My sensitive Thoroughbred gelding has a history of allergies and asthma to most grasses, trees, and insects. He is also prone to lymphangitis. Recently, he has experienced mild colic after two consecutive days of turnout on pasture containing flowering birdsfoot trefoil. Does this type of forage cause digestive discomfort when flowering?

I have a geriatric Miniature Horse mare that needs to gain weight, as she’s unthrifty with a body condition score of 4 on the Henneke scale. She lives outside on bermudagrass pasture that I would call moderate in quality. In addition, she gets 2 lb (0.9 kg) of a grain-based sweet feed once a day. Do you have any suggestions to improve her condition?

My Arabian mare is a worrywart. She’s an intelligent and willing partner, yet she seems to hold much of the anxiety inside. As you might expect, this has manifested as gastric ulcers and likely hindgut acidosis. We are starting her on omeprazole today. Can we simultaneously treat for gastric ulcers and hindgut acidosis? Time is of the essence as she will be off the omeprazole in a couple weeks, and I don’t want ulcers to recur. Help if you can, please!

I own a four-year-old gelding that’s in moderately fleshy body condition (14.3 hands, 870 lb or 395 kg). He doesn’t have pasture access in winter but gets turned out for an hour daily in a drylot with other horses, though he has no opportunity to eat. He’s fed 5 lb (2.3 kg) of feed daily with a couple handfuls of soaked alfalfa cubes. I'm concerned that the lack of mobility caused by stalling has caused some behavioral issues, including more sensitivity in the flank area. The boarding stable grows its own "organic" hay—which means the owners practice no weed control in their hay fields—so his four flakes of hay are often full of weeds and stalks. Free-choice access to hay is not an option at the stable. Could the alfalfa be causing the unusual behavior?

Nimble, my middle-aged Thoroughbred gelding, does little in the way or work—a real-life layabout! He’s about 1,000 lb (450 kg) and in fine body condition, but he has a history of gastrointestinal disease, including two colic surgeries (twists, no resection) last year. He colicked mildly once since the last surgery and, since then, looks at his sides after meals and seems hypersensitive to grooming. His daily routine is split evenly between pasture access and stall restriction. Right now, there is not much grass in the field, so hay is still being supplied outside. He gets plenty of hay in the stall. The hay can be described as a local grass mix consisting mainly of mature, mid-quality timothy. I pick out the pieces that look downright inedible. His meals are given as mashes in an attempt to maintain hydration. The current feed is a high-fiber, low-fat formula that I am beginning to think is not the best option for him. He gets the feed twice a day for a total of about 6 lb (2.7 kg). I have the option of giving him access to grass 24/7 and wonder if this and a ration balancer would be appropriate? I’ve begun a gradual 30-minute introduction to lush grass which seems to be helping him. What would you suggest?

My 23-year-old pony mare, Isobel, is overweight—body condition score of 8.5+. She gets some exercise in the fall and winter through foxhunting, though for her it is more hilltop-lounging than full-out gallivanting. I know she needs to lose weight, and now’s the time. She has access to dirt-quality pasture so she gets free-choice orchardgrass/alfalfa hay in the field daily. She also receives two cups each of a senior feed, fat supplement, and ration balancer. As far as supplements, she gets Nano-E at a rate of 4 mL per day. She has a history of muscle atrophy and soreness, presumably due to PSSM. She is sound and healthy otherwise. Where do I start?

I have a young Friesian gelding with delayed gastric emptying. He has access to pasture year-round for 4-8 hours daily, though the amount of grass depends on the season. He is given grass hay in the field during the winter and in his stall year-round. I feed him a vitamin/mineral supplement and additional vitamin E on top of that. My horse has a good appetite, but I feel this might not be the best diet for a horse with delayed gastric emptying. He seems tired, lying down more than he ever did. I’d like your thoughts on the best diet for him.

My favorite broodmare gets a “big leg” occasionally, and it gets harder and harder to treat with each flare-up, never resolving to its normal size anymore. Is there anything I can feed her that might help this, any nutritional supplement? I’d pretty much sell a kidney for this mare.

Flint is my 18-hand crossbred draft gelding. We think he’s in his early to mid-20s based on his teeth and the history I’ve stitched together. He’s in moderate body condition, somewhere near 1,650 lb (750 kg). He’s turned out 24/7, but the pasture is sparse. He has access to clean grassy hay as well as some alfalfa all day long. He’s also fed 3 lb (1.4 kg) of balancer pellet, 3 cups (750 ml) of vegetable oil, and 2 cups (500 ml) of cocosoya oil daily. Two specific questions about his diet: (1) can I feed lespedeza given his PSSM1 diagnosis, and (2) can I switch to a generic vegetable oil? While Flint is sound and healthy now, I am concerned about keeping him on a diet that respects his muscle problems and his caloric requirements.

I live in Florida, and I have fed my metabolically challenged horses Tifton and soaked timothy for the past three years. Unfortunately, I can no longer feed Tifton due to the barn owner’s fear of impaction colic. I have read different information on the NSC content of Tifton. Some sources say it is low, and others say it is twice that of timothy. What is correct? The horses speed-eat the timothy, even in slow-feed haynets, but consume the Tifton slowly. What are some alternative hays similar to Tifton? Further, my horses now will be out on grass during the day. Two of them also have ulcers. How can I keep their stomachs full but not cause laminitis, as the same two have a history of laminitis.