Question
I just gelded my seven-year-old Tennessee Walking Horse. Right now, he consumes some mid-quality pasture, six hours a day, and a scoop of alfalfa pellets, as well as 1 cup (8 oz or 240 ml) of soya oil. He needs to gain weight badly. Can you suggest a feed with little to no corn?
Answer
Increasing caloric intake by providing more forage and introducing a fortified feed are the best ways to achieve weight gain for your gelding.
The most important part of the horse’s diet is forage. Alfalfa pellets are a high-quality forage source, but they do not contain all of the vitamins and minerals needed for optimal health, which is why a fortified feed is also necessary. You didn’t mention exactly how much pelleted alfalfa he is getting. He needs at least 1.5-2% of his body weight in forage, which could be a combination of pasture, alfalfa pellets, and hay. Ideally, he should have free-choice hay when he is in his stall to promote weight gain and maintain healthy digestive motility. Any kind of good-quality, local grass hay would be appropriate, in combination with alfalfa pellets. Because the pasture is only so-so quality, the majority of his forage requirements should come from hay and alfalfa pellets.
Choose a fortified feed manufactured by a reputable dealer. It is not clear in your question why you want to avoid corn, but there are some well-formulated feeds in the marketplace that do not contain corn. You will have to review the options that are available to you locally. No matter the brand of feed you choose, be sure to follow feeding directions to meet his nutrient requirements. If you feed less than the recommended amount, he will be deficient in certain vitamins and minerals. To make sure you feed the right amount, I recommend weighing the feed to get an idea how much an average scoop weighs. As with anything new, gradually add the feed to the diet, slowly working up to the total amount, and never feed more than 5 lb (2.3 kg) in a single meal.
You can continue adding a cup of soya oil, as all vegetable oils are calorie-dense feedstuffs.
These diet modifications should help with weight gain. Changes in weight do not happen overnight, so raising body condition significantly should be considered a long-range goal with full results in two to three months. You may find that you can cut back on the amount of feed once he gets to an appropriate weight.
Another consideration when introducing feed to his diet is to provide the hindgut buffer EquiShure, a supplement that helps balance the pH environment and promotes efficient digestion in horses with changing diets.
In addition to quality and quantity of feed, be sure your gelding is on an effective deworming program suitable for the region in which you live, and have a professional dentist or veterinarian evaluate his teeth and correct any problems.
