old horses losing weight

[kelso]

I am embarking on a wrangler position at an outdoor school in Southeast Texas in the fall. I've worked with the horses for 2 years now, but this fall will be officially responsible for their health, training, and well being. There are 16 horses, many of which are in their mid to late twenties. The horses are turned out in an area smaller than they deserve, so the grass never really grows lush enough for them to really enjoy....They rely heavily on average quality hay and grain 2x a day (of either 10%/senior/rice bran, mixed accordingly depending on each horse).

Some of the older horses that are on a combo of senior and rice bran, however, don't ever seem to keep enough weight on. Is there something else I can try that would be easily accessible and affordable?? My resources are limited.

Laura :)

[Equine_woman]

First off I would have their teeth checked. A lot of older horses' weight problems stem from a bad set of teeth. If that isn't your problem you probably need to up the protein percentage in the horses diet. 12% overall I believe is the absolute minimum a horse at leisure needs. If the horse works at all he needs to have more protein in his diet. I would ask the vet that checks their teeth what he suggest for the area, (since hay is such a varying thing) The vet should know on average what the hay protein analysis is for the area and be able to advise you on what type of diet your older horses need.

Good luck and congrats on the great job!

[Laurie]

I added corn oil to my youngster's grain, starting with a couple of tablespoons and moving up to around 1/4 cup. It's cheap, good safe fat and it worked for me. I don't know about older horses but your vet could tell you. A friend recommended it; she bought an 8 yr old who was too thin and it helped.