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This time of year can be hectic, what with mares coming into season, foaling, and breeding, and all of this on top of the average daily grind! Keeping a few feeding and nutrition tips in mind will help smooth out the breeding and foaling season and help insure healthier, happier horses. Open mares that you’re intending to breed this season should be in good flesh (body condition score 5) and perhaps even gaining a little weight. This will help regulate their reproductive cycle and...
The most common problem with horse pasture is that there is not enough of it. People underestimate the needs of their horse and the size of their pasture. Then the pasture ends up overgrazed. The horse eats the grass down to the dirt, which allows weeds--things the horse would not normally eat--to take over. "Diagnosis of pasture poisoning is difficult unless you know what the horse ate," says Dr. Gavin Meerdink, clinical professor of toxicology at the University of...
Intestinal impaction is a common ailment in horses. When the pipes are backed up, most horses exhibit some signs of colic. Most if not all horses will experience some form of mild impaction colic in their life. Some horses will become severely ill and require surgical correction. Fortunately, with proper treatment, more than 95 percent of horses that colic recover with no lasting problems. From an engineering standpoint, the design of a horse' digestive tract is a disaster. At several...
Horse owners are becoming more educated about pasture management and forage selection. As a result, they are improving the quality of the forages their horses are grazing. Yet, even when a pasture is well managed, horses may require nutritional supplementation to meet their needs. When might your horse need access to more than just forage? Consider the following: * Quality of forage: Refers to many things, but includes the nutrient balance (energy, sugar, protein,...
All horses, no matter what age, need a properly balanced diet that is built around a forage base. Their bodies are built to use forage best. "Feeding horses is simple and needs to be kept that way. Don't ever supplement unless it is with the advice of a nutritionist or veterinarian," cautions Dr. R. D. Scoggins, retired equine extension veterinarian at the University of Illinois College of Veterinary Medicine at Urbana. Horses require grain less often than owners...
Texans love their horses – whether they are kept in ranchette paddocks or ranch-sized pastures. In fact, Texans spend an estimated $342 million annually buying and selling horses – whether they be miniatures, saddle ponies, working Quarter Horses, Thoroughbreds, or draft stock. Feeding horses is an industry in itself, but the bottom-line for horse owners to remember is "they all need good groceries," according to two horse experts speaking at the Western Rolling...
Toxins produced by molds, poisonous plants, fungi, and poisonous insects can hide in hay. Specific management efforts when baling, buying, and feeding hay can reduce the likelihood that you will accidentally poison your horse. Eliminating toxins from hay begins in the field. "First of all, walk the pasture you intend to cut and bale," says Dr. Val Beasley, veterinary toxicologist at the University of Illinois College of Veterinary Medicine in Urbana. "It is...
The obesity trend is affecting every man, woman and child in America today. Unfortunately, pets are suffering the same overindulgences and are succumbing to this trend. Oftentimes we forget that many horses are companion animals as well and can suffer their own problems from obesity. For the health of your companion, it is important to address weight issues in animals. The first step to addressing the problem is recognizing that your horse is overweight. It isn't necessary to be able to...
Joint health is important for any athlete, and arthritis is painful at any age – whether you’re a human or a horse. Horses were the focus of two recent studies in the department of animal science at Texas A&M University. One study indicated that supplemental dietary Omega 3 fatty acids reduced inflammation in younger horses that could become race or show horses, said Drs. Pete Gibbs and Brett Scott, both Texas Cooperative Extension horse specialists. The other showed...
A change in diet can be good for what ails you – even if you are a horse. Research from Texas A&M University showed that feeding alfalfa to horses that have the potential to be high performers either prevented or was therapeutic in treating stomach ulcers. “Something in alfalfa hay tends to buffer acid production,” said Dr. Pete Gibbs, Extension horse specialist. Thirty percent of the 1 million horses in Texas are used in racing, showing and competitive...
The drought-plagued summer in the Mid Atlantic and Southeast Regions has resulted in decreased hay supplies and soaring prices. As winter approaches, many people are starting to feel the pinch. The average horse eating only hay needs approximately 2% of their body weight in good quality hay each day to meet their energy needs. That’s roughly 20 pounds of hay each day for a 1000-pound horse. Adding a concentrate (grain) to the horse’s diet can reduce the hay requirement to 1-1.5 % of their body...
When feeding hay through the winter, horse owners should be aware of their horses' protein requirements and the protein content of the feed, according to a Montana equine specialist. “There is no problem with feeding too much protein to the mature horse, but excessive protein may cause developmental orthopedic disease in the young growing horse," said Sandy Gagnon, Montana State University equine specialist of Bozeman, Mont. “On the other hand, there could be problems...
Performance horses are often plagued with injuries arising from skeletal systems that are ill-prepared for the rigors of exercise. This creates many issues. Among the major ones is the welfare of the animal. A second would be public perception, which is a concern when horses are injured in front of the general public. A third is the cost associated with treating injuries and the lost income when a horse is not able to train and compete. Any of these issues by themselves should be...
Because we are so short on pasture grass and hay this fall, horse owners are looking for alternative forage sources. Owners beware, there are a few things you DO NOT want to do. During drought conditions, like this past summer, forages may be scarce. Overgrazing encourages animals to consume plant species that they may normally avoid. However, when feed is short, or animals are hungry, plants normally avoided become a tempting source of feed, thus a potential poisoning problem. Adverse...
Alltech’s organic selenium, Sel-Plex®, recently received clearance in equine supplements from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Sel-Plex also received clearance for complete equine feeds in 2004. This clearance allows horse owners to offer Sel-Plex in a full range of feeding applications, including equine supplements. Sel-Plex is an organic selenium yeast produced by Saccharomyces cerevisiae CNCM I-3060. Sel-Plex was also cleared for certain companion animals, including...
Horses need more feed to replace energy loss brought about by harsher weather conditions as the temperature turns colder, and that means equine owners need to take steps to ensure colic does not become a problem. Equine owners must practice sound management in altering their animals’ rations if problems with colic or founder are to be avoided, said Dave Freeman, Oklahoma Cooperative Extension Service equine specialist. “Concentrate composition and amounts should be increased...
Although it is still a well-kept secret from many Pennsylvania farmers, an Ethiopian summer annual grass called teff could be a valuable asset to growers, according to a crop specialist in Penn State’s College of Agricultural Sciences. Marvin Hall, professor of forage management in the department of crop and soil sciences, is optimistic that teff can be grown in Pennsylvania as successfully as other summer-annual grasses. “I must admit I was skeptical at first,” he says....
As a horse owner, you play an important role in controlling your equine companion’s weight. Sound nutrition management, a regular exercise program and veterinary care are key to keeping your horse fit and healthy. Maintaining the ideal weight is not always easy, however. When implementing a weight loss program for the overweight horse, it’s important to do it gradually and under the supervision of an equine veterinarian. Follow these guidelines from the American Association of...
You invest a lot of care and appreciation on your horses, so it is wise to spend some time considering their primary diet -- forages. The horse evolved over time to be efficient as a grazing animal thriving on forages. As we adapted the horse for colder climates, the horse was well-suited to thrive on hay and other conserved forages. Currently in Montana, we have many pleasure horses on small acreages that subsist on hay 365 days a year, and their only involvement with...
With alfalfa harvest falling short and much of Ohio's pastureland unsuitable for forage due to this season's drought, managing adequate, high-quality feed for horses has become a challenge for many owners. Gary Wilson, an Ohio State University Extension educator for Hancock County, said that horses are more sensitive to feed than cattle and graze more often than other livestock. In times of dry conditions, keeping a horse happy and healthy can be difficult. "Horses are more...