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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: Diet for a 5 year old mare

I should have also mentioned that she is a Morgan Thoroughbred cross, registered Canadian Warmblood and stands 16.2 hh and seems to be finished growing height wise but has been filling out and muscling up nicely over the past year since I bought her.

Where are you from? British Columbia

How did you locate this forum? from searching for her book

Re: Diet for a 5 year old mare

Hello Amanda,

By now I expect you have your mare in a new location and things have improved.

I like the idea of feeding beet pulp because you can then add supplements in the amounts your horse needs and not have the concern of overlaps with other feeds. A truly good vitamin/mineral supplement that is flaxseed meal based (you wouldn't need additional flax) is Glanzen Complete. The full dosage is three scoops per day.

If you are needing to add a joint supplement (since you mentioned MSM), go with Actiflex powder. It is highly effective and very economical.

This ought to get your mare on the right track. If in the future, you'd like for me to spend time with you customizing a plan for her, I'd be delighted to visit with you over the phone.

All the best,

Dr. Getty
Author of Feed Your Horse Like A Horse

Amanda Austin
Hi there,

I have been reading and listening to pretty much everything you have available on your website here, and am waiting for your book to arrive - I'm very much looking forward to reading it! I love your approach to feeding horses - feeding them like horses, it's crazy how unfitting common feeding practices are, and I couldn't agree more with you on so much you've said!

After reading what you've written I have decided to give my horse a complete overhaul of her diet. Currently she's getting: Alfalfa for breakfast and dinner and Timothy for lunch- without question she's going to be on a free choice diet starting in August because I'm changing barns and my current barn manager doesn't agree with this type of feeding unfortunately. She's also getting grain in the morning, 3/4 of a 3Q scoop (sorry not sure the weight), approx. 1 cup bran, about 1/2 cup of whole flax seed and a salt/mineral mix, MSM supplement and an immune booster. She has sweet itch, but it hasn't been bothering her lately - otherwise a very healthy horse, no previous health problems and she's in training 5-6 days a week, focusing on jumpers. She appears to be really healthy - beautiful shiny coat, thick shiny mane and tail, she's a very easy keeper - not had problems keeping weight on her, good conformation and good feet.

I would love any advice you have to give me regarding a new diet for my mare Kloe - I want the best for her and really value all of the information you've provided on your site here. At the new barn she will be getting grain am/pm and have free choice hay (grass mix when out in paddock with other horses and a grass/alfalfa mix for in her stall, 40% alfalfa). What type of "grain" - not necessarily cereal grains - should I be feeding her, and how much would you suggest? What are your feelings on commercial horse feed (pellet type feeds), and if you're a fan, what brands would you suggest? I'm considering beet pulp, and want to change her supplements to still include MSM (what dosage? Approx weight is 1183 lbs), and to include a multi-vitamin supplement with extra vitamin E for the sweet itch (you suggest 8,000 IU for allergies). What multi-vitamin supplement would you suggest for my mare, and what other vitamin/minerals should I be supplementing? Is there a vitamin D supplement, you were saying horses do better with more than the minimum (and most multi-vitamins don't provide much vitamin D, I believe you suggested between 22,000 and 33,000 IU of vitamin D daily for a 1,100 lb horse).

Sadly I cannot afford to have a phone consultation as I'm a university student and pay for my horse completely, but I would really love and appreciate any and all advice you can give me! I love my horse and want her to live a long and healthy life, and most importantly to live like a horse! Thank you in advance for your advice - I think offering all of this information and advice for the public is a great thing, and I hope to see more horses being fed free choice in the future!

Thank you so much,
Amanda Austin

Where are you from? Waverly, Ohio