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I have a 4 yr. old Palomino/dun mix horse. She is about 14 1/2 hands tall. And she is kind of skinny. She eats grass and hay all day long and has her shots/dewormer. How do I get her to gain a little weight?
Last Updated: January 09, 2008
Let your horses type, age, use and body condition be your guide in determining how much weight she needs to put on. See the eXtension website for some great lessons on Body Condition Scoring to guide you - and aim for your mare to be around a BCS of a 5, depending on her type, age, and use. Assumming your mare has access to good quality pasture and hay and is in good dental and overall health, you may consider supplementing her diet with a grain concentrate. Choose a balanced ration that is approximately 10-12% protein and 6-10% fat - this is an appropriate balance for a 4yo mare in moderate work. Also, since it is a higher fat feed, it delivers more calories in less volume of feed, so you'll only have to feed a small amount of feed to reach a desired amount of weight gain. Read the feed tag for detailed information on feeding instructions and always introduce grain to your horse slowly.
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