That’s amazing thank you! I will dive into that now
I have tried food formula website such as feedxl but not that one in particular. I unfortunately work during the day but maybe could do one more feeding around 9:00 after the 6:00pm feed.
I have had two vets with her and we have tried their suggested feeding schedules and formulas already and so far no luck on what that magic cocktail is that will work for her. Its been a little over a year. She has gained weight don’t get me wrong, but she is still thin. However, not starving and unable to move, so huge progress. Old gal even runs around now. I never thought we would see her canter.
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That may be an idea. I would do a 6pm and a 9pm and see how she eats down that 6pm feed. In the past when she was on a higher food amount schedule, she did always end up having leftover feed that did go rancid pretty quick (we’re in Florida)
UC Davis = University of California, Davis.
Excellent, free resource
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re-feeding isn’t the solution here. The whole idea behind that is to slowly increase nutrients and calories into a horse by providing first very, very small hay meals many times a day, and working up to free choice, before adding concentrates.
This horse has been eating, and simply needs more calories
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There are auto feeders that work on battery power or an outlet so she could get several feedings when you’re at work or overnight. We have a mare at my barn that has no teeth. I believe she gets 2x/day mash and a Purina Senior complete feed 7x/day. She looks great and is in very light work.
That’s a great idea. I could do the mash morning and night and then use the feeder for the day as you suggested. Do you happen to know the amounts they provide her? I know this may be a bit experimental as every horse is going to be different but I’m just trying to figure out how far off I am here. We are already struggling switch the current regiment and how much it costs so I would be lying if the thought of doubling all of that didn’t scare me.
it was a refeeding situation.
Which is why I asked about it.
It seems like they didn’t seek the best sources for help doing that.
Bottom line, an older horse who started out neglected and “severely underweight” will probably take more effort and feed to get and keep a decent weight, if it’s even possible.
But it’s been a year, so re-feeding isn’t required. And, doing so will be a step back in calories
The new UnBeetable Forage Only product is a small, soft pellet that might work for this. It also soaks incredibly fast. It’s around 1400 cal/lb, with more Omega 3 than 6, so one possibility is to soak enough of it at a time, let it dry back out, put that in the feeder, so it’s a meal-form and much easier to eat
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The senior mare at my barn gets 1 heaping 32 oz scoop of alfalfa/grass pellet mixed with water in the am & pm. She gets 6-7 heaping scoops of Senior complete throughout the day, basically every other hour. She’s a big boned 16h WB. They also feed her from a Grad-dual grain slow feeder from SmartPak.
that 6PM feeding could be reduced some say by 1/3rd, then the new 9PM feeding could be of the same amount fed at 6PM or that late night feeding a regular full feeding?
We had a pony who lived to be 45, those last years he was fed five or six times a day
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That’s a great idea actually. I am going to input that into feed xl to see how much it recommends for the daily. Was your thought to use that to replace the alfalfa pellets completely or in addition to those?
it might come down to taste. It’s around a 40% increase in calories on a per-pound basis, which is great
Yes thats quite a big difference. Thank you for your knowledge! I know this may sound naive but I have always had BEYOND easy keepers. Horses that I have to actually do the opposite with and keep weight off. So this is a whole new world for me.
So far I am struggling to find a balance (using FeedXL) to come up with an accurate nutrient sufficent breakdown between the products. I will keep at it. Phew!
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My barn has an older horse who has improved a lot on the UnBeetable Forage. He doesn’t like super wet foods and this will soften up enough for him to eat it with his remaining teeth.
Have you tried probiotics or digestive enzymes? Focus Sr. includes both and helped my previous horse fill out.
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I have only one experience with refeeding and taking care of a 28-year-old starved horse until he lived to be about 37. it took about a year to get him baseline I am also in Florida And he had about 12 teeth left top and bottom He ate at the fancy Seminole wellness, senior feed. Twice a day. 5 pounds soaked. X2 in the in between he ate, soaked, alfalfa cubes free choice. Probably 2 pounds. I offered three times a day. He could not graze. in the first year he went from a maybe probably a one to a six on the Hennekke scale. After that I could back way off. And only fed him 5 pounds wellness senior twice a day. And at noon 5 pounds of alfalfa cubes
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I am reading great things about the unbeetable acutally. I was honestly just trying the ultracruz weight gain but I dont think I have come across focus Sr as of yet. I will have to check that out but no, I have not explored that or probiotics etc yet!
Oh wow! Its crazy to me how different horses require such different feeding styles. From what you are saying, my girl is getting so much more currently and Im having a hell of a time getting her to gain any more than she originally did…I guess its similar to people so I shouldnt be that suprised, but I obviously wish the current method (or a less expensive feeding routine) was the hand I was dealt
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What is your horses health status? Has your horse been properly wormed?
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Blood work great, yes properly wormed oringally and then we have kept up with the worming every few months
