I took a pair of Clydes to winter for friends in the hopes of using them.. a mare and a gelding. I haven't gotten to drive them yet, but… they are both a bit thin and the gelding is quite thin… they have been wormed and teeth floated and I am told the gelding is a hard keeper.. any thoughts on what best to feed him to put some weight on? I am thinking beet flakes mixed with some oats… they are getting free choice, good grass hay plus they share a small bale of 2nd cutting alfalfa (around 50 pound bale) a day.. they seem bright and healthy, just thin… They are supposed to be i their mid teens but I wonder if perhaps they aren't older… I have thought of having a professional who works on horse teeth come and check them out, tho' I hate to go to the expense if they have already been floated and the history of the gelding is that he is a hard keeper… I am 60 miles from a vet or the guy who floats teeth.. they are about 17 or 18 hands tall so I hate to haul them in my trailer as it isn't all that tall, especially for horses this size… any observations or ideas are welcomed. Thanks.
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Dan in Illinois says 2015-12-14 20:07:16 (CST)
I like to feed oats. Also add redcell to boost appetite.
8 years ago via Forums | Front Porch Forum
Bertie says 2015-12-15 06:59:45 (CST)
try giving him some oil. Vegetable, corn, either one will work. Give them some grain and pour the oil on the grain. You'll have to start with a couple of table spoons and work up to more.
8 years ago via Forums | Front Porch Forum
Allan says 2015-12-15 08:11:57 (CST)
Go on your computer and get a tooth chart, if they are in there teens you should be able to check the teeth yourself, and get pretty close to their age.
8 years ago via Forums | Front Porch Forum
JerryHicks says 2015-12-15 08:27:36 (CST)
I've got a mule that tried for two years to put weight on. He got to the point I was sure he wouldn't make it through the next winter. A neighbor told me to try feeding Purina senior feed and I did. He picked up and even gained weight over the winter. He's held up well and is still doing fine. I had had him wormed and had his teeth floated three times over a three year period. The last guy who did told me the problem was in his teeth. He had all his molars but they were poorly developed with gaps between them so that he was not chewing his feed very well even with being floated. It seems the senior feed is that much easier to digest that he gained well on it.
8 years ago via Forums | Front Porch Forum
Klaus Karbaumer says 2015-12-15 08:35:38 (CST)
I wrote a response last night but must have somehow not submitted it.
The age of horses plays an important role in how they gain and keep weight due to the extent of the molars worn down, since that affects the ability to grind down the feed to digestible size. The better the feed gets broken up the more nutrients can get extracted instead of just being passed through.
Alfalfa, although very nutritious and high in protein, is more an energy than a weight feed and since it is also kind of a laxative passes through faster.
With beet flakes you have to be sure if they are dried that you have them soaked well, they might cause problems in the digestive system.
Good hay is always good, but since not all grasses are made equal the weight adding depends on what kind of grasses you have.
Corn, especially if it is cracked, but not so much that is mealy, is actually the best way to put weight on a horse. Oats are more considered to be an energy feed.
8 years ago via Forums | Front Porch Forum
vince mautino says 2015-12-15 09:06:29 (CST)
I have never had much luck with beet pulp, etc
I have found that a soybean fat additive that can be found at stores for about $30 /50 pounds works best.
Probably those heavy horses would take about two cups each, 2 times a days.
Corn oil works to, but the fat additive is a lot easier to feed
8 years ago via Forums | Front Porch Forum
Robert Dennis says 2015-12-16 09:49:38 (CST)
Thank you all for your responses… I am waiting to hear back from my guy who floats teeth , found a source for beet pulp, have extruded soybean close by at a feed store… I think a combination of all these will probably help...
8 years ago via Forums | Front Porch Forum
hag says 2015-12-19 06:16:21 (CST)
I bought a really thin horse several years ago and I put him in the barn. I wormed him good floated his teeth and fed him ear corn. I fed him every time I passed the barn throughout the day. He got several small feedings instead of the regular amount morning and night. Sometimes I might havefed him ten times in a day but it was always just a handful or so of corn but it was amazing how fast he gained.
8 years ago via Forums | Front Porch Forum
greatgrandpa says 2015-12-19 06:35:24 (CST)
I had a friend years ago tell me to do the same thing that hag has just described. Take what you would normally feed in a day and make it 3 or 4 feedings in a day. It does work, it's just hard to find the time.
8 years ago via Forums | Front Porch Forum
Robert Dennis says 2015-12-19 09:47:14 (CST)
Just got off the phone with my horse teeth floater guy.. he will be up as soon as he can get here.. he works all over, is flying down to Oklahoma to work on some horses for a lady who seems to have lots of money, she can afford to fly him down and back to work on hers!
8 years ago via Forums | Front Porch Forum
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