I have a 30 year old, very active TWH that I still trail ride. I am careful now to ride more level ground but he still enjoys his rides. He and I were very active for 15 years in competitive pointing dog field trials were we would often ride 30+ miles in a day, two or three days in a row. Now I am confused if he "suffers" from Insulin-Resistance or Cushings. He gets a very thick winter coat, but sheds it fine. He can get a cresty neck if I am not careful. This last winter was especially cold so he was blanketed more that normal and fed soaked beet pulp twice daily for plenty of (warmth causing) fiber. Is soaked beet pulp okay for year round fiber or is it going to cause weight gain? I am trying desperately to find the right feed for supplementation to his 6 acre pasture (with a buddy) and good quality grass hay (almost free choice as well as pasture)that will provide vit.and min. but not so much sugar ??AND/OR STARCH??? I am confused. He is on Silver Linings Herbs Thyroid blend this spring but was on their Pituitary blend for the last two years. Those herbs really took off the cresty neck and seemed to help. I switched to the Thyroid this spring out of curiosity. HELP. Is my beloved old man Insulin or Cushings, both, neither?? I realize I should do blood-work, but am so strapped for money that.................. I enjoyed your answer to the cantaloupe rinds question in Horse and Rider magazine. I hope they feature you more often. Do you sell any used or damaged books for a discount. I don't know how to do the CD-Rom thing. Do you have "books on tape" option to listen to????? You are awesome and SO IS THE TITLE OF YOUR BOOK !!!! Cristine Cameron and Simon

Where are you from? Sedro-Woolley, WA.

How did you locate this forum? started out reading the newsletter that I read about in Equus magazine.

Hi Cristine,

Thank you for your very kind words. I am delighted to help. First about my book... I do have a couple of slightly damaged copies that I may offer on my next Forage for Thought, or you can email me at gettyequinenutrition@gmail.com and I can help you that way sooner.

About your ol' fella... if he had Cushing's, he would exhibit symptoms such as increased thirst, excessive urination, muscle wasting (which is difficult to determine since many older horses lose muscle along their topline), and a tendency to develop allergies and other immune system issues. A swollen sheath is also an indication. Certainly, changes in the hair coat where it gets kinky and is slow to shed, are the main signs.

If you're controlling his cresty neck via the herbal product, then you can continue using it. And beet pulp is an excellent carrier because it is safe for all insulin resistant horses (cushingoid or not). It does have calories, however, so feed the minimal amount necessary to offer his supplements if he is getting overweight.

I recommend having your hay tested if you have enough of a supply -- it's very reasonable -- I believe it's still $26 by contacting www.equi-analytical.com That way you'll know if the sugar and starch levels are safe to feed.

As far as supplementation goes, a really nice preparation is MegaCell since it has added magnesium (helpful in lowering circulating insulin levels). And, then you can add a couple of scoops of Nutra Flax each day to provide omega 3 fatty acids -- to help hormonal regulation as well as keep him healthy in a variety of ways (see article in the April Forage for Thought that was just sent out).

Thanks for writing and keep me posted.

Best regards,

Dr. Getty
Author of Feed Your Horse Like A Horse

Cristine Cameron

I have a 30 year old, very active TWH that I still trail ride. I am careful now to ride more level ground but he still enjoys his rides. He and I were very active for 15 years in competitive pointing dog field trials were we would often ride 30+ miles in a day, two or three days in a row. Now I am confused if he "suffers" from Insulin-Resistance or Cushings. He gets a very thick winter coat, but sheds it fine. He can get a cresty neck if I am not careful. This last winter was especially cold so he was blanketed more that normal and fed soaked beet pulp twice daily for plenty of (warmth causing) fiber. Is soaked beet pulp okay for year round fiber or is it going to cause weight gain? I am trying desperately to find the right feed for supplementation to his 6 acre pasture (with a buddy) and good quality grass hay (almost free choice as well as pasture)that will provide vit.and min. but not so much sugar ??AND/OR STARCH??? I am confused. He is on Silver Linings Herbs Thyroid blend this spring but was on their Pituitary blend for the last two years. Those herbs really took off the cresty neck and seemed to help. I switched to the Thyroid this spring out of curiosity. HELP. Is my beloved old man Insulin or Cushings, both, neither?? I realize I should do blood-work, but am so strapped for money that.................. I enjoyed your answer to the cantaloupe rinds question in Horse and Rider magazine. I hope they feature you more often. Do you sell any used or damaged books for a discount. I don't know how to do the CD-Rom thing. Do you have "books on tape" option to listen to????? You are awesome and SO IS THE TITLE OF YOUR BOOK !!!! Cristine Cameron and Simon

Where are you from? Bayfield, CO

Dr.Getty, Wow, thank you. Of the Cushings symptoms you listed he has no PU/PD, no muscle wasting, no allergies, no swollen sheath.... All he shows is the excessive winter coat, but he sheds it and it is never "kinky". So, is he IR and not Cushings? What feed do you recommend then with free choice good, clean, fresh grass hay and turned out on 6 acres of (western washington) pasture IN A GRAZING MUZZLE? He needs some supplements and I will look into the ones you recommended on your first answer, but what about a complete feed. There is the LMF Gentle Balance which is grain free and low sugar. He and his pal enjoy their evening routine of coming into the barn for dinner, music, my glass of wine and much Zen grooming for me !! Thank you, thank you. Cristine

Where are you from? Sedro-Woolley, WA.

How did you locate this forum? originally off the newsletter, but been here before

Hi Cristine,

Sounds like he is IR and not cushingoid. The diet, however, is the same -- low starch/low sugar. You can go with a commercially fortified feed and forego the supplement if you feed it according to the recommended amounts. Most people do not do this, simply because it requires more calories than the horse generally needs. So, if that's the case, you can feed less of the supplement to compensate for the amount of vitamins and minerals in the commercial feed.

Or, you can feed something like soaked beet pulp or soaked hay pellets -- both have not added nutrients and are low in sugar and starch. And to these feeds, you can add a vitamin/mineral supplement.

About a grazing muzzle -- it's ok for a two or three hours (never all day) as long as your horse is not frustrated by having it on. Frustration causes the stress hormone cortisol to rise, leading to elevated insulin, which leads to laminitis.

Thanks for writing!

All the best,

Dr. Getty
Author of Feed Your Horse Like A Horse

Where are you from? Bayfield, CO