Re: [RC] was endurance topics now cause of colic? - Faustina Duffy
Bermuda grass, especially coastal bermuda, has a much finer/softer fiber
which unfortunately seems to cause some horses to not chew it as thoroughly as
they should-thus it remains a little drier as it passes through the system (Both
the act of chewing to mix it with saliva is shortened as well as the perforation
of its outer layers which prevents water from soaking into it as quickly are
factors here). This allows it to impact more easily in the hind gut...So,
though bermuda is a GREAT forage, it must be watched carefully, as horses who
aren't familiar with it may eat too quickly and then colic. Soaking it
before feeding sometimes helps, but the best prevention I know (IMO) is to feed
a mixed grass (bermuda/bahaia) hay...
Subject: [RC] was endurance topics now
cause of colic?
On Thu, 23 Sep 2004, steph teeter wrote: > All three
horses had reflux on arrival to the clinic, all three had > ileus -
basically the gut shut down, little or no activity in the small >
intestines. Their stomachs were full of fluid, but the hind gut was
dry.
At BSF I rode for a while with a lady whose horse had had two
colics just like that in the past year. Both times she was riding
moderately, not doing anything different, etc...Horse had about a 1500
miles with her so not beginners to the sport.
The vets at Auburn
told her they see this particular sort of colic primarily in horses fed
Bermuda hay - which is the predominant hay here in the SE. Apparently
Bermuda is harder for horses to digest than other leafier/stemmier hays
and can become impacted more easily in the small
intestine.
