Weight Management
Horse Weight Gain Supplements
To help your horse maintain a healthy weight, turn to KAUFFMAN’S®, a division of Daniel Baum Company. We have been making supplements with all-natural ingredients to preserve horse health for 35 years. You want your horse to stay healthy and active. Weight gain supplements can help your horse maintain a normal, healthy weight. Check out our inventory of supplements today.
Kauffman’s blends and packages several high-quality weight-building supplements and feeding oils that can be used to enhance rations by adding calories and valuable Omega-3 fatty acids. Let us help you in your decision to feed an oil or oil-based weight builder and in choosing the right supplement for your horse.
What Is a Healthy Weight for a Horse?
The optimal horse weight varies based on bodily, environmental and lifestyle factors. To determine the condition of a horse based on weight, many vets use the nine-point condition scoring system developed by Dr. Don Henneke.
Healthy horses often fall somewhere on the scale between five “moderate” and seven “fleshy.” Here’s how you can tell which category your horse falls under:
- 5-Moderate: With these horses, you can usually feel the ribs when you touch their mid-section, without seeing the ribs outlined under the skin. The necks and shoulders blend seamlessly into the rest of their bodies. They typically have no crease along their backs. With rounded withers and a little bit of soft fat at the tailhead, these horses look healthy and well-balanced.
- 6-Moderately Fleshy: When you examine a moderately fleshy horse, you may notice some fat collecting near the neck, shoulders and withers. Like with moderate horses, you can feel the ribs easily. You may feel a little bit of fat over the ribs. A small positive crease could also appear across the loin. These characteristics indicate a normal, healthy weight for a domesticated horse.
- 7-Fleshy: In fleshy horses, fat deposits in the neck, shoulders, tailhead and withers start to become more noticeable. The ribs are still well-defined beneath the skin, although you’ll most likely be able to feel some fat deposits over or in between them. You may or may not start to see a positive crease appearing down the back.
These categories are normal weight conditions for a horse who enjoys a nutritious diet and regular exercise. Ultimately, your horse’s healthiest state is defined by their specific physique and lifestyle. You can use this scoring system to determine the condition that is best for your horse’s individual needs.
Ways to Maintain a Healthy Horse Weight
To help preserve your horse’s healthy weight, start with a routine of regular physical activity and keep environmental factors in mind.
Exercise and Environmental Factors
Regular exercise can help maintain normal, healthy weight and muscle function. Create a routine that allows your horse to receive an appropriate level of physical activity for their breed and age.
The environment can also impact how much a horse eats and exercises. It’s important to manage these factors so you can sustain a healthy weight in your horse. Some of these management techniques include:
- Provide cool water multiple times a day
- Feed your horse under cooler temperatures
- Feed your horse more often in the extreme cold
- Feed multiple horses separately
- Protect against insects as much as possible
- Examine whether or not your pastures offer proper nutrition
How Supplements Can Help
Many owners maintain a balanced diet for their horses to keep them at a healthy weight. In addition, weight gain supplements add extra nutrients to your equine’s diet and help support normal body functions. Dietary weight supplements for horses can include nutrients and fatty acids that promote overall wellness by supporting a healthy body weight.
KAUFFMAN’S® Supplements and Ingredients
We offer multiple types of weight gain supplements and ingredients to maintain a healthy weight in horses:
- Flax seed: We use flax seed and flax seed meal in many of our dietary supplements. This is a great source of fiber, magnesium, protein and other nutrients. Flax seed also contains omega-3 fatty acids, which can help sustain your horse’s body weight.
- Digestive enzymes: Digestive health is important in maintaining a normal weight. We use digestive enzymes in some of our supplements to help support the absorption of essential nutrients from food. This process helps promote the functioning of many parts of the body, as well as a normal body weight.
- Fish oil: We often use fish oil as an ingredient in our horse weight gain supplements. Fish oil is packed with omega-3 fatty acids, which can act as part of a balanced diet.
