6/ THE RIDER EXTRA APRIL 2010
Way of Horses: You’ve got to feed him!
The equine digestive system requires at least 1/2 pound of good quality forage per 100 pounds of body weight for healthy hind gut function. This means a 1,200 pound horse needs 6 pounds of hay or a long-stem fiber source per day “for healthy hind gut function”, but that amount won’t keep the horse alive. He’ll have a health gut, but he’ll die of starvation.
feeds.
Beet pulp is a by-product of the sugar beet industry. It does not have high sugar content as the sugar was removed during the pro- cessing of the beets. Beet pulp is high in calcium, very low in phos- phorus, and low in B vitamins, but can provide a source of highly digestible fiber.
During shortages of forage many horse owners feed grain, commercial mixes or supplements to try and provide the needed nutri- ents. Horses should never be fed more than 50% of the diet in con- centrates that are not “complete” formulas.
By Eleanor Blazer Copyright @ 2010
You’ve got to feed him, cause he’s a “digestive system” with legs. Horses are non-ruminant her- bivores. They eat plants and do not have a rumen. The rumen is the first part of the stomach common to cloven animals such as cattle, llamas and goats.
be fed as the only available forage if your horse has adrenal gland problems.
Horses have a cecum. The cecum is part of the large intestine (hind gut) and breaks down long- stem fiber. The cecum allows the horse to utilize nutrient present in forage.
Here is better rule to follow when feeding horses: Horses at maintenance level require 1.5 – 2.0% of their body weight in dry matter per day. (This amount will increase with their activity level and the onset of cold weather.) For example; a healthy 1,200 pound horse at maintenance activity level would need to consume a mini- mum of 18 pounds of good quality long-stem forage each day. The fiber needs to be longer than one inch to be classified as “long-stem fiber”.
What if there is a shortage of hay or the hay is of poor quality? The answer is: feed beet pulp, hay cubes, bagged hay or complete
Beet pulp does not provide enough long stem fiber to maintain normal gut function, so its best use is as a hay extender. Make the hay last longer by feeding up to half the forage requirements in beet pulp. It is not necessary to soak beet pulp unless your horse bolts his feed. Soaking gets more water into the system, which is always a good thing. Do not let it ferment. Caution must be taken, espe- cially when the temperature is hot, not to let wet feed ferment. Sour, spoiled feed will cause digestive upset possibly resulting in colic. Remove any uneaten portions and provide fresh feed.
Hay cubes are a good source of long stem fiber. The forage is dried, chopped, and compressed into cubes.
alfalfa/grass cubes are available. Hay cubes usually contain at least 50% alfalfa. The alfalfa helps hold the cubes together. The alfal- fa cubes will be high in protein (generally 17%) and should be not
Alfalfa and
Hay cubes generally contain 12 – 14% protein. To avoid the danger of choke and aid your horse with chewing, the hard cubes can be soaked for 10 minutes before feeding. Hay cubes can be fed as the only source of forage and the recommended feeding rate is 1.5 to 2.0% of the body weight per day. They can also be used as a hay extender - replacing equal amounts of hay in the diet.
Chopped hay is another good source of long-stem fiber. Chopped hay is available in grass and alfalfa formulas. Molasses is usually added to the formula, as it will keep the leaves and stems from separating in the bag. Chopped hay is recommended be fed at a minimum of 1.5 to 2.0 % of the horse’s body weight per day when used as a hay extender. Complete feeds are products designed to provide a balanced diet and fiber in one package. Beet pulp or alfalfa is usually the fiber source. Equine nutritionists advise to feed at least _ pound per 100 pounds of body weight per day in long stem fiber (hay).
In the winter horses should be offered more hay or sources of long-stem fiber. The digestion of long-stem fiber in the hind gut cre-
ates heat. Do not increase the con- centrate or add corn to the diet – it does not keep them warm. Extra grain increases calories, resulting in extra energy or weight gain…and increases the chance of colic and laminitis if overfed. Feed more hay – to the point it is being wasted.
Using wheat bran as a forage source is a common myth and faulty advice. It provides less fiber than oats. Bran also has inverted calcium to phosphorus ratio; so large amounts should not be fed. Feeding a bran mash can cause more harm than good. Do not feed bran to horses.
Instead let’s provide our favorite digestive system (horse) with the proper diet…plenty of good quality long-stem forage.
* Proper nutrition and manage- ment practices can prevent many problems associated with caring for horses. You can learn how to provide your horse with a better life-style by taking the online course “How to Feed for Maxi- mum Performance” taught by Eleanor Blazer. Go to www.horsecoursesonline.com for more information. Visit Eleanor’s web site at www.thewayofhorses.com
A Horse, Of Course Make Money With Horses
which a shoe can be shaped and tacked into place. Farrier competitions are about the speed of using tools, not about time and consideration for a healthy hoof.
book.)
By Don Blazer Speed kills.
It’s a common phrase among race horse trainers. It can mean “rushing a horse’s training” causes injuries. It can mean a horse that runs too fast early in a race will have nothing left for the finish. It can mean too much speed by any horse is going to end in physical breakdown. And physical breakdown for a horse can mean the end of a career, a lifetime of lameness, euthana- sia.
Speed kills. stantly. Yet we exalt speed con-
We glorify the capture and “competition-training” of a horse in three days, praising the clinicians’ horsemanship skills, when in actuality they’ve done nothing but “flooded” the horse into sub- mission. A horse can be sub- dued in three hours, yet all horses require a “lifetime” of training.
Farrier competitions are not about the balancing or understanding of the horse’s hoof, but about the speed with
When a horse is suffering joint problems or other aches and pains, there’s a rush to get the horse back into competi- tion and we “hail the supple- ments” that allow us to contin- ue a “speedy” destruction. We know speed kills, so why don’t we slow down? For most of mankind, life and the world are about faster, higher, stronger, longer. When we’re young, every- thing is about speed. We can’t wait to get there, have this, enjoy that. We don’t want to do one thing at a time; we want to do 10 things at once. We want to jump on our horses (bareback because we can’t take time to groom and saddle) and race to the far end of the property. We don’t have time to “stop and smell the roses” because we are too busy rushing to accomplish nothing.
When we start to get a lit- tle more serious about our horsemanship we start looking for all the short cuts to suc- cess.
We’re going to go to the weekend “expo” and see seven different clinicians each of which as the magic bullet, car- rot stick, down-under wand, resistance free bridle, be good halter and clicker tricker. Or we’re going to take pri- vate lessons and speed up our arrival at “expert” in riding and training. And if this instructor should fail in get- ting us to the top, then we can quickly change to someone else; there is never a shortage of speed merchants.
But there will come a time when you will know that speed kills.
And then you will no longer be impressed by speed. Instead, you’ll be impressed by the art of horse- manship practiced over a life- time.
You’ll be pleased by the fact no horse’s training is ever finished; there is no need to rush. You’re never going to complete the journey, so you can enjoy the journey.
By Don Blazer
Steven R. Covey found his niche, exploited it, and made millions. His niche was telling others how to be effective in business, at work, or simply in organizing them- selves to have a great day. Steven R. Covey is the author of The Seven Habits of Effective People, which has now sold more than 15 million copies and contin- ues to sell 50,000 to 100,000 copies per month. Chief Executive magazine chose the book as the most influential book of the 20th century. Time Magazine in 1996 named Covey one of the 25 most influential Americans.
You can do what Covey has done…and you can do it by finding your niche within the horse industry, then practicing
Videos are going to show us how a horse can go from green to a championship, and it’s only going to take one hour and 20 minutes. (We sel- dom read about horsemanship, training and health care because reading is too slow, and everyone knows you can’t learn horsemanship from a
Whatever you want to teach your horse, whatever you want to accomplish, it isn’t going to get done in a day, or a week or even a month. What you can teach, what you can accomplish today is a tiny bit more under- standing by your horse. And that’s enough. Slow down! Speed kills!
Visit A Horse, Of Course on the Internet at www.don- blazer.com
the Seven Habits, plus Covey’s 8th habit—find your voice and inspire oth- ers to find theirs. Don’t ignore that longing to make a difference.
According to Covey, the most difficult habit to form and practice is: seek first to understand, then to be understood. Covey says in order to establish this habit you have “to listen more and speak less.” The other six habits
are:
Be proactive. Covey encourages you to take the initiative and be responsi- ble for yourself.
mind. He says to develop a mental image of how pro- jects, including your life, will turn out.
Put first things first. He advises you use some discipline and put off today’s pleasures for
Begin with the end in
greater future pleasures. Think win/win. According to Covey there is plenty for everyone. It is possible, Covey says, for everyone to enjoy gains in every transaction.
Synergize. Covey believes the whole is greater than its parts.
Sharpen the saw. Covey says this means you must improve physically, mentally, emotionally and spiritually.
Here’s a Covey goal you can adopt: “My goal in life is to be the kind of per- son my dog thinks I am.”
Don Blazer teaches the course, The Business of Making Money With Hors- es for HorseCoursesOn- line.com’s equine degree or professional certification programs.
Advertise in
The Rider Extra!
Call (905) 387-1900, 1-877-743-3715
barry@therider.com
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29