No, I just think you probably don't know what
problems to look for, don't know how to look for them if you did, and aren't
realizing that lack of major signs of disease is not the same thing as room
for improvement.
> When I read that feeding strait alfalfa
will make a >horse >urinate more than if fed grass hay, it makes the
>urine >smell like a strong ammonia yada, yada, yada, I >just
>don't buy it. I have 6 horses that I can watch all day >long. I
have yet to see that "research" pan out in my >back yard.
Then don't. No one's forcing you to believe
it, any more than you're required to believe the earth is round. I'm
just passing on the results of studies carried out by people that know what
they're doing.
>I clean the stalls everyday. The 2 darkest
horses drink >the most water and pee the most, no matter what they >are
fed. Over the summer, I fed coastal for about 2 >months, still the same
amount of output from those two >as with alfalfa.
And you've measured that with urine collection
harnesses and bags? Charted serial serum BUN? Kept track of core
temperatures? Done serial abdominal radiographs to verify no enteroliths
and tracked ionized calcium levels, right? Sorry if I put more weight
into lab results I see from clinical studies rather than just your nose,
though it's not my decision to make. You can do whatever you like with
your own horses, I just make suggestions and recommendations based on science
and a fair amount of education.
>. Most of the alfalfa hay I have gotten
>doesn't have much more protein than the high
>protein commercial feeds.
So you've had it analyzed? Including amino
acid profiles and can discuss knowledgeably the metabolic pathways by which
one 16% feed will increase serum BUN while another 16% feed will not? If
you're going to make broad statements, I hope you can offer some physiological
argument and logic to back it up.
> I hate to see it get such a bad
>rap. It is so green and >fluffy and smells soooo good!
So does prime rib and melted butter, but I
wouldn't recommend that as a steady diet for an athlete, either.
I >would definitely like to see the research
that supports >more urine out put on horses fed strait
alfalfa.
Lisa, if you want to see the numbers, by all
means go to your nearest university, use their search engines for AGRICOLA or
MEDLINE and put in alfalfa and horse as keywords. You can spend the next
six months reading the clinical work. Me, I did all that years ago and
don't need to read it all again.
I would >also like to see the comparison
of protein in commercial >feeds and how it is utilized against the protein
in alfalfa. >Any leads on that Susan?
In what sense? Amino acid profiles?
Overall crude protein content? There's a difference in the quality of
protein between alfalfa and soybean meal (the protein source in most
commercial feeds) that has an effect on production.
>Lisa Salas, The odd FArm We do
have better things to >talk about besides pee. But what the
hay?
Personally, I thought hydration and urine as an
indicator of metabolic status was a pretty damn important subject. A lot
more interesting than reinventing the wheel, but that's just me.
Susan G