how long does it take to notice.....

[CampRiver]

a difference in weight gain for horses? I have had my stallion for 3 wks now and am trying to put more weight on him as he is a little ribby. He gets 4 qts of senior feed a.m. and p.m., with some weight gain supplement added to his feed. he gets free choice hay, and always has a bucket of fresh water on hand. I also hand graze him on grass about 1 1/2 to 2 hrs a day since I dont have adequate fencing for a stallion, which I am working on so he will get turnout for longer times. I have noticed his coat becoming a little shiny. I have just gotten a weight tape today so I'll be able to tape him every now and then for improvement.

[FancyHorse]

It all depends on the horse, although I've noticed it usually takes about 6 months to a year to get a good ammount of weight on them.

[Bondama]

I was going to say that too....just give him some time. He didn't get skinny overnight, and he won't get fat overnight either. And make sure he's adequately wormed.

[xfactor fan]

I've heard that horses have to put on internal weight (padding around the internal organs) before they put on external weight.

[zinn21]

The weight tape is a good idea-when your with them everyday, I think it's harder to see weight change. The tape should clarify any visual estimate.

I find weight gain or loss/physical appearance in general very noticeable when you don't see them every day.

A few weeks ago I ran against a horse who beat my colt about 6 lengths. We faced him again 13 days later and he was a prohibitive 1-5 favorite. When he arrived at the saddling paddock, I noticed he had dropped a lot of weight since his prior race. Perhaps 75 lbs.

We beat him four lengths winning easily at 15-1.

[trackgal]

I took all my horses OFF MOLLASSES, first just the retiree's, and they GAINED weight, now all our horses are on a mollasses free diet, their feet are better, coats are shinier all around happier horses, SUGAR in any form causes inflammation in the body...human or animal.