Hello Moira and Nancy,

Happy New Year!

There are several bits of information that I think you'll find helpful regarding your horse.

First, Nancy is correct regarding the weight of forage -- 2 to 2.5 percent of the body weight is considered adequate. So, for a 1000 lb horse, you should be feeding up to 25 lbs of forage each day. This is genenerally 1/3 to 1/2 bale of hay (depending on the size of the bale) each day. Offer it free choice and your horse will "self-regulate" her intake.

But, this is not enough to maintain her overall health and growth since there are many nutritional gaps. You'll want to offer her some alfalfa, either as hay or pellets or cubes (soak the cubes for safety). This will provide additional calcium as well as balance out the amino acid profile since grass hay does not provide an adequate amount of essential amino acids.

I recommend a good vitamin/mineral supplement such as Glanzen to provide omega 3 fatty acids and the additional nutrients she needs.

Offering a small amount of grain will be fine at her age, but it really should be minimal. Draft breeds are prone toward carbohydrate metabolic disorders and it is best to limit their intake of starch. Go with shredded beet pulp instead as a meal and add her supplement to that.

And, finally, you should severely limit the amount of riding that you are doing at her age. Nancy, you are correct about the growth plates not closing until the age of 4, and in large breeds, it can be even later. Moira, riding her for 1 hour at a time is too long. You can take her on short walks for 15 to 30 minutes, or you can work her on the ground without a rider for longer periods, but I strongly suggest that you limit the amount of weight on her back until she is older.

I hope this is helpful.

All the best,

Dr. Getty

Where are you from? Bayfield, CO