Some horses tend to lose weight very easily, or find it difficult to maintain their ideal weight, losing strength, energy and muscle tone at the same time, and this can represent a real battle for equine lovers because the horse's weight greatly depends on its performance and state of he alth.
The regular check of a horse's weight with a tape scale is the first prevention rule that will allow you to identify any change in the ideal weight of the animal, so that if it is very thin, you can take action on the matter well in advance.
If you have a horse and you can already see its ribs, it is because it is far below its ideal. Continue reading this article on our site and we'll give you some tips to fatten up a horse and get all those muscles and energy back.
Energy, source of all life
Observe the very visible ribs, it is one of the main signs that a horse is on the verge of malnutrition and we must not let this happen. This will be the time to start modifying his eating habits.
A lean horse requires its new diet to contain a lot of energy for the proper functioning of all organs and the building of fat deposits. We are talking about the potential physical energy that a feed can have to fuel the body's functions.
Now, the increase in weight, body fat and muscle in the horse, can be attributed to the protein and/or the amount of fat. When a horse does not have enough calories or protein in its food and this becomes routine, the body can break down its own muscle tissue and deplete most of the fat tissue.
This results in poor muscle formation or even deformity, where bones can protrude from your body. When the diet has a significant load of calories, the body will build muscle and fat stores. The most obvious but at the same time the he althiest and most appropriate solution is to increase the calorie content of the diet without forgetting to add adequate protein content. Basically, the three nutrients that can provide the energy needed to increase the caloric content of the horse's diet are fiber (beet pulp) starch (rice and cereals) and fat (vegetable oils).
Don't forget, before changing any feed or even your horse's entire diet, it is important to consult your equine veterinarian to to help you make the best decisions regarding your horse's he alth.
Nutrients
The fiber:
One of the top three sources of energy is fiber, and it's also the safest. Fiber is the main component of hay Some horses can maintain their weight on fiber sources alone, but this will vary from horse to horse. The best fiber can be found more in the fresh grass of spring than in summer because it is drier, therefore less rich. Even better, however, is alfalfa, when compared for energy content versus grass hay. Of course, this must be an excellent quality alfalfa.
Changing straw for alfalfa is a good decision if you want to fatten up your horse. Contains more nutrients. You can give him feed (mixture of grains and other foods) in the morning and in the afternoon, and at night alfalfa and straw, and from time to time offer him some carrots that have a good load of vitamins and that the horses also like. like them very much.
The fats:
Almost all horses have some form of fat added to their diet, through the inclusion of oils such as corn, rice bran, flaxseedor a commercial high-fat diet. A diet high in good fats is an excellent source of energy and has been shown to be very beneficial in fattening up a very lean horse. This, as long as the horse's digestive tract can tolerate these foods.
Equines normally have no problem digesting fat, as long as it is introduced little by little into the diet. Fat works best when supported by grain and other highly digestible fiber sources, such as beet pulp.
A diet rich in protein and calories is also highly recommended, especially if you want your horse to gain weight. You can give him special feed for horses that contains high levels of energy and is of good quality. An adequate amount would be between 400-700g per 100kg of body weight. You could mix it with an equal volume of rolled straw, barley or rice bran. While your horse is consuming a lot of calories, make sure he also has his exercise load. In this way, the horse will strengthen muscles and prevent it from falling into sedentarism.
Oils are very good and he althy for horses, both to gain weight and to help digest other foods. Start by adding 1/4 cup of oil to your horse's diet per day, and over a week increase to another 1/4 cup. The best oils are corn, canola, or vegetable oil.
Determine the amount of food
If your horse is very thin and underweight, first consult your veterinarian to find out what the goal is and confirm which amounts are directly adapted to the condition of your horse. On our site we can recommend the following:
- It will be necessary to weigh the amount of food to be as accurate as possible. Avoid using scoops as they are inaccurate and you could overestimate the proper amount.
- Always feed your horse according to the desired weight and stick to those limits.
- A horse of average weight will need between 2% and 2.5% of its body weight in feed, including supplements, surprises and treats. This means that a horse in good condition and weight needs between 8k to 10k of food per day. If what you want is for your horse to gain weight, you can increase the amount of food by 2.8% to 3.5% of body weight so that it is a slow and gradual increase and does not hit the internal and external processes. of your horse's body and organism.
