Ask The Equine Nutritionist

What diet changes should I make to help my horse maintain weight as he ages?

Weight gain in an older horse, as the older horses GI tract may not be functioning as well as it did in his younger days look for very high quality feeds that supply plenty of readily digestible fiber (such as sugar beet pulp) and fat such as rice bran, flax seed, canola meal etc. Stay away form highly molassed feeds with a lots of sugar and starch as older horses are prone to problems with carbohydrate digestion and metabolism. I would give him, in addition to his normal feed, 1-2 lbs a day of rice bran and 4 oz a day of whole flax seed and see if that helps him gain weight.


Dr. Melyni Worth Ph.D. - 2004 (c)

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