supplements

Hi I am new to horses I have just gotten a 22 yr. What kind of supplements schedule does he need to be on. He takes msm he is currently eating small amount of equine senior purnia mixed with beet pulp and all the hay he can eat.thanks

He shouldnt need anything other than a joint supplement if he is receiving the correct nutrition. If you arent feeding him the recommended amout of feed that the bag lists, then his nutritional needs are not being met. Is he an easy keeper or does he lose weight easily? How are his teeth? Def keep him on free choice hay. If he keeps his weight easily and doesnt require large amounts of calories, then a ration balancer would be perfect for him.

I would throw the Purina Sr feed in the trash can and go with a quality feed. The only horse feed from Purina that's worth a dang is their Ration balancer (Enrich 12 and 32).

I will second the ration balancer recommendation. My horse is 20 and gets a ration balancer made by Buckeye called Gro N' Win. It's designed to be fed as a complement to forage (either pasture or hay). It's nice because you don't have to feed as large an amount as you have to feed of a senior feed. In the wintertime he also gets 1-2lbs/day of whole oats to help him keep a healthy weight. He does great!

BUCKEYE® Nutrition is the website for Buckeye.

Mine are on GnW as well, but I use alfalfa pellets to add calories instead of oats.

Great stuff, isn't it? :)

OP, how are your horse's joints? At 22 he might benefit from a joint supplement like OneFastHorse said. There's a dizzying array of products available, and unfortunately what works well for one horse doesn't necessarily work as well for another. You may need to try a few brands to see what works better for your horse. In general, cheaper products are using ingredients that aren't as high-quality and are not as bio-available. This is one case where you really do get what you pay for. According to two different vets I've asked about joint supplements, you should make sure that the one you're giving to your horse contains glucosamine, chondroitin, MSM, and hyaluronic acid (HA). Some people will say that a supplement needs to contain at least 10,000mg of glucosamine to be effective, but you can do your own research on that particular subject.

Thanks for all of your help he takes msm I am changing his food all I could get in my area is enrich 32 by purnia so he gets that and beet pulp shreds I am slowing removing purnia senior. I don't really know how much beet pulp to feed. Get all the hay he wants

you'd be fine adding up to 5lbs of beet pulp (split into at least 2 feedings of course) if you need to, but unless the horse is a hard keeper, you shouldnt need more than a couple lbs .