Free Republic
Browse · Search
General/Chat
Topics · Post Article

Skip to comments.

FreeRepublic Saddle Club thread! - Thread 12

Posted on 08/07/2007 7:33:14 AM PDT by HairOfTheDog

The FreeRepublic Saddle Club - (very out of date) Who's Who *pics*

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, usually about our horses, sometimes about our dogs, gardens and other stuff we do. :~)

I have a ping list for horse threads that are of interest, and MissTargets will ping everyone most mornings. Let MissTargets and/or me know if you would like to be on the ping list.

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.

Previous threads:

The FreeRepublic Saddle Club thread - thread ONE
The FreeRepublic Saddle Club thread - Thread TWO!
The FreeRepublic Saddle Club thread - Thread THREE!
The FreeRepublic Saddle Club thread! - Thread FOUR
The FreeRepublic Saddle Club thread! - Thread FIVE
The FreeRepublic Saddle Club thread! - Thread SIX
The FreeRepublic Saddle Club thread! - Thread SEVEN
The FreeRepublic Saddle Club thread! - Thread EIGHT
The FreeRepublic Saddle Club thread! - Thread NINE
The FreeRepublic Saddle Club thread! - Thread TEN
The FreeRepublic Saddle Club thread! - Thread 11

New folk and occasional posters, jump right in and introduce yourselves, tell us about your horses, and post pictures if you've got them!


TOPICS: Pets/Animals
KEYWORDS: saddleclub
Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first previous 1-20 ... 3,421-3,4403,441-3,4603,461-3,480 ... 11,401-11,413 next last
To: PayNoAttentionManBehindCurtain

Well, I guess most horses don’t really have a problem with the sugars and starch. They just get fat on it. But heck, if you feed just plain oats, thinking that you’re doing good by eliminating the sugar in the molasses, you’re actually doing worse because the carbs are higher. That’s what I did when Tennessee first started having problems with his feet. Then I wondered why he kept gaining weight and didn’t get any better. If I hadn’t found that yahoo group and learned enough to change the way I was feeding him and trimming his feet, he’d probably have had to be put down by now.


3,441 posted on 11/09/2007 7:08:16 AM PST by FrogInABlender (Don't take life too seriously. No one gets out alive.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 3439 | View Replies]

To: FrogInABlender
I’d love to use the Horse Chow 100 but nobody around here carries it.

That makes me feel good:)

I had to ask my Purina Dealer to get it in specifically. He didn't carry it either till I asked for it. I had read about it in a Purina pamphlet one year when we had trouble getting hay. This was before Purina came out with all the other complete feeds they now have. Now from the amount I see that he keeps in his shop he is selling a lot of it. I checked the dates on the bags to make sure he wasn't overstocking and it wasn't fresh, but it appears he's just selling that much. If you have a Purina dealer, I'd just ask them to get it in.

I feed it to Belle when she was carrying Dot, and she remained it excellent condition thru out, and never lost weight while nursing. Of course I upped it to the full amount recommended, and I also add Calf Manna the last month and thru the nursing stage, hoping it would help her mild production.

Becky

3,442 posted on 11/09/2007 7:10:42 AM PST by PayNoAttentionManBehindCurtain
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 3440 | View Replies]

To: PayNoAttentionManBehindCurtain

mild=milk

Becky


3,443 posted on 11/09/2007 7:12:52 AM PST by PayNoAttentionManBehindCurtain
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 3442 | View Replies]

To: FrogInABlender

BTW, you have mail:)

Becky


3,444 posted on 11/09/2007 7:16:55 AM PST by PayNoAttentionManBehindCurtain
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 3441 | View Replies]

To: FrogInABlender

An interesting story about the Horse Chow.

When I first read about it and asked the dealer to get it in and why I wanted it he at first refused to get it. Said it was not natural to not give a horse hay. I had to go to several different stores to finally get someone to get it, then I had a terrible time with them not keeping enough for me. After several years of fighting with them to keep enough I called Purina. This was several years after I had originally asked the Bixby store to get it.

Purina told me to go back to the store in Bixby, that he was a good reliable dealer. By this time the other complete feeds had been introduced and was becoming more accepted. The dealer now, was very cooperative about getting it in, and I’ve heard him say numerous times to people now, how great the horse chow is:)

Funny how things change.

Becky


3,445 posted on 11/09/2007 7:22:36 AM PST by PayNoAttentionManBehindCurtain
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 3441 | View Replies]

To: PayNoAttentionManBehindCurtain; HairOfTheDog; FrogInABlender
Hay for me is just something to keep them mentally happy, not nutritionally. Lesser quality hay, they don’t eat it as fast, so it lasts longer, but it does satisfy their gazing instinct which is all hay for me would be given for.

This is wrong. Horses are grazing animals and NEED good quality hay. Good hay and pasture are all a backyard horse needs. Unless a horse is a high performance athletic, lactating mare, or has a condition that requires a special diet, they do not need grain and all those supplements.

Have your soil in the pasture tested and take a core sample of the hay to the County Extension Agent, Farm Bureau or whomever does those things in your area. Then you will have a idea if there is anything lacking, that you should supplement with.

HERE is a link to a very informative site. I have known this girl for a very long time and she is very knowledgeable. Read the article "This and that about mixing feeds"

3,446 posted on 11/09/2007 7:39:40 AM PST by MissTargets
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 3409 | View Replies]

To: PayNoAttentionManBehindCurtain

Finally saw it and replied.


3,447 posted on 11/09/2007 7:43:51 AM PST by FrogInABlender (Don't take life too seriously. No one gets out alive.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 3444 | View Replies]

To: MissTargets
This is wrong.

Yes and no:)

It depends on the situation that horses are kept in. In my situation, my horses do get good quality hay in their feed. The hay that I feed "is" the supplement, more for mental satisfaction then nutrition. Their nutrition/hay is provided by the feed. There is no way my "pasture" could ever be good nutritionally, but again, for part of the year is good enough to satisfy their grazing needs. I don't care what I did to it, my pasture would never be enough. The quality/avalibilty of good hay around here is so variable that it can't be counted on.

I realize that the course of action I take in feeding my horses, is probably NOT the most ideal way to feed in general, but IMO, it's the best course for my situation for the horses and for my finances:)

Becky

3,448 posted on 11/09/2007 7:57:11 AM PST by PayNoAttentionManBehindCurtain
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 3446 | View Replies]

To: MissTargets
Well, I don't think it's wrong per se, it's just different. I think that horses can be perfectly healthy with the complete feeds they have now. They have the hay component built into them, along with the vitamins and minerals that are specifically balanced to that particular hay that's mixed in to that particular batch of feed. Then, any additional hay that they get is completely superfluous as far as their nutrition is concerned. It just keeps their gut happily working along. And of course a pasture/hay only diet is good too, as long as you do what you say and have an analysis done of your hay so that you know what is lacking. Most people don't go to the time or expense of that though, or they aren't able to buy a year's supply of hay at a time to make testing worthwhile. They just suplement with a general supplement and take a buckshot/hope-this-is-what-I-need approach. And that usually works out fine too. It's only when it doesn't that we hear about it
3,449 posted on 11/09/2007 7:58:39 AM PST by FrogInABlender (Don't take life too seriously. No one gets out alive.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 3446 | View Replies]

To: MissTargets

Our County Extension is awful... and I think the issue with pasture is both Becky and I are on small pastures... it’s not going to be enough to support them.

And the issue with hay quality is not that you’d feed lousy hay with a complete feed, but that it should be a ~bland~ hay, something they can browse all day on and not get too much. The hay I feed, for example, would be way too much if I was feeding a complete feed.


3,450 posted on 11/09/2007 8:00:06 AM PST by HairOfTheDog
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 3446 | View Replies]

To: FrogInABlender
Most people don't go to the time or expense of that though, or they aren't able to buy a year's supply of hay at a time to make testing worthwhile. They just suplement with a general supplement and take a buckshot/hope-this-is-what-I-need approach. And that usually works out fine too.

That's me to a T. I buy hay a couple weeks at a time. It's mostly from the same supplier, but still... I could go in next time and they could have different hay. Usually good hay, but it would be hard to keep testing it.

3,451 posted on 11/09/2007 8:02:57 AM PST by HairOfTheDog
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 3449 | View Replies]

To: HairOfTheDog; FrogInABlender

In the pamphlet that I read when I first started using Horse Chow, the description actually warned that there would be negative response from the “old timers” about the not feeding any other hay...it not being natural. The article went on to say, think of the pellets as tiny hay bales them selves:)

Becky


3,452 posted on 11/09/2007 8:06:26 AM PST by PayNoAttentionManBehindCurtain
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 3450 | View Replies]

To: FrogInABlender; PayNoAttentionManBehindCurtain

OK - from your link and your discussion, I guess I’m learning that the dry COB I’m feeding is really high in NSC, even though there’s no molasses.

So let’s get back to quantity. I’m only feeding a little bit... like enough to get Bay’s pills in him and make the others think they’re getting something. Bay and Cyn get a 1 lb coffee can full morning and night and the pony gets a short half.

So with those amounts in mind, you think I should still switch to something like the strategy? Are they getting enough protein?


3,453 posted on 11/09/2007 8:07:43 AM PST by HairOfTheDog
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 3449 | View Replies]

To: FrogInABlender; PayNoAttentionManBehindCurtain

Ooops - sent it too soon....

So with those amounts in mind, you think I should still switch to something like the strategy? Are they getting enough protein? Too much carbs? Other needs?


3,454 posted on 11/09/2007 8:09:21 AM PST by HairOfTheDog
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 3449 | View Replies]

To: HairOfTheDog

Well, in your case, if you wanted to keep getting the good-stuff hay, you could cut down on the complete feed or cut down on the amount of hay you’re feeding and just let them pick at the pasture the rest of the time. Either would probably work fine. I believe I saw a mention over on the Cushings Yahoo group that the lab that I use for my hay analysis has some composite tables online that have average analysis values for hays that have been submitted in a particular region for a particular year. These might be helpful for people for whom having a personal hay analysis done isn’t practical. I’ll have to go see if I can find them.


3,455 posted on 11/09/2007 8:12:23 AM PST by FrogInABlender (Don't take life too seriously. No one gets out alive.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 3450 | View Replies]

To: HairOfTheDog

LOL...this is all so complicated:)

If I understand nutrition right, the amount you feed, isn’t really the problem, is the percentages of starch and sugar in the feed you feed...No matter how little you feed, if the percentages are off, you still get the high rise of insulin when they eat it, which is not good. Will possibly cause insulin resistance and obesity...works the same in humans.

I still believe, but it’s just an opinion:), that you’d be better off feeding strategy then adding supplements. Especially since you don’t know the nutritional value of the hay and pasture. If you trust the maker of the feed, then the assumption is, Strategy is “balanced” and balance is the key.

Becky


3,456 posted on 11/09/2007 8:15:50 AM PST by PayNoAttentionManBehindCurtain
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 3454 | View Replies]

To: HairOfTheDog
I don't think protein is much of an issue in a grown horse. I think 10 or 11% is about all they need, expecially ones that lead fairly inactive lives. From what I see in the charts, the Strategy would definately be better than the COB as far as carbs go. 25% vs 60% NSC. I think Duchess said that there were two different kinds of Strategy, one balanced for Alfalfa hay and the other balanced for Bermuda. So what they're doing is taking an average analysis of which ever kind of hay and adding the supplements accordingly. Your hay is probably closer to bermuda than to alfalfa so I'd go with that kind. Then just feed it at the recommended amount for the ideal weight of each horse.
3,457 posted on 11/09/2007 8:22:27 AM PST by FrogInABlender (Don't take life too seriously. No one gets out alive.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 3454 | View Replies]

To: FrogInABlender
OK - the hay I'm buying is Eastern Washington Orchard Grass.

There's a lot of different varieties of that, the stuff our feed store gets is usually second or third cutting, no seed heads, very nearly blue in color.


3,458 posted on 11/09/2007 8:23:20 AM PST by HairOfTheDog
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 3455 | View Replies]

To: FrogInABlender

Yes... I’d want the one formulated for feeding with grass hay. I do think that’s what Tiff feeds. I had to buy a bag when Mia was going to be here.


3,459 posted on 11/09/2007 8:24:55 AM PST by HairOfTheDog
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 3457 | View Replies]

To: PayNoAttentionManBehindCurtain
If I understand nutrition right, the amount you feed, isn’t really the problem, is the percentages of starch and sugar in the feed you feed...

Tennessee was a prime example of that. I was feeding him not even a measuring cup full of oats each day but he was still blowing up like a balloon. It was mind-boggling.

3,460 posted on 11/09/2007 8:25:21 AM PST by FrogInABlender (Don't take life too seriously. No one gets out alive.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 3456 | View Replies]


Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first previous 1-20 ... 3,421-3,4403,441-3,4603,461-3,480 ... 11,401-11,413 next last

Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.

Free Republic
Browse · Search
General/Chat
Topics · Post Article

FreeRepublic, LLC, PO BOX 9771, FRESNO, CA 93794
FreeRepublic.com is powered by software copyright 2000-2008 John Robinson