b'NUTRITIONsignificantly more calories per poundyou reach a point where you are feeding than an equal amount of hay. Therefore,several pounds of beet pulp and rice bran its often beneficial for weight gain. Youwith your ration balancer, you might find can feed up to about half the horses dailyit easier to switch to feeding a commer-forage intake as beet pulp.cially available fortified senior feed. Most Rice bran is a good source of fat, asprovide sources of fermentable fiber, well as starch. Fats are great calorieand some also provide generous levels of sources, because every gram of fat pro- fat. As long as you feed according to the vides 2.25 times more calories than andirections, your horse will no longer need equal weight of carbohydrate or protein.a ration balancer. A few pounds of rice bran in combinationYour goal is to get your horse to regain AMY K. DRAGOOwith beet pulp often helps put weight onlost condition before winter weather gets horses.bad, and his demand for calories to keep Dont go overboard with fat, though,warm detracts from his ability to gain which can be easy to do if youre feedingweight. If he doesnt regain the desired For horses with dental issues, consider offering another fat source: oil. Too much fat caneasy-to-chew alternative fiber sources. weight by the time the weather turns, lead to loose manure, especially if intro- consider blanketing him. Blanketing can duced too quickly, and many fat sourcesIdeally, choose an oil that provides ome- help reduce the calories needed for main-(including rice bran) provide high levelsga-3 fatty acids (which researchers havetaining body temperature, leaving more of omega-6 fatty acids (which are linkedshown to reduce inflammation) such asavailable for maintaining weight.to inflammation). If using oil as your fatcanola. Even better, feed an oil such asDo you have questions about your source, build the amount you feed verycamelina or flaxseed that provides morehorses diet, senior or otherwise? Send slowly over several weeks, and keep totalomega-3 than omega-6.them to [email protected] for oil intake to no more than 2 cups a day.Use commercially formulated feeds Ifa nutritionists response. hOur heart lies i n thewell being of your easy keeper.$50REBATE 30October 2019The Horse | TheHorse.com'