Nutrition and wieght gain

Question
Thanks so much, that was really helpful, now I have a few more questions for you.  First, what percent of fat should I look for when picking a feed?  Also, what are some feeds that are specifically for mares and foals that you know of that work well in your experience? As for hay, I am feeding her about 25 lbs of grass hay and 5-10 lbs of a unbearded barley, grass, and alfalfa mix.  Does that work well for gaining weight, or should I just mix in straight alfalfa?  Also, what is the percentage of grass to alfalfa?  Thanks again,
Kendra
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Followup To
Question -
Hi there.  We recently bought 2 Tennessee Walker mares from some people.  Both horses had wonderful personalities, but were about 300 lbs underweight each, and one mare has a baby by her side.  We started to give beet pulp mixed with senior feed, but have had several problems with the beet pulp, but the biggest problem is that one of the mares, the one with the baby has seemed to turn into a devil horse, she was as sweet as could be the first 2-2 1/2 weeks after we got her and then she started trying to bite and kick people so we took her off of the beat pulp and she seems to be doing better but I don't know what the cause of it is.  Do you have any idea what it could be? We thought about it maybe being a sign of diebetes, because she was irritable and was drinking a lot (which are both signs of human diabetes), but she does fine with just senior feed and mare plus.  But she doesn't seem to be gaining any weight and I was wondering what else we could give her to help her gain weight.  Thanks for your help.
Kendra
Answer -
I am not familar with beet pulp so I can't answer that part of your question, but I can help with the weight problem.

First and formost make sure both horses have been wormed.  Regardless of what the people have told you, if they are underweight, they may have worms.  There are a couple of new wormers on the market that also fight tapeworms that the others do not - Zimectrin makes one of them (maybe Max) and Iver GOld is the other one. Some worms can only be detected and medicated by a vet.

For the mare with the foal you should try to get a food for mare and foal.  The senior is OK, but doesn't have what it needs for the nursing mom and baby.  Remember, it won't be long before the foal begins to eat grain herself.  Be carefull about switching grains - sudden dietary changes can cause colic.  Swich slowly, weaning off of one food and on to the next by mixing them 75%-25% for a few days then 60/40 then 50/50 and so on - it should take a week or two to get switched over.

You should also be more concerned with the fat content instead of the protein content.  A 16% food has a great protein leval, but may only have 2% fat which is not going to help you.  Keep the level of corn down, but don't eliminate it (carbohydrates can cause a horse to be "hot" - may have something to do with the beet pulp, but I am not sure).  Now that I have said that I will almost contradict myself.  We had a mare lose several hundred pounds due to a serious illness (we almost lost her).  Once we conqured the EPM we had to help her gain weight.  The vet had us add corn oil to her diet - the cheaper the better, because the cheap stuff has the higher sat. fat content and that is what you want.  Add a 1/2 to the grain twice a day for about a week and work up to a full cup twice a day after about three weeks.  If you notice runny stool then back off a little.  If she won't eat it on her grain then use a syringe to force it into her.

The right hay is important too.  She should be getting at least a little bit of alfalfa (the cubes are good if you can't find it fresh).  To have the nutrients it needs it should be green and smell fresh.

If she doesn't appear to be gaining weight in a few weeks (it will take time with the foal) you should consult your vet.
Brenda

Answer
For mares with foals a 50/50 mix of alfalfa is good - even more if possible, but this can also make horses "hot" like carbohydrates (possibly like the beet pulp did).  If you can get a bale or two of good, tender alfalfa add it half and half with the hay you feed now and see what happens.  Like any other food switches you need to be careful and watch the manure and such as to not cause diarreah or colic.  We feed by the "flake" off of small sqaure bales and all of our horses get 2 flakes in the morning and 2 in the evening along with their grain.  The mix we use is about 50% to 75% alfalfa mixed with clover, timothy and grass.  We have gotten our hay from the same field for several years now and have always been happy with this mix.  If you are going to add straight alfalfa, start with half and half in the morning then your old hay in the evening then graduate up to both feedings.  

If you live near a Tractor Supply Company, they carry Dumor Brand foods and have one that is called Mare and Foal.  I belive that Manna Pro also has one specifically for mares with foals.  Any local feed supply should be able to advise you since most of the time the grain is simply named "Mare and Foal Diet" or something simular.  The most fat content I was able to find without adding the corn oil was about 4% if you can find a 5% or 6% it wouldn't hurt since she is underweight AND nursing a foal.  When she reaches ideal weight or when you wean the foal you can switch to something different.  Most healthy middle aged (8-15 year old) horses that are not ridden much or don't get worked on a regular basis survive and actually thrive on a simple 10% - 12% grain mix and good quality hay.  Older horses need the senior for the added benefit of the processing that makes it easier to digest.

The corn oil will not only help with the weight gain, but will also improve coat and skin quality as well.  

Remember to keep a good worming schedual up - every 6-8 weeks is optimal.  I usually remember to worm when my farrier comes which is about the same time interval.

Hope this helps,  If you need anything else feel free to email me at c_n_spots@yahoo.com.  I will be happy to help whenever I can.

Brenda