Lost Weight Over The Winter

[Shadow Fax Farm]

My 30 year old miniature gelding has lost a ton of weight over the winter. How long will it take him to gain weight?
I am currently feeding him
Am
1lb Lite
1/2 cup Amplify
1 cup of weight builder
I wet his food

Pm
1lb Lite
1lb Senior
Free choice hay
muck tub full of alfalfa

he is out from 4:45 am - around 5:00 pm

 

[Ryan Johnson]

Hi Shadow Fax farm,

How long ago was he wormed and had his teeth done ? It might be an idea to get a fecal count done ?

 

[Cayuse]

Along with what Ryan said, I might also think about having him tested for Cushings and Insulin Resistance.
Is he blanketed if it is cold where you are? Sometimes the old timers can start having difficulty maintaining their weight in the cold.

 

[Marsha Cassada]

I would say teeth. And also if he is too cold; takes a lot of energy to keep warm.

 

[chandab]

How well does he still eat hay? Free choice hay means nothing, if they can't eat it. even some horses that the dentist says their teeth are ok, or ok for their age, still can't not properly chew their hay, so long-stem hay isn't good for much more than entertainment.
Seniors, especially advanced seniors usually have diminished capacity to digest their feed, especially long-stem forages, so it's often in their best interest to go to a completely pelleted diet and usually needs to be soaked.
So, he's getting 3.5# feed daily plus hay, which he may or may not be able to eat. How big is he? It may or may not be an appropriate amount for him, depending on his size.

 

[Northwolf]

I just changed my 32 year old geldings diet from hay to pellets in February. He started to lose weight and couldn't eat the hay anymore. His teeth are done by the vet twice a year, but there's no more substance on the teeth he can use for chewing feed like hay. His diet consists of hay cobs und hay flakes (especially for senior horses), it's kind of a hay replacement, no grain included. The rule of thumb is to feed 1,5-2,5% of the horses body weight. So this means 3,3 to 4,4 lbs of hay or hay pellets/cobs/flakes for a 220 lb mini horse. My shetland gelding is 350 lbs and he gets currently 7-8 lbs of hay replacement feed plus 1/4 lbs of grain and mineral/vitamins.
It take a few months to add weight on an old horses body again. They usually don't gain easy.