Dear Dr. Beth, Have just weaned my colt and want to know, I am feeding him high quality hay and alfalfa. Don't want to feed him any grain, I saw what it did to my old gelding. Am feeding a vitamin/mineral supplement. Is their any special vitamin/mineral that we should be looking for.Waiting to hear from you and thanking you in advance, Milton.

High quality forage is the most important thing for youngsters, and not feeding grain is great! To ensure adequate intake of the essential nutrients like copper, zinc, selenium, vitamin E, etc. any vitamin/mineral supplement designed to support healthy growth is a good start. I'd still suggest extra vitamin E and, if your area is deficient, selenium as most broad spectrum vitamin/mineral mixes don't have a lot of either. Check with your veterinarian about this, though, especially the selenium needs for your area. Just watch that your colt doesn't get fat or grow too fast - you want to keep him slightly on the ribby side while he is so young and aim for steady growth. If you need to cut down on daily calories to help him grow safely I'd suggest reducing alfalfa hay a bit, as it is higher in calories than grass hays. But alfalfa has good quality protein, which is also needed for growth, so if you haven't had your grass hay tested for protein levels maintaining at least a small amount of alfalfa in the diet would be good. I'd also recommend starting to add some fat to his diet, perhaps mixed with some alfalfa pellets or cubes. Also give him plenty of fresh air, clean water, and room to exercise himself and you'll be doing the best you can.