A sugar free diet.

Okay. Starting tomorrow evening, they'll get soaked hay. Here's hoping the darn girls eat it soaked! Haha.

Ricci already has "weak" feet and thin walls, so I don't really want to hammer holes into them if I don't have to. Since she's been on a biotin supplement, her feet have gotten a lot tougher, and I hope that with a barefoot trimmer, I can keep her sound. I may just invest in hoof boots if I can get her out trail riding again.

Good luck with your mare! I'll let you know how Ricci handles the BT and if she ends up needing shoes. =]

You must buy huge bales - 8 bales will last you two months? How much do they weigh?


[quote=Peggysue;890437]if you go with ration balancer you wont' need anything to mix with it is a pelleted supplement that is designed to balance your hay type/QUOTE]

The ration balancer will not have anything that will take the place of the joint supplement the OP is using though.


I have to agree with Wild_spot on this one. I would go with beet pulp. You can buy it with out added molasses and it is very low NSC. I know Blue Seal sells beet pulp pellets with out added molasses.

Even if you buy it with added molasses, if you soak and rinse it will be OK.


I am sorry to hear she is not doing well again. Just the other day you were talking about her being sound and going out for a ride.

You will be surprised at how much hoof improvement you see after you get them on proper nutrition. The Gro N Win RB that I use has some biotin in it, but man oh man, you ought to see the photos of the change in my mares feet after being on the RB for about a year. I have the photos somewhere.... let me go look for them.

Always, my bales that I just got are between 100 and 115 lbs.

She is still doing well, I just figured trying this diet can only do good things, and may continue to help her progress. We are still taking little rides. =]

I love the biotin supplement she's on, the trick is finding a joint supplement. I wouldn't even know where to start about getting one without sugar. Any suggestions?

The problem with beet pulp is that my mare decided it isn't palatable enough to warrant eating her electrolyte mix. That's the biggest problem I'm having, getting her to eat said supplements! Haha.

Thanks again everyone for input. Grain will have to wait until next payday, but I'll definitely get her going on a ration balancer. =]

Here are the photos.

No critiques on the shoe job please. I'm posting these simply to show you the change in the hoof quality. It's very visible in these photos. This is after being on Buckeye Gro N Win RB for 8 months.

Holy moley!!!!! Mine are like 40-50llbs!

Does she have joint issues already? What about plain ol' MSM? Is it cheap and it has proven to work well. It is an anti-inflammatory and really is a great supplement.

So true. Hoof health starts from the inside out, and a knowledgable farrier

Have you tried just straght MSM??

I am having great luck with the combo of Remission and MSM

Her feet now look like this. They are dark, but you get the idea.

She does not have joint issues already. None at all, actually, but she's almost 19, and it's more of precaution.

I've never tried MSM. I think because they don't sell it on the shelf, only at the counter. I will look into it. To be honest, I'm not really sure what it is. Is it a feed through?

What is Remission?