May 17, 2012
Horse Feed: What’s in It?
A look at some of the raw ingredients that go into the making of modern commercial feeds.
In this month's Health section, we mentioned that it's important to watch out for high-energy carbs in your horse's feed--particularly if you're feeding for calmness. Here's a review of just what ingredients are in your horse's feed from the January 2012 issue.
These days, commercial feeds can contain a lot more than just alfalfa meal and cereal grains, and looking at feed-tag ingredients lists can be confusing. We asked equine nutritionist Clair Thunes, PhD, whose Sacramento-based Summit Equine Nutrition (summit-equine.com) advises clients throughout the U.S. and Canada, to give us a breakdown of modern feed ingredients.
Here’s what she told us More info...
May 17, 2012
Feeding Horses for Sales Preparation
Horse Nutrition
Nutrition has an important role in sales preparation for all horses. If you want to maximize the value of the horse, it is essential to have the horse looking its best at sale time.
There are a number of key elements including the following:
Size and body condition – Young horses being prepped for sale should be on a smooth growth curve to avoid growth spurts and to reach optimum height at sale time. Size for appropriate age is a plus for most disciplines. The sale horse should normally have a body condition score at 5 or slightly higher.
Muscle, not fat – The modern sale ring rewards horses that have well developed muscles rather than just being fat. Thin is not good, but obese is not desired.
Hair coat – Slick and shiny is always good. This will require a combination of grooming, health care and nutrition.
Hoof quality – High quality feet with no growth or fever rings are essential.
Sale preparation is an ongoing process for young horses. If they are weaned properly and maintained at a Body Condition Score of about 5, there will not be as much pressure for a sudden feeding change when they are being prepared for a sale. Solid sale preparation takes a minimum of 90 to 120 days of exercise, proper nutrition and More info...
May 14, 2012
Feeding Foals Through Weaning TimeProperly preparing the foals to be weaned can make the process much easier for everyone, and part of that preparation includes setting up a successful feeding transition for the foal.
Make certain that the foal is consuming at least 1 pound of a feed per month of age of a feed designed for foals and weanlings.
If a foal is 4 months of age, it should be consuming at least 4 pounds of feed per day. If a foal is 6 months of age, it should be consuming at least 6 pounds of feed per day.
Appropriate feeds for foals and weanlings will be 14-16% protein with controlled starch and sugar along with amino acid, mineral and vitamin fortification.
Keep in mind that past 2 months of age, the milk produced by the dam is not sufficient to maintain adequate growth, so the foal should be creep fed if possible as not all mares allow the foal to eat with them.
The day you wean the foal is NOT the day to change feeds! Creep feeding the foal on the same feed it will continue to eat after weaning is a great way to keep one point in their life consistent through the weaning process.
The foal should also have access to high quality forage, loose salt and fresh, clean water. More info...
May 1, 2012
Feed Your Horse Like a Horse – review
Book Review
Optimize your horse's nutrition for a lifetime of vibrant health. Pretty much everything you need to know about feeding your horse is in this book. More info...
Apr 30, 2012
Horses Grazing on Alfalfa: How Much is Too Much?
Dr. Juliet Getty
Do you give your horse alfalfa? If so, you might want to read this advice given by Dr. Juliet Getty to a reader question.
Question: We live on 10 acres of alfalfa. I had converted one acre to pasture, and split that in half. Can I graze our two horses on the alfalfa for an hour each day? What is too much alfalfa? We have been feeding them alfalfa/grass bales through the winter.
Thanks, Steve
Answer: Alfalfa is very high in calories due to its protein content. It tends to be the same, if not lower, in sugar and starch as grasses.
As long as your horses are not overweight, they can tolerate one to three hours of grazing per day, with grass More info...
Apr 30, 2012
Hay Soaking: All Washed Up or Good Management?
Krishona Martinson, PhD, University of Minnesota.
Soaking hay in water is a common strategy used to manage the nutrition of some diseased horses. Current hay soaking recommendations include soaking hay for 30 minutes in warm or 60 minutes in cold water for removal of carbohydrates (Watts, 2003). Soaking hay is commonly done to manage horse diagnosed with laminitis, Polysaccaride Storage Myopathy (PSSM), hyperkalemic periodic paralysis (HYPP), and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).
Researchers have suggested that diets contain less than 12 and 10% nonstructural carbohydrates (NSC) for horses affected with laminitis (Frank, 2009) and PSSM (Borgia et al., 2009), respectively.
Reynolds et al. (1997) determined that a diet less than 1% K is necessary for horses diagnosed with HYPP.
Moore-Colyer (1996) determined that soaking hay for 30 minutes reduced respiratory problems for horses diagnosed with COPD or heaves. More info...
Apr 23, 2012
Forages for Horses
This blog post is courtesy of Jennifer Earing, PhD, University of Minnesota.
Forage selection should be based on horse needs, as there is no one forage best suited for all classes of horses. For example, providing a nutrient-dense forage like vegetative alfalfa hay to ‘easy keepers’ can create obesity issues; however, that same hay would be good option for a performance horse with elevated nutrient requirements. With so many forages available, how does one choose the best option?? Differences in the nutritive quality of forages (hay or pasture) are largely based on two factors: plant maturity and species.
Maturity
Regardless of plant species, stage of maturity significantly affects forage quality.
Young, vegetative forages are very nutrient dense and contain fewer fibrous carbohydrates (hemicellulose, cellulose, and lignin).
As the plant matures (flowers and seed heads are indicators of maturity), the proportion of fiber in the plant increases, to provide structural support as the plant gets larger. The increased level of lignin associated with maturation interferes with the digestion of cellulose and hemicellulose by hindgut microorganisms, thereby reducing the digestibility of the forage.
More mature forages also have lower energy and protein levels than their immature counterparts. More info...
Apr 15, 2012
Weaning Options for Foals
Most foals are weaned at 4-6 months
Weaning time can be stressful, but proper preparation of the foals and the mares for weaning can make the process much easier for everyone! Most foals are weaned at about 4-6 months of age, depending on the condition of the broodmares and the management plan of the owner.
There are a number of different ways to actually handle weaning, depending on how many foals you have and the physical layout of your facility. Here are some factors to keep in mind:
There is probably less stress on the foal if it remains in the pen or paddock where it is accustomed to being instead of being moved to a new location. Move the mare, not the foal if possible.
Misery loves company. If you have more than one foal, wean at least 2 at a time and keep them together. If you have only one foal, perhaps you have a nice old tolerant gelding who can be a babysitter? Mares also do better with company.
Make certain the pen and paddock are safe with good fencing and no hazards.
Out of sight (and hearing), out of mind. Mares and foals tend to quiet down faster if they cannot see and hear each other after weaning. There are some differences of opinion on this element of weaning management.
A few days prior to weaning, reduce the grain intake on the mare to prepare her to dry up from milk production. More info...
Jan 9, 2012
Winter Feeding Tip: Your Horse Also Needs Omega 3s
I’m sure you’ve heard that you should have Omega 3 fatty acids in your diet–did you know your horse should, too?
According to equine nutritionist Dr. Juliet Getty, Omega 3 fatty acids keep your horse healthy in a variety of ways. They balance immune function, protect joints and ligaments, diminish airway inflammation, support gastrointestinal function, reduce skin allergies, and decrease nervousness.
Keep in mind that there are several fatty acids that can be classified as “omega 3” based on their chemical structure, but there is only one omega 3 fatty acid that your horse cannot produce on his own, and which, therefore, must be in his diet: Alpha Linolenic Acid (or ALA).
Given this, however, your horse can manufacture two other omega 3s, docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) and eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA).
Fresh grass has ample omega 3s — four times more than omega 6s, which can promote inflammation. Hay, however, has virtually no omega 3s left. More info...
Jan 1, 2012
Fiber Ingredients in Horse Feed
magine that perfect summer day. Your horse is out grazing on his pasture and taking in nutrition through the leafy green grass. You are confident that he is eating a high quality, consistent fiber source that is providing an excellent foundation for his diet. By using the high quality, consistent source of fiber that you value in your hay and pasture and putting it in your feed bag we are able to give your horse the benefits of his summer pasture all year long and in any situation. More info...
equine nutrition continued
