I own a 25-year-old Rocky Mountain gelding (15.2 hands, 1,100 lb or 500 kg). Pluto doesn’t work hard, partnering with me on short trail rides every day or every other day. He is skinny, with ribs clearly visible. He shouldn’t be hungry, as he is fed 12 lb (5.5 kg) senior feed, 6 lb (2.7 kg) chopped alfalfa, and 6 lb (2.7 kg) of shredded unmolassed beet pulp. I’m not happy with Pluto’s weight, and in addition to this, he has arthritis and gassiness. Can you help?

I recently noticed that a national brand of feed, labeled as low-carb, has a total of 20% sugars and starches, which is definitely not low-carb in my book! How can this be?

My horse recently had impaction colic due to very dry manure. Will Restore SR help her retain water, and make her manure wetter?

The last Warmblood foal I raised had contracted tendons, likely a result of the filly’s fast growth and body condition. I am currently caring for a fast-growing, two-month-old colt that is on the same path as the filly. I would like to reduce the risk of problems by maintaining consistent slow growth. However, if I don’t offer the same growth feed my filly received, will my colt be missing important nutrients? The mare and foal are currently turned out on pasture about half the day with plenty of grass hay when stalled. The mare is in good condition and is fed a formula designed for broodmares and growing horses. Should I also be concerned about the grass consumption?

My 20-year-old American mammoth donkey mare weighs about 800 lb (360 kg). She’s in fine weight now, a body condition score of 5. Though she is basically idle, Peekaboo does some pack-rides occasionally. She is on average-to-weedy pasture at all times with additional high-quality alfalfa-orchardgrass hay. I believe a hoof supplement might help her, as she has weak walls, according to my farrier. Is Peekaboo getting all of the nutrition she needs?

I participate in short-distance endurance rides (25 miles) with my 13-year-old Appaloosa mare, Ribbons. We do three conditioning rides weekly, each one two to three hours long. She’s in moderate to slightly fleshy body condition. Aside from pasture, which she has access to all day, she is fed 3 cups of alfalfa pellets daily. Everything seems fine except for a calcium deficiency that causes tying-up and thumps. Help!

I have had two off-the-track Thoroughbreds, both high-strung with sensitive digestive systems, develop soft manure during the winter when pasture was scarce and large quantities of hay fed. When pastures came back, the soft manure went away. I am told that this second-cut orchardgrass hay isn't preserved, but it acts like preserved hays I’ve fed in the past, staying bright green and in great shape compared to what happens to unpreserved hays during our humid summers. Can I test a hay for preservatives? I am suspicious of this nice-looking hay not providing the nutrients needed. In my experience, hay is used to help firm manure. Your thoughts?

I have a 15-year-old, 16.2-hand (168-cm) Thoroughbred broodmare that is thin due to some health problems in late gestation, including founder and reduced appetite. She has foaled, and her health is stable, so I would like to address the weight issue. Right now, she’s at a condition score of 3. She is on pasture at all times unless the weather is especially bad. She is fed 0.5 lb (0.2 kg) coconut meal, 0.5 lb (0.2 kg) rice bran, 6 oz soybean meal, 1 lb (0.45 kg) beet pulp, and 1 lb (0.45 kg) orchardgrass pellets three times a day. I am trying to keep this mare on a gluten-free diet. All of the other horses on the farm look good, maybe even plump. I would also like to know if the aforementioned diet is appropriate for yearlings, too.

I would like to plant lespedeza for my horses. What type (genus and species) is most appropriate?

My mare is 364 days pregnant. She has a history of being finicky about her forage, and she shows a definite preference for premium-quality alfalfa, even though her waistline demands a good-quality grass. Over the past couple of weeks, she’s been dunking her grass hay in water. This is new behavior for her. I’ve been told this could be a sign of gastric ulcers. True?