NOVEMBER 2023 THE RIDER /15


Ontario Reined Cow Horse Association Werner Bohner, President, 519-209-8196


Craig Black, Vice President, 519-874-1294


To promote the reined cow horse in Ontario through education, participation, and mentorship


Or visit us at our website: www.orcha.ca Ontario Reined Cow Horse Association News November 2023


petitors, volunteers and sponsors for another great year. Looking forward to 2024! The Ontario Reined Cow Horse Association would like to congratulate our 2023 Year End Award winners!


Thank you to all our com-


Open Champion: Werner Bohner & Casey


Open Reserve Champion: Greg Crispin & Showtime Hy


Non-Pro Champion: Werner Bohner & Casey


Non-Pro Reserve Champion: Bailey Donaldson & Long Cool- ish Woman


OptiMizing our Hay Supply this Winter


it. With a dry May, followed by record amounts of rain in June and July 2023, the harvesting of high quality, first cut hay was seriously challenged. We simply could not ”make hay while the sun shines” because we did not have the consecutive days of sunshine required to cut, dry and bale hay this sum- mer.


vested over 3 different months. Working with Madeline Boast, our equine nutritionist, all 3 major ver- sions have been tested so that we can buffet the hay to meet the changing needs of our horses over the winter.


calories, protein and sugar. The June hay has lower calories and protein, but very high sugar. The July hay was very mature when it was harvested and is the lowest nutritionally, but also thankfully low in sugar. The July hay had the highest moisture count level and is most at risk for mold. It is also the least palatable hay for the horses based on how picky they are when they are eating it.


Table 1: Comparing Hay Groups for Calories, Protein, Sugar and Moisture Parameter


Units Moisture


% % %


Typical Range May Low High


Digestible Energy Mcal/kg 1.91 - 2.24 Crude Protein NSC


10.0 - 15.0 10 - 12 6 - 15


2.46 17.9


13.15 15.6


June


2.01 9.11


17.15 16.1


July


1.87 8.84


10.95 17


samples. If we were dispensing the hay at a Tim Hortons drive-thru, the May hay is like a Boston Cream Donut (310 cals) while the July hay is like an Egg White Breakfast Sandwich (240 cals). And the May hay seems the most palatable, based on how the horses gobble it … just like I would eat a Boston Cream Donut.


hay to balance calories and protein. We will consider putting small (1.25”) nets on the OptiMizers to reduce the feed rate of this yummy hay.


Chewie and Jasper sharing high NSC hay that was pre-soaked in their OptiMizer InStall. To soak hay, plug the drainage hole, add hay and


boiling water. When the water cools, pull the plug and drain the water into a bucket under the feeder.


what you have and how you feed it.


ing year for hay. Good horse hay is in short supply and expensive. More than ever, it is important to get hay analyzed so that you can make informed choices on how to fully optimize


InStalls to lower the NSC for the 2 metabolic horses. 2023 was a challeng-


●As the weather gets cold, we will start mixing in a few flakes of May hay, to a maximum of 25% of the mix per OptiMizer. When the July hay is used up, we will switch the remaining 75% to the June


●We may soak some of the June hay in our OptiMizer


● For October - November, we will feed the July hay. The horses still have some pasture, the weather is not too cold and we want to use it up in case of mold. We load the OptiMizers with bales of July hay, quickly look through the flakes and pull out/discard any flakes that show signs of mold or dust. We’ve discarded about 2% of the hay so far.


Here is the buffet we are planning for our horses this winter: One of the most striking things about our hay analysis was the wide range in calories between


bank barn. In winter, they tend to be outside most of the time day and night, and most are never blan- keted. They are on a forage-first diet and always have access to hay in their OptiMizer slow feeders. They consume what they need, which changes with the weather. For example in bitter cold winter weather, they may consume double the amount of hay, in order to generate the body heat needed to keep themselves warm. The analysis showed significant differences between our hay (Table 1). The May hay has high


(gypsy vanner, rocky mountain horse, appaloosa) and 3 harder keepers (senior horses, all over 20). Coming into the winter, they all have adequate body condition scores, except the gypsy vanner who is somewhat obese at 7.5, despite muzzling all summer long. The other 2 easy keepers have histories of equine metabolic syndrome and laminitis. We need to carefully consider Non Structural Carbohydrates (NSC) levels for these 2 horses to keep them healthy. Our horses live outside all the time on a track system with free access to shelter in a large, cozy


Our herd currently consists of 6 horses. They too, are a mixed bag. There are 3 easy keepers As a result, we have ended up with a mixed bag of hay for the winter: two different sources har-


By Sue Wilson An old dairy farmer told me that 2023 was his worst year for harvesting hay since 1992. I believe


Intermediate Non-Pro Cham- pion: Kash Lang & San Peppy Spook


Intermediate Non-Pro Reserve Champion: Louise Harris & Lil Pepto Gal


Novice Horse Champion: Greg Crispin & Showtime Hy


Novice Horse Reserve Cham- pion: Greg Crispin & Boonlight Addiction


Open Boxing Champion: Brit- tany Lang & Two Eyed Chexinic


Open Boxing Reserve Cham- pion: Hayley Bathgate & Lena’s Lil Star


Limited Non Pro Champion: Brittany Lang & Two Eyed Chexinic


Limited Non Pro Reserve Champion: Jamie Wall & Five


Star Sparky


Green As Grass Champion: Harvey Colling & Definitely Cashenchex


Green As Grass Reserve Champion: Emily Zakrajsek & Cats A Whiz


Youth Limited Champion: William Wall & Five Star Sparky


Box & Drive Champion: Michelle Schira & Levi’s Red Automatic


Box & Drive Reserve Cham- pion: Rachel Neiser & Nic It In The Tank


Ranch Riding & Boxing Champion: Hayley Bathgate & Lena’s Lil Star


Ranch Riding & Boxing Re- serve Champion: Sherry Black


& Lectric Bill


Open Herdwork Champion: Jon Walker & Ben


Open Herdwork Reserve Champion: Karen Hudon & Festus


Intermediate Non Pro Herd- work Champion: Jeff Whitely & Come Away With Me


Intermediate Non Pro Herd- work Reserve: Bailey Donald- son & Long Coolish Woman


Green as Grass Herdwork Champion: Nancy Banick & Darksideoftheboon


Green as Grass Herdwork Re- serve Champion: Jay McGrath & Dual Peps Tom Cat


ORCHA Sponsors


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