 |
RE: [RC] Weight hay requirements/question for Heidi and Susan - Susan E. Garlinghouse, D.V.M.There's no magic number, really, but a general rule of thumb is no LESS than 1% of their body weight per day just to maintain gut motility. That would be the bare minimum for a fatty you're trying to slim down, etc, ie 10 lb for a 1000 lb horse. That's also supposed to be dryweight, so add another pound to compensate for moisture content. For the average horseat "maintenance", feed 1.5-2.0% of body weight per day, so 15-20 lbs (plus an extra pound or two) total weight. Horses in "heavy" work are supposed to get 2-3% of their body weight. Now for reality. Supposedly horses can't ingest much more than 3%, but IMO, the best quality you can look for in an endurance prospect is the ability to engulf astonishing amounts of forage. Your horses are in pasture with friends, so don't need as much diversion to keep themselves from eating fences, dirt, barns, each other's tails, etc. Unless a horse is pig fat and in dire need of losing weight, IMO, all horses should have something to munch on in front of them 24/7. If they throw some around, tromp on it, sleep on it, pee on it, fine. Much cheaper than a $400 vet bill for an emergency colic, or $8000 for surgery. So allow for 25-30 lbs a day, and be happy if they spend their time wasting hay rather than eating sand. Don't feed rich, leafy, high protein alfalfa or clover or whatever in your area is fed to the high-producing dairy cows. Feed a decent quality grass hay, supplement the deficiencies as needed in your region, throw out some salt, become a fanatic about water quality and quantity and that's that for 95% of the horses out there. Susan Garlinghouse, DVM, MS -----Original Message----- From: ridecamp-owner@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx [mailto:ridecamp-owner@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx] On Behalf Of Ranelle Rubin Sent: Tuesday, October 11, 2005 11:17 AM To: Ridecamp Subject: [RC] Weight hay requirements/question for Heidi and Susan Heidi and or Susan, What is the "recommended" amount in weight per horse per feeding -2x per day feeding of good quality grass/alfalfa hay? These are Arabs, age 6 and 7 in moderate (2-3 times a week) endurance training. They live in a pasture with covered feeding/shelters to get out of the rain. Thank you, Ranelle Rubin =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= Ridecamp is a service of Endurance Net, http://www.endurance.net. Information, Policy, Disclaimer: http://www.endurance.net/Ridecamp Subscribe/Unsubscribe http://www.endurance.net/ridecamp/logon.asp Ride Long and Ride Safe!! =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= Ridecamp is a service of Endurance Net, http://www.endurance.net. Information, Policy, Disclaimer: http://www.endurance.net/Ridecamp Subscribe/Unsubscribe http://www.endurance.net/ridecamp/logon.asp Ride Long and Ride Safe!! =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
|