My 12-year-old Paint mare just finished 60 days' training (the last 30 days done regularly, the first 30 intermittently due to trainer injury).  Lucy appears to have lost weight while she was being worked 5-6 days/week.  My trainer and I are discussing putting her on a weight-gain supplement v. waiting a few weeks to see if she starts gaining  due to less work.

I don't ride Lucy all that hard, but she gets lunged and ridden in the arena 3, sometimes 4, times a week now.  Once we've dealt with her trailer woes we'll be going out on the trail probably once a week during the summertime.

Any recommendations for a weight gain supplement?

Thanks,

Mary 

Lucy gets hay 2x/day (not sure what kind) and a mixture of beet pulp, COB, Allegra Sr., and her supplements (joint/coat) 1/day. 

Which kind of pellets is it you've got your horse on?  

We're (trainer/BO and I) are going to talk about this tomorrow, am just trying to get some ideas in advance.

Thanks,
Mary

My gelding is a not so easy keeper too -- your mare just may need a better feed.  Solo does wonderfully on Nutrena's SafeChoice, it's an excellent feed for a working horse and they really do blossom on it.  I've just switched him back to it from a hiatus where we were trying to save a little money by using our farms' feed, but their feed was just never able to produce the same results in terms of consistent weight under work and consistent energy levels. 

Actually, something that'd fatten her up Without giving her extra energy would be just the trick.  Ole Luce has energy to spare, which is great!

Mary

Stuff that is high in fat but gives cool calories -- corn oil!  Pour that on her feed and she ought to turn into a swollen little tick.  Basically you want something with lots of fat but low sugar to pile the weight on.     

 Once a day my not-so-easy keepers are on Purina high fat/high fibre. They aren't on very much of it at the time being, it just depends on the season! Don't forget to add ( whatever you add ) gradually, and build up the desired amount.

 You need the "cool" calories from fats.  Corn oil, like Solaris suggested, ground flax seed and/or rice bran.  They make weight gain supplements, but you can probably get the weight back on fairly easily with a little less work, a complete feed and some fats.

Good luck! 

Unless she is working hard or in foal i would give her some time and see if she regains on her own.  A little thin is better than too fat.   I have the opposite problem - i cannot keep the weight OFF my Morgans & Morabs.   i dry-lot them they and they get grumpy.  I can not ride as much as they need.  Risk of founder always an issue... i do not give grain or supplements and i have hardly any grass in my fields - they just stay fat.    Anyone know of a magic weght loss pill for horses?

when my gelding was about 32 he had a stall accident and he lost weight due to him getting well and we were approaching winter and it gets pretty cold in pa.  my vet recommended corn oil but you need to watch how much you give your horse.  i started out with about 1/4 cup of corn oil on his feed 2 times a day.  i worked the corn oil up to one cup a day total.  i was advised to not go over 1 cup a day.  so that came down to 1/2 cup 2 times a day.  he really gained weight on that on the coldest month in winter.  good luck if you try this.  i would suggest when you reach the weight you want then back off the corn oil and see if your mare maintains her weight with out the corn oil. 

First of all, before any athlete goes into training, they are evaluated on their current diet and exercise and abilities.  Then their diet will change with the amount of exercise they will be doing.  If your horse was on an every day type feed such as a basic sweet feed and two flakes of hay per day, her feed should have been changed to one with more protein and more quantity of hay during her training period to sustain her weight.  If she was a little overweight going into the program, she still would look like she lost weight because the fat would turn to muscle, giving a more lean look to her physique.  Also, at 12, she is beginning to get to her middle age.  Her body is changing and she may not be able to move like she did at three and four.  Things like arthritis and joint pains can start.  I don't think she needs a senior feed at this time, because you are keeping her active and as for a weight gain supplement, not at this time.   If you're going to keep her at a lower activity then when she was in training, she should gain weight with just a little extra feed and hay if there are no other health issues.  If you want to be able to do the riding that you have just had her trained for, you should also be fit. She needs a feed that will give her the vitamins, proteins and nutrients she needs to keep moving at the amount of exercise she is required.  The same is for the rider. You are the other half of the team.   One must think of a diet as a way of keeping your body in the best running condition for what it is to perform.  The higher the performance, the higher grade of fuel intake it needs.  In other words, treat her and your bodies like high performance race cars when you are in an high excercise routine.  Also, if she hasn't done much and now you are working her more, be careful of her aches and pains.   If you ache, she might too. 

If you want a really good supplement that will add weight to her instead of using corn oil ( my horses won't touch the stuff no matter how little I start with, not to mention you have to store it right or it will go bad in the summertime)----

Purina makes a fat supplement called Amplify. It is a nugget that you top dress on whatever feed you are feeding or it can be given alone if all you feed is hay. It is designed to put that show ring "plump" on horses that are going to show in halter or are going to the high dollar auction sale barns. But, I used it on my 21 and 23 year old trail horse and my 23 year old broodmare because they lost weight over the winter. We had a hard time finding quality hay and so had to feed regular grass hay all winter. But within 30 days they had both picked up weight and had a shine to their winter coats. They shed out quicker this spring and their summer coats are very shiny! The only thing I did different was add the Amplify to their feed.

Hope this helps!

We retrain OTTBs.  The can be very hard keepers, especially when in hard training or showing.  We feed Safe Choice (according to the recommendations) and top dress with Empower.  Both are made by Nutrena.  Check the NutrenaWorld website for recommendations.  SafeChoice is a very safe feed and can be increased faster than grain.  It's also great for "hot" horses.  Does not seem to wind them up!

Mmm, I second the recommend for Empower too -- I had Solo on it for a while when I first got him, did not give him "hot" energy despite its high protein content and is chock-a-block full of fats fats fats.  Loved it. 

I have a 8 yr old paint gelding that was about 100 lbs underweight due to poor hay I had (only hay that was available).  He was also given crimped oats and Missing Link.I got new hay was still feeding Missing Link and crimped oats and their wasn't too much of a change. I started to use HP1 from Blueridge along with 1/2 scoop  beet pulp (soaked) and a smaller amount of crimped oats  and I can't believe the difference.  In one month he has put the weight back on a his coat is incredible. His eyes are bright and clear, his mane is soft and his coat is so shiny.  He is a very happy calm horse. Unbelievable!  I used to use Equine Senior but I am switching all of my horses to Blueridge products. I don't trust the big companies and they use a lot of preservatives in their products.  The HP1 is 100% certified organically grown and natural!  I also feed the Win-treats and all three of my horses have changed considerably.  They have a website you can order from. Easy!