Sorry this is long but thanks for any help you can give me.

I have 5 horses, two of which are minis. They are on pasture which is very poor and overgrazed right now and I feed them a bale of hay in the morning and a bale at night scattered in several piles. (The hay is mixed grass with Timothy and red clover, what we cut here on the farm. It was spring cutting but cut a little past it's prime as the Timothy heads were starting to go to seed.)

We bring them in to feed in the evenings. The big horses get a half cup of Farrier's Formula, a half scoop of Source and a half scoop of Vitamin B1 along with about a quarter cup of oats and a quarter cup of sweet feed mixed in. The minis get a small portion of a Dumor horse treat. 4 of these horses are fat. They do not get much exercise, just free roaming out in pasture.

What should I do differently? I am especially worried about one of the minis as she is really fat and colics easily, just last night in fact. (It has been very cold lately and someone said the change in weather might cause colic?)

I know they need to lose the grain but my husband insists they need it and that it is not enough to hurt them.

Where are you from? Kentucky

How did you locate this forum? Yahoo group A Journey in Horsemanship

Hi Chris,

So sorry for the delay in getting back to you!

I have to agree with you about the grain and the sweet feed. Your husband wants them to have something in addition to the hay, which is understandable. But, instead of grain, there are much safer energy sources.

Overweight horses are typically insulin resistant. This means that they are highly inclined toward storing fat when fed starch or sugar. So, your goal is to remove all starch and sweet feed from their diet. This also includes sweet treats such as carrots and apples.

I would suggest that you continue to offer them hay, as much as they want, since they need to be able to graze 24/7 to keep a healthy digestive tract. But, replace the grain and sweet feed with a small amount of shredded beet pulp or even alfalfa pellets. These do not have starch and are much better for them.

I would also recommend giving them Quiessence to help them reduce their fat storage and limit their insulin response.

About the colic, yes extreme changes in weather can upset the digestive systems of some horses. Often, it's a combination of factors. Offering hay or other forage all of the time is the best way to prevent many types of colic, along with limiting meal size and starch content.

I hope this is helpful.

Happy Holidays!

Dr. Getty

Thanks so much for your help Dr. Getty.

If I feed Quiessence should I stop feeding the Source and B1 and Farrier's Formula?

Thanks again and Happy Holidays to you!

Where are you from? Kentucky

Hi Chris,

Yes, you can feed Quiessence with these products. Source is basically an electrolyte supplement, and Farrier's formula is low in magnesium and other minerals. Thiamin (B1) is fine with Quiessence.

Happy New Year!

Dr. Getty

Thanks and Happy New Year!

Where are you from? Kentucky

I have been using the Quiessence for a couple of weeks now and was wondering if based on what else I am feeding these horses if I should feed them Accel as well or is that too many supplements. Should I feed Accel and Quiessence and drop the others? Do I need a hay analysis to determine this?

Thanks again!

Where are you from? Kentucky

Hi Chris,

Yes, you can feed Accel with Quiessence. And then I would suggest that you drop the other supplements. Farrier's formula is for hooves, but it also has other nutrients, which would overlap with Accel.

If your horse's hooves are in decent shape, you may not require an additional hoof supplement. But, feeding Accel is a good way to ensure that all the gaps are filled in his diet.

If you should require a hoof supplement, go with Master's Hoof Blend, along with Accel.

All the best,

Dr. Getty

Thank you again, Dr. Getty.

Have a great day!

Chris

Where are you from? Kentucky