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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. 

Currently, I am discontinuing new questions. This may change in the future, but in the meantime, please know that It has been a true pleasure serving you. 

Take a look at my Nutrition Library and Tips of the Month for a variety of answers on selected topics. Be sure to sign up for my monthly e-newsletter, Forage for Thought

I also have a growing number of recordings on "Teleseminars on Nutrition Topics that Concern You" as well as the new, Spotlight on Equine Nutrition Series -- printed versions of favorite teleseminars.

And finally, look for my articles in a variety of local publications and online newsletters, as well as the Horse Journal, where I am the Contributing Nutrition Editor.  

 

All the best,

 Dr. Getty 

 



Ask the Nutritionist: Dr. Getty's Forum for Equine Nutrition
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Re: Feeding

Hi Sharon,

You may already be doing this, but my only suggestion would be to make sure they are getting hay free-choice, meaning they never run out. The key is not to give more hay, but to give enough so there is always some available. Then, and only then, will they self-regulate their intake and eat what they innately know to be the right amount to maintain their condition.

As far as another supplement is concerned, it would depend on what particular health needs they have. If they are young, of normal weight, have little stress in their lives, allergy-free, good feet and skin and hair -- well, then you're on the right track.

Be sure to offer a plain, white salt block (not a mineralized one since they are getting minerals from Ultium). Also, this time of year horses can become easily dehydrated because they will not drink enough water if it is too cold. So, heated water buckets are really important for them to get adequate fluid.

All the best,

Dr. Getty

sharon schwab
I feed Purina Ultium to 3 of my horses on average 6qrts a day, they all get grass hay. My question is could i add amplify to there feed?

Where are you from? Bayfield, CO

Re: Feeding

Thank you for your advise, they are all of normal weight, except my daugters gelding, he is 11 and 16.1 he gets free choice hay, 6 quarts of ultium, he is not skinny but i would like to see a little more weight on him. The other two are 5 & 6 and good weight, no allergies, they have good feet and skin, and they are all performance horses. So i guess my question is do they need anything else in there diet like Amplify or Rice Bran, they all have white salt blocks, they are on a joint supplement and my daughters gelding is on black as night, and the other two are on healthy coat.

Where are you from? connecticut

Re: Feeding

Hi Sharon,

For additional weight gain, consider Ration Plus. This is a prebiotic that does not contain live microbes, but instead, feeds the existing microbial population in the hindgut to help them digest forage better, allowing your horses to derive more calories from hay.

For your performance horses, check the vitamin E content of the diet. They should have 2 to 3 IU of Vitamin E per lb of body weight, so they may not be getting that from Ultium. If not, use a supplement that only contains vitamin E and no selenium (selenium is already provided in adequate amounts by the Ultium) such as SuPer E Natural.

All the best,

Dr. Getty

sharon schwab
Thank you for your advise, they are all of normal weight, except my daugters gelding, he is 11 and 16.1 he gets free choice hay, 6 quarts of ultium, he is not skinny but i would like to see a little more weight on him. The other two are 5 & 6 and good weight, no allergies, they have good feet and skin, and they are all performance horses. So i guess my question is do they need anything else in there diet like Amplify or Rice Bran, they all have white salt blocks, they are on a joint supplement and my daughters gelding is on black as night, and the other two are on healthy coat.

Where are you from? Bayfield, CO