How to Feed a Severely Neglected Rescue Horse

• Give him a probiotic, at a double dose, every day for approximately one month; then reduce the dosage to a maintenance level.
• Start with one pound of grass hay every two hours, or pasture grazing for 30 minutes with an hour break in between. At night, leave him with four pounds of hay, plenty of water, and a plain, white salt block along with granulated salt, offered free-choice.
• After three days, increase the amount of hay to two pounds every two hours and give him eight pounds of hay at night.
• By the end of two weeks, he should be able to have hay available free-choice or graze on pasture 24/7. Be sure he has enough at night to last him throughout the night. There should be some hay left over in the morning.
• Starting at week three, add alfalfa to his hay ration. Start with one pound per day for three days, and add one more pound every three days, until you reach a total of eight to ten lbs per day. If you’re not able to obtain alfalfa hay, get hay cubes. Break them into small pieces and let them soak for a few minutes. Feed them as a snack throughout the day.

Also starting at week three, you’ll want to begin feeding him six small meals each day. You can use a commercial senior or performance feed that contains 14-16 percent protein, at least 18 percent fibre, and at least 8 percent fat. Each meal should contain:

• Four cups feed (weighs approximately one pound or .5 kg)
• 1/4 cup (60 ml) flaxseed meal (stabilized, commercial product is best)
• 200 IU Vitamin E (you can get capsules in your local pharmacy)
• Probiotic (double dose, spread over six meals)
• 500 mg of Vitamin C

Gradually decrease the number of meals, every two weeks, but increase the amount of feed in each meal so that by the end of one month, in addition to a full ration of forage, you are providing two to three meals per day, with no more than four pounds of feed per meal. Maintain supplements and if your horse is older than 16, provide additional vitamin C.