Summer Pasture-Associated Heaves: Most horse owners have heard of heaves. It’s an asthma-like condition caused by irritation of the respiratory system when dust and mold spores are inhaled. Heaves is most often found in horses that spend a lot of time in stalls. They come in contact with fine particles contained in hay.

Combined with irritating ammonia fumes from wet bedding, these particles cause tissues in the respiratory passages to swell, making it more difficult for horses to breathe. The name “heaves” comes from the audible wheeze and contraction of the horse’s flank as it struggles to move air out of its lungs.

Horses with heaves usually have a normal body temperature and may show a thin, clear nasal discharge. Some heavey horses exhibit worse signs in winter when they are confined to the barn, improving when they are turned out in milder weather.

Summer pasture-associated heaves:

Summer pasture-associated heaves, on the other hand, affects turned-out horses that are sensitive to pollens and molds found in pastures. Signs of illness are the same between the two conditions, but the triggering factor is different. These horses may be more comfortable if they are kept indoors during the warmer seasons.

A nutritional supplement that has gained widespread attention in the fight against heaves is omega-3 fatty acids. They have well-known anti-inflammatory properties. Fish oils are direct sources of DHA and EPA. They are the most useful omega-3 fatty acids in terms of conferring health benefits. Other oils may contain ALA, which must then be converted to DHA and EPA, a complicated and inefficient process. For optimal omega-3 supplementation, use a marine-derived source such as EO-3.

Owners should contact a veterinarian for a diagnosis and treatment program if their horses have trouble breathing or become exercise intolerant during any season of the year.

Would you like more information about Summer Pasture-Associated Heaves? Contact us at J & J Farms by clicking here!

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The Most Profitable Summer Hay Crops in Georgia: Our warm summers and fertile soil make it an ideal location to grow a variety of hay crops. For farmers and agricultural enthusiasts, choosing the right forage during the summer can mean the difference between a good growing season and a truly profitable one. J & J Hay Farms is available for all your hay knowledge and needs!

But when it comes to hay, it’s not just about yields—it’s about safety, nutrition, and market appeal, particularly for horse owners and livestock farmers. This blog explores the top warm-season grasses that thrive in Georgia, focusing on those that are both horse-safe and highly profitable. Whether you’re already in the hay business or looking to diversify, here’s what you need to know.

Why Choose Summer Hay in Georgia

When summer arrives, warm-season grasses take center stage. These grasses are adapted to Georgia’s high-temperature conditions and offer hearty yields during the hottest months of the year. Unlike cool-season grasses that may struggle in peak summer, these varieties grow rapidly, making them a staple for farmers looking to maximize productivity through efficient crop cycles.

Additionally, with Georgia’s growing equestrian industry and a high demand for livestock feed, summer hay crops can generate significant profit when managed properly. However, not all grasses are created equal—choosing the right species matters when appealing to the horse feed market or for general livestock nutrition.

5 Types of Warm-Season Grasses Perfect for Georgia

1. Bermudagrass

The Gold Standard of Southern Hay

Bermudagrass is hands down one of the most popular and productive hay crops in Georgia. This warm-season perennial thrives in temperatures typical of the state’s summer months and is known for its durability and high yield. Types such as Coastal, Tifton 85, and Russell Bermudagrass have excellent forage quality.

Why It’s Profitable

• High Yields: Bermudagrass can produce up to 5-7 tons of hay per acre with proper fertilization.
• Market Demand: Highly sought after for horse owners and cattle farmers due to its digestibility and nutrient profile.
• Regrowth Capabilities: Once harvested, it can regrow quickly, allowing for multiple cuts within a single summer.

Considerations for Success

To get the most profit from Bermudagrass, regular soil testing and proper fertilization are essential. Overgrazing can also reduce yields, so rotational cropping practices are recommended.

2. Bahiagrass

Low Maintenance, High Return

If you’re looking for a hardy option that requires less babysitting, Bahiagrass might be your best bet. While not as nutrient-dense as Bermudagrass, it makes up for this with its exceptional drought tolerance, particularly in southern parts of Georgia where water availability varies.

Why It’s Profitable

• Low Input Costs: Bahiagrass grows well with minimal fertilization, saving money.
• Hardy Nature: It can withstand heavier grazing or less-than-ideal conditions.
• Resilient Storage: Once baled, this hay retains quality when stored for long periods, making it a safe investment for fluctuating market conditions.

For farmers targeting livestock rather than horses, Bahiagrass can generate steady income without the steep costs of high-input crops.

3. Alfalfa (Warm-Season Growth Management)

The Premium Crop

Although Alfalfa is traditionally a cool-season crop, modern agricultural practices and hybrid cultivars allow it to thrive during Georgia’s summer months. Alfalfa is revered for its protein-packed leaves, making it a favorite among horse owners who desire high-quality feed.

Why It’s Profitable

• Premium Pricing: Alfalfa hay markets command higher prices compared to Bermudagrass or Bahiagrass.
• Versatility: Ideal for horses, sheep, and goats, offering a wide customer base.
• Improved Soil Fertility: Alfalfa fixes nitrogen back into the soil, reducing future fertilizer needs for rotations.

Keep in mind that Alfalfa requires careful irrigation and pest management. But the high-value returns make the intensive care well worth it.

4. Teff Grass

The Newcomer Making Waves

Over the last few years, Teff Grass has rapidly gained popularity among Georgia farmers. This warm-season annual is fast-growing, drought-resistant, and ideal as horse-safe forage. Its fine stems and soft texture make it particularly attractive to picky eaters like horses.

Why It’s Profitable

• Fast Turnaround: Teff can be harvested just 45-50 days after planting.
• Flexible Harvesting: Ideal for farmers looking to supplement their hay inventory or diversify market offerings during peak seasons.
• Low Inputs/High Output: It thrives with minimal fertilization in well-drained soils.

Teff Grass also appeals to organic and sustainability-minded customers, adding further value to your operation’s overall branding.

5. Pearl Millet

High Tonnage Powerhouse

Pearl Millet is another warm-season annual that packs a punch in terms of both yield and resilience. Its adaptability to sandy or less fertile soils makes it particularly suited for areas across Georgia where traditional crops might underperform.

Why It’s Profitable

• Impressive Yields: Pearl Millet can generate up to 5 tons of hay per acre.
• Safe for Horses: Unlike some other crops, it does not produce prussic acid, which can be toxic to horses.
• Great for Multi-Cutting: Once harvested, it regrows quickly, offering multiple cuts in one season.

Be mindful of over-fertilization, which can lead to nitrate accumulation. Control this with soil testing.

Best Practices for Profitable Hay Production in Georgia

Regardless of the hay type you choose, following these general guidelines will ensure maximum yield and profitability.

1. Conduct Soil Testing: Understand your soil’s specific nutrient needs to avoid wasteful or excessive fertilization.
2. Invest in Proper Irrigation: While many warm-season grasses are drought-tolerant, well-timed irrigation can boost yields significantly.
3. Optimize Cutting Timing: For the highest nutritional value, time your hay cutting right before grasses flower.
4. Store Hay Properly: Use well-ventilated, waterproof storage spaces to preserve bales from mold and spoilage.

Cater to the Horse Market

Given that horses are particularly common among Georgia’s agricultural customers, focusing your hay production on horse-safe crops like Bermudagrass, Teff Grass, or Alfalfa can be a strategic decision. Consider marketing directly to local horse owners or equestrian centers in your area to secure steady, high-margin sales.

Your Next Steps

By selecting the right warm-season grasses and implementing best practices, you can set yourself up for a profitable summer and beyond. Diversifying crops with the The Most Profitable Summer Hay Crops in Georgia and catering to niche but growing markets—like equestrian enthusiasts—could further increase your success.

Selecting Forages for Horses Diagnosed with Equine Asthma: Environmental management is one of the most important aspects of treating and managing horses diagnosed with equine asthma. Asthma is a chronic condition that requires lifelong management changes to maintain respiratory function and overall health. Reducing exposure to respirable antigens, which are the inhaled molds, endotoxins, and other foreign matter that trigger immune response, can help alleviate the clinical symptoms of asthma. The most common respirable antigens in a horse’s environment come from hay, bedding, and potentially pasture.

For horses diagnosed with barn-associated asthma, full-time pasture access is generally recommended. However, this is not an option for many horse owners, and hay is often the primary source of forage. Hay is a major concern for horses with asthma, as hay will always contain some respirable antigens. To reduce the amount of potential inhalation of dust and mold spores, several options are available to the horse owner.

Harm Reduction:

1. Always ensure the hay is as clean as possible. Only use high-quality hay, as free as possible from dust and mold.
   

   RDC:

2. Research has shown that immersing, soaking, or steaming hay before feeding can significantly reduce the number of particles inhaled by the horse. Simply sprinkling the hay with water is inadequate. The hay must be completely immersed and wet throughout to reduce the respirable dust concentration (RDC). One research study found that immersing and thoroughly wetting hay more than halved the mean and maximum RDC in a horse’s breathing zone (the two-foot sphere around the horse’s nose). Other studies have evaluated soaked hay for asthmatic horses. They determined that 30-45 minutes of soaking is adequate to reduce RDC. Longer soaking provides no additional advantages. Horse owners must keep in mind that soaking hay reduces nutrient content. Steaming hay is effective at reducing respirable antigens with less potential for loss of nutrients. However, it is not a viable option for many horse owners. The choice of whether to immerse, soak, or steam hay may best be addressed by the options available to the owner and the horse’s symptoms. If immersing the hay is adequate to eliminate symptoms (usually coughing is the initial and recurring symptom), then that would be the simplest solution. Some research data indicate that feeding soaked hay or hay pellets helps improve lung function. The same study has not been performed using immersed hay.
3. Remove any uneaten immersed, soaked, or steamed hay from the horse’s reach before it has a chance to generate mold.
   

   Different Types of Asthma:

4. For horses with severe asthma, entirely replace long-stemmed hay with pelleted hay or forage replacement, or a complete feed designed to provide adequate fiber to replace dietary forage. Particularly if clinical symptoms persist. Wetting pelleted hay will further reduce respirable particles and may allow the respiratory tract inflammation to subside. However, horses will consume pelleted forages more rapidly and with less chewing than long-stemmed forage. So the best practice would be to feed smaller quantities more often throughout the day.
5. For horses diagnosed with pasture-associated asthma, the primary causes of respiratory inflammation are certain molds and pollens. They can be present in pastures during growing seasons, particularly during periods of high heat and humidity. Management in such situations includes removing affected horses from pasture during high-risk periods. Such horses usually do best when only allowed pasture access during the winter. During the periods that these horses are kept off pasture, some do require the same forage management as horses diagnosed with barn-associated asthma.

For all horses diagnosed with asthma, decreasing dust in the horse’s environment through ventilation, low-dust bedding, and careful attention to periods of high environmental dust (sweeping barn aisles, high wind, etc.), is recommended.

One additional suggestion for managing horses with equine asthma includes dietary supplementation to help control chronic inflammation. Marine-derived sources of omega-3 fatty acids have been shown to support immune response in horses, including mediation of inflammation.

Would you like more information about Selecting Forages for Horses Diagnosed with Equine Asthma? Contact us at J & J Farms by clicking here!

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Steamed Hay for Horses: Protein Content Examined. 

Benefits of Integrating Warm-Season Grasses into Pastures: Warm-season grasses help minimize the “summer slump” in pastures dominated by cool-season grasses such as tall fescue, orchardgrass, and Kentucky bluegrass. Specifically, warm-season grasses like Bermuda grass and crabgrass improve pasture yield in hot, dry months. Research by Rutgers University identified two additional benefits of warm-season grasses. (1) creation of desirable forage composition for certain horses, and (2) beneficial shifts in the equine intestinal microbiome.*

For the study, researchers followed eight metabolically normal mares (i.e., no evidence of insulin dysregulation or equine metabolic syndrome) during a single grazing season. They grazed cool-season pasture in the spring and fall. Then, warm-season pasture in the summer. Fecal samples were collected throughout the grazing season after adapting to each diet.

First Benefit:

As to the first benefit, warm-season grasses are lower in nonstructural carbohydrates (NSC) and water-soluble carbohydrates (WSC). The NSCs are composed of starch and WSCs, which are simple sugars such as glucose and fructose, among others.

Forage analysis of both warm- and cool-season grasses used in this study were similar to previous reports in that warm-season grasses had markedly lower NSCs and WSCs than cool-season grasses.

“Pastures naturally lower in nonstructural carbohydrates are particularly important for horses with insulin dysregulation because higher levels of NSCs can challenge a horse’s metabolism,” said Kathleen Crandell, Ph.D., a Kentucky Equine Research nutritionist.

According to Crandell, when excess sugars and starches are consumed, they increase blood glucose (sugar) levels, triggering the release of insulin from the pancreas. Insulin prompts the body’s tissues to take up the glucose for metabolic purposes.

“With insulin dysregulation, the glucose is not responsive to insulin’s drive to push it into the cells. This causes more insulin to be released. The horse ends up with prolonged high insulin levels in the blood. These high levels of both glucose and insulin in circulation can have detrimental effects on various metabolic functions in the body. They can potentially result in hyperinsulinemia-associated laminitis,” she explained.

Minimize Glucose Levels:

To help minimize the persistently elevated levels of circulating glucose after a meal, diets low in NSCs are recommended for horses diagnosed with insulin dysregulation or equine metabolic syndrome. With a lower NSC content, this makes the warm-season grasses desirable.

The cool-season grasses were higher in NSCs than the warm-season grasses. However, none of the horses participating in this study had abnormal results from an oral sugar test administered periodically throughout the study. The oral sugar test measures a horse’s insulin response to a sugar challenge. It is a key test used to diagnose insulin dysregulation. The researchers stated, however, the study may not have been long enough in duration to pick up on subtle changes in insulin sensitivity between horses fed warm- and cool-season grasses.

Second Benefit:

The second advantage includes microbiome shifts in response to feeding warm-season grasses.

According to the researchers, “Distinct shifts in equine fecal microbial community structure and composition occur as horses adapt to different forages within an integrated warm- and cool-season grass rotational pasture system.”

While several alterations in the intestinal microbiome were observed, one notable change was enrichment with Clostridium butyricum when consuming warm-season grasses. This bacterium is a well-known producer of butyrate, a short-chain fatty acid (volatile fatty acid).

“Butyrate promotes anti-inflammatory responses. It improves the gastrointestinal barrier to mitigate ‘leaky gut syndrome.’ It also plays a role in improving metabolic health,” Crandell explained.

“In summary, this study shows distinct benefits of feeding warm-season grasses in the summer months. For example, improved pasture yield; lower nonstructural carbohydrate levels; and enrichment in beneficial bacteria in the intestinal microbiome, specifically C. butyricum,” said Crandell.

Even with integration of warm-season grasses, all horses still benefit from a salt supplement. In addition, a high-quality vitamin and mineral supplementation to balance out the nutrients that may be low or missing in the forage.\

Resources:

Would you like more information about the Benefits of Integrating Warm-Season Grasses into Pastures? Contact us at J & J Farms by clicking here!

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*Weinert-Nelson, J.R., A.S. Biddle, H. Sampath, and C.A. Williams. 2023. Fecal microbiota, forage nutrients, and metabolic responses of horses grazing warm- and cool-season grass pastures. Animals (Basel) 13(5):790.

Managing Feed for Weanling and Yearling Horses: Young horses need good-quality feeds to meet their nutrient requirements for growth. In addition, free-choice exercise in large paddocks. Weanlings and yearlings have high requirements for energy, protein, amino acids and minerals in order to grow optimally. If you are using a commercial mixed feed, make sure it is formulated for the growing horse.

Energy

Oats are often the cheapest source of energy for young horses. They are best fed crushed to weanlings because their teeth are not fully developed and they will have trouble breaking open whole grains. Steam flaked maize (corn), barley and lupins are other grains that are good sources of energy for the growing horse. Lupins also have high protein levels. Adding fat is a safe way to rapidly condition your young horse. You can use oil, sunflower seeds, stabilised rice bran or a higher fat prepared feed. A general rule of thumb is to provide 1 kg of fortified grain per 100 kg of body weight, up to a maximum of 3 kg/day per weanling. Good doers such as warmbloods, quarter horses and ponies may get fat on these concentrate feed intakes! They do better on a low intake feed balancer pellet or a more concentrated breeding feed.

Protein

Weanlings need approximately 15% crude protein and yearlings need 13% crude protein in the diet along with adequate intakes of essential amino acids such as lysine to maintain optimum growth. Young green grass or clover pasture contains 15–20% crude protein. However this amount falls rapidly as the plants begin flowering and start to seed. Dry summer or winter pasture often contains very little protein, so yearlings will need supplementation. Young horses need high-quality protein that contains all the essential amino acids, especially lysine. Animal-derived proteins such as milk powder are of very high quality but are expensive, and soybean meal is the best-quality vegetable protein. Canola meal is also a good quality protein source. Legumes such as lucerne and clover also have a high level of good quality protein. Linseed meal is relatively low in lysine and is not a good source of protein for growing horses, although its high oil content will produce a bloom on the coat.

Vitamins and Minerals

Calcium and phosphorus are the most important minerals for growing horses. Grains are low in calcium, whereas lucerne, clover hays and high-quality pasture contain more calcium. However winter and spring pastures may unexpectedly contain ration inversions of calcium to phosphorus. Bran contains a lot of phosphorus and should not be fed in significant quantities to growing horses. Urinalysis can be used to assess the calcium status of young horses. The calcium to phosphorus balance of the ration can be analysed by an equine nutritionist.

Young horses running in a paddock can lose 30 g of salt per day in their sweat and urine, especially during hot weather, so provide a salt block or supply a salt supplement.

Trace minerals such as copper, zinc, manganese, and selenium are important components in the diet for most growing horses. They need to be supplied in the right quantities and ratios in commercial feeds formulated for young horses.

Roughage

To meet the commercial growth requirements of young horses, you may have to feed them less roughage than desired for optimal digestive function. Therefore, you must use good-quality chaff or hay to maximize the utilization of the fibrous feed in meeting the energy requirements. Also decrease the amount of starch the weanling has to be fed. High-quality, early-cut hay will also minimize the pot-belly appearance caused by fibre and water in the gut, a situation often associated with mature hay with high lignin content. Lucerne or clover hay will also supply higher intakes of protein and calcium as well as fibre. They are often preferred for growing horses. As the horse gets older it eats more, so you can switch from a legume hay to a grass or oaten based hay. This is true particularly during spring when they have access to green grass.

Choice of Feed

If you have great quality pasture or are feeding breeds with a good metabolism, such as warmbloods, quarter horses, draught breeds or ponies, a feed balancer pellet or a concentrate  is often the best approach.

Remember to monitor growth, legs and body condition carefully. Adjust feed intake or choice of feed in order to maintain optimum growth for each individual weanling and yearling.

Would you like more information about Managing Feed for Weanling and Yearling Horses? Contact us at J & J Farms by clicking here!

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Use of Cover Crops in Horse Pastures:

Though it is still only late spring, consider cover crops ahead of time. Many farms plant them in the late summer or early fall. They provide protective ground cover during the winter. The crops are then grazed, harvested, or tilled into the soil in the spring. In addition to erosion control and protection of water quality, cover crops have favorable effects on soil structure, weed suppression, and biodiversity. The use of cover crops on horse operations has not been studied until recently. Researchers in the Midwestern United States evaluated several cover crop forages in pastures specifically intended for horses.^*

Depending on the plant species, cover crops offer various, and oftentimes specific, benefits. Annual ryegrass and winter have many uses. For example, their high germination rates, ease of establishment, and efficiency in covering barren soil, all of which foster weed suppression and forage output. The nitrogen fixation properties of legumes, like berseem clover, boost soil fertility. Taproot species, such as purple top turnip and daikon radish, loosen shallow layers of compacted soil. In addition, they scavenge residual nitrogen. Leaching may have taken it. The channels created by the growing taproot, a process called “biodrilling,” allow other pasture plants to more easily access soil nutrients and moisture.

Horse Owner Perks:

In addition to soil and environmental advantages, cover crops offer a particular perk to horse owners. They can prolong the grazing season and reduce the reliance on preserved forages, particularly hay, in the late fall. In years when hay is expensive or in short supply, this may prove advantageous.

The objectives of this study were to evaluate forage mass, forage nutrient composition, and preference of annual ryegrass, winter rye, berseem clover, purple top turnip, and daikon radish by horses. Forage mass is the total dry weight of forage per unit of land.

Four mature mares grazed seeded-singularly-or-as-mixtures-cover-crops for two consecutive fall seasons. Prior to grazing, forages were sampled to determine forage mass, root mass, and nutrient composition. To estimate preference after grazing, forages were visually assessed by researchers for the percentage of removal on a scale of 0 (no grazing activity) to 100% (all available forage grazed).

Berseem clover was the lowest producing forage. Minimal differences existed among the other cover crops. Horses preferred the berseem clover. The preferred turnip and radish least. Winter rye and annual ryegrass in monoculture and when seeded with berseem clover were moderately preferred (20%–68% removal). These species also met the digestible energy and crude protein needs of sedentary mature horses. However, the calcium-to-phosphorus ratio was inverted.

In Conclusion:

According to the researchers, “placing a priority on preference, berseem clover, annual ryegrass, and winter rye appear to be suitable cover crops to extend the grazing season in horse pastures.”

“While grazing pastures may seem the most natural of feeding systems for horses, health concerns can make grazing specific plants dangerous for certain horses,” noted Catherine Whitehouse, M.S., a nutritionist for Kentucky Equine Research. “When planning any upgrade to a grazing area, consider the horses that will eventually graze it. Select proper forages for horses predisposed to laminitis or other metabolic challenges. Consider their needs and long-term well-being.” Limit grazing to certain times of the day.

Resources:

In conclusion, do you have questions about the Use of Cover Crops in Horse Pastures? Contact us at J & J Hay Farms by clicking here!

Article by: Kentucky Equine Research

^*Prigge, J.L., C.C. Sheaffer, J.M. Jungers, A.L. Jaqueth, H.L. Lochner, and K.L. Martinson. 2021. Forage characteristics and grazing preference of cover crops in equine pasture systems. Journal of Equine Veterinary Science 103:103663.

Horse Management for the Spring Season: Do you ride all winter, no matter how deep the snow gets, or do you hang up your saddle at the first cool breeze in autumn? Do you pull your horse’s shoes, blanket him, or keep him in the barn during the cold months? Do you cut his grain ration when he’s not working, or feed more hay to keep him warm? If the winter season has involved any modifications in your horse’s exercise level or feeding plan, you will need to consider the following points as you bring the horse back into work in the spring.

Feed Management to Minimize the Risk of Impaction in Horses: Winter, with its icy water sources and lowered equine activity levels, is one of the riskiest times for horses that tend to develop intestinal impaction. Fresh grass has been replaced in the diet by dry hay; horses tend to drink less when offered very cold water; and with a break in regular training and exercise, they may not sweat enough to feel thirsty. These are all contributing factors to impaction colic. Above all, because they are all conducive to slower movement of ingested material through the digestive tract.

Springtime Weight Gain in Horses: Winter can be hard on horses. When spring arrives, it is not unusual to find that a horse has dropped weight during the coldest months. When the mercury drops, a horse requires more energy to maintain body temperature. Winter is especially challenging for senior horses and young horses, who have a harder time maintaining body temperature. A sound nutrition program and suitable exercise can help remedy loss of condition as winter turns to spring.

Cold increases energy needs:

Horses have an estimated lower critical temperature (LCT) between 30-50○ F (-17-10○ C), depending on general body condition and thickness of haircoat. If the temperature falls below the LCT, a horse needs to burn energy to keep warm. For every 10○ F (5.5○ C) the temperature drops below LCT, a horse needs an estimated additional 2,000 kilocalories (kcal) to maintain body temperature. Often, this can be achieved with an extra 3 lb (1.4 kg) of hay.

“Hay is the best option for helping a horse create its own warmth,” said Kathleen Crandell, Ph.D., a nutritionist for Kentucky Equine Research. “Hay is fermented in a part of the hindgut called the cecum. Because internal heat is a byproduct of fermentation, consuming and processing hay keeps a horse warm.”

However, when rain and wind become factors, increases in energy needs can quickly escalate beyond what can be satisfied by hay alone, Crandell explained. In this case, concentrates and fat supplements are valuable in supplying calories. In regard to fat supplements, for example, one-half cup (4 oz or 120 ml) of vegetable oil provides approximately 2,000 kcal.

Body condition as a tool for weight management:

Assessing body condition year-round is the best management tool to identify changes in weight. The most familiar body condition scoring system features a scale from 1 to 9 that gauges fat cover and distribution. A score of 1 or 2 denotes an emaciated horse (veterinary intervention may be necessary), 3 or 4 is thin, 5 or 6 is ideal, and 7, 8, or 9 is overweight or obese.

Keeping track of weight, as well as body condition, is also important. A weight tape, placed around the horse’s barrel, directly behind the shoulders as the horse stands square, is an excellent tool for estimating weight and monitoring change. Measuring is important, as horse owners often notice changes in a measurement before noticing weight fluctuations visually. Weigh at a regular time every four to six weeks. For example, the first day of every month or each time the horse is visited by the farrier. Keep a log to track weight, pinpoint fluctuations, and adjust the diet accordingly.

If a horse is thin after winter, it is important to ask why. Is it related to a health problem (teeth, soundness, pain)? Is the horse stressed in some way (evolving herd dynamics, limited feeding stations)? Have your veterinarian conduct a wellness exam at least once per year. Take stock of the horse’s environment and behavior. What changed, if anything?

Concocting diets for weight gain:

Simply put, to gain weight a horse needs to consume more calories than it burns. Weight gain should be slow and controlled. Avoid rapid weight gain. Forage alone may not have enough calories for significant weight gain. Concentrates and fat supplements can help in these situations. To achieve an increase of one body condition score (e.g., from a 3 to 4), the average 1,100-lb (500-kg) adult horse needs to gain 44-50 lb (20-23 kg). That gain can take 30-60 days. Be patient. The amount of increased feed in the diet will depend on the individual horse, overall health, and activity level. Slowly make changes and increases in feed intake. Offering several small meals of grain is preferable to one or two larger meals.

Do not underestimate the caloric value of pasture. “Horses on pasture may benefit from the increase in calories with the improved quality of the spring grasses,” noted Crandell. “Fresh spring grass is high in digestible fiber, from which the horse can derive lots of energy.”

Forage should make up no less than 50% of the horse’s diet and ideally more (70-100%, depending on the horse’s needs). For horses with dental concerns that may not be able to chew hay properly, forage substitutes like soaked hay cubes, chopped forage, and soaked beet pulp often work well.

A high-fat, low-carbohydrate diet is recommended for horses with metabolic concerns. For example, horses with Cushing’s syndrome or metabolic syndrome, that also need to gain weight. Limit pasture grazing with a grazing muzzle or drylot turnout. Hay can be soaked to reduce dietary carbohydrates as well. “A combination of soaked hay, a high-fat, low-carbohydrate concentrate, and a fat supplement, if added calories are needed, often suits these horses well,” Crandell recommended.

Resources:

Article Sources: Kentucky Equine Research