Weight Difficulties............

Even though I am blessed with an easy keeper mare and gelding. I know that there are a lot of people out there who have problems with weight. Especially our older equine friends! Some horses can't have it all and yes do require some "extra care" if you will. Weather it be separating them to have and adequate amount of hay or giving them extra, extra amounts of hay all of these things will help in order for the weight to be gained. One of the other key reasons for horses loosing strategic amounts of weight in a month or so would be BAD TEETH. EVERY horses teeth should be done EVERY SINGLE YEAR. This length of time may be bumped up for horses with choke issues or older horses that may have a hard time with their teeth. 50 percent of the time weight loss can be a contributing factor to severe dental issues. The key reason for weight loss in horses both older and younger is the ineffective calorie intake. (Calorie Deficiency). Some horses metabolic systems run a lot slower than most so therefore will slow down the calorie intake. This process results in them getting little or no calories. Some people tend to think that quarter horses and some of the other larger breeds don't need a fat builder. Yes, in some cases for some horses this may be right but for senior horses and horses with a calorie deficiency a fat suppliment will be your best bet. HAY: Horses need to eat ten percent of their body weight even more on colder nights. Depending on how big of a herd your horse is turned out in make sure that your horse gets PLENTY of hay. Separating your horse from the herd may be necessary depending on how low your gal/guy is on the totem pole. Horses eat tons of hay to keep themselves warm when they run out of hay especially on some colder evenings this process is done and therefore your horse will get colder much, much faster! BLANKETING: Horses that have a shorter hair coat during the winter and senior horses ALWAYS should have the OPTION OF HAVING A BLANKET put on. When it drops below 35 is really when you should start blanketing your horses. When it is single digits multiple layers are required to keep your horse warm enough. Older horses especially have a harder time keeping themselves warm, so you have to aid them with a blanket. Below are some links to websites and articles on weight loss, and Cool Calories 100. If your horse seems to be a harder keeper than a fat suppliment will do him/her wonders. Cool Calories 100 is a fat suppliment that I have recommended many horse owners to try and every time I think the horse has had amazing results. Here is another link for Cool Calories 100: For more information on weight gain check out this article: