my mini horses seem to have lost alot of weight!!

i got 3 mini horses last jan. and they seem to have lost alot of weight!!
i have dewormed all 3 of them but nothing seems to help.
what sould i do or try??the man said they where about 8,8 and 2 years old.
(they really didnt know much about horses
Thank you for any help!!~
leah

[Char1otteBrown]

At two they are still maturing. Using energy from food for growth. Feed hay ad-lib and keep up concentrates. Don't add too much grazing time as you don't want lamintis. A good health indicator is their coats. Try adding minerals and limestone powder to feeds.
I always gave my youngsters guiness once a week. A few gulgs in a feed. More expensive alternative is Redcell and or seaweed.
Once they mature, between 3 and 5 then they will be prone to bellies so watch out.
Hope I've helped

[seeana]

Hi Didi first of all I would get their teeth checked out.And worm again after 8weeks make sure the worming paste covers tapeworm.
Make sure the hay is of good quality,would not hurt to suppliment the hay with rice pellets its a cool feed ,mixed with a few boiled oats that should pile the weight on.
But do not let them get too thin! you must call your Vet if  they get much worse this is vital.
This is a month since you have posted I hope things are going ok.

[lindasp62]

Horses can lose weight for a variety of reasons. It is concerning that your horses are losing weight rapidly, and even dying. About food.. Have you weighed it out?  The amount of food you feed one horse in a day should be about 2.5 percent of the horses' body weight (the weight you want teh horse to be). For a 1200 pound horse , that would be about 8.2kg (18.0lbs) of forage (hay)  per day, and 5.5kg (12.0lbs) of concentrates(grain)  per day. You should aways feed more hay than grain .  Here is a helpful website to figure out how much of each:

http://www.baileyshorsefeeds.co.uk/feedingexplained/calculator.htm

So, what you need to do is get a weight tape (from your feed mill or even TSC), and weight your horses.  However, the amount of what to feed them is based on how much the best weight for the horse would be.  1200 lbs is average weight. It is apparent that at this point they are underweight, so you need to make sure you feed for what they should weigh, NOT what they weight right now..
There are other reasons a horse could lose weight...one is internal parasites (worms). A regular deworming program is very important, otherwise the hay and grain you give the horses will only be feeding the worms and not the horse!! It is best to consult your horse Veterinarian about what de-wormers to use when...it depends on your region in the USA, time of year, etc.  And, there is not just one de-wormer that will kill all worms.  Please consult your Vet.  Also, while you have your Vet at your farm, please have time take a look at your horses' teeth.  Over time, horse's teeth get worn in such a way that they have points and unevenness...it makes it extremely difficult or impossible to chew the hay and grain, and most of it falls out of their mouth, or they end up not eating as much as they should. This could lead to weight loss. The Vet. can "float" (file" the teeth to make it easier for the horses to chew and will also lead to better digestion.
When you feed hay, is it in flakes/square bale or a round bale? Sometimes, one horse in a herd is very pushy, and so will overtake the hay, leaving the more timid horse(s) pushed to the outside and not having access to the hay. If you are feeding flakes, make sure you have 1-3 more piles than horses, and that they hay is spread out A LOT in many small piles.  If you have more than 4-5 horses eating one round bale, you might consider putting another round bale in the field.
Please let me know if you have any other questions, and let me know how your horses are doing with my suggestions.