I have a 16'1 Hungarian WB/Tb mix (she is built more on the TB side)and she is having trouble losing her belly and building muscle in her hind end. She is hollow in her quad/flank area.
We moved barns in March,so she is getting different hay which is Northpark hay, not sure if you are familar with it. I also give her soy flakes as recommended by my vet( 2cups 2x/day)with a glucosamine and hoof supplement .
She has been back to work since April, mainly doing dressage and get ridden 4-5x/week, 2 of those in a lesson. She moves very nicely, really underneath herself.
I was thinking of switching back to giving her oats with Progressive diet balancer.I am going to put her back on Fastrack to help with good flora in her gut. Also it was recommended to me to try Purina's ultim competition. what do you think? I was told to give beet pulp a try as well. Thx so much. Rochelle

Where are you from? Lafayette, Co

How did you locate this forum? web site

Hello Rochelle,

Thank you for writing about your mare. Fat, rather than starch, would be a better nutrient to add since it is more concentrated in calories. Compare the fat content between the Progressive and the Ultium feeds and choose the higher of the two.

Do you think there's a possiblity of an ulcer? I ask this because you recently switched barns, which could be stressful. Plus, performance can induce an ulcer -- nearly 40% of all dressage horses have ulcers. An ulcer would make weight gain difficult.

There is an easy test that your vet can do called the Fecal Blood Test made by Succeed. The manure is tested for blood and this will give you a good idea if an ulcer is present.

If she does have an ulcer, it's best to avoid starchy feeds or any commercial feed that is made from cereal grains.

I recommend Ration Plus rather than a propbiotic to boost the health of the bacterial flora in the hind gut making forage digestion for more efficient.

Keep me posted,

Dr. Getty

Where are you from? Bayfield, CO