I have an OTTB who needs some weight to gain. Hes currently getting 2 Bermuda flakes and one alfalfa. (Morning and night)

We're going to get him a hay net, and Rice Bran soon.

I've also heard that CoolCal is good for weight gain (having trouble finding that though)

Are there any supplements that you horsey people would suggest for weight gain?

I have an OTTB mare that refused to gain wait for forever. The things that helped her were good quality grass, quality soaked alfalfa cubes, Cocosoya oil, and quality feed. When you start to break down your feed you start to see your nutritional value and what your horse is actually eating. In both supplements and feed, since your goal is weight gain you need to be looking at fat percentage and protein percentage. The only fat I add to her feed is Cocosoya oil which is a mix of coconut and soybean oil and I absolutely love it for my performance horses. Another big thing is splitting the amount you feed him into three meals. When talking to an equine nutritionist about my problem mare, he said to feed her three times a day and that was his top suggestion. After a couple of weeks of feeding her 3 times a day, I noticed a big difference.

This is what I have learned regarding my problem mare and her weight lol. I hope this helps and if you are interested in more specifics regarding feed and more supplements feel free to pm me!

For actual supplements and better feeding advice you should wait for someone better than I to respond, but I figure I can still say something you can think about.

I've got an arab cross that can be an absolute pain to deal with weight wise. With a bit of experimentation, I've found she works very well with a few cups of Nutrena SafeChoice Senior or Triple Crown Senior and a little bit of alfalfa pellets daily. I'm super picky about keeping grain intake low for health reasons so it makes me happy you don't need to feed much of it per serving! Of course the first two feeds (grains, not supplements like you asked about) are designed for senior horses, but they can be just as good for younger horses as well. And alfalfa pellets in general are just very good I find! Weight trouble, normal maintenance, whatever, they're a safe bet.

But what's a lot more important than adding fancy feeds to a horse's diet is more access to forage / hay in larger time frames, and that's something I think is much easier to see when you have horses with weight troubles. Horses are designed to be eating all throughout the day, so there can be trouble when they're limited to two large meals per day instead of that same amount spread out across the full day. When I finally got around to installing slow feeders I noticed my trouble mare had a much easier time keeping her weight and benefiting from what's in her grains. Making sure there's always hay in the slow feeder and giving them access to pastures is the best thing you can do really.

Anyhoo, I wish you luck figuring out what's best for your pon. Everything depends on the individual needs of the horse in question so you'll probably have to do some experimenting.

Canola oil. I swear by it. One gelding that I take care of is the absolute hardest keeper I've ever met, mainly because he's EXTREMELY herd bound, seriously, if any of the horses in his immediate vicinity get take out of their stalls he will pace and refuse to eat until they get back, well it was getting bad to the point where he looked like he was being starved and abused (even though he was being fed at least 4 flakes of hay a day, usually more, of Bermuda and alfalfa, along with grain/other supplements)

As soon as we started adding canola oil to his grain he gained weight like crazy and is keeping it on as well! He no longer looks like the ASPCA poster child, but more like a hippopotamus XD

Three flakes of hay a day isn't nearly enough for any horse, let alone a large hot-blooded horse like an Ottb. You wouldn't believe how many "hard keepers" I've had blow up like ticks once they have 24/7 access to hay.

Editing to add: i made a blog post about feeding. This isn't directed at you, I've been wanting to make this post for awhile and this post reminded me about it :)

Just feed the horse. Give him some high quality feed. (I'm feeding this amazing mix from a mill, my horses LOVE it!) Give him 24/7 hay in a ahay bag, then if you don't see a difference, through in some cool calories. (You can order them from Tractor Supply, Amazon, Stateline Tack etc), and conola oil.

Increased hay I've read is the best possible way to add weight to a horse. Horses should get about 2% of their body in forage daily. If he's out on pasture, I use the rule of every hour on grass is 1 lb. Whatever they don't get from grazing should be made up for in a good, clean, quality hay.

Ah my apologies, I forgot to clarify

He gets fed twice a day with 2 Bermuda, one alfalfa. (I thought I was clear, I see now that I was not at all 🤦‍♀️)

I'll definitely check your blog out

I've read through everyone's suggestions, and thank you very much!

I've also been talking with experienced horsey people at the barn we're boarding at. One woman had quite a lot of experience with horses and suggested Purina mineral like little pieces? This lol

We will definitely be getting a hay net to do slow feeding (he will continue to get his regular amount of food aswell)

I also read Pucks blog, and going down with step

Step 1:

More hay will be added (with the hay net)

Step 2:

I'll have to look into different types of hay. The vet suggested a 1:1 ratio of Bermuda and alfalfa, once the hay net arrives, one Bermuda in the hay net, and the 1:1 ratio in his trough.

Maple really loves alfalfa, however we don't want him putting on weight to fast or getting sick or ill from to much sweet. I'll have to talk more with some people about it (I know that only bermuda can be a problem because its longer and stemmier)

Step 3:

We're going to give Maple some more time, but the next time the vet is here (in about 2 weeks for his follow up shot for strangles) I'll definitely ask him

.

Maple currently has a mineral block which he really likes, so that's good.

Good! We actually feed that exact mineral balance to some of our horses, it's really good.

As for the hay, possibly put the alfalfa in the haynet and the bermuda out of it, so he has easy access to one and has to work for the good stuff. The length of time they spend eating is almost more important than the amount they actually eat, so it's a good idea to try and slow down his eating.

Seems like you're on the right track! :)