I have an OTTB that, when I got him, had a history of ulcers and pretty much just picked at his food. He’s 16.3 and rangy in build and was definitely a hard keeper. When he continued to colic mildly but regularly and then finally had a major impaction, we discovered that he wasn’t able to digest the hay—coastal bermuda (we’re in TX). He also was a bit insulin resistant. Based on my vet’s suggestion, I moved him to “all forage” and now he gets alfalfa (flake in am and 1 in pm); as much timothy as he wants (I have to import that), and 6-8 ounces of Renew Gold once a day. He’s out almost 24x7 on native pasture, which is pretty much nonexistent at the moment. He also gets Farrier’s Formula double strength, and 1/2 the daily ration of regular Platinum. Now it’s hard to keep weight OFF him, especially when we have plenty of rain and there’s a lot of grass. He’s super shiny, a little sassy sometimes, healthy, and doesn’t pick up parasites (he runs with his herd—2 longhorns, which helps) so gets wormed 1-2 times a year. The colic has virtually disappeared except for when he got into the steers’ coastal round bale and he had a mild episode. His feet are still crappy but can’t do much about genetics! I also was a little skeptical, but it’s made a huge difference for this horse.
