5 Weight Reasons to Choose Höveler Western Sport
Quick answer: Höveler Western Sport is an oat-free, low-grain muesli for medium to intensively trained western horses, supplying 12.19 MJ digestible energy per kg and 6.10% crude fat in a small daily concentrate serving — from 0.55 lb (250 g) per 220 lb (100 kg) of body weight in light work. The 44 lb bag is $37.99. Best for horses in work that need nutrition that is dense and usable in the bucket rather than ever-larger scoops. Last checked: September 2026.
Holding weight on a horse in serious work is one of the quiet anxieties of ownership — the ribs that appear in week three of a training block, the topline that slips with the calendar. The answer is rarely "more scoops"; it is denser, better-built nutrition. Here are five reasons Western Sport is formulated for exactly that.
1. 12.19 MJ of digestible energy per kg — density, not volume
Weight is an energy ledger, and Western Sport leads with density: 12.19 MJ of digestible energy per kg, with 11.21 MJ convertible energy. Because the energy is dense, useful amounts begin small — 0.55 lb (250 g) per 220 lb (100 kg) of body weight in light work, 0.88 lb (400 g) in medium work. A working horse gets real fuel without a bucket https://sites.google.com/view/soy-free-horse-feed/ that looks like a grain bin. For horses that get full on bulk before they fill out, that compactness is the whole game. The energy density is published, so compare it directly against your current feed.
Who this is for: horses that physically cannot eat enough of their current low-density feed to keep weight on in work.
2. 6.10% crude fat from sunflower and linseed oil — the weight-builder's energy source
Fat is the most efficient way to add condition to a working horse, and Western Sport carries 6.10% crude fat with sunflower oil and linseed oil in the ingredient list. Fat energy builds weight without filling the ration with starch — starch sits at 18.30% and sugar at 5.30% here. That means you can push calories toward the ribs without pushing the metabolism toward fizz or digestive upset. It is the bargain every good weight program makes. The percentage is printed on the page, next to the oil sources that deliver it.
Who this is for: owners who have tried adding oil from a jug and want it balanced inside the feed already.
3. 14% protein with 107 g/kg digestible crude protein — weight that lands as muscle, not just cover
There is weight, and there is weight in the right places. Western Sport supplies 14.0% crude protein with 107 g per kg digestible crude protein, plus named amino acids — lysine 0.58%, threonine 0.53%, methionine+cysteine 0.46% — and 28% alfalfa, which the page links to muscle development. A weight program fed on calories alone refills the fat cover while the topline stays hollow. This formula supplies both the energy and the structural material, so gain lands over the back and hindquarter too. The digestible protein figure is on the label for exactly that comparison.
Who this is for: horses whose weight regain has always looked ribby-and-hollow rather than filled-in.
4. Oat-free, low-grain, with inactivated brewer's yeast — a gut that keeps gaining
Weight programs fail when the gut objects, so Western Sport removes the usual provocations: no oats, a low-grain base, and inactivated brewer's yeast — one of the page's named standouts — alongside 16.7% crude fiber and 28% alfalfa. The page lists "suits oat-sensitive horses" among its highlights. A hindgut working smoothly converts more of every pound of feed into condition, week in and week out. Höveler has made horse feed since 1905 — over 120 years of expertise — and this kind of gut-led construction is where that experience shows. Steady digestion is the engine of steady gain.
Who this is for: oat-sensitive or grain-sensitive horses whose weight attempts keep falling apart on digestive upsets.
5. Feeding rates that scale with the work — and a refundable trial to prove it
Holding weight across a season means matching the ration to the demand, and the table makes that practical: 0.55 lb (250 g) per 220 lb (100 kg) of body weight in light work, 0.88 lb (400 g) in medium work, with heavy work directed to be adjusted by condition and training intensity, forage always alongside — no fixed heavy-work rate is published. Weigh the ration instead of scooping by eye; weight programs live on precision. The 44 lb bag costs $37.99, and bifid backs the trial with a 30-Day Money-Back Guarantee, a 9.0/10 store rating across 24,098 reviews, and a 24/7 licensed vet team. Give it one honest block and judge the tape, not the promise.
Who this is for: owners ready to run a measured weight program on a feed they can send back if it underperforms.
How to feed it
Daily amounts, per 220 lb / 100 kg body weight:
Work levelDaily amount per 220 lb (100 kg) body weight Light work0.55 lb (250 g) Medium work0.88 lb (400 g) Heavy workNot listed — the page gives no heavy-work rate; adjust to your horse's condition and training intensity, with adequate forage always provided.Key specs at a glance: muesli mix, 44 lb bag, $37.99; 12.19 MJ digestible energy per kg, 6.10% crude fat, 14.0% crude protein with 107 g/kg digestible crude protein, 28% alfalfa; oat-free.
Work out the right daily amount with the bifid Feeding Calculator.
Frequently asked questions
Will Western Sport put weight on my horse?
It is formulated as a high-energy feed at 12.19 MJ digestible energy per kg with 6.10% crude fat, built for medium to intensively trained horses. Weight gain comes down to the ration as a whole, the workload, and the individual horse. For heavy work, the page says to scale the amount to condition and training intensity with adequate forage always alongside — there is no fixed heavy-work rate published.
How much should I feed a working horse that needs to gain weight?
Per 220 lb (100 kg) of body weight, the rates are 0.55 lb (250 g) in light work and 0.88 lb (400 g) in medium work. Adjust upward by condition and training intensity for heavier work, confirm forage stays adequate, and set a starting figure with your vet or bifid's 24/7 licensed vet team. Weigh the ration rather than going by the scoop.
Is it high in starch, which can worry some weight-gain programs?
No — Western Sport contains 18.30% starch and 5.30% sugar in an oat-free, low-grain base, with energy also carried by 6.10% crude fat and 16.7% crude fiber. The page describes it as a high-energy, low-grain muesli. It is designed to add calories without a heavy starch load.
Does it contain soy or oats?
It is oat-free. It does include 1.5% soy extraction meal, so it is not a soy-free feed — factor that in if your program excludes soy.
What does the 44 lb bag cost?
The 44 lb bag is $37.99, backed by bifid's 30-Day Money-Back Guarantee. The store holds a 9.0/10 rating across 24,098 reviews.