Something many horse people do not realize is
The big ones often cannot get by on a few lbs (or even 5-6lbs) of grain per day.
In fact, many times, especially in work, they cannot get by well on 8lbs per day.
And actually, sometimes even the smaller ones cannot either.
Oils and supplements are not the answer.
If you have a big guy who is looking like this
A. Make sure you are feeding good quality, free choice hay. If alfalfa is possible, that’s usually ideal and may help to cut down on grain need.
B. Make sure you are safely upping the feed from whatever it is now, split into at least 2 meals. We prefer 3. Many horses do better with a lunch also, but we realize that is hard for some work schedules.
C. make sure you are feeding a good quality grain that is high in fat with a good protein source. You must also make sure there are Quality, balanced vitamins and minerals and adequate salt in the diet.
D. make sure the teeth have been done. and done by someone who is actually good at it. You would not believe the amount of “floaters” who do not get the very back of the molars or address front teeth alignment.
E. If they are being fed what they should be, and the teeth are for sure fine, you may have ulcers or parasites going on. Scoping often misses ulcers, and if a fecal is done in the wrong cycle of the parasites, you can come up with a false 0. Make sure to use a reputable ulcer treatment, correctly or an effective dewormer if this is your next step to getting your big guy looking like he should. Sometimes parasites take more than one dose of a good dewormer or a panacur power pak.
Some horses, especially those not in work, will absolutely not need grain (but they will need a quality vitamin/mineral source for sure) if the diet is excellent forage wise, but if the forage isn’t great, grain is almost always needed. If a horse is in work, grain will most often be needed. If the horse isn’t looking his best and has a ton of body size to cover over, it absolutely can be that you are not offering enough feed.
