I recently bought a 9 year old quarter horse geldiong that was raced as a two and three year old. he has been in the pasture since and not used much. I recently had him at a trainer for 7 weeks for barrel training and he has done well. However, he has lost some weight and the trainer said he was a hard keeper and that I should consider having his teeth checked. I was hoping you could give me a suggestion on what to feed him to gain some weight as well as calm him down a bit as he is quite hot headed. He is currently in a large pasture of timothy grass mix and also gets about 1/2 - 1 ice cream pail of oats per day and he also has mineral block. I have recently been giving him a little bit of foal starter with his oats in thehopes it would help him to gain some weight. Not sure if that is a good idea or not, but I figured it couldn't hurt. I saw an ad on a website for a supplement called Smooth Run Plus/Pro with calming and wandered if you have heard of it and whether it is a good idea to feed him that as we will be travelling to rodeos for the rest of the summer.

Thanks a bunch,
cherie

Where are you from? Fort Vermilion, Alberta

How did you locate this forum? rodeoclassifieds.com

Hi Cherie,

I have several suggestions for you. First, stop feeding oats and foal starter. Both of these are high in starch, and they cause an imbalance in the insulin response, leading to mood problems for many horses. They also do not adequately promote weight gain.

I would suggest that you get him on a high fat, high fiber, high protein feed. Since he is in training and will be performing, you might want to consider a performance feed such as Purina Ultium. This is a low starch feed, that contains energy from safe choices such as beet pulp, rice bran, and flaxseed.

He would also benefit from a B complex supplement. This would help him gain weight, as well as calm his nervous system. I recommend B-Plex by Horsetech. You can take a look at it from my website’s store. I have had great success with administering B vitamins to horses with your situation.

Yes, having his teeth checked once each year is an excellent plan.

Please let me know if you have any more questions and keep me posted on how he’s doing.

All the best,

Dr. Getty

Dr. Getty,

Where would I find Purina Ultium in Canada?

Cherie

Where are you from? Fort Vermilion, Alberta

How did you locate this forum? rodeoclassifieds.com

Try calling them at 1-888-ULTIUM1 [858-4861]. or check out the website at www.ultium.com

Where are you from? California

Hello Cherie,

I contacted Purina and as soon as they answer, I'll let you know if there are dealers in your area.

Thanks, Becky, for the info.

Dr. Getty

Hi Cherie,

Unfortunately, Purina does not have dealers in Canada. So, I would suggest that you visit your local feed store and ask what low-starch feeds they have available. Let me know, and I'll help you make a good choice.

Dr. Getty

I went into the local UFA farm supply store and they had a feed supplement called Mor-glown I believe. It is a high Fat, High Fibre Rice Bran supplement. I couldn't find a b complex supplement though.

Cherie

Where are you from? Fort Vermilion, Alberta

How did you locate this forum? rodeoclassifieds.com

Hi Cherie,

Yes, a stabilized rice bran product is a good idea. You will want to add this, however, to a complete ration. See if your local store carries a low starch feed such as Nutrena SafeChoice, or Triple Crown Low Starch. Farr XTN is also good.

B Complex is generally not sold at feed stores. Perhaps there is a Canadian veterinary supply company that carries it. Ration Plus is also very effective in helping horses gain weight. There may be a place locally that keeps it in stock. I offer both of these, but shipping to Canada would likely be expensive.

I hope this is helpful!

All the best,

Dr. Getty