mini: I have a mini horse who's a starvation/neglect case. He's been wormed and seen by the vet, in pretty good spirits, but very, very thin. I had to start him on wet food by syringe because he didn't know how to eat grain. Now he is eating on his own. I've been gradually increasing his food so as not to cause him to founder. Anyone have any tips for fattening him up quickly, but safely?What is the safest way to put weight on a skinny mini horse?We rescued 3 mini's and had good luck with lots of grass hay and soaked beet pulp twice a day. This is all low carb, and the more low carb you can be, the less likely you are to have problems with founder and colic. As they have put on weight, we have now put them on a handful of Strategy, daily wormer, a flake of hay twice a day each, and a scoop of soaked beet pulp. I am happy to report that 3 months later, they all look good and are ready to begin their new lives as happy companions and have started pulling the mini cart. What fun!|||My pony has the same problem. The most important thing is to free-feed him hay if you can afford it. Next, popular grains that put on weight are rice bran and beet pulp, oats do too but they can make him high-strung and increase his risk of founder. If he won't eat those grains by himself, add some molasses. I am not sure, but I believe the supplement Select helps keep weight on horses. My trainer would give my 14.2 hand pony 1/2 a cup of corn oil twice a day, so for a mini probably like an eighth cup twice a day. You can reduce the oil when he doesn't need it anymore. Alfalfa does a great job of putting on weight, but again it will make your horse high-strung and can cause ponies to founder. I'd consult a nutritionist for any further suggestions.What is the safest way to put weight on a skinny mini horse?I normally start my horses that I've gotten in that sort of condition on ground alfalfa and molasses and free feed them on it, putting their grain on top of the A&M. They will devour a LOT the first few days then back off of it. With a Mini, I'd start him on a 3LB coffee can of A&M each day until you have the weight back on him.|||Keep excellent quality grass hay in front of your mini 24/7. Also make sure your guy is on a small drylot to encourage him/her to move, the continual walking and eating hay will help lots along with feeding a senior pelleted feed...no grain....mini;s founder very easy. If your mini does not move you should hand walk a couple times a day.What is the safest way to put weight on a skinny mini horse?There really is no way to safely but quickly fatten a horse up. You just have to keep on increasing his food increments and he will eventually, but slowly put on more weight. Good luck and I'm glad your helping this poor pony!!|||It isn't good to fatten him up too quickly....slow steady progress is the best goal. Provided that he isn't in need of dental work, plenty of good free choice hay 24/7 is safe and beneficial to his overall digestion. If his teeth are bad, he can't adequately chew the hay. In addition to that, fat sources are best for adding weight, Stabilized rice bran is a very good source of fat (only buy it stabilized so the calcium and phosphorus are balanced correctly). You can also add beet pulp which is high in digestible fiber, and helps to add weight without disrupting the gut bacteria. These are the safest sources of calories to put weight on without risking colic or laminitis. You can also add Mazola oil to the feed, but too much can disrupt digestion and absorption of some vitamins, so you would need advice from your vet on the safe amount to add. You could also ask the vet about amounts on the other feeds as well....I know beet pulp can be 40-45% of the dietary fiber, but I'm not sure with rice bran. I feed it, and I use the guide on the bag to determine the amount. Equine Senior feed is also a very good choice, and safe to feed without fear of colic and laminitis.