Search results matching tag 'feed'

Need advice on moving horse from stall feeding to pasture

t6834bl — Sun, 05 Jul 2009 07:00:00 GMT

We have just moved back to Utah where we lived a long time ago. My horse, Briahna, won't be here until next week. I've got the opportunity to keep her in a pasture of a friend of ours.

She's got Cushing's, but it's controlled by a daily dose of pergolide and her diet. She'll be coming with two bales of the hay she's been eating currently. I'm looking for advise on how long to let her graze each day until I can turn her out 24/7. I will keep her in a pipe stall at the racetrack/rodeo grounds, just a short distance away from the pasture where she will end up, while we get into the pasture.

Any suggestions????? Can she free graze? Should I use a grazing muzzle???

Bev and Briahna

Re: Picky Hay Eaters?

t6834bl — Fri, 17 Oct 2008 07:00:00 GMT

"If you choose to introduce beet pulp do it a little at a time and with some kind of tastey addition.. We add flax seed and rice bran. Even my pickiest TBs like the beet pullp."

Barbara,

Don't want to hijack this thread but I'm curious about the flax seed. I feed Briahna a Cushing's type senior feed and it's mainly beet pulp (SHE LOVES IT!), but I see they carry flax seed at the feed store. Can you just feed the seeds or do you have to process them somehow? How much do you feed?

We are trying a different supplement (much cheaper) but I see it lacks flaxseed.

Thanking you in advance,

Bev and Briahna (and Carra too, as I make her buckets too!)

Re: Picky Hay Eaters?

Lizbethboz — Tue, 07 Oct 2008 07:00:00 GMT

I also have some picky hay eaters in the age ranges you mention. In fact your horses sound like they are my horses! I live in a state where hay is so dear that I had to do something. I put everyone's hay either up in a bag or in a feeder. I use bags instead of nets because there is way less danger of the horse's legs becoming tangled in the web. And I put the bags at shoulder height. I even use the bags when the horses are outside. I use old water tanks for feeders. If you buy certain brands of the plastic ones you can drill holes in the bottom for drainage during rain. They also have a couple of holes in the rim that you can use to tie them to a fence. This keeps the horse from dumping the hay out. I have almost completely eliminated the hay waste with this method.

My horses are all on a forage based diet. They all live in at night unless the weather is great. And they all eat seperately, not in a herd. I have found that the more choices that I give my horses, the pickier they are. I don't like alfalfa but the horses do. I find if I let them have the biggest share of the alfalfa in the AM and a smaller amount with some grass hay inthe evening, they do better with clean up because they have all night to finish the grass hay.

In order to insure that my horses receive enough roughage I also feed beetpulp. Beetpulp is high in digestable fiber. It is a little more work intensive but has several benefits for older horses. It helps to keep weight on TBs and older horses. It is easy to chew, also helpful for older horses. Older horses' teeth can loosen even though you have taken care of them. This makes it harder to chew and makes them require a longer fodder time. And soaked beetpulp insures that the horse receives a certain amount of water, which is especially helpful in the cold months. Horses slow down water intake in the cold and it's not unusual to see impaction colic. I can say that in the years that I have used beetpulp we have not had colic of any sort in our herd of 10 horses.

I use beetpulp pellets because shreds are often filthy. I set the pellets up with water before I go to bed so it is ready for morning. Then I set it up again for dinner after morning feed. I soak for shorter times in hot weather.

If you choose to introduce beet pulp do it a little at a time and with some kind of tastey addition.. We add flax seed and rice bran. Even my pickiest TBs like the beet pullp.

I hope that you will find someting useful with the ideas I have offered. Best of luck to you. Take comfort knowing that someone shares the same problem with you!

Barbara Fox riding@ushorsemanship.com

giving vinegar?

Burgett — Mon, 24 Mar 2008 07:00:00 GMT

My horseshoe guy suggested giving approx. 1 oz. per 1,000 lbs weight apple cider vinegar to my mare daily as an aid in her regular worming schedule, and said it would also help with eliminating sand from her gut. I've heard of feeding garlic to repel flies, but how much? Also has anyone ever heard of feeding vinegar as helping in repelling flies? I'm trying the vinegar this season starting before theflies really get started. My Sugarpop gets 1 oz. every evening diluted with a little Grand Hoof, some alfalfa flakes, and a little pancake syrup for flavor. Are there any others who've given vinegar for any reason?

Re: Need to put weight on my mare, but she has Cushings

t6834bl — Wed, 31 Oct 2007 07:00:00 GMT

I let my vet, Dr. P, know what I was feeding Bri, she said that was OK. Here's the article she wrote for Horse Illustrated on Cushing's Disease:

http://www.horsechannel.com/horse-health/equine-cushings-disease-24321.aspx

She only gets 1/2 flake of alfalfa a day. Her grain, Integrity Lite, is beet pulp and other things OK for Cushing's horses. I don't feed that much carrots. She also gets Grand Complete for vitamins, minerals and other things.

Like my original post said, I'm looking for advise from people who have already gone down this road and what worked for them. Thanks for the heads up on Equi-Jewel. I'll look into it. Also the Canola oil. This is the information I'm looking for.

I'm also coming to the conclusion her changing body is what Cushing's does to the horse. Several articles have noted the loss of muscle in the topline and rump, sway back and pot belly. But the ribs and hip bones aren't. I just want to get some weight on her before winter comes. It may not get that cold here in Southern California and I do blanket her November through March, but I don't want her to lose any more weight.

Bev

Re: Need to put weight on my mare, but she has Cushings

t6834bl — Wed, 31 Oct 2007 07:00:00 GMT

[quote user="walkinthewalk"]

That is a great article and I copied the link over to my local messge board. Now that I have an EMS horse and realize how subtle and insidious Cushings can be, I am trying to raise awareness.

Dr.Posnikoff must feel your horse isn't in the severe Cushings category, as she permits it to have a bit of alfalfa and carrots.

[/quote]

I just got back from the stables, had a recheck on Bri's abcessed hoof. Hoof is looking real good, will get the eggbar shoes off this next trim, BACK TO BAREFOOT! YAHOOOOOOO!

I made it a point to ask about the carrots. She said the carrots don't have that much sugar, just don't feed excessively, like 5 to 10 pounds a bucket! Sheesh, she only gets five carrots in her bucket, only when I make up the bucket, so that's like three times a week. Dr. P was OK with that!

Speaking of barefoot again (YAHOO!, can you tell I'm excited?), I'm wondering if she'll be sore? She's had this abcess for over two years. Worst one Dr. P ever saw. But now that we are treating her Cushing's the hoof is healing. I've been lucky in my life, all my horses did well bearfoot so didn't have to shoe, only trim.

The smoke is getting worse again. Yesterday it was going straight up. Today it is coming across the mountains and down into the valley again. The Santa Ana's will be back this weekend, but not near as bad as when the fires started. Here we go again. Here's some pics from that general area:

http://picasaweb.google.com/BrianMillsap/FoothillRanchFire

Bri is coughing if I try anything more than a walk, so we walk. More than half the refugee horses have left, hopefully to their old barns and stables. I do know of one couple who lost their barn and garage. But the house was saved. The owners of a big tack store down in South County lost their Geodisic home in Modjeska Canyon. It was like a landmark, ya know, turn just past the dome house and then go a mile down the canyon.... So sad.

Thanks for asking. I think the fire is almost contained. Pray for the Santa Ana's to be light so no one will have to go through this all again so soon.

Bev

Weevils in Horse Feed

Janet A. Thomas — Sat, 13 Oct 2007 07:00:00 GMT

Dear Friends:

I have never had this problem before. I bought about 12 bags of sweet feed about a month and a half ago. I opened one of the bags today and it has weevils in it! Can anyone tell me:

1. Did the weevils likely come IN the bag from the feed store or did they come from my place?

2. Will it hurt my mare to eat feed with weevils in it?

3. How do I keep this from happening again !!!

Thanks,

janet

Concerned about what a boarder is feeding...

dbbear — Tue, 25 Sep 2007 07:00:00 GMT

Due to some issues beyond their control and have decided that they will only be able to come out in the afternoon to feed their HYPP H/N quarter horse 8 lbs at a time of the following feed:

Equine Nutrition — XTN^TM

Features

High nutrient density to support high performance and superior endurance.
An Ideal combination of fat and fiber from vegetable oils, beet pulp and highly digestible steam-flaked oats and barley to support optimum growth and performance.
High-fat rice bran and flaxseed for an improved blend of Omega-3 and Omega-6 fatty acids.
Added lysolecithins for enhanced fat digestion and for helping to improve the absorption of fat-soluble nutrients.
Trace minerals from organic complex sources for increased utilization and bioavailability.
Yeast and probiotics to help increase fiber utilization.
Added lysine for enhanced amino acid performance.

Guaranteed Analysis (min. amounts except where noted)

Crude Protein	12.0%
Lysine	0.80%
Methionine	0.37%
Crude Fat	12.0%
Crude Fiber	max. 10.0%
Calcium	min. 0.75%-max. 1.05%
Phosphorus	0.50%
Copper	55 ppm
Zinc	220 ppm
Selenium	0.6 ppm
Vitamin A	4,000 IU/lb
Vitamin D3	350 IU/lb
Vitamin E	120 IU/lb
Biotin	1.0 mg/lb

Feeding Directions

Divide the recommended daily amount of Farr XTN into two or more equal amounts and feed in regular feedings each day.
Make any change in the feeding program over a 7-10 day period. During this transition period, blend Farr XTN with the other feed and increase gradually until you reach the recommended amount.
Begin feeding Farr XTN at the lesser feeding rate recommended in the feeding table below and adjust accordingly to maintain the desired body condition.


GROWING HORSES	LB Feed Per 100lb Bodyweight
Nursing Foals	0.25 to 0.50
Weanlings	0.50 to 1.00
Yearlings	0.75 to 1.25

PERFORMANCE & SHOW HORSES	LB Feed Per 100lb Bodyweight
Light Work	0.25 to 0.50
Moderate Work	0.50 to 1.00
Heavy Work	0.75 to 1.25
Two-Year-Olds in Training	0.50 to 1.25

BROODMARES & STALLIONS	LB Feed Per 100lb Bodyweight
Last Third of Pregnancy	0.25 to 0.50
Lactation	0.75 to 1.50
Non-Breeding Stallions	0.25 to 0.50
Breeding Stallions	0.50 to 1.00

Feed 1 to 2 LB of good-quality hay (or equivalent pasture) per 100 LB bodyweight daily.
Provide plenty of fresh, clean water at all times except to hot, tired horses.
Salt should be available free-choice.
Store this feed in a dry, well-ventilated area and protect it from rodents and insects.
Do not feed moldy or insect-infested feed.

He USED to be a barrel horse, now a pasture ornament. Light performance at best meaning he should only be eating 2.5 to 5 lbs a day... They just started this 8lb thing all at once yesterday. When they told me I was floored... My guess is he colic soon... I may be wrong... I need your thoughts and suggestions on this one, please.

I run a "Self Service" barn, but will pick up when asked ( and paid for) feeding in the am, pm, or both.... Help me give them the correct advice, am I being overly concerned; I'm afriad they're going to kill the poor boy before the week is out!

Re: Alternatives for hay

staceyhedge — Wed, 19 Sep 2007 07:00:00 GMT

Practical Horseman just did a story on this in the September issue (Health Update, p. 16). In a nutshell, the six substitutes outlined are bagged, chopped forage; hay cubes; hay pellets; "complete" feed; beet pulp; and soybean hulls.

Weanling has stopped eating in his grain

tls231 — Wed, 19 Sep 2007 07:00:00 GMT

I have a 41/2 month old foal that has been eating a mare and foal pellet since he was a week old. He was eating four cups daily but he has recently stopped eating it. It began last Wednesday morning. He turned his nose up to his am and pm feeding. I didn't think too much about it because he was eating hay and acting normal. He ate breakfast on Thursday but turn his nose up to his pm feeding. He hasn't been interested in his food since. He is eating hay and acting perfectly normal. I have tried changing buckets and I opened a different bag of pellets and he still isn't interested. He loves his hay and doesn't act like he has a sore mouth or jaw. He looks so good right now, I hope he starts eating soon. Has anyone out there ever had their babies go off their feed like that? I would like to worm him but I am afraid to until he starts eating good again. Its a puzzle to me what is going on. Otherwise he is doing great. We are planning to wean him soon but again his lack of interest in his grain has me concerned about making that change in his life.

Search results matching tag 'feed'

Need advice on moving horse from stall feeding to pasture

Re: Picky Hay Eaters?

Re: Picky Hay Eaters?

giving vinegar?

Re: Need to put weight on my mare, but she has Cushings

Re: Need to put weight on my mare, but she has Cushings

Weevils in Horse Feed

Concerned about what a boarder is feeding...

Equine Nutrition — XTNTM

Re: Alternatives for hay

Weanling has stopped eating in his grain

Equine Nutrition — XTN^TM