The Thoroughbred horse breed is one of the breeds that may be stereotyped. They have been labeled as hard keepers as they can have trouble gaining or maintaining a good weight. Usually, this particular horse breed is bred for racing and therefore, may have a speedy metabolism. This breed is sent to the race track in their early years of life and so is used to strenuous exercise programs and high-quality feed. If you try to take him away from his niche and simply feed them plain hay, they could refuse your offer each time. Allow them to adjust and be patient about it; check up on his health and also his eating habits. Here are some tips on how you can help your Thoroughbred gain the weight needed:

  • A Thoroughbred’s teeth should be checked regularly by the veterinarian. This breed needs to put on some weight and with that, they need to have strong teeth to properly chew his food for easy digestion. If you observe that your horse constantly drops the feed from his mouth while eating, eats at a slow pace, and keeps tossing his head while being ridden, you might be dealing with equine dental problems.

  • Deworming can also help your horse put on some weight. Internal equine parasites can cause weight loss and interfere with weight gain. If you have a thoroughbred on a regular horse worming program, get a sample of his feces and take it to your local veterinarian for analysis. In some parts of the country, parasites have developed resistance to different commercial horse dewormers. With the help from your veterinarian, you will be able to find the best dewormer to use and the best worming program to follow. Daily dewormers can offer small, continuous dosing, which can be effective for some thoroughbred horses.

  • Allow your thoroughbred good forage. If your horse frequents the pasture for forage, you may have the grass tested to check its nutritional content; you may need to provide supplements to compensate for the missing nutritional content in the grass.
  • Beet pulp can be another source of fiber for his diet that you can use.

  • Apart from giving your horse access to high-quality grass, you also need to incorporate essential fats to his diet. Omega 3, which can be found in oils, such as flaxseed oil can have beneficial effects. Corn oil can also be incorporated to his diet. While Omega 6 in some oils can be beneficial, it can actually increase the risk of inflammation in horses.
  • You may also need to use weight gain supplement to be added to the grain feed. Consult your veterinarian for the best supplements to use.

Thoroughbreds need to be in good shape, so it pays to go the extra mile to make sure he stays that way.

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