Re: RC: alfalfa diet for horses that "tie-up"

[CMKSAGEHIL@aol.com]

In a message dated 3/27/00 1:01:48 PM Pacific Standard Time, 
mountss@usfca.edu writes:

<<  I had been under the
 impression that alfalfa was not a good idea for a horse that has tied up,
 and was restricting Natty mostly to grass hay.  Did I miss the boat on
 this???? >>

Depends on why a particular horse ties up.  There are many different 
causes--in some individuals, excess calcium in the daily diet seems to be a 
factor, as these horses cannot mobilize calcium well during exertion.  If 
that is NOT what causes a particular horse to tie up, though, then it won't 
have an effect.  I think the problem here is that there are so many different 
"causes" put together in one "syndrome" that we sometimes forget that we have 
to take each case back to its root causes to accurately control or prevent 
the problem, and just because one protocol worked brilliantly for Horse A 
does not mean that it will address the issues of Horse B, even if they appear 
to be clinically similar.

Heidi