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Thread Four: http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/1332664/posts |
Posted on 12/30/2004 7:01:16 PM PST by HairOfTheDog
Free Republic has a lot of horse people that have found each other on other threads . And since we all like to talk horses, how about a thread where it is not off-topic, but is THE topic?
This is a horse chat thread where we share ideas, ask for input from other horsemen, and talk about our riding and horse-keeping. We have a lot of different kinds of riders and horses, and a lot to share. In the previous threads we have had a great time talking through lessons, training, horse lamenesses, illnesses and pregnancies... and always sharing pictures and stories.
I always have a link to this thread on my profile page, so if you have something to say and can't find the thread in latest posts look for it there and wake the thread up!
I also have a ping list for horse threads that are of interest, and Becky pings everyone most mornings. Let Becky (Paynoattentionmanbehindthecurtain) and/or me know if you would like to be on the ping list. As FreeRepublic is a political site, our politics and other issues will probably blend in . There are many issues for horsemen that touch politics land use, animal rights/abuse cases that make the news . Legislation that might affect horse owners.
So... like the previous threads, this is intended as fun place to come and share stories, pictures, questions and chit-chat, unguided and unmoderated and that we come together here as friends. There are lots of ways of doing things and we all have our quirks, tricks and specialties that are neat to learn about.
Very true.
Yeah. My first thought was call the vet because she hasn't called me about cuts before. Then I'm thinking she's been doing this awhile. We are just going to pay another months strorage and blow this trip off til next week. Truck breaking down, I can't find the trailer tags, new cat and now this....I'll talk to yall later.
Sometimes a few small stones can start an avalanche....
I just got back from the feed store. I figured my ticket. The Horse Chow is 7.50 a 50lb bag, tax included in that. My average size Quarter Horses get just a little more then 100lb's a week, Rocky gets a little less then a 100. So it would be a little more then 15.00 per horse per week.
It's raining pretty good. I flew home, to keep my bags from getting wet.
Becky
Do you actually measure it in pounds on a scale when you feed, or did you weigh a can once and just go by volume of a can? How much volume is in a feeding?
Good morning,
The mini's think they own the place :) and have become as gentle as dogs and follow you around like one.
I measured it for years with a set of scales. Till the scales fell off the table and broke:(.
A 3 lb coffee can heaping full weighs 4 lb's. Rocky, and Rusty each get about 1 1/4 cans 3x's a day, Rocky actually a little less then that.
I just bumped Harley up to 1 1/2. I thought he looked like he dropped a bit. He IS a bigger horse then the other two.
Belle right now is getting 1 1/2, but by the end of her pregnacy and while lactating it will go up to 2 can's 3 x's a day and about 1 lb of calf manna. That's what she got when in foal with Dot, and she never dropped weight thru the whole thing.
Becky
Thank you :)
OH, and I wanted to tell you, there are a few other companines that make complete pellets. I've used other brands.
I tried Blue Bonnets a few years ago. The horses actually did not like them as well. They look the same, but something was different. Rusty especially, (he is picky tho) didn't eat them as well, would leave some sometimes. They love Horse Chow tho.
Purina makes other types of complete pellets. Equine Senior, adult, and foal. I've used the adult. I didn't like it for 2 reasons. 1) alot more expensive 2) it has alot of molasses in it and in the winter that made it very very hard to scoop. Stuff was like a solid brick.
Becky
I'm late getting on - please update. If it's a puncture wound, keep it open.
Bay's senior pellet has a lot of molasses in it, and it's pretty sticky. I've taken him off of that for awhile... he's fat enough, nothing hard-keeper about him yet, I was cutting it with cob anyway, so it's easier for now to just feed everyone the same 12%. If he starts having difficulty keeping weight, I'll re-think it then.
I had a time with a cut over Hope's right eye last summer. She must've whacked in on something pretty good because in addition to the gash, she had a huge knot on her head for a couple of months. I didn't see it for probably 24 hours since I can only get out there to feed once a day, so it was too late to stitch. It looked really deep, but alot of it may have been the swelling. I doctored it as best I could, but it got infected and festered something awful. I had to scrub the crud off of it every afternoon, then irrigate it with a solution of betadine, epsom salt and pickling salt in hot water in a syringe. It took forever to heal, and I thought it'd leave a horrible scar, but it didn't. You might could find it if you shaved her head, but you sure can't see it otherwise. I was really supprised. Maybe it was because she was only 2mths old.
The Horse Chow 100 I use has 10% protien.
All my horses, with the exception of Rusty are very easy keepers too, and require less then the reccommended amout. I think you just have to play with it for awhile and watch the horses closely. I've been giving Harley the same amount as Rusty and Rocky all winter so far, and he's really a bigger horse, and probably still growing some. Just in the last few weeks did I think he was dropping abit. I wanted to up him too since I'm hoping to start using him more.
Rocky stays the same, when being use or not. I think the regular worming is more key to them being easy keepers or not, unless they have some other problem, like Rusty. But because Rusty has improved so much since I've had him, I really think this feed really fills all their needs. Of course he would have picked up on hay/grain too, the complete just takes alot of the guess work out of if they are getting everything.
Becky
And as their entire daily ration.... that's good... 12% protein grain is a good percentage when fed along with hay that is probably more like 8-10%... But with hay it's always guesswork on the nutrition in it, I have no idea the difference between the really green orchard grass hay and this local bland stuff.
Just for comparison, I am feeding Cyn three small 1-lb coffee cans of 12% morning and night.... Bay gets two (plus his joint supplement) pony gets 1.
Hey - since you just realized how old Rocky is... he might benefit from a joint combo supplement now.... even though you probably don't want to think about him that way ;~D
I've been amazed how well horses do heal without scarring.
I've seen 2 incidents where I would have thought there was going to be a big scar.
A friend of mine had a pony that just about decapitated herself on a piece of tin. You could see in that cut clear to what ever it is that is in their necks. Stick your whole hand in it and down inside. It was really gross, and couldn't be stitched because of the location. She doctored it every day, cleaned it out and used Cut Heal. It healed fast, and left no decernible scar.
Dot got run thru a fence one time when she was about 2. She got a cut where her front leg conneted to her body. It was big and unlike the cut on that pony, her cut was jagged, flaps of hide hanging. It took longer to heal, couldn't be stitched either. It was gross too. It swelled real bad. As it started to heal, with every step she took the yellowish gunk bubbled out. YOu could hear it. I took her to the vet because I thought it was infected and he said that that drainage was good, it was the fluid from the swelling coming out. You can see no scar now on her either. We doctored that with Cut Heal. That's about the only thing I use on cuts. It's kind of messy stuff, but I think it really works.
Becky
That might not be a bad idea to consider. (Oh how I wish Dr. Antle was still alive:), Anyway, any recommendations on any supplement for that? I do believe prevention is better then curing/doctoring.
Becky
Bay's knees looked so bad the incident when he fell on them that I worried... and I think I worried because of the dang Black Beauty books. Didn't the red mare that was his friend have really scarred knees? I think that image stuck with me and I wondered if the hair would come back on his knees and it did.
I think the worst scarring on horses happens from barbed wire... lots of horses have the tell-tale holes in hide that barbed wire takes... I think because it just takes chunks out. Bay has one in his neck. I am sure it happened way back in his youth.
I definitly think barbed wire makes nastier cuts. That is what Dot got run thru. I guess if you shaved the hair where that cut was you may see a scar, but even in summer when she's slick you can't see anything.
I use to have an Arab that was real bad to paw the fence at feed time while I was measuring. He had no patience:) Our preimeter is fenced with barbed wire. He cut the bulbs of his heels 2 times real bad. Those are hard cuts to heal in those areas. He did have a scar. It wasn't a bad ugly one, but it was definitly there. After the second time we took the bottom strand off.
Becky
Oh, and yeah, that was Ginger in Black Beauty that had the bad knees:)
Becky
It is a joint, hoof and coat supplement.
Glucosamine HCl, Condroitin, MSM, Biotin and other stuff in it. ~some~ horses get hot on Biotin, but it's great for feet and coat... Bay does OK on it... at least, no hotter than an Arab horse should be ;~D
A tub of it lasts about a month, it's $42. Bay's good on it... not sure if he'd be worse without it... but as my vet's wife says... "might be helping, might just be expensive pee."
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