Posts Tagged ‘Horse Feed’

It’s kinda like “Singing in the Rain.” My new mantra is, “I’m feeding in the dark…”

And you might be wondering why I’m feeding horses in the dark. Good question. I’m feeding my horses early in the morning and late at night for two reasons:

1. Evenly spaced feedings more closely mimics a horse’s natural feeding patterns

2. This feeding schedule keeps my horses healthier, and lowers the horse feed bill

Wild horses spend 20-22 hours per day walking and eating. In other words, they graze. The rhythm of walking a bit, eating a bit, walking a bit, and eating a bit helps them digest their food. They don’t eat too much at any one time, and the walking keeps their digestive systems active.

Plus, the constant food intake prevents ulcers, since the fiber they eat forms a “mat” in the upper stomach, which prevents the acid from the lower part of the stomach from eating through the stomach wall. The lower stomach wall is protected from the acid, but the upper stomach is not. Without the fibrous mat formed by the constant intake of fibrous foods, horses develop ulcers in their upper stomach.

Horse Feed: Throwing Hay in the Dark

In the deep dark of winter, most people feed their horses breakfast around 7 am, and dinner at 5 pm. This is convenient for us humans because it’s a little warmer, plus the sun is usually up by then. The bad news is that it’s not such great horse health care. When fed only twice a day, horses tend to gorge, upsetting the natural rhythm of their digestive cycle. They don’t digest their food as well or as thoroughly as they should, which can lead to ulcers, mild colic, or internal adhesions.

Of course, changing this schedule isn’t an option for most people, since work often dictates their schedules or they board their horses at stables that only feed twice daily. If this is the case for you, there are several ways you can solve this horse feed problem:

Horse Feed Solution #1: Pay Someone to Feed for You

I have several friends who use this option. One friend boards her horse at a stable where the horses are only fed twice a day. She pays one of the grooms an extra monthly fee to throw extra hay to her horse for lunch and for a late-night snack. She also pays the stable for the extra hay. My other friend keeps her horses at home, but works all day. She pays a neighbor’s daughter to toss hay over the fence twice a day, at lunch and at dinner. Late in the evening, my friend goes out in the dark to give her horses a little horse feed for a snack.

Horse Feed Solution #2: Offer Free Choice Hay

If your horse doesn’t have a tendency to get too fat, offering free choice hay is another option to the horse feed dilemma. I used to do this, even when I boarded my horses at a stable. I would buy one large round hay bale per month, and deliver it personally to my horses’ paddock. They were fed regular meals of breakfast and dinner, and snacked on the round bale whenever they felt the need. This kept their bellies full… and their little naughty minds out of trouble.

Horse Feed Solution #3: Use Small-Hole Hay Nets and Other Feed Dispensers

Small-hole hay nets, as the name implies, are hay nets that have very small holes. This allows horses to eat only a few pieces of hay at a time, which means they can’t gorge, plus they stay occupied for longer. This also more closely mimics the slow grazing pattern of wild horses. They can be difficult to fill, not to mention time-consuming, but it does tend to keep horses occupied for twice as long.

I also use this great new horse toy called the Nose-It. It’s a plastic polyhedron that has a tiny hole in it. You can fill it with horse pellets, hay cubes, or any other healthy horse feed. Your horse has to tip it in just the right direction before feed comes out, which means he has to “play” with the Nose-It for a long time before he gets his full dinner. Again, like the hay net, this toy provides a way to feed your horse over a longer period of time. The only caveat with this toy is if your horse lives in a sandy environment. To prevent him from eating sand, put the toy in a large feed tub and let him play with it in there. This keeps his horse feed clean and prevents sand colic.

Horse Feed Solution #4: Feed in the Dark

This is possibly the least attractive solution if you are afraid of the dark or dislike the cold. I’m not fond of either, but I don’t find it too difficult. I work at home, online, so I have a flexible schedule. I prep the horses’ early morning hay portions the night before so I don’t have to do anything other than chuck it over the fence. Ditto with the late night dinner. Lunch, which includes a combination of beet pulp, senior feed, and hay cubes, all soaked, is prepped and fed during the day. My horses are fed around 5 am (I’m an early riser), 12 pm, and 8 pm. This spaces their meals out fairly evenly around the clock. If I’m going to be gone during the day, I use small-hole hay nets and the Nose-It toys to keep my horses occupied. This works well.

I take the same kind of care with any supplements I feed, which are syringed directly into each horse’s mouth to ensure that every horse gets what he or she needs. Some of my horses, who have been through trauma or have health issues, get a bitter herb supplement that helps them stay in a relaxed, healing mode. Others get my regulation Horse Goo, which includes mangosteen juice blue-green algae, probiotics, and enzymes. This system ensures that every horse gets the right feed and supplements.

The Good News About Horse Feed Solutions

If you use any of these solutions, especially during the winter, you’ll notice that your horse feed bill will probably go down. Horses fed more frequently or are fed over a longer period of time (as with the small-hole hay nets) tend to hold their weight more easily. Plus, they stay occupied for longer, which helps if you have “Mr. Destructo” in your herd. Finally, feeding this way helps prevent digestive health issues like colic and ulcers.

So while these horse feed solutions may not be the most convenient in the world for us humans, if they prevent a giant vet bill or reduce the feed bill, they may be worth all the hassle. I know it’s worth it to me… plus my horses love me for it!

Author: Stephanie H. Yeh
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
Provided by: US Dollar credit card

At Australian Natural Health and Healing, we believe in natural feeding. This means that if possible, provide your horse with feed as natural as they can be, that is less processed and as close as possible to what a horse would eat naturally.

Of course grass is the most natural feed available. However, our lands are not as prosperous as they used to be and the variety of grass on a small acreage property would be limited. The soil is also likely to be poor in nutrients, meaning that the grass will not be very nutritious, hence the need to provide extra feed.

The closest feed to grass is hay and chaff. It is important to provide plenty of those. There are different types of hay like lucerne, barley, grassy etc.

The important thing here is that you must provide a balanced diet between roughage (hay, chaff, pasture, bran) and concentrate (grains, meals, fats etc). Although chaff is chopped hay, hay as such is a primary ingredient of the diet because it provides longer stems which help in the horse’s digestion. When horses do not have access to valuable pasture, or are fed grains, they should be provided with hay or chaff with a minimum of 1% of their body weight to enable efficient digestion (Dr John Kohnke).

Feed should be weighted and not measured in volume because it is the only way you will be able to calculate your horse’s intake. If you are using a 2 litre ice-cream container to measure your feed, take 1 measure of each feed, weigh it and record it. On average, a 2 litre container will be about 300g of lucerne chaff, 250g of white chaff etc.

Feed must be free of mould and “unwanted visitors” alive or dead! So it is important to store your feed correctly to avoid any spoilage and contamination. Mould and horses do not agree!!

Whatever ration you establish, you must monitor its effects on your horse and adjust accordingly. For example, if your horse seems to actively seek food after he has been fed, this means he is still hungry and you might need to increase the quantity. If, on the other hand, he has leftovers, then you will need to reduce the quantity. It takes around 3 weeks to see the effect of a particular feed, so if your horse is loosing weight without any apparent reason (you know he is not sick or worm infested), then you will need to re-assess his ration. The same applies if your horse starts behaving strangely.

So lets see how food can affect a horse’s behaviour.

A natural diet for a wild horse contains large amount of cellulose fibre from plants that are digested in the large intestine. This natural diet contains very little amount of starch and sugars found in grains and protein in legume plants like lucerne. Starch, sugars and protein overload in the small intestine are a cause of digestive upsets and will “heat up” a horse or cause colics as the feed ferments in this region.

Some horses are so intolerant to starch they cannot eat oaten chaff (yes, there is a little bit of oats in quality oaten chaff). A common feed stuff that is very high in starch is wheat bran with between 30 to 50% starch. If you must feed grains, it is important that you provide plenty of roughage to help with digestion and the amount of grains be minimal.

Synthetic or poor quality vitamins and minerals may also create some unusual reactions, depending how sensitive your horse is. Horses are like people, some react to red cordial, others to lactose, some to red meat etc. Unfortunately there is no black and white answer. It is a matter of trialling something and observe how your pony reacts.

The good news is that once the culprit ingredient is identified and removed from the diet, your horse should return to its normal-self within days.

A good idea is to introduce new feed one by one (if possible) and see how it goes after few days.

Of course there are other factors that might affect your horse’s behaviour and they should be eliminated from the equation before blaming its feed. Horses by nature are not mean animals. They do have a hierarchy in their herd and there is always few fights among them. The alpha horse will ensure to maintain its status and will “boss” other around if needs be. This is normal. There are few books written on the subject that might help understand their behaviour within a herd.

An aggressive horse, on the other hand, is not normal. We should ask ourselves questions such as:

• When does this behaviour happen? (feed time? During riding? Etc)
• Has he always been aggressive?
• If he became aggressive suddenly, what happened? We might need to investigate a little
• Was he abused, starved or neglected in the past? Horses have a phenomenal memory and it might take a lot of re-education to change behaviour caused by bad memories!
• Is he in any sort of pain? Like us, some horses are more sensitive to pain than others so a little thing might seem the end of the world for the sensitive ones! This is where we (or a vet) need to check his feet, back, neck, muscular tightness etc. If a horse is unbalanced, even slightly, it may cause some pain in his body and could be the cause for misbehaving. it is true that some horses will endure horrible pain without blinking an eye until they simply fall apart (or down)! This is then a shock to the owner who did not know their horse was hurting. One should take the time to really know their horse and be attuned to them to depict any abnormality. It takes time and patience.
• Does his tack fit properly? Wrong saddles can cause some musculoskeletal issues and make our pony very unhappy!
• If it’s a mare, is she in season? Some mares can get extreme during these times!
• Is he badly educated? Have we got a spoiled brat?
• Does he have an ulcer? This is difficult to determine and you will need your vet to run some check-ups. According to scientists, it is very common in horses, especially those who raced or competed as they get highly stressed and their diets might not be the best in terms of digestion. Some symptoms might be sensitivity to some feed stuff, especially starch and proteins, behavioural issues and weight loss. These symptoms alone are not sufficient to provide an accurate diagnostic, so if you suspect your horse has an ulcer, contact your veterinarian who will be able to confirm it and prescribe medication.
• Now, a very simple question which gets overlooked quite often: does he get too much food for his activity level? Food is energy, so if our horse does not use his energy in his activity, he will have some left to spare!!
• Does the horse buck when ridden (regularly)? Bucking takes a lot of effort for horses so there has to be a good reason. Assuming that it is not a horse in breaking, causes for bucking may be a painful saddle, sore back/body/feet, bad memories as explained above, too playful (too much food)?

I guess the first thing to eliminate is any physical health issues whether they are illnesses or injuries. Your veterinarian is the person to contact first and they will be able to refer you to other professionals if needs be, like farriers, chiropractors etc.

Elimination of any ill-fitted tack is the second one. If there is an issue with the saddle then you might need to get a saddle fitter in. It is not expensive and is worth the spending. Better have a good saddle than having a horse that bucks, is sore, unhappy and dangerous.

Any mental issues due to the horse’s past are better dealt with the help of professional trainers. Same applies to a badly educated horse. These professionals can help us in re-educating our horse and teach us what to do or not do.

If your horse gets supplements like minerals and vitamins, do a bit of research to see how other horses react to what you are giving yours. It is not uncommon to see a change in behaviour according to supplements given to a horse. Sometimes, it is wise to stop all supplements to see if the horse goes back to a gentler state. It is possible that these supplements might be too concentrate, or of an average quality, or that the horse has some allergic reaction to them, especially if they are synthetic. And sometimes, it might be necessary to only give natural supplements like herbs, dolomite etc.

Minerals and vitamins (supplements) should be given based on what the horse’s nutrients requirements. A good start if to check the NRC web site and John Kohnke’s book “Feeding Horses in Australia” to understand nutrients and calculate what your horse needs.

Author: Cass Martinez
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
Provided by: Digital Camera Times

Almost all horse injuries and illnesses (excluding sports injuries and mistreatment) are due to a small number of mistakes in the way horses are kept and treated. Here are the top 10 tips to avoiding these errors and protecting your horse’s health (in rough order of importance, beginning with the most important).

1. Start with a healthy horse

Our number one tip is to make sure when getting a new horse that it is healthy to begin with. There are a lot of horses which are cheap, or even free, because they have health issues; avoid them as you are likely to spend more in veterinary costs and tears than you will save on the purchase price. Also, beware of sellers passing off a sick horse as a healthy one. Before buying a horse, put it through a thorough health check (see our website for guidance).

2. Food type and quality

Try to feed the horse as natural a diet as possible. This should be grass whenever possible, otherwise hay. There are cases when a horse may need other types of horse feed (e.g. an old horse with dental issues, a weak horse that needs extra energy), but for a healthy horse a natural diet is best for its physical health and mental wellbeing.

Aside from the type of food, one needs to ensure that it is of good quality. In particular, a horse should NEVER be given food that has mold or fungus (visible by sight or smell). If food becomes damp or wet, it should be used immediately or disposed of, since food that has gone off can cause a variety of illnesses such as colic or laminitis (founder).

It is advisable that the horse has a mineral stone and salt lick, to compensate for any elements which may be missing from its food.

3. Natural environment (pasture & herd)

Just as a horse should have natural food, it should spend as much time as possible in a natural environment. The two most important parts of this is that it should be on pasture as much as possible and that it should be part of a herd (i.e. with other horses or horse equivalents). Time on pasture gives the horse a natural diet (grass), a natural feeding regime (many small feeds throughout the day rather than a couple large and short feeds), exercise and mental stimulation. Being with other horses gives a sense of safety (horses have a very strong herd instinct) and the social interactions gives it mental stimulation.

A horse which spends much of its day in this type of environment is not only happier, but is far less likely to develop bad habits (e.g. cribbing) due to stress or boredom. Horses which are kept in a natural environment also tend to be physically healthier.

4, Healthy stall

Especially if a horse spends a lot of time in its stall, the stall environment should be healthy.

• It should have enough ventilation that there is not a build up of ammonia (the harsh burning smell which is produced when bacteria break down horse urine on the stall floor).
• It should be big enough that the horse has a bit of room to move, say 4 yards by 4.
• It should have clean and suitable bedding. In particular, bedding which has gone off (mold or fungus) should never be used.

5. Safe pasture

The pasture should be free of any items which could injure the horse.

One of the most common causes of serious horse injuries is inappropriate fencing wire. One should never use barbed wire, as it can puncture the horse, resulting not only in injuries (which can be fatal if it happens to hit a main artery) but also abscesses and other serious infections. One should not use high-tension wire, since if it breaks and tangles around a horse’s leg, it can cut through flesh and tendon down to the bone. If one uses wire, it should be a type which breaks before causing serious injury and should probably be under electrical current to discourage horses from pushing against it.

If one is using a field which has not been previously cleaned, every bit of it should be closely examined for items which could injure a horse and such items removed. I’ve seen enough horses seriously injured from being put on an old farming field which had bits of fencing wire or pieces of machinery lying about. Likewise, holes (e.g. from burrowing animals) can result in a broken leg so should be filled in promptly. Similarly, broken branches or other objects lying around can result in injuries (especially if the horses are spooked at night, when they may not see the objects and consequently run into them).

There are a number of poisonous plants, which can make a horse ill or even kill it. Learn what types of plants are on your horse’s pasture and check if any of them are poisonous to horses. Most horses will avoid the majority of poisonous plants (unless there is nothing else to eat) so if you see a type of plant which the horses are not eating, one should in particular check that it is safe.

6. Preventative routine medical

An ounce of prevention is better than a pound of cure. One should worm a horse regularly, give it the required inoculations, and have a regular (e.g. once a year) dental check. Worming requirements depend partly on where you live (parasite types and severity vary by region). Likewise the inoculations which should be given depend not only on the local areas (what diseases are present) but also on how you use the horse (e.g. if it is transported off your property and comes into contact with strange horses). Consequently, one should discuss requirements with a local veterinarian.

7. Watch and regularly inspect the horse

Horses, like people, will naturally become ill occasionally and may suffer accidents from time to time. In most cases, one starts with a minor problem which is easily (and inexpensively) treated if spotted early, but may become a major issue if left untreated.

One should watch a horse each day, and preferably twice a day, even if it is just for a few minutes. Learn what is normal behavior for that particular horse (e.g. running about or quietly grazing) and if there is a change to its normal behavior one needs to inspect the horse more closely. In particular, any signs of the horse appearing unwell (e.g. head hanging, inactive, stopped eating) or unhappy should be checked and monitored until the cause is found and corrected, with veterinary assistance if the situation becomes worse or is already serious.

Certain illness (e.g. impaction colic, laminitis) can often be treated successfully if done so promptly, whereas waiting less than a day after the first visible symptoms can result in a maimed or dead horse. Regular observation and prompt treatment are the key to so many illnesses.

One should clean and examine the sole of the hooves each day. In part this is to remove stones, ice chunks or other items which can damage a hoof. However, an equally important part of this daily routine is that it enables one to spot hoof issues early. Likewise, regular grooming is important not only because a clean horse looks better but also because it provides an opportunity to closely examine all parts of the horse for injuries or other abnormalities.

8. Shelter

Horses should have shelter from excessive cold, rain or wind. A simple shelter, open on one side facing away from the prevailing wind, can greatly increases the horse’s comfort. Alternatively, when the weather is very bad, it may be necessary to remove the horses from pasture and paddock and put them into their stalls.

The amount of shelter a horse requires depends on the local environment (how extreme the temperature gets locally) but also on the horse. A strong and healthy horse, which is neither very old or very young, will be much more resistant to weather extremes. Likewise, certain breeds (especially if they have a long coat, which has not been trimmed or had the coat oils removed by frequent washing) are more resistant than others. One needs to provide a level of shelter which is appropriate to the individual horse and the current weather. One should also consider a horse rug for horses which are very old, very young, sick, weak or prone to illness. One may also consider a fly sheet which not only increases the horses comfort but also reduces the risk of sweet itch, eye infections (if a fly mask is used) and other illnesses which can be transmitted by biting or blood sucking insects.

9. Consider breed and individual requirements

Each breed has its own special requirements. For examples, many breeds are prone to laminitis and consequently should have only limited access to spring grass. Other breeds may have specific issues and require special treatment (e.g. many Appaloosa are night blind and consequently are more likely to run into fencing if left out at night). Learning about your breed’s strengths and weaknesses from a medical perspective will allow you to respond accordingly.

Likewise, each horse is an individual. Some are more weather resistant than others. Some are more prone to colic or other illnesses. As you watch and live with your horse, learn about its special needs and treat it accordingly. For example, if it is allergic to dust, one may need to soak its hay in water or buy low-dust feed. If it looks unhappy and uncomfortable in cold weather, one should consider taking it under shelter or providing it with a rug, as you may be looking at an early warning for a potential illness (e.g. cold-induced colic or a cold-induced lung infection). Taking account of your horse’s medical history and behavior as part of your horse management program will help keep it healthy and happy.

10. Continue to learn

Nobody knows everything about horses and everyone started out knowing nothing. However, if you educate yourself and continue to learn, you will be able to take better care of your horse, avoiding problems when possible and otherwise treating them promptly and correctly.

Author: Doug M Stewart
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
Provided by: WordPress plugin expert

 

What things make up your horse feed.  Do you know?  This is the question I asked myself years ago.  It is interesting because I am always so concerned about the things that enter my body.  Yet, when it came to horse feed, I really didn’t understand what I was feeding my baby.I decided to be responsible for what I ate, and what my horse ate.

I researched the feed I have been feeding my horse for a really long time now, and here are some things I found that may be hurting her.

Middlings.

Middlings are the leftover things that end up on the floor of the mill when processing feeds.  I say things because nobody can really tell you what is in them.  They can include dust, dirt, particles of other feeds, and really any old thing that sneak onto the floor of the mill during processing.  I don’t know about you, but I have been taught not to eat off the floor, I don’t think it is such a good idea for my horse either.  I don’t know for sure, but dirt doesn’t seem to have much nutritional value to me.  I mean, I have heard of the ten second rule, but please.

GMO’s Genetically modified organisms.

Did you know that corn and soy have been genetically modified since the 1960’s.Increases in crop output was the main reason they went to this, but it seems like they didn't think about how it would affect nutrition. Soil depleted and low on minerals resulted in products having to be fortified after harvest.  When I learned this fact, I made sure that these types of products were excluded from my own diet.  It seems logical to not feed them to my horse either.

Tons of sugar.

I didn’t realize that after adding all of these middlings and many GMO product that are not normally palatable to horses are added, that they would then add large amount of sugar to the feed.  The nearest I can figure, is that this is necessary to get the animals to actually eat the concoction.  I kind of view this as the equivalent of dumping a mound of sugar on cereal in the morning.  I wouldn’t do it for me kids, so I don’t think I’ll be doing it for my horse either.

I hope this article offers insight to people looking for a good  natural horse feed.Just my thoughts here, I don't want to make any claims, trust the FDA instead.

About the author:  Thomas Porter, may be a hot guy that likes to be around horses with his mother.  For a living, Thomas is a firefighter and he teaches people how to become firefighter.

 

Aleasha C asked:

Okay, I have a horse. But, I would like some care tips. I’m no expert and just want to make sure I’m doing everything right. What percentage of grains, horse feed, hay, and grass should be in the diet? How often do I need to float the teeth? How often should I worm? How often should I pick the hooves? Any other care tips and advice on horse ownership is appreciated. Thanks!