Help, My Old Horse is Losing Weight

Some horses are blessed with a rotund figure (i.e., easy keepers) all their lives while others have to work on keeping those curves in the right locations (i.e. hard keepers). Of all the horses that have come through the Sanctuary that we've said goodbye, each one reached a point in their life when they became a hard keeper.

There's no specific age when each horse reached that stage. I've had horses anywhere from 16 years old all the way up to 31 years old who were easy keepers until they hit that stage. Then the decline is dramatic. Usually I was able to stave off the inevitable for a little while (years or months) but there was a decline in their rotund bodies without additional supplements to their hay diet.

I am frequently asked how to put weight on a hard keeper. The shelves are lined with every variety of supplement at a wide variety of cost. I have tried a few with little success. What I have found are two options. Keep in mind that these two options have worked for me on the past Sanctuary horses but it's not a guarantee to add weight to your horse.

• Beet pulp
• Calf manna

Beet pulp is the cheaper of the two options at around $15 per bag (without tax). Calf manna is the second option, albeit a much more expensive option at $30 per bag (without tax).

Beet pulp is an acquired taste so don't be surprised that your horse turns up his/her nose at it for the first few feedings. I have a few horses that will refuse to eat their beet pulp plus grain ration. Once he/she"steals" the beet pulp from another horse, they are all for their nightly meal.

Calf manna puts the weight on more quickly but I have experienced ulcers with an old easily stressed Belgian gelding (side note: He's the horse in the top cover. He came to us that thin and we were able to get him back to proper weight using beet pulp and calf manna). The cost is double that of beet pulp so I use it sparingly and only on the hardest of hard keepers.

In 2011 we opened the Sanctuary up to a total of five emaciated horses. Of those five, one was a 28 year old Percheron that was passed the point of any supplement helping to maintain his body. We subsequently opted to euthanize him before the harsh winter months hit. The other four we were able to help them return to their rotund figures with beet pulp and calf manna before the terrible South Dakota winter hit.

The amount and number of feedings is not a science. In all honesty, it was trial and error for those months of recovery and each horse had a different amount they required to gain back their bodies.

As we quickly proceed to fall and then winter, if you have a horse that is turning into a hard keeper, try either beet pulp or calf manna (after checking to make sure your horse's teeth are ok). The outcome won't be a quick result but with consistency, your horse will at the very least stop losing and maintain the weight he currently has.

If you start feeding your horse beet pulp or calf manna, let me know how he/she is progressing. I'd love to hear how you care for your hard keeper and what you give him/her to keep them at a steady and healthy weight.