My retiree needs a few pounds. He lives out 24/7 with a mini who definitely does not need anything.
Looking for a calorie dense feed for him so the volume is low…. And he eats it all. So mini doesn’t get much!
Bringing them in to feed wouldn’t work for various reasons.
Adding oil is probably not going to work either.
Here in Ocala we have lots of options.
Thanks for any suggestions which one to try!
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I had my horse on Omegatin + V/M blend for a while which is very calorie dense, but he stopped eating it after a while even with additional grain or alfalfa pellets mixed in.
Purina Ultium Gastric Care. Its high calorie and very well liked.
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My older mare did very well on Nutrena Fuel XF. Low starch high fat and she preferred it to TC Senior.
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I have my 35 year old mini on this - he’s gotten skinny but is still trit-trotting around like he is 20. I just want a few pounds on him. I think I see a weight gain but it’s only been 2 weeks… I like the high fat and smaller portions (along with his regular feed, which is their Synergy). He didn’t really like the Unbeetable feeds, but at his age, I am not going to argue!
The Purina Ultium line, including the new senior, is very dense, in the 1800-1900 range
Triple Crown Competition, Senior Gold, and Perform Gold are 1700, 1800 and 1800 cal/lb respectively
Feed bags are a great way to make sure the right horse gets his and only his feed 
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I’ve had success keeping weight on my 23yo TWH using Triple Crown Sr, adding about 1-1/2 cups to his grain ration of whole oats (2 cups twice a day).
Same feed is the only grain my 11yo mini gets & it keeps weight off him - 34" a trim 250#
Relatively economical. a 50# bag lasts me over a month - fed twice a day.
I’ve had good luck with ProElite senior. Right now my new guy could stand to gain 20-50 (IMO), so I’ve been adding Buckeye Ultimate Finish 100.
Since you’re in Florida … Seminole Wellness Dynasport is around 1,700 calories per pound according to Madbarn. I agree with JB that a nose bag would be a great way to keep grain away from the mini and enable you to monitor exactly how much retiree is eating. High-calorie feeds are generally formulated to be fed in larger quantities of 5-6+ pounds a day.
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You could add some flax to his feed–it’s ~40% or so fat.
Nutrena’s Empower Boost always does wonders whenever I add it to a horse’s feed. Basically rice bran and flax and some probiotics and like…some other stuff, LOL.
Purina’s Amplify is a similar product (rice bran, flax…maybe no probiotics). My pony found it very tasty. Lots of options out there!
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needs to be repeated, use a feed bag to ensure the horse in need actually gets that high cost feed.
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thanks for this I can add an equilizer or balancer. (mini currently lives on a handful of pellets and seminole grass balancer, … and whatever she finishes form retiree.
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Then I might as well bring them in which is not ideal. I feed and leave. I understand the concept.
Not looking to ADD something. Looking to REPLACE because he doesnt eat much.
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Ah, I didn’t realize 1/4 lb (3/4 cup) was too much more per feeding. Best of luck.
Whatever you either switch to or add, I still think making sure the horse gets all of it without the mini trying to steal it is going to be important. I feed two who live together in the morning before work and I have to get there with enough time to spare to close the mare up while she eats (she eats slowly and gets more) so my gelding won’t scarf his down and go eat hers too. It sucks, but I just have to drag my bones out of bed a little earlier to make sure she gets her feed.
The thing I definitely do to make it go a bit more quickly is to feed less hard/soaked feed in the AM before work and give the larger amount in the evening when I have much more time. This is when I give any 1x/day supplements too.
I just think it’s super hard to get weight on a horse if you can’t feed it the appropriate amount because another horse with very low calorie needs is going to help itself as soon as your back is turned.
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Probably a dumb question but couldn’t you hang the bucket high enough the mini can’t get his nose in?
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