Whats the best way to put weight on a broodmare?

Question

I have a mare who just had her first foal this spring and as soon as she did she started losing weight. She was fine up until she started nursing. She is re bred so is currently pregnant again as well. She has never had weight issues in the 5 years that I've had her and I know its not my feed because my other broodmare is at a healthy weight. She is currently on pasture 24/7 and gets a pelleted feed that is specially formulated for broodmares, beet pulp and hay three times a day. I've also tried adding oil and increasing the amount of feed she is given. Any other advice?

Thanks

Answer 1

My dads mare had the same problem. Just give it a few weeks and see if she improves. Usually it just takes a lot out of them to have a foal and nurse it. Don't worry this has happened to me before, it just tales a few weeks of good feed and then they are back to normal. if not just have a vet run a few tests on her as a last resort.

Hope this helps!

Answer 2

Do a five day wormer, 4lbs of Omolene 300 2X a day (or separate it into multiple smaller feedings) and 2lbs beet pulp 2X a day. All the alfalfa she can eat and free choice coastal or pasture. Make sure she gets plenty of salt and vitamins.

This is what I do to put weight on rescue mares in foal and skinny horses in general. Fred Tabor is the one who gave me the info on how to bulk them up. He is a multiple world champion halter horse breeder an trainer.  

Answer 3

The only thing I can say is put her on a mare supplement like Mare Plus.  She's not only lactating but is also in the first part of gestation again so she needs a lot of nutrients that she probably isn't getting.  You're feeding right but with all her body needs right now, there just isn't enough there.

Answer 4

Just to ask... when was the last time she was wormed?

I have had a similar problem with a broodmare this year.  To add to what you mentioned, we are also feeding her several pounds of soaked alfalfa pellets.  

What does your vet think?  

Answer 5

you can try giving her oats during the day too. Basically to put weight on a horse is to not use them, and let them stand and eat all day. Alot of mares will lose weight when their foal sucks off them because all their nurtients goes to the milk.

Answer 6

a mare like a woman needs 3x the calories. any lactating animal actually. she's feeding two, herself and her foal. we always fed sweet feed . corn, oats and molases or sorgum mix. plus hay. we had our own hay meadow with sweet clover. she should also be checked for any health issues along with the foal. Good Luck.

Answer 7

Try rice bran. It has a higher fat content than any other feed, and you can feed it to them in bulk without having to worry about colic. It is about the only thing I've found that can put and keep weight on my 18 year old TB mare. For weight gain, I have to feed 6lbs of it a day mixed with 6lbs of Senior. But she is a pretty hard keeper so you could probably get away with half that much or a third.

A lot of people like to feed beet pulp. It helps too but it's main function is as a source of digestible fiber. So it's almost like giving them more forage, like grass hay, it's just more digestible. But it's not necessarily that high in fat. Beet pulp can actually be used as a source of fiber/roughage when no hay or grass is available.

Rice bran, on the other hand, contains a lot of calories from fat to put the weight on a horse. It has 1/3 more calories than beet pulp, by weight. (i.e. you'd have to feed 1.3 pounds of beet pulp to get the same calories as you'd get from 1 pound of rice bran). This is a big reason why I prefer it...it's more cost effective. However, rice bran can have a mineral imbalance, so if you feed more than about 2 pounds of it, you should make sure a horse's diet is supplemented with a mineral block and/or a complete feed (hence why I feed Senior as well). You could try Strategy or Omelene 300 or just Senior. Any horse can eat that as it's highly digestible. They don't HAVE to be old :)

Answer 8

Are you sure she doesn't have teeth problems? I'd have the vet check her out, just to make sure it's not something wrong with her that way. otherwise, you may have to increase her feed.

Answer 9

she mite need to be wormed, or given a weight supplement

Answer 10

I also use rice bran.

I use it along with the beet pulp.

I also use alfalfa pellets in the mix too.

Like Julianne says...the rice bran is FAT.  I love the stuff.