Page 36 midwest horse digest April 09
Feeding Faux Pas – How many are you guilty of?
Feeding Grain by Volume and Not Weight bag or tag. This statement is usually listed the ration as the new feed. Day two you can
Horse people are infamous for feed- right above the feeding directions. The manu- mix them half and half, while on day three you
ing by volume not by weight. This means that facturer has to state for what type of horse feed 3/4 of the new feed and 1/4 of the old
when asked how much they feed, most people (maintenance, pregnant, growing, etc.) the feed. Finally on day four you should be able to
respond with how many cans or scoops their feed is intended for. The feed tag also lists the feed the entire ration as the new feed. This
horse is receiving. It is important to remember feeding directions, as the minimum amounts of should help eliminate digestive upsets due to
that all grain weighs a little differently. For that particular product to feed to each age and differences in calories, fiber and ingredient
instance, that 3 lb coffee can that many of us metabolic state of horse that the feed is intend- sources.
feed with (that is actually a 2 lb 7 oz size since ed to meet requirements for.
the price of coffee went up) doesn’t always Many horse owners make one or Changing Hay Types Cold Turkey
hold 3 lbs. of grain. For example, that can both of these mistakes. First of all, they are When dealing with hay changes it is
actually holds about 3.75 lbs of race horse feeding a feed intended for mature horses also important to do it gradually if possible.
oats, about 4.25 lbs of many pelleted feeds, either idle or in training to pregnant mares, lac- The fermentation vat in the horse, known as
and about 3.5 lbs of an average sweet feed. tating mares or young growing horses. This the cecum, is the organ that digests forage
These values do differ though which makes it means they are feeding a deficient diet, maybe (hay or pasture). This organ contains
that much more important to weigh your feed. not in calories, but most likely in mineral and microbes that are very ph sensitive, meaning
Remember the average 1000 lb horses’ stom- vitamin levels. Secondly, they don’t follow changes in acidity can affect the health of the
ach only holds about 5 lbs. of grain at a time. feeding directions listed on the bag or tag. If gut population. It takes a different makeup of
If an owner feeds much more than this figure the manufacturer tells you to feed a minimum microbes to digest grass hay as compared
or about 1/2% of the horses’ body- weight in of 5 lbs/day and you only feed 2 lbs/ day with alfalfa hay. The change- over takes
grain per feeding, he is putting that horse at because your horse gets too fat on 5 lbs, then approximately 2 weeks, thus ideally if you are
risk for colic and/or founder problems. you need to find a feed meant to be fed at 2 changing hays and they are quite a bit differ-
lbs. Essentially you are feeding your horse ent, you should mix new hay with old hay for at
Feeding Feeds Not Formulated for Your Horse less than half of the daily recommended levels least a few days to a week. If you switch too
If you haven’t read a feed tag late- of vitamins and minerals by feeding less than quickly from grass to alfalfa you may get loose
ly, you probably don’t know that feed compa- half of what the manufacturer recommends. stools, some colic issues or worst case sce-
nies have to put a statement of usage on that This is a common practice when feeding nario a founder situation if the fiber contents
Senior feeds. were drastically different. When switching
from alfalfa to grass too quickly you may see a
Changing Grain Mixes Cold Turkey little bit of a hay belly develop.
Each year many horses are sub-
jected to possible bouts with colic and/or Not Acclimating Horses to Lush Spring
founder when owners indiscriminately switch Pastures
grain mixtures without gradually acclimating Attention also needs to be given to
the horse to these changes. When speaking pasture turnout in the spring. Lush spring pas-
about grain, it is important to understand that ture is high in fat which is why horses slick off
grain mixes have many different analysis’ and and gain weight so quickly, but it is also very
ingredients. When changing grain mixes it is low in fiber content. When horses consume
important to do a couple of things. First of all, too much low fiber pasture too quickly, the ph
weigh your new grain to make sure that you of their gut is altered. The ph drops and the
haven’t drastically changed the pounds of gut environment becomes very acidic. The
grain the horse will be receiving on a daily acidity in the gut will start to kill the important
basis. Secondly, it is a good rule of thumb to microbes that reside there. A signal then goes
do at least a four day changeover when at all to the horses’ brain asking for a “fix”. The
possible. This means that on day one you will body’s natural mechanism of defense is to
feed 3/4 of the ration as the old feed and 1/4 of flush the system with water, you observe this
as a loose stool. This is a signal that the horse
is now at risk for colic and/or founder. Horse
owners should slow down on pasture turnout,
or make sure they provide dry forage (hay) for
the horses so that they can increase the fiber
in their gut, therefore increasing the ph again,
and ultimately reducing the risk of grass colic
or founder.
In Summary
These are only a very few of the many feed-
ing mistakes that we as horse people com-
monly make. I encourage all of you to educate
yourselves through nutrition seminars or by
consulting with nutritionists to make sure you
are getting the most for your money, and not
doing harm to the very horse that you love so
dearly.
By: Kelly Ann Graber B.S., P.A.S.
Equine Nutrition Consultant for Progressive
Nutrition, LLC
888-360-2204 or lkgraber@win-4-u.net
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