feed change that is too sudden.  Any feed changes need to be made slowly, over a period of at least a week or more, to give your mare's system a chance to adjust. Hopefully, this will clear up some of the rather confused responses I have seen here. Good luck.

Answer 11

You should deworm her.  Or it could be an ulcer.  Get it checked by a vet to see.  Or you can add special supplements to its diet containing more protein.  Also give it more food.  But only a little more than usual