Hello. I have a half arab yearling as well as his three year old full brother. They were both recently gelded, and I am wondering if they have significantly different nutritional needs. As of right now we are feeding them both a 16% sweet feed as well as alfalfa grass hay. I've never had such a young colt so what do you recomend as far as his growth and wellbeing? I'll look forward to your input. Thanks for the great site!

Where are you from? Fruitport, Mi

How did you locate this forum? google search

Hello Shelly,

Thank you for writing. I have a few suggestions for you.

First, instead of a sweet feed, go for a feed that is low in starch and sugar since too much of these items can interfere with bone and joint growth.

Your colt should also have a supplement designed for growth, such as Mare/Foal IIP along with additional lysine. Alfalfa has lysine in it, but unless you have it analyzed, you really cannot tell if he is getting enough.

Your three year old is also growing and they both require at least 44 grams of lysine each day. Each scoop of Pure Lysine provides 4 grams of lysine, so once you calculate how much is in your feed, and estimtate approximately 4 grams per lb of alfalfa, you can get an idea of how much additional lysine to feed.


If you could add some grass hay to their mix, instead of only alfalfa, that would be far more balanced. I like to have a 70/30 mix of grass hay/alfalfa to keep the protein quality high.

So, these are a few items to think about. If you need more assistance, please consider setting up a phone consultation so I can go over your horses' needs in more detail.

All the best,

Dr. Getty

Where are you from? Bayfield, CO