RE: [RC] electrolytes, hay and pre-ride feeding - Ranelle Rubin
Mel,
Here in CA, the grass is very lush on irrigated pasture, if you have the water. My personal experience has been that horses who are only on pasture have a tough time at rides. When my horses were in that environment, I shut them in at night with a nice meadow grass that they would eat during ride season. You may have to try a few different hays to get something that meets your preferences that they will eat.
I also would be concerned about a horse who's system was not used to digesting dry hay all of a sudden off of pasture with dry hay as it's only source of food. I had a horse colic once when he was moved for the winter from Lake Tahoe lush meadow to the Carson Valley in the fall with only hay. With some pro-biotic and TTeam work, we pulled him out, as it was pretty mild. The next year, I shut him in at night with hay for two weeks before moving him and had no problems.
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From: brio_gal@xxxxxxxxxxx To: ridecamp@xxxxxxxxxxxxx Subject: [RC] electrolytes, hay and pre-ride feeding Date: Wed, 30 Apr 2008 11:48:53 -0400
Many of you have mentioned feeding plenty of hay before a ride to make sure the horse's hindgut is full and processing. This made me wonder if I should change how I do things.
My horses are on bermuda pasture 24/7. Once warm weather comes, the grass is plentiful and my guys will not eat hay if it is offered to them, they would rather have the nice green grass. The only way I would be able to get hay into them would be to stall them before the ride and make hay the only choice. I do carry hay to the rides and feed it free choice, it is the bermuda hay that I feed in the winter.
So, would it be better to stall them and feed them hay before the ride, or leave them in the pasture and let them graze the grass? I am wondering if many of you have to feed hay year round by virtue of living in a more arid climate where lush pasture is not as plentiful?
Is there something more beneficial in feeding them hay before the ride?
Thanks!
Mel
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