Ask the Nutritionist: Dr. Getty's Forum for Equine Nutrition
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Dr. Getty
Greetings Meghan,
Thank you for writing about your gelding. For his size, and stage in life, 6 lbs of complete feed (you mentioned Triple Crown) may be fine for his calorie needs but not his vitmain/mineral/omega 3 fatty acid needs.
I have two recommendations for you. First, add Glanzen Complete to his diet to fill in the nutrient gaps and provide omega 3 fatty acids (since this is a flaxseed-meal based supplement). The omega 3s will help his dandruff. Give him 2 1/2 scoops per day.
The Glanzen Complete will also provide additional vitamin E (and a small amount of selenium) He is only getting approximately 600 IU from his feed. At his size, I recommend at least 2000 IU per day of vitamin E, and two scoops of Glanzen Complete will give him an additional 1600 IUs.
I also suggest that you give him more hay. If he is outside all day on a snowy pasture with nothing to eat, he can and likely will develop an ulcer. One of the signs of an ulcer is poor skin. See what you can do about having hay thrown outside for him (and other horses as well). See about adding some alfalfa hay to his feeding regimen since he needs the high quality protein and the extra lysine (since he is still growing). If alfalfa hay is not available, add some moistened alfalfa pellets or broken cubes to his meals.
Keep me posted,
Dr. Getty 
Where are you from? Bayfield, CO
Hi Meghan,
I'm delighted to help. Yes, please keep me posted.
The key in keeping a horse's digestive system and weight healthy is to feed enough hay so he doesn't run out. So, the only way to know this is for there to be some hay left over in the morning. If he has all he wants, after a few days, he will self-regulate his intake and eat only what he needs.
Keep up the fine work,
Dr. Getty
Thank you so much for your response! I have ordered the glanzen complete and I will add alfalfa to his feeding. I have come to the conclusion that I will buy my own extra hay for Nova so I go up and bring him in several times between breakfast and dinner and give him hay to keep his belly full. I also am giving him extra hay in the evening so he always has something to munch on overnight. Again thank you for taking the time to answer my question. I will keep you posted on how he is doing.
Meghan
Where are you from? Bayfield, CO