Re: keeping weight on

[Susan Evans Garlinghouse <suendavid@worldnet.att.net>]

Tina, if Tony isn't maintaining weight and everything else is okay in
his ration (probiotics, sufficient roughage, etc, which in your case is
fine), then the bottom line is simply that he needs more energy---meant
in the nutritional sense, not in the way he leaps around.  And the most
dense source of calories is going to be fats, no two ways about it.  You
may very well have to feed a fair amount of it for awhile to see a
difference, as horses that are underweight replace abdominal fat first
before they start putting it on under the skin where you'll see it.  If
you're only feeding a half cup or whatever, it's going to take awhile to
see alot of weight gain, but you will see it faster with fats than you
will anything else.  Sometimes if you increase the amount of forage or
pellets or whatever, the horse will LOOK heavier, but what you're really
seeing is mostly gut fill, not a true increase in the body condition.

Equine Senior and pelleted feeds do not provide any more calories than
flake hay do, but they are digested slightly more efficiently because of
the smaller particle size.  The operative word there is slightly, though
Equine Senior more so than just pelleted hay.  However, there are also
drawbacks in feeding a 100% pelleted diet in how the pellets are
digested and metabolized.  If you want, you could replace maybe half of
Tony's hay ration with pelleted feeds, but I'd suggest you continue to
provide at least ten pounds a day in the form of flake hay or equivalent
pasture.

My suggestion would be to start adding corn or vegetable oil back into
his diet in his beet pulp ration.  Start out slowly and keep upping the
ration until he's getting maybe two cups a day.  That's about a 10% fat
ration, which is reasonable.  Split the fat ration into two feedings if
possible to maximize the absorption.

Undoubtedly, you'll also be getting some suggestions to add rice bran to
his ration, and possibly the effects of the gamma oryzanol content might
help.  Everyone by now knows I'm not fond of rice bran and why, but if
you do choose to provide rice bran, (and I promise I'll still speak
nicely to you :-D), I would do so along with the oil, not just instead
of, or it will cost you an arm and a leg to pay for enough to really put
weight on, and you will be providing too much phosphorus and protein. 
Also, you will have to provide an extra source of calcium, since that
much phosphorus in the rice bran is going to invert your
calcium-phosphorus ratio.  Probably the easiest way to do that is by
providing some ground limestone---if you just throw a few handfuls into
the bottom of his feed tub, most horses will eat what they need.

Good luck to you.  You're to be commended for seeing a problem and
taking steps to solve it before you get into your spring ride schedule
and his condition drops enough to affect performance and health.  Good
for you.

Susan Garlinghouse



Tina Hicks wrote:
> 
> I need some ideas....Tony does not maintain his weight well
> when being ridden seriously and my spring ride schedule is
> more intensive than I've done before - I'm worried about him
> carrying enough weight into his rides. Part of it is
> temperment - he stresses over anything :) so he always drops
> weight hauling to a ride tho he's an experienced hauler. The
> other part of it is he's an angular built horse so he's
> gonna tend to show some "angles" when he gets fit.
> 
> *However* even with all that I want him a little rounder
> than he is now going into the rides.
> 
> He's on 8lbs corn/oats and 2 buckets of beet pulp per day
> split between 2 feedings. I'm not real comfortable putting
> too much more grain in him and I don't think he'll eat any
> more salad <g>. He's on Excel vitamins, probiotic, biotin,
> full turnout, and grass hay.  Not currently on corn oil tho
> I have had him on it - didn't see a tremendous amt of
> difference with his weight while on it.
> 
> What is the current wisdom on complete pelleted feeds for
> weight maintenance? What about Equine Senior?
> 
> Comments/thoughts welcome privately or to the list
> 
> Tina
> Tony - a little too svelte these days
> hickst@nichols.com