Every winter brings its own challenges.  After facing freezing pipes and hydrants, fighting with barn doors that are frozen to the ground, and attempting to make repairs to machinery, fencing, etc., in sub-zero temperatures, most horse owners are ready for spring by this time of year.  Unfortunately, we still have a few months to go.  This is also the time of year when customers ask me how they can best help their horses maintain weight.

While there are many ways and products to promote weight gain, my first thought is about preventing weight loss.  For starters, keep your horses warm.  Invest in a heavy weight stable or turnout blanket for your horse.  During the winter months, horses burn many more calories trying to regulate their temperature.  By blanketing your horse, you will cut down on your horse’s energy requirements.

Secondly, increase the amount of hay you are feeding.  Horses should receive 1.5% – 2% of their body weight in forage every day.  For a 1000 lb. horse, that would mean 15-20 lbs. of forage per day.  During the winter months this requirement can increase by as much as thirty percent!  Increasing hay is so important for horses because, not only does hay provide increased calories for the horse to use, but the microbial fermentation process (how horses digest hay) releases heat as a by-product.  Your horse receives a double benefit from hay – increased calories, and increased heat production just by eating it.

For those of us who have their horses on their own property, increasing hay is relatively easy.  However, if you are boarding your horse, sometimes it can be difficult to convince barn owners to increase hay rations.  Luckily, there are several products that can be used to increase your horse’s forage intake.  Here at Big Dee’s we carry a line of forage products from Stampede, which include alfalfa cubes, timothy-alfalfa cubes, alfalfa pellets, and timothy pellets.  We also carry Kalmbach’s Forage Extender Pellets.  Another new, exciting product is Basic Equine Health’s Peak Performance Pellet, which is basically a “grain-less grain”.  It is a feed, but is completely alfalfa based, with no grain in it.  Additionally, it contains the proprietary Gut Health blend, an electrolyte, and a mixture of camelina and coconut oil, resulting in a high fat content.   All of these options are excellent ways to help your horse maintain weight this winter.

Outside of increasing forage content, you can also increase your horse’s fat intake.  Fat is an excellent source of energy for horses, and, unlike increasing starches, does not result in a “hot” horse.   There are several different options to choose from when looking to increase fat intake.  First, do you want a liquid or a solid?  There are many oils on the market today that are high in fat to aid not only in weight gain, but also with skin and coat issues.  However, feeding oils this time of year can prove to be difficult if your barn is as cold as mine is.  Should you choose an oil as a fat source, I am available most days at Big Dee’s and will be happy to discuss the different options we have with you.  Should you determine that a solid is a better fit, you still have many options.  Products such as Cool Calories by Manna Pro and Ultimate Finish 100 by Buckeye Nutrition are both 100% fat, or as close as you can get to it.  Other options include Weight Builder, Gain Weight, and Ultimate Finish 40.  All of these products contain 40% fat, and 14% protein.  They are designed to aid in weight gain, and a healthy, glossy coat.

Another option is an extruded pellet.  The advantage of extrusion, is that the pellet is highly digestible, and the nutrients are more bio-available to your horse.  Most feed companies carry some type of extruded fat, and while there are slight differences between them, they all are around 25% or 26% fat, 14% protein, and are fortified with additional vitamins and minerals.  Feeding one of these products should result, not only in weight gain, but in a beautiful, shiny coat for your horse.  If you are looking for an excuse to try one of these products, check out Buckeye Nutrition’s Ultimate Finish 25 this month, as we well be running some fantastic specials on this product.

Please feel free to come find me at Big Dee’s to discuss any feeding or weight issues you may have with your horse.  There could also be other underlying factors in play if your horse is experiencing severe weight loss, and it is always wise to consult with your veterinarian if that is the case.

This article was written by Grant Ralston one of Big Dee’s Showroom Managers

When I first bought my horse in March 2017 he was about 3 steps away from being featured on a Sarah McLachlan commercial. He had a dropped topline, 0 neck muscle, and about 100lbs+ skinnier than I wanted to see him be. He weight taped under 1000lbs…as a 16.2 hand Thoroughbred.  His coat was thin and patchy and ribs were starting to show. I don’t even have any before pictures of him without a blanket on because I was embarrassed for him.

So let’s investigate the cause. This one, luckily, was pretty clear- he needed some groceries and probably a good dewormer to help. Horse nutrition comes from three different sources. Number 1, feed– I’m pretty sure the grain he was on at the time was about $6 a bag of “livestock feed” and he got 1 lb. per feeding. Ouch. Number 2, turnout- barely any, and with about 8 other horses on an eaten down pasture in February. And number 3, hay- actually not that bad, but they only fed twice a day.

Let’s begin our slow process of weight gain and getting him nutritionally healthy.

It took me about 4 weeks to find him somewhere to live and arrange his transportation, so unfortunately at that point he probably dropped a little bit more. I actually have an Equine Studies degree, and honestly all of the school horses were fat and happy so it was never something went over in class on how to start to fix this particular weight problem. So I started off with what I had, I know previously he was healthy a different feed, but I wanted to add more than just grain to his diet for a little extra support. I was able to get  half container of Weight Builder by Farnam. Good place to start really, Weight Builder contains flax meal which is high in omega-3 fatty acids. I saw a difference pretty fast, he was completely in a different location by then,eating more hay and eating a 12% grain with 2 scoops of Weight Builder. Within about 2 weeks he had gained back about 30lbs.

I was coming to the end of my Weight Builder container and I began looking into other supplements. There are many options that all do separate things. I have seen many other supplements/feed choices before in horses to get them to gain weight and by many, I mean MANY. I didn’t want to overload him in calories. I wanted to build muscle and weight correctly and ease him back into work.  I didn’t want to up his grain by a lot due to risking stomach problems and colic. And I didn’t want to make him hot by adding the wrong type of calories; (sugars).

There are some great supplements out there that are going to help with weight gain. They are all really based on what you are wanting. Do you want to build muscle? Add calories? Add energy? Add protein? Help with your horse’s coat? So I went back to the drawing board. What is something he is going to eat, I mean, really eat and what is going to add safe calories? So I took a jump on a completely different supplement and tried Cocosoya Oil!  (It also comes in granules as well) Wow. He ate it. He loved it. And I was happy. Cocosoya has Omega 3, 6 and 9 fatty acids, soybean oil, and coconut oil, all without raising his sugars and at a budget friendly cost. Oh and fun fact, you can feed it to your dogs.  Fast forward into the summer time (about 2 months on Cocosoya) and he was a different horse. Weight taped at 1045lbs and had the shiniest coat in the barn. It’s amazing what good nutrition can do!

Weight supplements aren’t aren’t that difficult, although it feels that way while you’re overwhelmed with the many different options. But first, look at what your horse needs it for and what they are eating overall – then experiment. Maybe you just need a little more hay, or a little more grain? Then try out some weight building supplements. You never know what your horse is going to adjust to the best until you try.

This article was written by Laura Robertson, Big Dee’s Customer Care Representative

The holidays are over but I’d like to reflect on something that struck me as I sat around my family’s dinner table Christmas Day. Salt! As I looked around, my family was busily talking, laughing and salting their food. Knowing my family, I had two sets of salt shakers on the table which were in heavy use. I tried not to take this as a review of my cooking! The striking part of this is the importance of sodium in our diets and the diets of our horses. Cell and proper organ function are critically linked to the consumption of salt or sodium. It is the backbone of sustaining blood and body fluids that transport oxygen and nutrients contributing to cell, brain, nervous system and muscle processes. Salt gets a bad rap, but is important to all diets in moderation.

Salt’s role in your horse’s body is like a super hero quietly going to work keeping all systems functioning and safe from the evils of deficiencies. The lack of adequate sodium could be compared to Superman’s kryptonite; cell processes and body function change and your horse will not be at its best. Our furry super heroes use their spidy-sense to instinctively know when their bodies are low on sodium and will search for it sometimes excessively licking our hands or chewing things.

Large pressed salt blocks used to be the standard dotting shared pastures, but they were developed for the course tongues of cattle that may lick these blocks to get their daily allowance. Horses’ tongues are smoother and softer so salt should be offered free choice loose or crushed to augment their diet. Offer salt in a bucket under cover in a shed in the pasture or in your horses stall to help satisfy their need. Just be sure to keep it dry. Electrolyte supplementation could also be considered to avoid dehydration and increase your horses thirst response.

Sodium is central in regulating many bodily functions. During an average day of hanging out with their buddies in a paddock or in their stall, horses excrete sodium through urine and manure making toxicity uncommon. Sweating during a workout increases daily loss of electrolytes. Put in prospective, some horses weigh in at 1000 to 1500 pounds or more; their salt and water consumption need to reflect this. Check your feed label and ask the advice of your veterinarian about salt intake for your horse’s activity level. Be careful to always offer an adequate water supply. As with all things you need to strike a balance. Without this balance of salt and water consumption your horse may struggle to process sodium through their system properly.

Big Dee’s has a full line of products to help you meet your horse’s daily mineral requirements.

Shop Electrolytes

Shop Salt and Salt Holders

Shop Water Buckets

This article was written by Kathy Kilbane – Big Dee’s Web Products Specialist