My 13-year-old Hanoverian mare has had many gas colic episodes in the last year. We believed her colic was related to water intake, as she doesn't like to drink cold water. However, we have been soaking her hay, wetting her grain, and giving her water with a few handfuls of grain to encourage her to drink. Her manure is moist, so I don't think hydration is an issue. She looks great with a shiny coat, strong hooves, bright eyes, and a bit of pudge. She gets 2.5 cups of senior feed, 5 cups of timothy hay pellets, and these supplements: flaxseed, probiotics, MSM, and electrolytes. She cribs, which I think has intensified over the last year. I suspect ulcers or hindgut issues, but I'm not sure whether to scope her or just treat for ulcers. Her dentist is concerned about one of her teeth and strongly suggested a cribbing muzzle. I'm slowly working on that, and I'm not too excited about going that route, though stopping the cribbing would certainly be better for her teeth and maybe her colic issues.

My 18-year-old draft gelding was recently diagnosed with PSSM Type 1. We took a closer look at his health when he started having difficulty using his hindquarters, especially when being asked to pick up his hind legs. He is fed a handful of high-fat performance feed. I have read that PSSM horses should be fed more fat, so I was wondering if you had suggestions for adding fat to his diet. My concern with adding fat is that he may become overweight. I plan to continue riding him lightly, as he enjoys working. Can you help?

One of our foals was diagnosed with OCD in both knees and hocks. I’ve asked several veterinarians and professors about the influence of vitamin D in bone formation, but apparently the role of vitamin D is of little importance. I can hardly believe this, as I’ve seen products based on the plant Solanum glaucophyllum, which contains a metabolite of vitamin D called 1,25-dihydroxycholecalciferol, help youngsters of other species with growth problems, namely poultry and swine. Could I obtain the same effect in horses by adding some of this metabolite to the feed of foals? What experience do you have with this in horses? Would you try this to improve bone and cartilage formation in young horses?

Analysis of my Montana-grown orchardgrass hay revealed a selenium level of 1.6 ppm on a dry matter basis. I am feeding a 1,100-lb (500-kg) Warmblood mare 20 lb (9 kg) per day divided into three meals. She’s in perfect weight for my use. Based on my calculations, she’s consuming 14 mg of selenium per day, which is high, given the value from the report. Is this calculation correct for her current intake? What are the toxic levels for selenium, and am I approaching this with what I am feeding my mare? She is also fed a low-starch feed, 1 lb (0.45 kg) a day.

I have an 11-year-old Miniature Horse gelding; he’s retired after a long show career. He weighs 340 lb (155 kg) and is a BCS of 8, so he needs to lose weight. Because of the weather, he has little turnout time. His daily ration includes one flake of grass hay, 2 cups low-starch feed, 1 cup balancer pellet, and flax, amino acid, and tumeric supplements. This gelding has a sensitive stomach and is prone to colic. I’ve treated him for ulcers in the past, as he sometimes has a grumpy disposition, but ulcers have never been confirmed through endoscopy. He also has stifle and hock issues that make him stiff and creaky. He has underrun heels and long toes, which makes me think he is missing something in his diet that will help with hoof health. I’d like him to have a well-balanced diet. Can you help?

My Thoroughbred colt has been given high-quality forage and concentrate since birth. He is three years old now (4+ body condition; 1,100 lb or 500 kg), and he has spent the last five months at the training center stalled at all times except when he’s out on the track in the morning. He arrived at the racetrack two days ago. He was taken on an easy gallop on the first day and was lame by the second day. Radiographs showed bone demineralization. He will be given some time off and hand-walked. Along with this hay and concentrate, he is fed 2 lb (0.9 kg) of a balancer pellet. What can I do about bone demineralization?

My 13-year-old Quarter Horse mare has grass-foundered twice in the past. In recent years, I’ve stripped her of excess weight, and she’s shown no sign of a founder flare-up until recently. What began as a slight tremor in one knee has turned into a full-leg shiver, and she is definitely sore on that limb. The grass on my farm is greening up quickly this spring. Could this be grass-founder presenting in an unusual way?

I have a PSSM type 1 mare with soundness problems. I’d like to remove oil from her diet. She gets 3 cups (about 700 ml or 24 oz) of canola oil a day. I know that canola oil has a high level of omega-6s, which can lead to inflammation. I don't know if the lameness and the canola consumption are related, but I am interested in reducing her omega-6 intake. Right now, she is fed alfalfa pellets, 10 g magnesium, 8000 IU vitamin E, and 9,440 mg MSM. She also gets three flakes of an alfalfa-based hay morning and night. Her energy level is spot-on right now, and I don't want that to dip, but I’d like to find a different form of energy for her.

I have a Standardbred filly in race training that suffers from tying-up. Is it OK to feed her alfalfa, or will that make the tying-up worse?

I have a chronically laminitic mare that is currently on stall rest. She is fed only good-quality hay, no concentrates, but has limited movement due to her confinement. She is now prone to impaction colic. What dietary changes can I make to limit colic episodes?