Hey y'all, I have a question for you about weight gain supplements...
Most of you know that my DB and DSIL just moved back home here with their 2 horses. One of their horses, Blazer, is under weight. He's a QH. DSIL estimates him to be about 19 yrs old. He was adopted and she said his papers were rigged. He's not as tall as most of the QH's I've seen around here. I don't know his exact measurements though.
My concern is getting him beefed up before winter. What would be a good supplement for him? What would you use? I know that everyone may use something different, and that's fine. I'd just like to know what to avoid and what to look for.
Here's my other concern...
I said in one of my other posts that this move for DB and DSIL was an emergency move. I wasn't kidding. In the last 6 months DB lost his job, DSIL had a baby, DB was hospitalized for what the doc's thought was a heart attack (but thank God it wasn't). With finances lacking, they went from 6 horses to 2. The 2 horses that are here have been off of grain...and I don't know for how long.
Today I discussed my concerns about Blazer with DSIL. Today we got 14 bales of hay, that's the most they can store at once right now. Tomorrow we are getting grain. DSIL said she's always fed him 'Maturity'. I have no idea what's what, so that's what I'll get him. Any input on that name? Please don't tell me that's like feeding Ol' Roy from Wal-Mart. If it is then please start throwing me some good names. I'm guessing I'll still pick up the Maturity just to get him/them something, but can switch it over anytime later. (Will ask advice on switching it if y'all recommend doing that.)
Now, as far as I figure it, and I may be wrong about this...but I'm guessing that grain isn't going to put much weight on Blazer...because that should be what is sustaining him. So, he's going to need something extra to put the weight back on him that he's lost...right? That's why I started looking at supplements. I really don't know which end is up here. I'm just thinking of what I would do if I got a skinny dog in...I'd make sure they had extra calories...but not empty calories, nutritious calories. That's what I want to do, right? All of us are basically the same, just different looking on the outside.
Just another note here, Blazer has a beautiful coat. I brushed him yesterday and he was very shiny. He was dirty, but shiny! He is healthy, not a thing wrong with him at all. He's been wormed recently, so it's not that. He's also a nervous horse, a skitzo, he lived with some not-so-nice folks before DB and DSIL got him. He's kinda afraid of his own shadow, so he may be burning off calories when he's standing still simply because he worries so much.
Foxy, on the other hand, looks perfect. I'm wondering just how much being a skitzo has to do with a horse's weight management?
Thanks for any suggestions or help, it's greatly appreciated...and Blazer thanks you too.
I don't have any good pics of the horses yet. I wanted to get some today, but it was raining too hard to dodge the raindrops...here's a bad pic of Blazer from the day they got here...
