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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. 

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All the best,

 Dr. Getty 

 



Ask the Nutritionist: Dr. Getty's Forum for Equine Nutrition
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Re: balanced diet for performance horse?

Greetings Mary and Happy New Year!

It sounds like you're doing a fine job. I have a few suggestions to fine tune his diet.

First, since he is already getting plenty of minerals from Purina Ultium, I recommend that you remove his mineralized salt block and replace it with a plain, white one. He needs salt -- at least one ounce per day and more if he's exercising but he does not need the additional minerals. Plus, many horses do not eat mineralized salt blocks because they are bitter and therefore, do not get enough plain salt.

The second thing that comes to mind is vitamin E. At his exercise level, I recommend 3,000 IU per day. Ultium likely provides between 120 and 150 IU per lb (the exact amount is not printed on their website). So 6 lbs per day would give you 720 to 900 IUs per day, which is not sufficient. Consider adding plain vitamin E such as SuPer E Natural to make up the difference. Avoid vitamin E supplements that contain selenium, since he is already getting selenium from Ultium (and his hay).

Finally, make sure he has enough hay to last him through the night. The only way to know this is for there to be some left over in the morning. This is the most important dietary factor for a horse's health -- enough hay to keep his digestive tract healthy and prevent ulcers, colic, insulin resistance, and laminitis.

Thank you so much for writing.

All the best,

Dr. Getty

Mary C
Hi Dr Getty- I have an 8 year old Arab gelding that I use for competitve trail as well as pleasure riding, so we do quite a few miles each week. He currently is fed 6 lbs Purina Ultium and 2-3 lbs beet pulp (well soaked) daily (divided in 2 meals). He has access to a round bale during the day, and gets 2-3 flakes of hay in his stall at nite. Hay is coastal bermuda grass hay. During grooming time, he gets to munch on a little alfalfa. He also receives a glucosamine/chondroitin and a biotin supplement. He has free access to trace mineral Redmond salt. He looks good,, but I was wondering if you see anything he might be missing. Thanks!

Where are you from? Bayfield, CO