Ask The Equine Nutritionist

Dr. Melyni Worth,

How can I get some weight off my 11yr. old mare that I recently purchased?

I have taken her off the straight alfalfa her previous owner had her on, and off grain and have her on a mixed grass hay plus free feed pasture. (Her feed was slowly changed over a 1 month period.) The flakes of hay she gets are about 6" wide. The pasture is prairie grasses, but this time of year it is pretty much finished for the year.

It seems she is just getting fatter! She is a big mare 16hh. I haven't weighed her, but I'm guessing she is around 1300-1400 lbs. She has a huge crest, and jiggles everywhere when she walks.

I ride her about 1-2 hours 3 times a week minimum.

She acts hungry all the time, and at feed time, she tries to run everyone else in the barn off their food so she can have it. I've had to start locking her up to feed because of this. Will she get over this stage and start to shed some pounds and firm up eventually? I am slowly adding time to her riding/exercise by lounging her in between rides. Is there a better way to get the weight off? I am worried about health problems and foundering. She is healthy other than the fat issue.


With her cresty neck she sounds like an insulin resistant horse. I would increase her magnesium intake preferably with chromium. The easiest way to do that is to purchase a supplement called Quiessence. You give her 4 oz per day until her neck goes down then you can drop to the maintenance dose of 2 oz per day. There are several others on the market, and most co-ops and livestock feed places carry 50 lb bags of straight feed-grade magnesium oxide.

As long as it is winter the free feed pasture will be fine, but be ready to restrict her grazing once spring arrives as she will be sensitive to the sugar in the grass. Keep up the exercise and allow her plenty of hay, preferably the grass hay. Lock her up at feed time to stop her stealing the other horses food. In time this will help, especially if you also give her the magnesium.

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

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