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.
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All the best,
Dr. Getty
Hi Pam,
Thank you for the kind words. I'm so pleased that I've been helpful to you in the past.
1/2 cup of apple juice is not a large amount and can be well tolerated by your horse as long as he is not overweight, insulin resistant, or has suffered from laminitis. You could also try adding apple cider vinegar, which I find useful for horses that are on forage-only diets (this may not be the case with your horse), in order to slightly lower the pH of the hind gut.
Continue adding salt, however, even if it is not helping with the water consumption because horses need 1 to 2 tablespoons of plain table salt each day. A plain white salt lick should also be available.
Is your water supply temperature controlled? If the water gets below 50 degrees, most horses will not drink enough. So, a water heater is very important.
Also, if the water is not clear and clean, this too will discourage many horses.
And, finally, taste the water that you are providing to see if it has an off odor or metallic or sulfur-like taste. This may be a factor, as well.
Hope this helps!
All the best,
Dr. Getty 
Where are you from? Bayfield, CO
Thank you, Dr. Getty,
This does help. I didn't realize he should have salt in addition to having a plain white salt block available at all times. We'll add this.
I've been adding 1/2 apple cider vinegar to their beet pulp 2x because we have such hard water in our area and it's supposed to prevent stones from forming. He'll be glad to hear that I can still give him the juice!!
Where are you from? Payson, AZ
How did you locate this forum? been here before
