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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. 

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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.  

 

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 Dr. Getty 

 



Ask the Nutritionist: Dr. Getty's Forum for Equine Nutrition
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soaking hay / fat ponies

Hi Juliet; I have a couple of questions; I have a 14.3 'show pony' type, and a 11h section A; they both put an alarming amount of weight on two summers ago and had an 'enjoyable' last summer of ONLY hay with the occasional hour of grass; all winter they get adlib hay during the day and a net at night; using this regime I have finally managed to get their weight down, but am very concerned to keep it down!

The section a is on 400gm Dengie hi-fi chaff, which is some alfalfa with wheat straw, and a few soaked beets; no work at present. The 14.3 is in light-medium work with the occasional jumping and cross country show in summer; she has 500gm Dengie Alfa-oil, a few soaked beets with an electrolyte supplement (Equizest), and 400gm slow release mix on days when I've ridden - about 5 a week. They are still on adlib hay during the day, but I am only giving them 2 haynets at night, which have been soaked for several hours; I have found they just pile on weight if I try to give them adlib hay / grass 24hours. (They were on it for about 2 years, steadily increasing in size!) Is there any way to give them more forage but keep their weight off? They will be grazing soon, going on overnight, but I'll need to cut back on their hay even more, I just know! Am I not giving them enough nutrients by soaking the hay for too long? also I re-use the water it's soaked in for a few days, but I've heard it's 'a polutant', so shouldn't be re-used; is this true, do you know? (they also have a mineral lick with magnesium in it each day) I would be really grateful for any help!

Where are you from? England

How did you locate this forum? Natural Horse People web site

Re: soaking hay / fat ponies

Hi Dee,

Check the Dengie feed -- I believe that it is sweetened with molasses. This would be where I would cut back, since horses that are prone toward overweight are always somewhat insulin resistant. And, adding sugar to the diet actually increases the tendency toward storing fat.

I understand your reluctance toward providing hay 24/7, but actually your horses will self regulate their intake if given the chance. They will overconsume at first but after a while they will calm down their intake once they see that there is always hay available.

Going for hours during the night without anything to nibble on can work against them in terms of weight. This is because of two reasons. First, the metabolic rate slows down because the body "conserves" calories due to perceived starvation. And, second, the stress of not having anything to graze on (instinctive in horses) can increase cortisol levels (stress hormone), which further increases circulating insulin. The result is more fat storage!

And, always discard the soaked water. First it contains sugar and starch and once saturated, can no longer dissolve it out of your hay. And, second, and most importantly, it will develop bacterial growth, which can cause illness and even colic.

I hope this is helpful!

Dr. Getty

Where are you from? Bayfield, CO

Re: soaking hay / fat ponies

Thankyou for your reply, glad to see you're feeling better!

I know some of the Dengie feed has molasses, but I use the one that doesn't have any (hi-fi lite); I suppose I'll just have to cope with fat ponies!

I'll change the water for the hay, thanks!

Re: soaking hay / fat ponies

Hi Dee,

The Dengie feed you're offering is much better. Ponies are prone toward being "easy keepers" and therefore gain and hold weight easily. So, increasing their exercise will be enormously helpful.

All the best,

Dr. Getty

Where are you from? Bayfield, CO