I just rescued a QH, Espada, from a lady who wasn't feeding him enough. She was very kind, I just think she didn't know how to care for him. Anyways, he's a bit underweight, not terribly emaciated but it's noticible. Had the vet out and she said to put him on a grain made for performance horses or broodmares until he gains some weight. He already gets vegetable oil and double the amount of hay the other horses get and is in his own private paddock so he can have his hay all to himself.

Long story short, what high fat/protein grain do you use or recommend? Vet said it's only until he reaches a good weight then he will go back to normal grain. I've used Purina in the past, but just wondring what other people recommend. Thanks!

(This is Espada!)

I would call your local feed store and ask! They're very good at knowing what each grain has and does, and they might have more local options- HEE is a big enough game that everybody's going to be in different regions and what I would recommend may not be available in your area. :)

Depending on what he got feed in the past, I really would hesitate to put a reascue on anything else than good hay and some grass if he knows it.

If you´d give him high fat/grain food you would risk colics and severe issues.

Give him time to fill up with good hay and maybe some supplements you can get at the feed store - after some deworming ;)

Thanks yall, I'll ask the vet again what she thinks- I think she was vague on purpose so I could pick my own brand. He's currently on the same grain his old owner was feeding him because I didn't want to switch it up on him. I'll just load him up on free choice hay and see if that makes a difference before I try any drastic changes. Vet said that when I do change the grain to do it very slowly across weeks to prevent stomach issues. She's just concerned that about winter coming and him not having enough "meat on his bones" lol. I'm in New England and the winters can be terrible. But I'll update if he ends up needing anything new.

yeah free choice or hay in a haynet is best, if youre not weighing it i highly recommend you do

rule of thumb is they should get 2% of their body weight in hay everyday

You should notice big changes pretty soon if hes getting enough good hay, i noticed a change about 2 weeks after i started it, though it might take a little longer for your guy

Not sure what hes been through for how long but if theyve been deprived of food it can often take them awhile to heal themselves before they gain weight. Ration balancer and a mineral block are awesome in addition to hay

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for grain though, Ive noticed unless they're like a super popular brand, a lot of horse feed brands are mostly in certain areas. Theres a feed I really wanted to try for my horse but literally nobody carries it in my whole state anymore! theres a ton of places that carry it in the midwest though.

And theres some other brands that only have feed stores selling it in my state lol. Definitely agree with what puck said, ask your local feed store what they carry and recommend

2 common recommendations for weight gain that pretty much everyone has is beet pulp and rice bran though

Another high fat supplement thats good is golden ground flax

good for their stomachs too :)

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What I did when I put my guy on supplements I would hand feed him a few handfuls, then give him a tiny tiny scoop, and slowly increase everyday

Hes not getting supplements anymore because hes gaining weight really well on just hay and is almost healthy weight

but starting him on them that way worked really well :)

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ps hes super cute! congrats on getting him ♥️

yes absolutely worm him! I found it really helps my horses to gain weight when there aren't internal parasites eating the horse's nutrients ;D

If you are trying to pack pounds on a rescue to get them to a healthy weight, a vet is always the way to go. However, this is what I do to help put weight on my riding horses or just horses that could use another 100 or so pounds

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I feed a scoop of beet pulp soaked, then a scoop of Step 6 senior feed, and a half scoop of oats. This always helps my guys bounce back after weight loss for whatever reason. I wish I could find photos of my one mare who struggled through having a foal, weaning, and then a harsh winter. She looked like crap coming out of winter and in two months over spring she bounced back and looked amazing

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If the horse is new to you though I would definitely slowly introduce it as you never know what reaction they could have to grain especially when you are feeding it heavily. I usually start introducing grain to new horses with a half scoop a day, and slowly bumping it over the course of a few weeks

Rice bran and canola oil. It's how I keep my Clydesdale mare from dropping weight when she foals and she's got a huge foal suckling.

I have had several horses through the years. That I bought in rough, and sometime horrible shape. And what I put mine on to gain weight, was 2 gallons of a good 8% sweet feed, 1 pound of cracked corn, 1 pound of rolled oats, and a scoop of nutri boost. This was split up half in the morning, and half in the evening. I think nutriboost is by Lone Star Feed. Not sure if they have that in your area. But I'm sure their is a comparable alternative at your local store. I would absolutely introduce everything slowly, and all the hay he can eat. But you will see a huge difference in a couple weeks. The nutri boost, you will see a difference in his coat in about a week, LOVE this stuff. He's a beautiful boy, good luck with him :)

I personally like tribute the most when it comes to grain, it puts weight on them quicker and they hold it better and it also makes their coat a lot healthier too. I use the purina fat supplement on my older horses and those going through growth spurts. Ground flax has many benefits for them as well.