To safely add weight to a horse, raise forage first, then layer calorie-dense feeds and management tweaks in small, measured increments.
Underweight horses don’t bounce back from one big scoop. They gain steadily when you build a plan around forage, fat, and calm routines. This guide gives you a complete, field-tested process: how to set a target, what to feed, how fast to adjust, and when to call the vet. You’ll also find simple tables you can print and use in the barn.
What Safe Weight Gain Looks Like
First, define the finish line. A healthy adult usually lands near a body condition score (BCS) of 5–6 on the 1–9 scale. Ribs should be easy to feel and hard to see, the topline should round up, and the tailhead should smooth out without deep fat pads. Weight gain is not a straight line; it tends to arrive in the ribcage and neck first, then fill the hindquarters and back.
Quick Visual Targets With The BCS Scale
Use your hands and eyes the same way each week. The table below condenses the classic scoring checkpoints into a barn-friendly snapshot so you can track progress without guesswork.
| BCS | Visible Clues | Feeding Priority |
|---|---|---|
| 1–2 | Ribs and spine sharp; no fat cover; sunken topline | Veterinary plan; tiny, frequent meals; high-quality forage only at first |
| 3–4 | Ribs easy to see; thin neck and withers; narrow hips | Forage at the high end; add digestible fiber and fat in small steps |
| 5–6 | Ribs felt, not seen; smooth topline; rounded tailhead | Hold steady; fine-tune calories to maintain condition |
| 7–8 | Ribs hard to feel; soft pads at tailhead and withers | Trim calories; increase exercise to avoid excess fat |
| 9 | Heavy fat all over; crease down back | Weight-loss plan and vet oversight |
Safely Adding Weight To A Horse: Daily Targets
Your cornerstone is forage. Most adults thrive when total forage lands around one to two percent of body weight per day on a dry-matter basis, rising toward the upper end when you want added calories. A slow bump in forage intake, followed by calorie-dense add-ins, keeps the hindgut steady while the scale creeps up.
Start With Forage Quantity And Quality
Offer clean grass hay or a grass/legume mix free-choice if the horse isn’t prone to hot behavior or metabolic issues. If the hay is stemmy, add softer flakes or include a legume portion to raise calorie density. Pasture time helps, but hay lets you measure intake, which matters during a gain phase.
Practical Forage Tips
- Weigh hay, don’t guess. A luggage scale and hay net get you close.
- Split hay across several feedings to keep the gut busy and reduce waste.
- Introduce any new hay over 7–10 days by mixing old and new lots.
Layer In Calories From Fat And Digestible Fiber
Once forage is flowing, bring in calorie-dense feeds that don’t flood the system with starch. Beet pulp (soaked), stabilized rice bran, and commercial high-fat concentrates work well. Plain vegetable oil, ground flax, or heat-treated soybeans can raise energy without bulk. Start small, measure, and bump once the manure and attitude stay steady for a week.
Safe Add-In Ramp-Up (Rule Of Thumb)
- Beet pulp shreds/pellets (dry measure): begin at 0.25–0.5 lb/day, soaked; inch toward 1–2 lb/day as tolerated.
- Stabilized rice bran: begin at 0.25 lb/day; work toward 1–2 lb/day per label guidance.
- Vegetable oil: begin at 1–2 oz/day; step up by 1–2 oz every 3–4 days to a typical cap of 8–12 oz/day.
Make Changes Slowly
Any jump in calories asks the hindgut to adjust. Make one change at a time, hold that change for a week, then recheck the ribcage and manure. If the horse feels edgy or loose, pause and give the gut time to settle before you add more.
Why A Horse Stays Thin
Calories matter, but so do teeth, worms, pain, and pecking order. Run this checklist before you press harder on the feed bag.
Teeth And Mouth
Sharp points and missing teeth make hay tough to chew. Float on schedule and use soaked hay cubes, chopped hay, or mash-style meals for mouths that can’t handle long stems.
Parasites
Deworm on a plan, not the calendar. Work with your vet on fecal egg counts, targeted treatments, and pasture hygiene to limit resistance and protect condition. Mid-article reading: the updated AAEP Internal Parasite Control Guidelines outline modern risk-based protocols.
Ulcers, Pain, And Stress
Stall pacing, girthiness, and picky eating point to gut or pain issues. Address workload, turnout, and herd dynamics. Feed smaller meals, add forage before grain, and keep long gaps out of the day.
Water And Weather
Dehydration cuts intake. Keep water fresh and close to hay. In cold snaps, offer warm buckets and consider a light blanket for thin, clipped, or older horses that burn extra calories to stay warm.
Build A Simple 30-Day Plan
This four-week outline assumes a moderate-size adult with no red flags and steady access to hay. Scale amounts to body weight, and stretch the timeline if the horse is very lean or has a fussy gut.
Week 1: Baseline And Forage
- Weigh hay and set intake near the high end of your target range.
- Split hay into 3–5 feedings; use slow nets to extend chew time.
- Record a BCS and girth tape; shoot photos from the same angles.
Week 2: Add Fiber Calories
- Introduce soaked beet pulp or hay pellets. Start at a quarter pound dry, then bump every few days.
- Watch manure consistency and attitude. Hold steady for a week if anything gets loose or spicy.
Week 3: Add Fat Calories
- Add stabilized rice bran or a measured amount of oil. Small steps every few days beat one big jump.
- Recheck BCS. If ribs still show plainly, keep ramping with patience.
Week 4: Fine-Tune And Reassess
- Repeat photos and girth tape. Mark changes on a calendar.
- If progress stalls, revisit teeth, worms, pain, and social stress.
Feed Choices That Pack Calories
The goal is steady energy, not sugar spikes. Here’s a quick side-by-side to guide your add-ins.
| Feed | Typical Fat % | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Vegetable Oil | ~100 | High energy per ounce; introduce slowly to avoid loose manure |
| Stabilized Rice Bran | ~15–18 | Palatable; adds calories and vitamin E; follow label for amounts |
| Ground Flax | ~30–40 | Dense calories; omega-3s; store cool and dry |
| Beet Pulp (Soaked) | ~0–3 | Digestible fiber; excellent for adding bulk calories without high starch |
| High-Fat Concentrate | ~5–14 | Balanced commercial option; weigh portions; avoid large single meals |
Meal Size, Timing, And Pace
Big grain meals invite trouble. Keep individual concentrate servings small and spread across the day. Always feed hay first, then concentrates, so the stomach isn’t empty when the richer feed arrives. Aim for quiet, repeatable routines: same people, same buckets, same times.
Hydration And Salt
Plenty of clean water keeps the digestive tract moving. Place loose salt or a plain block where the horse eats. In winter, a warm bucket may bump intake; in summer, shade over troughs helps keep algae down so horses drink more.
Pasture And Turnout
Grass is a calorie boost and a mood boost. If the pasture is short or the horse is low on the totem pole, that horse may not get what you think. Strip-graze or add a private hay station so the thin animal isn’t pushed off the feed.
Sample Daily Rations By Body Weight
Use these as planning sketches, not strict prescriptions. Always adjust to what you see in the stall and under saddle.
- 900–1,000 lb horse: Free-choice grass hay; 1–2 lb soaked beet pulp; 0.5–1.5 lb stabilized rice bran; up to 8 oz oil split twice.
- 1,100–1,200 lb horse: Free-choice grass hay with a legume portion; 2 lb soaked beet pulp; 1–2 lb stabilized rice bran; 8–12 oz oil split twice.
If a commercial high-fat feed is used, weigh it. Replace some of the beet pulp or rice bran with that concentrate so you’re not stacking too many extras at once.
Feeding Management That Helps Intake
- Slow Feeders: Small-mesh nets stretch hay time and reduce waste.
- Group Dynamics: Feed thin horses out of the fray or in a private pen.
- Weather Plan: Blanket as needed so calories go to gain, not shivering.
- Quiet Space: A calm stall or pen during meals helps nervous horses finish.
Two Mid-Article Resources Worth A Look
If you want source pages to bookmark, these two are handy while you set up rations and health plans: the forage intake guidelines for adult horses and the updated parasite control guidance for risk-based deworming.
When You Need A Vet Right Away
Call your veterinarian before you try to pack pounds on a horse with a razor-sharp spine, sunken hips, or chronic diarrhea. Severely thin horses can develop refeeding problems when rich meals arrive too quickly. In those cases, vets favor tiny, frequent meals of leafy alfalfa at first, with careful monitoring and bloodwork as needed. Your vet will decide how fast to progress, when to add fat, and how to layer supplements.
Checklist: Track, Adjust, Repeat
- Weekly: BCS, girth tape, and photos from left side, right side, and quartering rear.
- Daily: Note hay refused, water level changes, and manure quality.
- Every 2–4 Weeks: Nudge calories up or down based on hands-on checks, not wishful thinking.
Common Mistakes To Avoid
- Jumping straight to large grain meals
- Changing three things at once; you won’t know what caused a setback
- Skipping dental care and targeted parasite control
- Letting the barn bully steal hay from the thin horse
- Underestimating water needs during weather swings
Putting It All Together
A smart plan for weight gain looks simple on paper: more forage, then add digestible fiber and fat, all in small steps. The real craft is in the pacing and the records. When you pair slow feed changes with steady routines and basic health checks, condition follows. Commit to the weekly scorecard and patient increases, and you give your horse the best shot at a stable, well-padded frame.