Safe Weight Gain for Horses: 5 Feeding Tips That Really Work

Horses can lose weight for all sorts of reasons, and often it creeps up gradually. By the time we notice ribs or a dipped topline, the horse may have been in a calorie deficit for a while. Before we reach straight for a “conditioning mix”, it’s really important to pause and ask why the weight loss is happening.

Step 1: Rule out health issues first

Before making any changes to your horse’s feed, always start with a thorough health check. Weight loss can be a sign of underlying problems such as:

• Worm burden or parasites

• Poor dental health (sharp points, missing teeth, uneven wear)

• Gastric ulcers

• Chronic pain or stress (herd changes, workload, travel, environment)

• Illness or disease

Work with your vet and equine dentist to make sure your horse is genuinely healthy. Once you’re confident that there’s no underlying medical reason for the weight loss, you can start adjusting the diet to support safe, steady weight gain.

Below are our top five feeding tips to help your horse gain weight in a healthy, sustainable way.

1. Start with forage

Forage should always be the foundation of any weight gain plan. For an underweight horse, this usually means ad lib (free-choice) access to hay or pasture.

You can:

• Offer a hay roll or net available 24/7, or

• Feed enough hay that there is a little left over each day, so you know your horse hasn’t run out.

Why focus on forage first?

• Horses are designed to eat small, fibrous meals throughout the day.

• They can safely consume a greater quantity of hay than concentrates.

• Excessive concentrate/grain can increase the risk of gut disturbances and behavioural changes.

• From a budget perspective, good-quality hay is often more cost-effective than large amounts of pelleted feeds.

If your horse is underweight, increasing the amount and quality of forage is usually the safest and most beneficial first step.

2. Add lucerne (alfalfa) for extra calories and protein

Lucerne hay (alfalfa) is a great way to lift both the energy and protein in the diet:

• It helps support weight gain

• It assists with muscle development and rebuilding topline, especially useful if there has been muscle loss with the weight drop

Because lucerne is higher in protein and energy, it’s usually best not to feed it ad lib. A common guideline is up to around 0.5 kg per 100 kg of bodyweight (for example, up to ~2.5 kg per day for a 500 kg horse), but always adjust based on the individual horse and total diet.

⚠️ Some horses can become a little sharper or show behavioural changes on lucerne. Introduce it gradually and keep an eye on how your horse responds. If behaviour changes significantly, you may need to reduce or remove it and explore alternative calorie sources.

3. Adjust and upgrade concentrates

Once forage is optimised, if your horse still needs more condition, you can look at concentrate feeds (pellets, mueslis, mixes).

Options include:

• Switching from a basic or maintenance feed to a higher-energy “conditioning” feed

• Increasing the amount of your current concentrate up to the manufacturer’s recommended maximum

However, it’s crucial to watch the starch content, especially with grain-based feeds. Too much starch can:

• Upset the sensitive hindgut

• Cause fizzy or unsettled behaviour

• Increase the risk of digestive issues

For safer weight gain, choose concentrates that are:

• High in fibre

• Low in starch

Examples of more fibre-based energy sources include:

• Soybean hulls

• Copra meal

• Sugarbeet pulp

• Lupin fibre

These feeds are more readily digested in the hindgut and tend to be gentler on the digestive system, while still providing excellent calories for weight gain.

4. Increase the fat

Adding fat is a simple and efficient way to boost calories without increasing meal size dramatically. This is particularly helpful for:

• Horses that don’t like eating large feeds

• Fussy eaters

• Performance horses that need more energy without the fizz of high-grain diets

High-fat options include:

• Vegetable oils (e.g. canola, rice bran, sunflower oil)

• Copra meal

• Rice bran-based products

• Some specific high-fat conditioning feeds

Fat is energy dense and generally considered safer than pushing up grain levels, as it doesn’t carry the same risk of starch overload or sudden behaviour changes for many horses. Introduce it slowly to allow the digestive system and taste buds to adapt.

5. Balance the diet

It’s not just about calories – it’s about balance. Even if you’re feeding enough energy, an imbalance in protein, vitamins and minerals can:

• Limit your horse’s ability to build muscle and topline

• Affect coat and hoof quality

• Make it harder for your horse to maintain or gain weight

Consider:

• A balanced commercial feed fed at the recommended rate, or

• A good-quality vitamin and mineral balancer if you’re feeding mostly forage and simple feeds

A well-balanced diet supports the entire system: digestion, immunity, muscle development and general wellbeing – all of which are crucial for safe, steady weight gain.

Take-home message: go slowly and monitor progress

Helping a horse gain weight is a marathon, not a sprint. There are many safe ways to increase caloric intake, but:

• Make any changes gradually over 7–14 days to reduce the risk of colic or digestive upset.

• Monitor your horse’s body condition weekly – photos, weight tapes, and simple notes can be very helpful.

• Keep in touch with your vet, dentist and (if needed) an equine nutritionist to ensure you’re on the right track.

With time, good management and a balanced diet, most horses can safely return to a healthy weight and maintain it.

Commonly used feeds and supplements for weight gain

Here are some popular fibre and fat-based products often used in weight gain diets:

• Thompson & Redwood Lupin Fibre (derived from lupin hulls)

• Hygain Micrbeet and Speedibeet (sugarbeet pulp)

• Coolstance Copra Meal

• Hygain Fibressential

• Hygain RBO, Prydes EasiOil, vegetable oil, rice bran oil, canola oil and linseed oil

• Hygain Showtorque

• Prydes EasiConditioner

• Hygain TruGain
• Benchmark Feeds Perfect Mash

Every horse is an individual, so the ideal combination will vary. If you’re unsure where to start, a tailored feeding plan can make all the difference.

Always consult your vet or an equine nutrition professional if your horse is losing weight unexpectedly, or if you’re unsure which feeds are most suitable for your horse’s specific needs.