Ask the Nutritionist: Dr. Getty's Forum for Equine Nutrition
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Dr. Getty
Dear Dr.Getty,Thanks so much for having this site! I recently adopted a rescued 14 year old quarter horse gelding. He needs some weight on him. He eats a grain mix of sweet feed and alfalfa pellets. He grazes most of the day and gets two sections of T&A hay daily.It was recommended to me to increase his feed to 10 quarts a day split into am and pm feedings.(Seems excessive)I am interested in beet pulp.Im not sure how much to feed, how long is the transition,is it better to use a combination of grain and beet pulp? And how is it best fed,wet or dry? I have advise from everyone at the barn and I don't know what to do. Thanks again! 
Where are you from? Miami,Florida
How did you locate this forum? Looking up information about feed for my horse on the intermet.
Hi Brandie,
Yes, you are correct in your assessment about 10 quarts being excessive! 10 quarts would translate into approximately 25 pounds of feed a day!
OK, here’s a much simpler (and safer!) route to go. Go ahead and give him beet pulp. A good combination meal would be to offer him 1 lb (about ½ of a quart scoop) of alfalfa pellets, ½ pound of beet pulp (which you can moisten, or feed dry), and 1 ½ pounds of a low starch/high fat complete feed. In other words, stop feeding the sweet feed. It is not going to help him gain weight, and it is potentially damaging to his health. Some choices would be Farr XTN, Purina SafeChoice, Triple Crown Low Starch, or Purina Ultium. You can feed this meal twice each day.
To further help him boost his weight, offer him some flaxseed meal, or a weight gaining supplement such as HardKeeper.
To this meal, I would suggest that you add a good multiple vitamin/mineral supplement that has microbials. The microbials (probiotic) are important to help boost his immune system. Accel (by Vita Flex) is what I recommend. If his health is poor, then go with Accel Lifetime.
I hope this is helpful.
All the best,
Dr. Getty
