Re: Re: Complete Feed Recommendations

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

> Yes, we'll have a support vehicle following our progress.  However, we
won't
> always be in contact with it so will carry horse feed on our pack animals.
> We worry about grazing in some places so that's why we want to have proper
> feed that will take care of our equines when grazing isn't a possibility.
> Transporting hay for 6 to 8 equines is out of the question.

Then I'd pack a bag or two of  pellets, preferably one that has some grain
product included but with a crude fiber content of > 16-18%.  Purina's
Equine Adult or Horse Chow would be possibilities, or even potentially
something like Equine Senior (or their equivalents from other
manufacturers).  Complete Advantage would be fine, too, although I'm just
not wild about the idea of feeding it as the sole feed.  I'd be a lot
happier feeding it as a supplement along with some grazing.  You can also
consider packing a bag of straight beet pulp pellets, but especially if your
guys are going to be potentially a little dehydrated, I'd really suggest
soaking it well and that requires packing some buckets or tubs.  And of
course, make sure that you're feeding them things that they've been getting
for awhile---don't just wait until you're in the middle of nowhere and then
plop down a bunch of feed they've never seen before.  Trying to get a field
call from a vet when all you can provide is longtitude and latitude would be
Not Fun.

I guess if I had to make a decision myself when I wasnt sure there would be
plenty of grazing, then my choice would be to carry a bag of forage-based
pellets or cubes with a crude fiber content of >16%, plus a bag of Complete
Advantage, plus find an overnight site that had *some* sort of grazing
available.

I have a good friend who's been a professional pack outfitter for about
forty years and when he was taking dozens of animals into the high country
for hunting trips, he said his stock maintained weight and did just fine
with no problems if they got about an hour and a half of grazing a day
(regardless of the quality of the graze), plus about 3 pounds of alfalfa
cubes, plus another 2-3 pounds of grain, plus maybe a half cup of Mazola
corn oil dribbled on top of their rations.  These are mostly 1200 lb horses
or mules carrying 200 lbs and covering 15-20 miles a day at high altitude.

I'm going to go on my first (solo) pack trip this summer and even though I
expect the grazing to be adequate, I'm going to carry a bag of alfalfa
pellets and a bag of Complete Advantage for four animals for about five
days.

Susan G