Return to Website

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
This Forum is Locked
Author
Comment
View Entire Thread
Re: vitamin/mineral supplements for a grain free diet?

Hi Ruth,

For both horses, Glanzen Complete would be an excellent choice. It is flaxseed meal based, so you would not need to add additional flaxseed meal.

And for your horse that is on the TC feed, you wouldn't need to feed the full dose of Glanzen Complete (which is 1 scoop per 400 lbs of body weight). Depending on how much of the TC feed you are offering, you can supplement the feed with a lesser amount of Glanzen Complete.

Also take a look at High Point for grass diets (which doesn't have as much hoof support as the Glanzen Complete has). I recommend adding Nutra Flax to this. You could also add Nutra Flax to Mega Cell (which contains more magnesium, if your horse in insulin resistant).

I hope this is helpful. If you'd like assistance in going over the "big picture" where I spend time going over each horse's situation, in detail, you may find a personal phone consultation to be the best route.

Thank you for writing. It's true that there are so many supplements in the marketplace, making it nearly impossible to know what's best. That's why I only offer a few supplement on my website -- those that I find to be helpful and well balanced.

All the best,

Dr. Getty
Author of Feed Your Horse Like A Horse


Ruth
Hello Dr. Getty,

I am looking for some advice on picking a vitamin/mineral supplement for my horses, I am feeling a bit overwhelmed with the number of choices.

My mare is a seven year old Arabian/saddlebred cross. She has some major grain sensitivities and after much trail and error found a diet that works for her. Joy gets almost free choice good grass hay and her "grain" is: 1 1/2# beet pulp, 1/2# of rice bran, 3/4# alfalfa pellets, split into two feedings, I have been giving her Manna Pro Sho-Glo but would like to find a more comprehensive vitamin and mineral supplement since she can't be on fortified grain. She is in moderate work and I hope to start some eventing this year.

I also recently got a ten month old Arabian filly, she had kind of a rough start with poor nutrition and a heavy parasite load, but she is picking up now. I have her on the same basic diet as Joy for simplicity sake but she gets an additional midday meal of baby grain (currently Dumor mare and foal) since she is still to thin. I would like to put her on a better baby feed and was thinking Triple Crown Growth. Would it be a good idea to still use a vit/mineral supplement or just feed the recommended amount of baby grain? Or go the low starch route and increase beet pulp/alfalfa pellets and add a good multi vitamin?

I want to add flax and I like the looks of the Glanzen Complete but feel it might be out of my budget right now, do you still need to feed additional flax with the Glanzen or is it built in? Would a vit/mineral supplement like Mega-Cell be beneficial?

any suggestions?

Thanks!

Where are you from? Bayfield, CO