Question
Max is a six-year-old, 16.3-hand (170-cm) Thoroughbred gelding that weighs about 1,260 lb (570 kg). He’s thin, about a 3 on the Henneke body condition scorecard, with pointy hipbones, visible ribs, and a potbelly. Max came off the track nine months ago. His diet consists of 4 lb (1.8 kg) performance feed, 4 oz of rice bran oil, and as much hay as he wants to eat. He’s turned out 24/7, but pasture intake depends on season. He has colic occasionally, though never severely, and he is a cribber. His coat and hooves are in great shape, but I hope to add more muscle. I am giving Max the winter off but plan to start training him for low-level eventing in the spring. How can I step up weight gain? Should I switch to a senior feed?
Answer
My first recommendation for Max is to increase the daily amount of feed he is offered by 2-3 lb (0.9-1.4 kg). The current amount of 4 lb (1.8 kg) per day, even with the additional rice bran oil, is a small amount of feed for a horse that needs to gain weight and condition. The size of a single meal should be limited to a maximum of 5 lb (2.3 kg), as to not overwhelm the horse’s digestive capacity. For example, if feeding 6-8 lb (2.7-3.6 kg) of feed per day, this should be offered in at least two meals of 3-4 lb (1.4-1.8 kg) each.
If you switch to a senior feed that has less starch and less fat, you will have to feed more per day than the performance feed to provide enough calories. Higher-fat feeds are more calorie-dense and that oftentimes allows less to be fed per day. Another way to boost the caloric content of the diet is to increase the amount of rice bran oil to 8 oz or offer 1-2 lb (0.5-0.9 kg) of stabilized rice bran in addition to the concentrate feed. Most horses respond extremely well to having rice bran added to their diets.
Digestive health plays a key role in maintaining a horse’s condition, and because Max is an off-the-track Thoroughbred, he may be experiencing residual digestive health problems, some of which may explain his tendency to colic. Offering him free-choice mixed hay, such as a grass and alfalfa (lucerne) blend, and maximum turnout are great ways to improve his digestive health and reduce the incidence of any problems reoccurring.
Maintaining optimal digestive health and function is as important as providing enough calories for horses that are habitually hard keepers. To help support digestive health, offer a product like RiteTrac, a buffer that provides support for both the foregut and hindgut. RiteTrac is available in the U.S. and other markets; check out digestive-health products in Australia.
RiteTrac contains EquiShure, the only product available that delivers an active buffer to the hindgut. EquiShure supplementation helps to maximize fiber digestion and minimize the incidence of colic by ensuring the hindgut microbial population remains stable.
If digestive ulcers are an issue, changing to a lower NSC feed is appropriate, but you will have to provide him with additional calories from fat and fermentable fiber (beet pulp, soy hulls) to maintain his weight gain and condition. Some horses require moderate amounts of starch in their diet for optimal performance and to build muscle condition. If Max is this type of horse, then offering him a small amount of oats will provide a source of highly digestible starch; feeding 1-2 lb (0.45-0.9 kg) of oats should accomplish this.
From your description of his appearance (poor topline and potbelly), I suggest conducting a fecal egg count (FEC) to determine if parasite burden is contributing to his thinness. Parasite resistance to certain anthelmintic drugs is becoming a serious problem, which makes it important to perform a FEC to establish if your horse is a high or low egg-shedder and to select the appropriate dewormer to use. Even if you have dewormed Max, I would still follow up with a FEC and a fecal egg count reduction test (FECRT) to make sure the deworming was effective. A veterinarian will be able to help you with these tests.
While a veterinarian is on hand, ask to have an oral examination done to be sure his teeth are in sound working order. Misshapen, crooked, and diseased teeth are regularly overlooked as causes of weight problems.
