Any certain brands to look for?

My dad and I are pretty set on this horse, although we're going down again on Sunday just to be certain.. and we're also inviting my instructor to come down with us, otherwise we'll take more videos for her to watch.

It turns out that the website I was intending on ordering supplements from (smartpakequine.com) only ships to the US! So that's a no go.

As for what type of supplements, I'll likely be getting one for gastric health (as she's a bit prone to ulcers) and then one for her joints.

I'm also wondering what's the best alternative to grain for a horse prone to ulcers who also needs to pick up a bit of weight, I've heard rice bran and beet pulp are good but I'm wondering where to find those. Another thing is ration balancers. Are there any certain brands to be looking for?

I'm basically thinking that we'll sort out amounts with the vet, and get his opinions on whatever diet ideas I can come up with. She'd be out in the pasture 24/7 with about seven other mares (although three go in at night) so it'll be nice for her to have the access to grass at all times.. but I'm definitely going to be feeding supplements and a ration balancer as well as something to get some more weight on.

I've done a bit of research on the different types of sugars, up to things like oils as well.

So, another question is, would vegetable oil (also read that it'd be considered a soybean oil) be a good choice to help put weight on as well plus make the supplements and ration balancer a bit more appetizing maybe?

Ok, I have lost track - I haven't been keeping up

Is this the cribber?

As far as feed going into the feed pan, my thought is to put her on a good quality ration balancer (hopefully available to you).

No grain as it will further aggravate her ulcer issues.

Can you get equine rice bran? Equine rice bran has the appropriate balance of calicum and phosphorous. Also be sure the bag says "stabilized" so it doesn't turn rancid on you.

Rice bran is 22% healthy fat and provides a horse with cool energy. I'm only give you this link for reading purposes, as I know it's probably not available to you. EquiJewel® - Kentucky Performance Products

Sometimes a bit of alfalfa is ok for horses with ulcers, sometimes it's not. My 26 yr old Arab has mild gastric ulcers; I feed him well soaked timothy/alfalfa cubes and he does very well.

Keeping any horse on more forage products than things in the feed pan is always best. But your horse will also need something to keep her energy up while staying away from oats & corn.

I also don't know what country you're in, so there may be "grain type" things available to you, that are safe for a horse with ulcers, that I am don't know about

Regarding ulcer meds: You will have to determine exactly how prone she is to ulcer attacks. You might get away with nothing more than a big daily dose of human antacids that are over-the-counter, or you may have to research what's available for horses in your region.

I like liquid Omeprazole for my horse with gastric ulcers. He hasn't had a flare-up for well over a year. The vet always sells it to me.

I use "Succeed", daily, on my horse with hind gut ulcers. His issues are very serious as he has equine metabolic syndrome and possibly lipomas.

EquiOtic might work on your horse -it's half the price of Succeed.

Here are the links to both, even though I don't know if they ship outside the U.S.

SUCCEED Digestive Conditioning Program Equine Supplement

Equiotic- Live Equine Sourced Microbial Probiotic- Bluegrass Equine

If you were to decide on either of these products, I would buy the dry product of either, since it has to be shipped overseas.

Hope this helps

Yes, I've decided to go with the "cribber". I expect to get a nice long speech from my not-so-open minded instructor about buying a horse other than Major (who is an easy keeper and quite low maintenance.. for a horse), but I've read about it and I think I'd be willing to put up with it. There's two other cribbers at the barn, so at least she'll likely let me board her there so I can continue my lessons and get her advice here and there. Cribbing aside, she was such a sweet horse with a bit of potential, I thought. :)

I have read about rice bran, and it seems to be a good choice. I have no clue about what's available near me, but my dad and I are going across the border to the Tractor Supply Company to look.. and then we're going to the Greenhawk retailer on our way to see her.

The seller did say she likes giving her a soaked alfalfa cube every once in awhile, so I'll probably pick up some of those for when she's stuck in a stall. (although that won't be too often, pending the weather)

I don't think her ulcers are too bad, or if she even has them at the moment.. as she displays no symptoms, from what I've read. However, I don't want them returning as I know she's prone to them.

I actually have a big notepad of things to look for in a diet for horses known to have ulcers.

The biggest thing I wonder about is how much feed. Do I just go by the weight measurements? Even if she's getting 24/7 pasture? I'm assuming I would, since she does need to put on weight anyways.. but I wouldn't want her to get too many nutrients.. as I read some vitamins and such can cause toxicity if overfed.

I know that a vet would probably put me in the right direction.. but I've also heard that a lot of vets don't know about nutrition. I'm worried he'll just tell me to put her on sweet feed or something.. which wouldn't be happening.

I'm just trying to get her the absolute best diet I can without spending too much, as my dad is covering the majority of costs until I can get another part-time job.. as my current one ended because I was a lifeguard just for the summer. (I do have a good amount of money saved up though for tack and probably the initial rounds of supplements and feed)

I don't have a lot of information that is specific to your horse's needs, but since you mentioned you are going to Tractor Supply, I wanted to let you know about a product I just found there. It is called Dumor Ultra Shine, and the ingredients really impressed me. It is a combination of flax seed, rice bran, and vitamins and minerals. I just bought it for my horses last week to add shine and a little weight on one of them. I like that is has flax for the healthy Omega 3's and rice bran, which I think gives a little more shine. It is also a good price. I don't know how flax is for a horse with ulcers though.

I'll have to find out, and thanks! I haven't gone there for anything horse-related (just dog food before we made the switch from TOTW to Acana) but I'll try to find it. :)

Okay, so after looking some more things up.. I've found some ideas.

I've read that 2lbs of rice bran/day is adequate for weight gain in horses around 1100lbs, which I think is about what Honey weighs.. in the 1000 to 1100lb range.. although I'll likely post pictures to get guesses. I know Major is around 1100, and he's about 15.2hh and in really good body condition.

I'm thinking of doing rice bran (mixed with water or some sort of oil.. I'll probably get suggestions) with a nice ration balancer plus a supplement for gastric health and joint health. She'd also be getting 24/7 turnout. I'm also going to put a redmond rock salt block in her stall, which I saw on a website and read that it has plenty of minerals and that horses love it.. so I'll likely give it a whirl.

So I know nothing about ulcers but Healthy Glo rice bran from ADM has flax added in it, along with other good things. And it smells like cocoa puffs :) and my 800lb arab gets 1lb per day. I base everything off her weighing 1000lbs though since I want her to gain weight.

http://www.admani.com/Horse/Products...lthy%20GLO.htm

That definitely looks like it'd be worth a try.. I was wondering how I'd even out the calcium and phosphorus ratios, so that's solved. I'm assuming I'd need the nuggets though since she'd be eating at least 1.5lbs per day.. as I'd like for her to gain some weight.

What kind of ration balancer would I need? Hopefully the feed store carries it.. or at least something similar. I know right now that she's just on Purina.. so this'll be a nice change for her.

My vet advised me that ration balancers are only for easy keepers. If your goal is to add weight or condition a rb is not the right choice. My personal favorite for a vitamin/mineral supplement is red cell. But she's a tb right? Might not be a good idea as it will add energy. I would just get a vitamin mineral supplement, like is sold at smartpak, since you cannot get it shipped to Canada maybe find a brand they sell then find it from a different website.

My girl is on the nuggets and she loves them.

She's a Thoroughbred, but she doesn't seem like your "typical" one. She's quite laid back and surprisingly, despite being off the track (and having had a $100,000 race career), doesn't try running off on a loose rein. Although, I am looking at feeds that have few monosaccharides (ie: glucose) because I read that it's the sugar that is usually to blame for a "hot" temperament.

I'll look into the vitamin and mineral supplement though, hopefully I can find one or two that would be good options. :)