Re: Re: Apples/Carrots

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

> Think of carrots & apples as equivalent to grain (whatever they'll eat,
> in my book!) but remember that to work that way you have to feed them in
> the same kind of quantities.  IOW, an apple is a treat but a pound of
> apples will do the same for you on a ride as a pound of grain.
>
> -Abby


Nope, not quite---that's true if you removed all the water content of apples
and carrots, but not "as fed", that is, fresh and 85-89% water.  If fed
fresh, than it takes about eight pounds of carrots or apples to provide
roughly the same energy as a pound of corn, or about 1.25 pounds of oats.
Also, keep in mind that in feeding eight pounds of carrots, you're also
providing just under a gallon of water, not a bad thing during any ride.
And lastly, because presumably a horse will take longer to vacuum down eight
pounds of carrots than he will a pound of grain (though sometimes I'm not so
sure), and water is being consumed as part of the package, you automatically
avoid some of the inherent pitfalls of feeding concentrated grain meals.  So
carrying along a few pounds of carrots between vet checks and handing them
out is usually easier than almost anything else (and face it, if your horse
is refusing carrots, something is wrong)<g>, and provides appreciable
nutritional support throughout the day. :-)

Susan G