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 Kathi,
What a wonderful breed! They are beautiful horses with personalities to match.
Your best bet is to feed them mostly forage -- good quality hay and/or pasture and allow them to graze at all times. You can provide them with a meal that is low in starch -- this is especially important for this breed because of the fact that they tend to store fat more readily. So, give them a meal of hay cubes, or alfalfa pellets or even soaked beet pulp. You can add a good over multiple vitamin/mineral supplement in order to fill in the gaps. For your foals and yearlings, I recommend Mare/Foal IIP since it is higher in several nutrients that are necessary for growing horses. Or you can go with one supplement, such as Accel and then add additional Lysine to your growing horses' diets.
I hope this is helpful.
Happy New Year!
Dr. Getty
Where are you from? Bayfield, CO