quiz time again :-)

["Susan Garlinghouse" <suendavid@worldnet.att.net>]

Hi guys,
A sincere thank you to everyone for helping out with this, I got tons of
replies---I think I have a pretty good handle on whether or not this is a
relevant topic for the convention seminar (looks like it is).  Out of the
seven questions, I think the average "score" was about 43% or three out of
seven.  Here are the answers, plus a very brief explanation---for the
details, guess you'll have to come to Reno (or the Central region
conference, or the Minnesota Horse Fair). :-)

BTW, except for #4 being "C", all of the answers were false, based on
current best research knowledge.


1. Given appropriate choices, horses are capable of balancing their own
 calcium-phosphorus ratios.

False.  The only mineral that horses will actively develop an appetite for
is salt.  If you mix salt, sugar or other nummies into a calcium supplement,
they'll eat it, but no evidence of accurately balancing to the correct
ratios.

 2. Feeding a cup of vinegar on a daily basis will dissolve and/or prevent
 enteroliths (gut stones).

False.  UC Davis estimated that TWO cups a day of vinegar (any vinegar) will
somewhat acidify the hindgut to contribute to prevention of stone formation.
There are plenty of "miracle cures" sold as well, none of which have a bit
of research (or even a sound hypotheses) behind them.  Feeding a diet with
an appropriate dietary cation-anion balance and which produces some hindgut
organic acids is a much more effective way to manage "stones".

 3.  Horses do not absorb or digest animal-fat sources nearly as well as
they
 do vegetable-source fats.

False.  The digestibility, absorption and calorie content is virtually the
same.

 4.  A cold storm has suddenly blown in and your horse is looking a little
 cold out there.  The best way to help him maintain body heat until it warms
 up again is to:

Feed him the flake of alfalfa, as the high protein content will create
significant metabolic heat for several hours.  Feeding an extra cup of oil
or grian will add calories which, if fed in excess of calorie demands, will
get stored away as body fat, which in turn will act as insulation against
the cold.  So those are good strategies before that cold storm ever blows
in, but won't help stoke the furnace that very day.

Alot of people mentioned feeding a big helping of grass hay and to some
extent, the heat of digesting the extra fiber will help too, although not
nearly as much as the extra protein will.  And, of course, alfalfa is a good
source of fiber as well, so you get the additional benefit from both fiber
and protein.

 5. Adding a biotin supplement increases the rate of growth of new hoof
 tissue.

False.  Biotin increases the *quality* of hoof growth, but not the rate.

 6. Wheat bran mashes have laxative qualities and so are helpful in
 preventing colic or impactions in horses.

False.  Bran has laxative properties in humans and dogs and other
monogastric species, but not in herbivores, who digest the fiber down just
as they would hay or grass or beet pulp.

7.  Feeding supplemental vitamin C on a daily basis, and pre-loading with
 heavier doses prior to a stressful event, is a good way to boost the immune
 system to prevent disease.

False.  Sarah Ralston at Rutgers has been studying this for quite awhile and
her opinion (currently the best one available by far) is that vitamin C
*during* stress is helpful, but pre-loading or feeding it as a daily, normal
supplement just gears up the body to excrete it faster, and thus might even
be deterimental.

Hope to see y'all at convention, and thanks again for the help. :-)

susan g