Re: Hay Locator/COB Mix

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

> a good feeding plan:  What are the best ratios for mixing corn, oats,
> barley in a COB mix?

25% corn, 45% whole oats, 30% barley.

As long as the teeth are in good shape, none of the grains need to be
processed in any way---what very little increase you get in digestibility by
rolling, crimping, etc (only about 5%) is outweighed by the decrease in
shelf life for having broken the outer hull of the grain.



Also, what are the major nutritional bases that
> she will need to cover if she uses grass pasture or free choice grass
> hay (sorry I can't be more specific on the grass) & COB mix for the
> majority of the diet?

That's a pretty decent ration all by itself, and you can't get much closer
to magic than good grass pasture.  If she added just one "maintenance" dose
of any ONE (not three or five or seven) all-purpose vitamin-mineral
supplement, she'll do fine.  Adding a bunch more supplements for this and
that on top of that (with a few exceptions) isn't adding any additional
benefit and is more likely to be fouling things up in one way or another.
The only possible exception might be if the hay is coming from areas that
are deficient in selenium---typically the Pacific NW, NE, the Great Lakes
region or Florida.  In that case, she might need to add an E-selenium
supplement.  She can check with a local equine vet, or call up the county
extension agent for that information.

Of course, she'll need to provide free-choice salt---just plain, old loose
white iodized salt will do, it doesn't have to be fancy.

If she's working the horse hard and needs to feed a fair amount of grain
daily, tell her to split each grain meal in two or more meals of no more
than about 4 pounds per meal.  If the horse needs more calories than that,
or is having trouble with alot of grain, then she can start adding some
FRESH vegetable oil to the grain ration and so replace some of the soluble
carbs in that way.

If she has any specific nutrition-related problems she needs to work out,
send her questions along and we'll work it out. :-)))

Susan G