what to feed older horse?

[heather1982]

I have an older quarter horse gelding who needs to gain some weight. Any suggestions as to a feeding regime? I was told to add a little soybean meal, is this a good idea? I'm currently feeding the boy a couple scoops sweet feed and corn (sorry don't know the weights I'd guess about 3 pounds of feed in all?!). I've only had him for a couple weeks so hard to tell if its doing any good. He gets unlimited hay and grazing and seems to be feeling more spirited as he comes galloping for his dinner:p Thanks, Heather

[Sondra]

I had the same situation. I fed "Golden Years" grain which is specifically designed for the metabolism of an older horse, twice per day. My horse also had unlimited hay and pasture, but it took a while to put the weight on. I still feed golden years grain, so that he gets the nutrition he needs for this stage of his life, just in a smaller quantity.
Good luck

[virtuallyhorses]

One of the first things to do will be to measure (weigh) how much you are feeding currently. This is important so that you have a baseline and so that you know how much you can increase food by (and whether it's making any difference). Always use weight not volume for feeds - 1kg of maize\corn is a lot different in energy to 1kg in oats.

Also get a weight tape and keep a record of his weight. You also don't say how old your horse is.

If you are feeding sweetfeed and corn this is very high in energy and sugars (corn is about the highest energy food you can feed). But it can be hard to digest and stays in the gut quite a while.

Make sure you have your horse's teeth checked - if he can't chew properly you may be wasting your money on hard to eat grains and hay and would be better feeding something easier to digest like chaff and sugar beet. Adding a little oil to the diet is a good way to add calories that are easy to digest. With all changes - make them slowly.

[heather1982]

He is around 18 years old. What if I switched him to Dumor senior horse feed and added some vegetable oil to his daily ration to get some extra fat and improve his coat? I would like to try this but how much oil to give is my other question?
Thanks again!

[virtuallyhorses]

Many senior horse feeds are already quite high in oil - so check before adding more. Generally it is recommended to add no more than 2cups of oil per feed HOWEVER this is quite a lot (esp if your horse gets more than 1 feed per day) If you are starting out add something like 1/4 cup (or less) to start and slowly work up to say 1 cup over a period of weeks. Then review - with an older horse you don't want him getting too fat! :D

Be particularly careful about making changes gradually. With oil if you add too much you can easily upset the digestive system and end up with very unpleasant results. Also remember to review the balance of the diet - is he getting the right balance of minerals and vitamins? calcium\phos ratio (older horses often need a little more phos)

Perhaps even consider getting a blood test done rather than trying to guess. If he's missing an element in his diet it'll repay the cost because you will be able to feed correctly instead of throwing money away on feed that he can't digest\use properly.