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Re: [RC] [RC] Pounds of Hay - Beth WalkerOK ... I must have mis-read. I thought that figure was the total amount that a horse would / could eat, and then for work, you would replace part of the hay with higher-calorie supplements in order to get the needed calories. That is what I've been doing with my fellow.I started him out on just grass hay when I first bought him, and he lost too much weight. He went from overweight to almost underweight in the space of a month, and then went a bit underweight the next month until I got his supplements boosted high enough. Either way - I know that Caisson won't eat anywhere near 4% body weight, even if it is in front of his nose 24 / 7. He always has an extra hay bag filled with hay - which he sometimes ignores for weeks at a time. He will usually nibble about a pound or two out of it a day - no more. If, as Elanor says, he may have an inadequately developed hindgut, I guess that makes sense. On Feb 6, 2008, at 11:10 AM, heidi@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx wrote: I thought that "adequate" intake was about 2% of body weight. Since he is 840 lbs, that is about 16.8 - 17 lbs, which is about what he normally seems to eat, including supplements. So -- I thought he was doing OK in that respect. However, it sounds as if other folks horses eat a whole lot more than 2% body weight of hay. So -- is the 2% figure wrong, or on the low end, or ?? =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= 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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