Question
My 12-year-old appendix Quarter Horse gelding, Henry, needs to gain weight. He’s in his stall half the day, and out to pasture the other half. Both the pasture and the hay are good quality. He gets 7.5 lb (3.4 kg) of high-fat, high-fiber feed a day. I don’t like feeding this much grain, but the increase in grain over the past month has helped him gain weight. I feed him a probiotic, too. Henry is worked 5-6 days a week in dressage. How can I continue the weight gain without pouring so much grain to him?
Answer
Because you’ve seen improvements in his weight and overall condition, Henry’s current program is providing him with an appropriate level of nutrition. Have you identified the reason for Henry’s original loss of condition, such as an increase in workload, stress, dental issues, or parasite burden?
The amount of digestible energy needed to facilitate weight gain is significantly more than what is needed to maintain weight. For a horse of Henry’s size and workload, 8 lb (3.6 kg) of concentrate per day is not an unusually high intake, especially considering he needs more condition. When feeding large amounts of concentrate, there is the potential of digestive health issues developing, primarily due to starch overload. However, your feed choices are appropriate, as they have controlled nonstructural carbohydrate levels and utilize fat and fiber as the major energy sources.
You mentioned forage quality and quantity are not limiting factors in his program. High-quality fiber sources can provide a horse with a significant amount of “safe” calories, as forage helps maintain gut health and function. Legume forages are another way to maximize the amount of calories provided as forage due to their higher energy levels and often lower fiber content compared to grass hays of the same maturity. Most horses perform well on a grass-legume mix consisting of 20-50% legume. Other highly digestible and high-calorie fiber sources include alfalfa meal, beet pulp, and soy hulls. Your current feeds utilize these ingredients, but supplemental sources can always be offered to maximize Henry’s forage program.
If stress was a component to Henry’s weight loss, then you may want to consider adding an additional digestive aid, like RiteTrac, that provides digestive buffers for both the foregut and hindgut. Stress and digestive discomfort can have cumulative effects that may result in poor performance and weight loss in the performance horse.
Once Henry has reached his ideal weight and condition, you may find that you can reduce the amount of concentrate feed, though at least 5 lb (2.3 kg) of concentrate is needed to provide him with a complete source of vitamins and minerals. High-fat supplements like rice bran or vegetable oil can be fed in place of concentrate feeds, as they will boost the overall digestible energy of the diet and reduce intake of other concentrates.
