Great! The right amount of roughage is the foundation of a healthy weight. If your horse is at a healthy weight, you’re feeding the right amount of roughage. Spread the roughage out as much as possible throughout the day and night. To keep your horse’s stomach and intestines healthy, it’s important that your horse doesn’t go more than 6 hours without roughage. Pregnancy and lactation place high demands on a mare. If your mare starts to lose weight, adjust her ration in a timely manner! Increase the amount of hay (possibly unlimited) and/or the number of hours of pasture time.

Try to determine why your horse is underweight. Being underweight can be caused by insufficient roughage, but health issues such as a worm infestation or stomach ulcers may also be a factor. First, review your roughage management. If that’s in order but your horse is still underweight, contact your veterinarian to determine the cause.

Check out forage management
Not sure exactly how much hay your horse is getting each day? Try weighing the hay portions using a hay net and a weighing hook. As long as your horse is too thin, it’s best to give him unlimited roughage (give enough so there’s always some left over and your horse never runs out). Is unlimited hay feeding not possible in the stable? Then make sure your horse gets at least about 2 kg of hay per 100 kg of body weight per day—that’s 10 kg for a 500 kg horse. Is the roughage relatively low in nutrients? Then it may be necessary to increase the amount to about 15 kg per day for a 500 kg horse. Is your mare losing weight quickly? Then give her unlimited roughage during pregnancy and lactation. Keep in mind that being underweight can affect fertility and the development of the foal.

Generally speaking, coarser, long-stemmed hay is less nutritious, while finer hay is more nutritious. For a horse that is too thin, a finer type of hay or baled hay is usually the best choice. However, this isn’t always the case, so if you want to be sure you’re feeding the right type of forage, have it analyzed!

Fresh grass is ideal for helping horses gain weight. Does your stable have a suitable pasture? Then let your horse enjoy some time in the pasture! Of course, be sure to gradually increase the number of hours spent in the pasture to prevent digestive and metabolic issues.

Feed your horse preferably high-quality hay or haylage with a low energy content. Weigh the amount of forage using a hay net and a weighing hook, and reduce the daily amount of forage by about 10%.

As a guideline, you can aim for approximately 1.2% of the horse’s body weight in dry matter (the minimum is 1%). For a 500-kg horse, that amounts to 6 kg of dry matter per day. This means you can feed a 500-kg horse approximately 7 kg of hay and approximately 9 kg of haylage per day. Divide the roughage into as many portions as possible and ensure that your horse is not without hay for more than 4–6 hours.

Limit the number of hours your horse spends in the pasture and prevent it from gaining too much weight during the summer months. Fresh grass is highly energy-dense. Use a grazing mask to limit the amount of forage your horse consumes per hour while in the pasture, and feed hay in a slow feeder. If your horse is in the pasture, do not feed hay, or feed only a limited amount.

Are you planning to reduce the amount of roughage? If so, you’ll also be lowering the protein content of the diet. A protein deficiency can lead to muscle loss instead of fat loss. Therefore, replace 0.5–1.5 kg of hay with Vitalbix Pure Lucerne+ to provide extra protein (amino acids) and prevent muscle loss.

Provide your horse with all the nutrients it needs with Vitalbix Breed & Grow.

It is important for your horse to return to a healthy weight to prevent health issues such as laminitis. Keep in mind that being overweight can have a negative effect on a mare’s fertility. Is your mare not getting pregnant? Then make sure she reaches a healthy weight first.

Check out the forage management guide
What does the forage look like, and exactly how much does your horse get each day? Not sure? If so, we recommend having the forage analyzed and weighing the amount using a hay net and a weighing hook.

It is best to feed your horse high-quality hay or haylage with a low energy content. If necessary, you can replace some of the hay with grass seed hay or straw. Feed no more than 2 kg of this per day (for a 500 kg horse) to prevent colic.

It is best not to put your horse out to pasture (anymore) until it has regained a healthy weight. Fresh grass is high in energy.

Feed approximately 1.2% of the horse’s body weight in dry matter (the minimum is 1%). For a 500-kg horse, that amounts to 6 kg of dry matter. Feed approximately 7 kg of hay and approximately 9 kg of haylage per day. The exact amount you should feed depends on the nutritional value of the forage.

Are you planning to reduce the amount of roughage? If so, you’ll also be lowering the protein content of the diet. A protein deficiency can lead to muscle loss instead of fat loss. Therefore, replace 0.5–1.5 kg of hay with Vitalbix Pure Lucerne+ to provide extra protein (amino acids) and prevent muscle loss.

Provide your horse with all the nutrients it needs with Vitalbix Breed & Grow.

Is your mare in foal? If so, make sure she doesn’t lose weight too quickly. This can be harmful to the foal!

By regularly (at least once a week) taking a close look and feeling your horse, you can better assess whether your horse is at a healthy weight. A good indicator of a healthy weight is the fat on the ribs. First, look at your horse from about 2 meters away. Can you easily see the ribs? If so, your horse is too thin in the ribs.

Can’t see the ribs? Then run your thumb along the ribs from front to back, applying a little pressure as you go. At a healthy weight, you can’t see the ribs but can easily feel them. Do you have to press hard with your thumb to feel the ribs? Then your horse probably has a little too much fat on its ribs. Can’t you feel the ribs at all with your thumb? Then your horse really has too much fat on its ribs!

Just like humans, horses also have specific areas where they tend to store fat first. You may be able to easily feel your horse’s ribs, but your horse might be storing too much fat just behind the shoulder (the area under the saddle), on the neck, or on the hindquarters. Be sure to check these areas as well!

In young horses, the ribs are often slightly visible. This is perfectly normal and usually resolves on its own as the horse gets older.

Still unsure after the assessment?
Then request a free nutrition consultation using the request form. You can attach a few (recent & clear) photos so we can help you with the assessment!