Ask the Nutritionist: Dr. Getty's Forum for Equine Nutrition
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Here you will find more than 6 years of questions and my answers. It is searchable and offers a great deal of information.
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All the best,
Dr. Getty
Hi Debra,
You could increase her diet to one that is higher in fat, as you proposed, but please be careful about feeding so much. She is young and 4 lbs per meal is risky since her stomach size is just not made for such a large meal. So, I recommend changing to the higher fat feed, and still feed 3.5 lbs.
But, two other things to consider. First, give her Ration Plus. This will help her gain weight since it boosts the health of the bacterial flora in the hind gut, making digestion of forage more efficient. Hence, she'll get more calories from her grass and hay.
Second, make sure she has all the forage she wants. Since pasture grass is not very nutritious right now, give her all the grass hay she wants. A horse's digestive system is designed to never run out of forage -- they need to graze continuously.
You should also consider adding some alfalfa to the diet to improve her protein quality. 10% protein is really quite low for a young horse and adding alfalfa will fix this problem. You can add hay, or put a third meal into her mix of alfalfa pellets or cubes (moistened, please, to prevent choke).
All the best,
Dr. Getty
Where are you from? Bayfield, CO