Could you please tell me how to put weight quickly but safely on a Percheron who is about 100=200 lbs. Underweight?

This poor old boy is about 18 years old and 18 hands. He was being kept in a pasture on short grass, and was not getting anything else on a regular basis.

I have alfalfa hay, alicia bermuda hay, and I can get almost any nation feed brand except Triple Crown.

I can also get grain ration mixed to order at our local feed mill if necessary.

People who have him know said he was being wormed every two months on a rotation. His hooves look good,his vaccs are UTD and he has a current negative coggins.

He does have some kind of dermatitus under his belly, and some kind of skin infection at the rear of his hooves just above each hoof. But he has been in a very muddy low pasture for about 2 weeks because it rained almost every day for the past two weeks.

Also his tail was docked very short- he has about a 3 inch stump, so he has no defense against the biting flies and mosquitoes that are rampant here in south Louisiana.

First off, as I'm sure you already know, you want to make all diet changes gradually to try to avoid any digestive issues. It will also help horses to adapt to new tastes and textures. I'm going to suggest that you aim for an EPSM type high fat and fiber and low starch and sugar diet. Being a Percheron he has at least a 2/3 chance of being "metabolically different" and prone to EPSM, and that could be part of his weight problem. Sounds like he has some allergy issues (probably to culicoides gnats) to explain the skin problem under his belly, so I'm going to suggest using canola oil or a mix of soy oil and flax oil as a fat source. These are higher in omega 3 fatty acids that may help with allergies as well as muscle health, weight, and a hole bunch of other good things. Just be sure to look for a feed that is as low in starch and sugar and as high in fiber as you can find. With your good qualtiy hay you could just go with soaked beet pulp with added oil if he will eat that. Finding something he will eat that is good for him may be your major challenge!

For fly/gnat control I have relied on original oil-based Fly Wipe and fly masks.

I hope all this helps, and please let us know how things go with him!