Underweight Horses

Understanding and Managing Underweight Horses

• What is an Underweight Horses?

  • Horses that are losing weight during competition are not receiving enough calories, or they may be overly stressed or unsound (experiencing pain or discomfort).
  • Horses with gastric ulcers tend to not want to eat due to pain.Treatment for ulcers should be initiated immediately upon diagnosis or efforts for increasing weight gain will be fruitless.
  • Geriatric horses are in a constant state of muscle catabolism and therefore require higher amounts of quality protein in their diets.
  • Young, growing horses have high energy requirements but care must be taken to balance nutrients and energy to avoid under or over growth in bone and tissue.
  • Parasite infection can lead to weight loss and therefore horses should be maintained on a regular deworming schedule.
  • Access to excellent quality hay and pasture can help keep weight on a hard keeper.
  • Nervous horses tend to fair better when fed feeds low in starch and sugar as blood sugar increases following grain meals and may exacerbate the problem.
  • Lactating broodmares have the highest energy requirements of all categories of horses and must consume approximately 3% of their bodyweight daily to produce milk and maintain condition. Extra care should be taken to avoid starch overload in the lactating mare.
  • Reducing stress and increasing calorie intake are the best ways to help an underweight horse regain weight.
  • Horses that lose weight for no apparent reason should be clinically tested for disease conditions.

• Dietary and Management Recommendations for Underweight Horses

  • Increasing feeding frequency is one of the safest ways to increase feed consumption and calorie intake without increasing risk of starch overload in the hindgut.
  • High fat and soluble fiber feeds work best for putting weight on thin horses.
  • Horses that need to gain weight should be fed products that contain excellent quality protein and guaranteed amino acid levels.
  • The best quality forage should be obtained for feeding thin horses as it is most palatable and has the highest energy content.Direct fed microbials, yeast culture, enzymes and other feed additives that enhance digestion are useful in adding weight to thin horses.

  • Reducing stress and turning horses out is the best therapy for horses that need to gain muscle tone and weight.
  • Maintain a proper dental care routine.
  • Check effectiveness of existing parasite control program and adjust if necessary