Hi,

I'm thinking about switching feeds for my two mares. They are both MFT's. One is 3 and the other is 7.

Let me tell you about us. We do not have pasture, they are fed a few flakes of grass hay twice a day. They have 24/7 access to outside. Right now they are really not being ridden, I'm not a big fan of riding in the winter now that I have moved farther away from my other horse owning friends and I don't have what I consider a safe place to ride. Anyway, in the spring I will begin riding again more and eventually work up to taking the 7 year old on trail rides which the mileage might eventually hit 20 miles. The 3 year old is going to be started at light trail riding as well (she turned 3 in September).

As for grain right now I have them on Dynamite supplements. With the supplement they each get the following :

Morning:
1/2 cup crimped oats
1/2 cup rolled barley
1/4 cup cracked corn
1 cup black oil sunflower seeds
Dynamite vitamins

Evening:
1/2 cup crimped oats
1/2 cup rolled barley
1/4 cup whole flax seed
3 cups alfalfa/timothy cubes soaked in water (I am feeding this to ensure they have a good water intake for the winter and a little extra forage never hurts)
1 cup black oil sunflower seeds

They also have free choice to the Dynamite free choice minerals.

I'm not sure why I want to change, I thought I was happy with the Dynamite but now I'm just not sure, can't put my finger on it. I guess I just want to make sure that the girls are getting everything they need. The Dynamite grain ration is just to expensive for me to purchase. They are in good weight and look healthy. I wouldn't classify them as easy keepers as my 7 year old did lose a little weight this winter but has since gained it back.

I am in New England. I can't decide whether I should change and if I do change feeding, I can't decide what type of grain to move to. The 7 year old can be pretty hot so she does not need any added energy and the baby has energy to burn as well. I want to stay away from something loaded with molasses. I have looked at a few different feeds but was wondering if you would be so kind to share your input. I have looked at Nutrena Safe Choice, Poulin Performance 10:12, Triple Crown Herbal and Buckeye Cadence. Other feed that is available, Purina and Blue Seal. Thanks for any thoughts that you might have.

Where are you from? NH

Hello JS,

I took a look at what you are feeding, and I, too, am in favor of a change. I avoid feeding corn, for example, because it is very poorly digested.

And, your diet is very high in starch, which is potentially damaging to your youngster's bones.

So, go ahead and switch to a low starch feed such as Nutrena's SafeChoice or even Purina Ultium (which will be better once they are working).

Flaxseeds are great, but not whole. They should be ground to provide the omega 3 fatty acids that are so beneficial to their health. Take a look at Nutra Flax -- this is a stabilized flaxseed meal.

And, hay should be offered at sufficient quantity so they do not go hours without something to chew on - this is important in avoiding gastric ulcers.

So, these are a few suggestions. If you find that you would like to visit further, let's consider setting up a phone visit, since I believe that would be more helpful in answering all your concerns.

All the best,

Dr. Getty

Thank you. We had only been on the Dynamite for less then a year. I will go with the Ultium. I wasn't sure which to switch back to.

One other question, should I give a vitamin/mineral supplement. That is one of the reasons I gave the dynamite program a try, I liked the free choice minerals. Thanks!!

Hi JS,

If you feed Ultium according to the directions, you won't need an additional vitamin/mineral supplement.

Free choice minerals are risky, in my opinion, because horses do not sense what they are lacking, as they advertise. Horses can sense their need for sodium, potassium, and to a much lesser degree, magnesium, but not the other minerals. And, this can lead to toxicities and even deficiencies, since minerals interact with one another.

Thanks for writing. Please keep me posted on your progress.

All the best,

Dr. Getty

Just thought I would post a quick update. We are switching to the Ultium, they are eating it just fine (as iff the hoovers wouldn't ) and I just picked up a 3x3x8 bale of the awesomest hay so they can eat more "free choice". I had to break open the bale and lug it giant flake by giant flake into the extra stall, but I think it was worth it.

Hi JS,

Sounds wonderful! Makes you feel good when our horses are happy!

Dr. Getty