What to feed an OTTB
- Elinore Gaston
- Feb 28
- 3 min read
Updated: Mar 15
I am super happy to provide something really helpful here! The first question most OTTB adopters might have is, "Just what do I need to feed this thing?". It's a very good question, and it isn't going to be a 'one size fits all' answer. I can only share what has worked for our own OTTBs.
When I brought Charlie home, she was not the typical 'race fit' horse just retired from the track. She had been taken off due to injury, and I believe the fact that she had an underbite may have been overlooked. An underbite in a horse is rare, and it means that she's a little bit of a special-needs case when it comes to feed. Combining her underbite, and the fact that she was lowest in the herd pecking order in her previous home, resulted in her being quite underweight. She was on her way to being emaciated when I picked her up.
I was fortunate enough to know someone who rescued OTTBs frequently, and she suggested a few Dynamite Specialty Products brand supplements and feeds for her. They turned out to be crucial to getting her caught up, physically. On top of that she also got alfalfa and grass hays. The link for the Dynamite brand will be at the bottom of this post. These products are 'chef's kiss' amazing and worked wonders on my girl. Long term, however, they were not cost effective for me.
I did consult our regular vet about how to feed her, since she's got a slight underbite, so my list of feeds will include things that may not be necessary for most OTTBs. The one thing I would suggest, however, would be to work on eliminating grains. I have heard this from many sources online, and in person from other OTTB rescuers/adopters/owners, and I strongly agree. Grains are not necessary, and have been found to do more harm than good. Especially when fed in large quantities. Please note that a horse that is used to being fed grains may need a transitional approach to eliminating it from their diet.
Necessary Feeds:
Alfalfa Hay - Feed this. It does not contribute to a horses high spirited-ness.
Grass Hay - Feed this alongside your Alfalfa. The majority of our feed is Orchard Grass Hay, but most good quality grass hays will work wonders. *If you have access to an already blended hay bale (alfalfa/orchard grass mix, or alfalfa/grass mix of any type) use that!
Our supplemental feeds (fed watered down as Mash):
LMF Super Supplement/Performance/Senior - we feed whichever one will best suit the horse, because they are useful blends to help maintain general health.
Alfalfa Pellets - This is mostly because of bad teeth or an underbite. Adding alfalfa has not made either of our OTTB's more 'hot' in any way, and it helps them maintain good weight.
Shredded beet pulp - This is really good for their digestive system, and for maintaining healthy weight.
Lysine/Biotin - Thoroughbreds have notoriously thin skin. Including anything you find that can help improve the quality of their skin (hair and hooves as well) is a good thing.
Cool Cal - I don't think this will be necessary for most. My girl has a hard time maintaining weight, especially during winter, so I use this for her.
Vitamin E (with or without selenium)- If you feed Cool Cal, you should also include this, but it's not necessary otherwise.
Equinety Horse XL supplement - I added this last year when my horse was not maintaining winter weight, and I loved the results. She has been on it ever since and so has our other horse. This is not necessary, but if you find your horse is still not looking their best this could help them.
Aloe juice - I don't always add this, but it can be helpful if your OTTB has stomach issues. Like an ulcer.
Apple cider vinegar (with the mother) - We add this every day. It's just good for their digestive systems.
I'd like to state again, that my horse is a little bit special needs when it comes to feed, so my list probably isn't going to be what every OTTB needs. My guess is that most of them need Alfalfa and Grass hay blends, and maybe a little mash blend of the supplements that work best for them. Our experience has been very up and down with feed, and the combination listed above works very well for us. All of the supplements I have listed can be found on Amazon, or at some local feed stores, aside from the Dynamite products.
If you have any questions, please feel free to ask.
Links:
God bless you, and thanks for reading,
E. G.
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