Question
My two-year-old Hanoverian filly weighs approximately 900 lb (410 kg) and is only about 14.3 hands (150 cm). She is an easy keeper, and her ribs can’t be seen or felt, though she was a little leaner when she was a yearling. Her growth has been slow and steady, with no apparent growth-related leg abnormalities. She exhibited ulcer symptoms last fall, and was treated with a product to heal the ulcers, followed up with compounded omeprazole/ranitadine for two weeks, then weaned off that and put on RiteTrac* per your advice. Her feed was switched from 4-6 lb (2-3 kg) of a growth formula daily to 1 lb (0.45 kg) per feeding of a pelleted ration balancer (30% protein). She has had no further ulcer signs since then. Each day the filly is on pasture for 12 hours and in her stall for 12 hours with free-choice hay, which is primarily alfalfa (lucerne). Is her diet too high in protein for her age? Should I be concerned about her weight or physitis? The barn manager doesn’t allow slow feeders in the stalls and is unlikely to change the forage she provides. Advice?
Answer
Warmbloods can be slow-maturing compared to other breeds that have been selected for precocious growth, like Thoroughbreds, and your filly may have slow, steady growth for several more years.
As a two-year-old, her protein needs are not as high as they were in her first two years of life, although not as low as a mature adult, and she appears to have some growing to do. Her protein needs are probably being met by the alfalfa (lucerne) hay alone, and even though the ration balancer is not supplying very much protein (1 lb x 30% = 5 oz of protein), it may not be necessary at this point. Excessive protein can be broken down and used for energy, which can contribute to weight gain.
One option to reduce protein but supply the essential minerals and vitamins for growth would be to replace the ration balancer with a vitamin and mineral supplement like Micro-Max or Gold Pellet. Studies have not found a connection between excessive protein and physitis. Physitis is much more common in weanlings and yearlings than in older horses. If she hasn’t had any problems with physitis yet, you probably won’t have any so long as the caloric content of her ration is not radically increased or she does not go through an unusual growth spurt.
(*RiteTrac is not available in Australia or New Zealand, please contact KER Australia for assistance with gastric ulcer management in these countries.)
