Dr. Getty, I have a barrel horse that has begun to get a cresty neck. I am considering feeding grass hay(orchard grass/timothy mix), a small flake of alfalfa and alfafa pellets mixed with rice bran oil. I also feed Reitsport. At an event do I need to feed him something before and after our run for more energy? Thank You for your time.

Where are you from? Oklahoma

How did you locate this forum? I purchased products from you

Hi Sunny,

Basically, there are two situations to focus on here... first is the cresty neck. Second, is the performance needs.

The cresty neck is something that needs to be remedied as soon as possible since it is a sign of insulin resistance. And, insulin resistance sets a horse up for laminitis. So, your best approach would be to give him Quiessence. Give him 1 scoop (ounce ) per 250 lbs of body weight until you start to see the crestiness diminish. Then, a maintenance dose of 1 scoop per 500 lbs of body weight, per day, is fine. Quiessence is a magnesium/chromium supplement that lowers circulating insulin levels.

For the performance issue, he will likely be fine with Reitsport because it contains B vitamins. But, additional B vitamins before and after an event are helpful to provide added energy derivation from nutrients as well as to provide digestive tract protection. B Plex, therefore, is worth considering.

And, finally, most horses who do speed events on a regular basis have ulcers or are prone toward ulcers. I recommend Amiquell to reduce the likelihood of ulcer development.

Thanks for writing. Keep me posted!

Dr. Getty

Where are you from? Bayfield, CO