Here is our opinion.....no facts, but just
what we hope is common sense. We've heard this same story about human
food..."the land is deficient in nutrients because it has been used so long,
etc., therefore the produce of that plant is nutrient deficient." Our
opinion is: if the land is so depleted, the plants themselves will not
thrive. If the plant thrives, then there must not be anything wrong with
the nutrients in the soil. I would think that if the plant is thrifty, the
food quality would be fine. Again, our opinion, based on decades of
growing gardens, pastures, et al.
However, I have heard that our grass is
selenium deficient and some of the symptoms of Se deficiency has shown up in our
cows. So, if the grass is Se deficient, why is it? And.....is there
anything that can be done about it? I'd like to hear from someone who is knowledgeable in plant
nutrition.
My horses get all the hay (oat & alfalfa)
they want, they always have leftovers, however, during ride season they just
can't get enough calories out of the amount of hay they're willing to eat, so
on a daily basis they get about 6 cups of beet pulp (heavily dampened), a
couple cups of oats, and for the two that need it, selenium & vitamin E. I
don't know if they need it since they eat so much hay, but I also give them a
daily multiple vitamin supplement because I've been told the ground that the
hay is grown on is likely deficient due to years of harvesting crops from it.
Anyone have an educated/knowledgeable opinion about that?
Kathy
So, I'm going
to venture out and ask for a new topic.... Nutrition
What exactly
are people feeding their distance horses? What supplements?
I
realize MSM is not acceptable, but I do prefer to feed my distance horses a
joint supplement for preventive maintenance. If MSM were an ingrediant, how
much is acceptable in the bloodstream, or is it just safer to take the
supplement away for a week prior to the ride.
Does anyone use
antioxidants in their feed? What seems to be the preferred source? Vitamin
E? Grape Seed Extract? Or both?
Doimas and Sebastian are both wired
for sound, so I feed them a B-complex with Magnesium. Will this get me
in trouble, if either are tested?
Just a few questions, but
hopefully, enough to get ya'll started and feed (couldn't help it) me
information. I LOVE information!
