What to feed a horse to gain weight
Almost every article you'll find on this question is published by a company that makes a bag of feed, and the answer is always its bag. Horsify doesn't sell feed — we make the free feed planner that riders use to record what they're already feeding. So this guide starts where it should: with why the horse is underweight in the first place.
First, rule out the reasons feed won't fix
A horse that is eating well and still dropping condition has a problem no feed bag solves. Work through these before you spend money on feed:
| Check | Why it matters |
|---|---|
| Teeth | Sharp points, missing or loose teeth and quidding mean the horse can't chew what you're giving it. A dental exam is the single highest-yield check for an underweight horse. |
| Worm burden | A faecal egg count first, then targeted treatment. Blanket worming a heavily burdened horse without veterinary advice can itself cause problems. |
| Gastric ulcers | Common in horses in work, travelling or with long gaps between meals. Signs include picky eating, girthiness and poor coat as well as weight loss. |
| Pain and lameness | A horse in chronic pain eats less and moves less. So does one bullied off the feed by a paddock mate. |
| Age and PPID | Older horses lose topline and muscle even on adequate calories; PPID (Cushing's) is a common, testable cause worth ruling in or out. |
| Actual intake | Is the horse getting what you think? Weigh a biscuit of hay and a scoop of feed once — the answer surprises most owners. |
Forage does most of the work
The instinct is to reach for a hard feed. In practice, most underweight horses in Australia are short on forage, not on concentrate — and forage is both safer and cheaper per calorie.
- per day in dry matter for a horse that needs to gain — 12.5–15 kg for a 500 kg horse — with forage as the bulk of it.
- Good lucerne or a lucerne/grass mix carries far more energy and protein than weathered grass hay, and it builds topline as well as fat.
- not just in bigger piles. Slow-feed nets and more frequent small feeds keep the gut working and reduce ulcer risk.
- Beet pulp and soy hulls are effectively "super fibres" — high energy, low starch, and easy on a horse that can't chew long-stem hay well.
Choosing a feed for weight gain
Once forage is right, the question is what to add. In Australia the practical choices come down to a handful of categories — the brand matters far less than which category you're buying:
| Feed type | Best for | Watch out for |
|---|---|---|
| Oil (rice bran, canola, linseed) | Dense calories with no starch — the safest way to add energy to a hot or ulcer-prone horse. | Introduce very slowly, over weeks. Add vitamin E if feeding oil long-term. |
| Super fibres (beet pulp, soy hulls, copra) | Slow-release energy, safe volume, good for older horses and poor chewers. | Most need soaking. Copra is high in oil — build up gradually. |
| High-fat conditioning feeds | A complete, balanced way to add condition without a big starch load. | Only balanced if fed at the label rate — half a scoop of a "complete" feed is not a complete feed. |
| Grains and grain-based mixes | Working horses needing readily available energy. | High starch. Poor choice for laminitis-prone, metabolic or ulcer-prone horses, and for fizzy ones. |
| Protein sources (full-fat soy, lupins, faba beans) | Building topline and muscle rather than fat cover. | Topline loss is a protein and exercise problem — more calories alone won't fix it. |
| Balancer pellets | Filling vitamin and mineral gaps when most calories come from forage and oil. | Not a weight-gain feed on their own — they're the mineral half of the diet. |
Split hard feed into two or three meals rather than one large one, keep any single meal modest, and introduce every change over one to two weeks. A horse with laminitis, EMS, PPID or ulcers should have its diet designed with a vet or equine nutritionist — that's exactly the horse where a generic weight-gain feed does harm.
How fast should weight come back on?
Slowly, and measurably. Aim for roughly one body condition score point over 6–8 weeks. Faster than that usually means you're pushing starch, and on a genuinely starved or neglected horse rapid refeeding is dangerous — that horse needs a veterinary refeeding plan, not a big feed.
- Use the Henneke 1–9 body condition scale every 2–4 weeks. Most ridden horses should sit at 4–6.
- at the same time of day, the same way, and write the number down. The trend matters far more than the absolute figure.
- from the same three angles. Daily observation hides gradual change in both directions.
- When something works, you want to know what it was — and when nothing works after 8 weeks of good feeding, that's your evidence for the vet.
Horsify's free feed planner keeps a dated feed card per horse with a change log, records weight and body condition scores over time, and checks the ration against the horse's recorded weight — flagging total intake outside 1.5–2.5% of bodyweight and forage below 1.5%. There's a free feed calculator on that page you can use without an account.
Common questions
What is the best feed to put weight on a horse?
There isn't one best bag - the category matters more than the brand. For safe weight gain, most Australian horses do best on more and better forage first, then added oil (rice bran, canola or linseed) and super fibres (beet pulp, soy hulls, copra) for dense calories without a starch load, with a balancer or a complete high-fat conditioning feed fed at label rate to keep the minerals right. Grain-based mixes add weight quickly but are a poor choice for laminitis-prone, metabolic, ulcer-prone or fizzy horses.
How much should I feed a horse to gain weight?
A horse maintaining weight eats about 1.5-2.5% of its bodyweight per day in dry matter. To gain, push total intake toward 2.5-3% - roughly 12.5-15 kg a day for a 500 kg horse - with forage as the bulk of it and at least 1.5% of bodyweight as forage. Split hard feed into two or three modest meals and increase any change over one to two weeks.
Why is my horse losing weight even though it's eating?
Work through the causes feed cannot fix: dental problems (the highest-yield check), worm burden, gastric ulcers, chronic pain or lameness, being bullied off feed by paddock mates, and age-related conditions such as PPID. Also weigh a biscuit of hay and a scoop of feed once - many horses are simply getting less than their owner believes.
How quickly should a horse gain weight?
Aim for roughly one body condition score point over 6-8 weeks. Faster usually means you are pushing starch. A genuinely starved or neglected horse must not be fed up quickly - rapid refeeding can be fatal, and that horse needs a veterinary refeeding plan.
Is oil good for putting weight on a horse?
Yes - oil is one of the safest ways to add condition because it is dense in calories and contains no starch, which suits hot, ulcer-prone or metabolic horses. Introduce it very slowly over several weeks, and if you feed oil long-term add vitamin E, which the extra fat increases the requirement for.
Does more feed build topline?
Not on its own. Topline is muscle, and muscle needs quality protein plus correct work - lysine-rich sources such as full-fat soy, lupins or faba beans alongside appropriate exercise. A horse fed more calories without protein and work gains fat cover while the topline stays flat.
How do I track whether the diet is working?
Body condition score on the Henneke 1-9 scale every 2-4 weeks, weight-tape at the same time of day and write the number down, and photograph the horse monthly from the same three angles. Record the ration you actually fed, so when something works you know what it was. Horsify's free feed planner keeps the feed card, the change log and the weight and condition history in one place.
Track the diet, not just the plan
Horsify is free for riders. Keep a feed card per horse, log weight and condition scores as you go, and see the diet and the trend side by side — plus reminders for worming, dental and farrier, the three things most often behind a horse that won't hold condition.