Posts Tagged ‘nutrition care’

As a holistic practitioner for more than 12 years, I have assisted more than 100 horse owners with equine diets and nutrition. I have studied and gained quite a bit of experience with equine veterinarian, Dr. Lee Miller, for fifteen years. It is my intention to share my personal experiences, both educational and in the field, regarding what I have learned about feeding beet pulp.

Nutrition and digestive processes affect performance and overall condition. Different feeds break down differently based on the horse. Some of these effects include lameness, arthritis, colic, and other health-related illnesses.

Many times feed companies and veterinarians will recommend beet pulp for COPD horses for added fiber, or as an alternate hay and grass source. Although beet pulp may present no problems in the short-term, there are no significant studies on the long-term effects. Please note that alot of horse owners feed beet pulp with no apparent problems, while other horse owners will have exhausted all treatment protocols and still not know why their horse has loose stools, stifles issues, hip problems.

Not looking at what they are feeding: so let’s see what the expert vet in his field says and clear up the beet pulp issue once and for all:

Lon Leiws DVM-Feeding and Nutrition care of the Horse 1982 states quoted :

Excess amounts of oxalates ( form of salt) may be present in these plants-halogeteon, greasewood, BEETS, dock , rhubarb-(Beets =product beet pulp) – If the horse consistently eats theses plants over a LONG extendend period of time, calcium deficency will result. Insoulble oxalate crystals will deposit in the kidneys resulting in kidney damage – Could be the reason for the water molecules trying to flush the kidneys?

Beet pulp originates from sugar industry. It is an insoluble fiber, meaning that it does not interact with the body. It rushes through the intestines taking with it whatever supplements have been given. Simply put, it cannot be digested. It takes four molecules of water for the body to process beet pulp-adding water weight, and making the horse appear heavier. Once beet pulp is removed from the diet, the horse loses weight quickly, leading the owner to believe that the horse needs the beet pulp.

Dr. Joyce Harman of the Harmany Equine Clinic www.harmanyequine.com states that not all sugar can be eliminated from soaking the beets, therefore some remains in the pulp. Sugar contributes to insulin-resistance, and a condition known as Cushing’s syndrome.

Like many other crops, sugar beets are treated with an extensive array of herbicides to limit weeds and grasses in the fields. The herbicides are absorbed by the beets. Nothing removes the chemicals from the pulp. In addition, growers top the beet plants with a chemical defoliant to kill back the tops before harvest. These chemicals also end up by-product beet pulp.

Dr. Eleanor Kellon, DMV, says that beet pulp is safe; it is washed with water to remove the solvents. However, the water only removes what is on the outside. The soaking process removes the sugar from the outside, but not the chemicals. Toxins are stored in the pulp not the juice.

Often, if the horse is unable to digest the beet pulp. Their hind-ends “shut down” and become weak. The common complaint being, “my horse has a weak hind-end.”

Case in Kentucky – A lady emailed me about her paint that had been seen by vets, chiropractors, etc. to no avail her paint was weak from behind, bad stifles? He was 4yrs old they said arthritis, I said what are you feeding? Turns out she was feeding a product that was mostly beet pulp and rice bran. She took the paint off the feed, then sent a email stating her horse was moving much better and was able to ride him again.

A reputable event trainer, Katie Worley from Rock Solid Training Center, asked me to check her horses. I found was they were all weak in the hind-end, and Katie agreed. After looking at a tag from her feed, we found beet pulp listed as the third ingredient. After Katie took her horses off the beet pulp feed, she called to say they were using their hind-ends, and were much stronger.

Another owner, M.D. Kerns, wrote in to tell me about his horse which had been on beet pulp for nine months. “Although I was very skeptical at the onset, I am now prepared to admit that Bodhi is looking much different and much fit than he did when he was on the other feed. His coat looks good as ever and his waist (loss of all the water trapped in the hind-gut by the beet pulp fiber) is nearly back to its former Thoroughbred elegance and slimness, he is without a doubt the most handsome horse at the farm.”

What does this all mean? Ask yourself these questions:

o Does my horse feel weak in the hind end?

o Are his hooves brittle?

o Does it seem like his stifles are weak?

o Does my horse appear to be lacking energy?

o What about the coat? Is it dull?

o Does my horse have loose stools? Are his stools loose or hard?

If you horse has any of these symptoms then:

Try the following for three months. Take your horse off beet pulp, and use good quality hay pellets, or grass hay, remembering to soak in water., for COPD horses- Make sure that your horse has access to free-choice minerals. In addition, read your feed labels. Most of them list “roughage by-products” which can actually contain beet pulp. Take a before and after picture, and really look at the hind-end. Notice how your horse moves after three months. I don’t intend to offend anyone with this article if your horse is fine on beet pulp great, but if you are having any of theses symptoms you may take a look at what you are feeding.

Wouldn’t you agree that prevention is far cheaper than the cost of treating health problems? We are our horse’s caregivers. We owe it to them to be as knowledgeable and informed about what we put into them.

Lorrie Bracaloni is a certified holistic practitioner helping horse owners. Lorrie has received certifications in the following areas of equine health and preventative care: equine lameness and nutrition, acupressure massage and herbology, homeopathics, essential oils, and nutritional reflexology, energy body balancing, equine chiropractic techniques, and muscle injuries and trigger point stress relief therapy. She is currently the holistic consultant for Horsenet Rescue in Mt. Airy, Maryland, helping neglected and abused horses recover to optimal health.

For more information, contact her at (301) 416-2862 or email at lbraca1956@aol.com Her web site is http://www.happynaturalhorse.com

Author: Lorrie Bracaloni
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
Smiling shark

Owning a horse takes on a whole new set of responsibilities that leasing and lessons did not have.

I find that this is the most overlooked part of horse ownership, and I see it daily in the horse world. Horses can be expensive, even when they live with you as opposed to being boarded out.

They are living, breathing creatures whose very lives are completely dependent upon YOU for survival. I cannot state this enough, especially having gone through years of watching people get them and dispose of them when no longer needed or wanted.

If you have any indications that you may not be able to keep up the commitments, I ask that you keep your lease horse and read no further. I’m not trying to be harsh, but this next step requires you to do some soul searching. It’s not really about the money.

Since you are still reading, let’s take a good hard look at the real cost of horse ownership.

There are many articles on this subject, but three factors to keeping costs down are:

Buy a sound, healthy, happy, trained, quiet horse that has passed a battery of veterinarian testing and professional trainer/coach approval.

Keep the horse in a place that is safe and free from hazards.

Research and read everything you can about horses: skeleton and structure, feed and nutrition, care and grooming, feet and maintenance. The riding is up to you and your coach.

Costs for owning a horse go through the roof when these above principles are neglected or passed by. If I wrote down all the people I know right now, whose horses are out of commission, the reasons would be because of at least one of the above principles.

The Cost of a Good Horse

Horse prices vary around the world, so we will use North American averages. Let’s look at a few of the necessities of a first horse and the price for it.

Sound, healthy, vetted clean, not too young or old (7-13)
Well mannered, trailers nicely, can be clipped and bathed
Has basic training levels down well: stop, go, turns, cues lightly, trained mouth
Has registration papers
May have competed at entry level

Price for this horse: $5,000. Price for this pony: $3500 – 5000.

Now let’s add some frills:

Horse has been in many shows and pinned in ‘A’ circuits – Add $2000 and up

Horse is discipline specific; jumping, hunter, reining, breed classes – Add $2,000 (smaller levels) to $15,000 (medium levels) to anything over $50,000 (higher levels)

Breeding: purebred or reasonable bloodlines – Add $2,000 and up. For the top bloodlines – Add $5,000 and up. Poor bloodlines can drop the price of a horse.

Horse has level 3 and 4 dressage – Add $25,000 and up

Horse is a proven broodmare – Add $2000 and up

Horse comes from a notable trainer – Add $3000 and up.

Costs vary with every horse, but these are generalities. When it comes to the price of a horse, it’s not always the quality or training. Market value is what someone will pay, and if no one will pay $50,000 for a well-bred hunter, you won’t sell it. It’s very simple.

Good ponies are worth their weight in gold, so you may have to spend more for a winning pony, but if the pony is young enough, you will recoup every dollar and sometimes more.

The price of horses also is dictated by the economic climate. As of the writing of this article, July 2008, you don’t even have to pay for a horse these days. Auctions have been selling them from $20 to $200; half of the value of meat. Check out this site for the truth on auction horses and the current auction prices: fuglyhorseoftheday.com

Speaking of Auctions

Can you get a good horse at an auction? Absolutely, but it relies on 50% – skill and 50% – luck. There are more bad reasons for horses being at an auction than good reasons.

Should you try an auction? As a first time buyer, absolutely not, unless you bring someone skilled, and even then it’s still 50% luck. If it’s your first horse, it would be heartbreaking to bring the horse home and a week later have a vet tell you the horse is unserviceable for life. We will have more on auctions in a future article.

Cost of Ownership

Boarding

Keeping your horse at a stable varies immensely. Let’s look at the monthly variants:

Backyard, no barn, reasonable feeding, full care, shelter, no arenas – $150 – $350
Private small facility, good care/feed, stalls, turnout, arenas (outdoor) – $300 – $550
Self board, you do everything, pay for all feed, clean stalls – $150 – $350
Quality barn, come competitors, excellent care, instructors, indoor arena – $550 – $700
Competition barn, discipline specific, best of everything, trainers, coaches $700 – $1,500 (plus frills)

Keeping your horse in your back yard depends on the amenities and outbuildings you have. Lets start with the buildings you may have to build (based on averages only):

Outside shelter/run-in, 14′x14′, open 2 sides: $350 – $600 (untreated or treated lumber), if someone else build it: $1,000 +
Small barn, 2 stalls, hay storage, concrete floor, one storey, ‘traditional’ building style, around 36×40: You build-$35,00. They build: $45,000
Hay storage shed: $400-600.
Shavings and bedding shed: $400-600.
Fencing, corral 40′ x 100′: Wood 3 rail painted – $16,000. Bayco high-tensile horse wire at 5 strands: $17,000. Metal: $65,000.
Fencing, pasture: wood, untreated unpainted – $60 per every 10 feet.
*Please note the absence of barbwire pricing. Barbwire has no business around horses. I have a saying: “That horse never died before.”

Building anything on a property only increases the property value, if done well. Anything less becomes a safety issue, which we talk about later.

Training and Lessons
Lesson, one hour, qualified instructor: $30 – 50/hour
Training, one month, qualified trainer: $1,000/month

Feeding

Grain for one 1100 pound horse: $35 – 50/month
Hay for same horse: Grass/orchard hay: $110-150/month. Timothy: $120-170/month. Alfalfa mix: $120-170/month. (pure alfalfa is for cattle. More on that in future articles, or see Kathryn Watts, Marijke van de Water).

Average 50 lb. bale cost: orchard $5-12. Timothy: $12-18. Alfalfa mix: $16-24.

Hay will rise substantially in the next 2 years from the cost of fuel and the depletion of farmland for corn crops. Drought and economy also play a role in the variable feed pricing.

Worming
Every 2-3 months: $20 each time

Vet Care
Call out (before they do anything) $65-85
Average one hour visit with no return or emergency: $250-350
Vaccinations: $120/year

Feet
Trim, all 4: $30-45
Shoes, general all-purpose set of 4: $220-280
Shoes, 2 fronts: $90-140
Specialty shoes, all 4: $280-450

Trims average every 4-6 weeks for optimum health. Shoes the same.

Bedding
Per month: Shavings: $40-65. Pellets: $50-85. Straw: $25-50.

Equipment
Saddles
English, medium quality. Dressage: $1,700 – 3000. Hunt seat/all purpose: $1500 – 3000.
English, used, good quality: Dressage: $700-2500. Hunt seat/all purpose: $400-1600
Western, medium quality, all purpose trail: $1800-2400.
Western, good quality used: $800-2200

Bridles
English with bit: $85-125
Western with bit: $70-110

Halters
Web traditional: $25-55
Rope: $14-29
Leather: $50-120
Lead ropes: $12-30

Grooming Equipment
Brushes, combs, picks, misc: $30-100

Misc: saddle blankets, horse blankets, boots, wraps, first aid, tack cleaning supplies, sprays, bandages: $200-600/year.

Hauling
Average 100 mile trip: $1 to $2.50/mile

Insurance
This cost varies too greatly to make sense or put it on the site.

Total Equine Costs/Averages for One Year
Recreational horse at home (after building): $1800
Boarded recreational horse $7000
Boarded competition horse $15,000

It costs the same to board and feed a bad horse as it does a good horse. The initial price of the horse is the easy part.

Author: April Reeves
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
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