Re: Re: Re: hydration and hay type

["Beth Gunn" <happyhoofprints@hotmail.com>]

Opinion please...am feeding 30%alfalfa and free choice grass (timothy and
bermuda mix) to 12 and 28 month old Arabs.  Along with a little Equine Jr
(Purina) and vita-mix vit/mins.  They do drink more water,( fresh and
refilled every day in southern  heat and humidity!) and pee clear ( also
more frequent).  Should I supp calcium/protein other ways?  I feel, since
they do drink more due to weather, anyway, that they are well hydrated
enough to do ok on some alfalfa.  Should I make alterations in winter when
they are less likely to drink enough?   Headed for endurance world with
these two youngsters and want to to the best I can at this early stage.
Beth Gunn
----- Original Message -----
From: Susan Garlinghouse <suendavid@worldnet.att.net>
To: <ridecamp@endurance.net>; DreamWeaver <nvrider@home.com>
Sent: Sunday, September 09, 2001 2:32 PM
Subject: RC: Re: Re: hydration and hay type


>
>
> > Susan:  Don't horses that are fed straight alfalfa or an otherwise high
in
> > protein diet usually take longer to recover, and have higher pulses
while
> > being worked?
> >
> > I know I don't see very many people feeding straight alfalfa hay at
rides
> > that run in the top ten on rides with a 60 pulse criteria.  I know more
> > used to feed straight alfalfa years ago, when the pulse criteria was
like
> 72.
>
>
> I get a lot of feedback from riders that went from straight alfalfa to a
> grass based forage (including alot of top ten riders in all parts of the
> country) and part of the list includes lower pulses, faster recoveries,
less
> general metabolic problems (tying up, thumps, colicky), sweat less, better
> attitude overall, thinner sweat, fewer skin problems like scratches, etc.
> There are physiologic reasons to explain all of those.  I also work with a
> lot of show people and while they don't track the performance parameters
> that endurance people do, most of them have noticed improvements, too.
You
> just have to be looking for the differences.
>
> The best feedback I ever got was from a very large breeder/show person
that
> recently told me they used to send at least five horses a year for colic
> surgery to have enteroliths removed, and they didn't always survive.  They
> stopped feeding alfalfa five years ago at my suggestion and havent sent a
> horse for enterolith surgery in the past four years.  Pretty strong
argument
> if you ask me.
>
> Susan G
>
>
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