Endurance.Net Ridecamp Archives

Sisu West Ranch wrote:
> These comments lately are stating, much more articulately,  what I was 
> hinting at earlier.
>  
> 1. Hydration is extremely important.  Of course your horse gets most 
> of his water by drinking, but if the feed is dry the first thing he 
> needs to do is hydrate it.  That takes water.  Conclusion: wet feed is 
> better than dry feed.
Here the assumption seems to be made that eating does not trigger a 
response to drinking. It sure does with my horse. After he eats he 
normally will drink to take on the water needed to process the food. The 
one issue that needs to be considered with mashes is some horses slurp 
or gulp it rather than chew it. By not chewing they are not producing 
saliva and mixing it with the food as they chew. Saliva is extremely 
important. It starts the digestive function in the mouth and has a 
buffering effect on for stomach acid.

I have fed mashes from time to time but feel my horse does better 
regulating his food and water intake. Of course if you have grass around 
you don't need to worry. Grass is nature's perfect food for the horse.

Truman

--

"The opposite of a correct statement is a false statement. The opposite 
of a profound truth may well be another profound truth."    Niels Bohr 
-- Nobel Laureate, Physics




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