Ask the Nutritionist: Dr. Getty's Forum for Equine Nutrition
Welcome to my forum.
Here you will find more than 6 years of questions and my answers. It is searchable and offers a great deal of information.
Currently, I am discontinuing new questions. This may change in the future, but in the meantime, please know that It has been a true pleasure serving you.
Take a look at my Nutrition Library and Tips of the Month for a variety of answers on selected topics. Be sure to sign up for my monthly e-newsletter, Forage for Thought.
I also have a growing number of recordings on "Teleseminars on Nutrition Topics that Concern You" as well as the new, Spotlight on Equine Nutrition Series -- printed versions of favorite teleseminars.
And finally, look for my articles in a variety of local publications and online newsletters, as well as the Horse Journal, where I am the Contributing Nutrition Editor.
All the best,
Dr. Getty
Hi Melissa,
Rye grass hay, like other grain hays, is somewhat lower in protein than grass hays. And, typically, rye grass hay is not as palatable. However, it can be fed as a main forage as long as your horse is not overweight, insulin resistant, or suffers from chronic laminitis -- this is due to its higher starch content.
You have such beautiful alfalfa in California! If your budget will allow it, you could feed say a 70/30 mix of rye/alfalfa. Then, if you are working your horse and he needs more calories to maintain his work load, you can add a complete pelleted feed, or even some flaxseed meal.
A good vitamin/mineral supplement is always a good idea for horses that are only on grass and/or pasture to fill in the gaps.
All the best,
Dr. Getty 
Hi Dr Getty,
Thanks for sharing your thoughts on this subject.
I do feed rye grass in the morning and at night they get rye and alfalfa. I don't have any horses at this time that have any of those conditions that you described. So I will keep feeding what I'm feeding then. I never have had a problem before with this hay, but everyone has an opinion in the horse world it seems. So I thought I would look up some nutritional facts and thats how I found your site. Very informational 
.
My other question is how long is ground flax seed good for and how should it be stored? I feed the ground flax seed with safe choice but I grind right before I feed it. I will be going out of town and would like to prepare some for the person feeding my horses. Trying to make things easy 
.
Thank you,
Melissa
Where are you from? California
How did you locate this forum? Internet
Hi Melissa,
Glad to help!
About the flaxseed meal -- if you grind it yourself, you would need to refrigerate it and keep it no more than 5 to 7 days.
Or, you can go with a stabilized flaxseed meal such as Nutra Flax which has a shelf life of 6 months and does not require refrigeration.
All the best,
Dr. Getty
Hi Dr Getty,
Thanks again. This site has been very helpful with some questions I have had. I have reffered some people to this site if they had questions about their horses nutrition. Have a great day 
.
Thank you,
Melissa
Where are you from? California
How did you locate this forum? Internet