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RE: [RC] Hay while trailering - Susan E. Garlinghouse, DVMI was talking with some friends and was told just yesterday that an 'old timer' that one of the ladies knows insists to NEVER give hay while trailering. That is, do not put hay in front of the horse while you are driving. Stopping and giving hay is fine. He (over 70 years of experience) 'knows' that horses MIGHT colic if eating hay while traveling. Something about horses possibly getting a type of motion sickness like we do, eating and not being able to burp. I'm with Heidi and everyone else on this, I'd be more worried about depriving a GI tract evolved to be eating more or less continuously than I am about causing colic by feeding hay during travel. The only time I might not feed in a trailer would be if the trailer was too short, and the horse unable to stretch his neck out to cough and clear his airways. Not doing so, he's more likely to have 'issues' with respiratory issues; and also potentially more at risk of an esophageal obstruction (choke)---which isn't a respiratory problem, but often a horse can clear it himself (or prevent it altogether) if his head and neck are in a natural position while eating. I also strongly prefer feeding hay wet in the trailer---just that much less dust that needs to be cleared out of the respiratory system. However, wet hay will start to mold very quickly if you leave it in there for days and don't take it out and dump it and then let the hay bag dry out well. Frank, I'll see your "never put water on a hot horse" and raise you "feeding them corn in the winter helps keep them warm". Susan Garlinghouse, DVM =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= 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!! =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
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