Ask the Nutritionist: Dr. Getty's Forum for Equine Nutrition
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Dr. Getty
Hey Dr. Getty,
Thanking you in advance for my problem...I'm about to move my 3yr. old 14.2 paint gelding that I use for trails. To a new boarding facility. He is currently on Blue Seal 10% pellets and timothy orchid grass hay twice a day...
The New place wants to give him this mixture that the owner mixes himself...10% pellets, 10% sweet feed, cracked corn... 5lbs in the am and 5lbs in the pm
He said that this is a winter mixture so they stay nice and fat...In the spring and summer he takes away the corn...So, My horse currently gets about 6lbs a day now and is fat(maybe too fat) and healthy. What should I do...I give no supplements since he is young and I do sand clear him 1x a month. Oh yeah, he also gives wormers every 4 weeks (zemectrin gold rotated with Ivermectrin)...Help in Jersey...
Carmella
Where are you from? NJ
How did you locate this forum? Friend
Hi Carmella,
I understand your concern. Frankly, there are two things that sparked my attention. First, corn is something I try to avoid because it is very poorly digested and has a greater chance of getting to the hind gut than other grains. Therefore, the risk of laminitis is too high.
And second, your horse is already "well-fleshed" and is therefore predisposed to laminitis.
So, feeding corn to your horse is not a good idea. I would even go so far as to suggest that you reduce grain and sweet-feed in general.
So, if you have any authority over what you offer your horse, I would suggest a low-starch feed such as Triple Crown Low Starch or Lite, or Nutrena's Safe Choice, or even Poulin low carb feed.
Thanks for writing about this important issue.
All the best,
Dr. Getty 