First, try to improve her weight by feeding more digestible hay that was harvested pre-bloom and has finer stems and more leaves than what you have been feeding, and simply try feeding her a larger quantity of hay. A mare that should weigh 1,100 lb may eat 20 lb of hay per day or more, and your four "flakes" of hay may not weigh that much. Since the density of a flake of hay may vary a lot according to the type of baler used, size of bale, type of forage, etc., you should weigh your hay to determine how much hay you have been feeding. You may find that your mare will gain weight very well just from feeding more and better quality hay. If feeding more hay doesn't do the trick by improving her body condition, then start feeding a few pounds of completely pelleted feed (combination of hay and grain combined into one pellet) in addition to the hay. This allows you to add some grain while still diluting it a bit with some roughage so she doesn't get a lot of starch all at once. Another feed that might be helpful is beet pulp, which is high in fiber without being a grain base. This is digested in the cecum, just like hay, so it may be a helpful solution.

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