Question
I own a Quarter Horse mare (9 years old, 14.1 hands, 1,000 lb or 450 kg) that is ridden lightly, about once or twice weekly. She always looks bloated but ribby. She is not pregnant, and her fecal egg counts are always well within low ranges. She gets 2 lb (0.9 kg) of complete feed each day and unlimited grass hay. We feed her prebiotics, probiotics, pelleted dewormer, Metamucil, and bran mash daily. One vet told us she has an inflamed colon. What can we do to add weight to this mare?
Answer
The amount of complete feed you’re feeding (2 lb or 0.9 kg) is likely under-supplying essential nutrients. For horses that do not need the recommended amount of a fortified feed from an energy perspective, I suggest switching to a ration balancer or adding an additional source of vitamins and minerals to the diet to provide complete and balanced nutrition. The micronutrient supplement Micro-Max, developed by Kentucky Equine Research, would be appropriate in this instance. In Australia, horse owners should look for Gold Pellet or Nutrequin.
If the hay available is overly mature or coarse, then replacing some of the hay with a more digestible hay that was harvested at an earlier stage of maturity (greater leaf content and finer stems) may help reduce irritation to the inflamed gut. Offering products with a shorter fiber length, such as hay cubes or pellets, can be useful for horses with colitis and may help reduce the bloated, hay-belly appearance by providing a highly digestible fiber source.
High-quality forage can provide a significant amount of calories to support optimal weight for horses in light work. Providing supplemental energy sources that are digested in the foregut, such as oats and stabilized rice bran, can be beneficial in these cases of hindgut disturbance.
Another product I suggest to help with your horse’s digestive discomfort is the time-released hindgut buffer EquiShure, which was developed by Kentucky Equine Research. EquiShure works to neutralize and stabilize the pH of the hindgut which, in turn, can rebalance the microbes and support optimal fiber digestion and overall digestive health. Neutralizing excess acid can also help reduce irritation to the inflamed gut lining and may help in the healing process.
