Joyce Kellenberger wrote:
>
> I would be curious to know if any of you who have tying up problems also feed
> bran mash on a regular basis?
Hi! Deanne here, again....(Yes, I make all the mistakes you all talk about!)
I've been feeding bran mashes forever, anywhere from once a week with
psyllium added to control sand, to daily doses of about a pound? mixed with a
cup of corn oil, Selenium, Electrolytes, CS, etc. Gabe loves bran and it's
the easiest way to have him eat all his supplements.
Gabe has also tied up three times in six years! I wasn't aware that wheat
bran could be harmful! Most everyone I know feeds bran, especially in the
winter (nice 'n hot!) to get lots of water into the system if a horse doesn't
like very cold water. Also at rides. I guess because the horses love bran so
much and it is easy to get them to eat and get that old gut moving.
So, since we're on the subject:
I've been wanting to ask if anyone knows if bran consumption could also be
the cause of Gabe wanting to eat dirt? Not just any old dirt, but rich,
earthy, meadow-type earth. Sometimes he will be grazing, and I'll see him
just continue to eat the grass clump down, down, down, and right into the
earth. Sometimes he'll eat huge clumps of earth/grass roots, etc. I guess he
must be craving some kind of mineral that he is lacking? Any ideas? I know,
I know, I need to get a blood test.....but, until then....
-- Deanne Del Vecchio & Gabe Living and Loving in Lake Tahoe delvecchio@geocities.com Visit My Home Page! http://www.geocities.com/Yosemite/5157--------- Deanne and everyone,
I am remembering a discussion about a year ago on the subject of feeding bran mashes in competitions. Several folks (Samm, I think I remember), mentioned that they instead fed beet pulp mashes to use as a "carrier" of electrolytes and nutrients, and also tto get water into the horse. I believe the beet pulp is better balanced as far as to the Ca:P ratio, but someone would need to look it up for me.
Samm, can you comment on this further? Based on some of your advice, I started the beet pulp last year. After an initial shock that I was intending to feed them something that looked like shredded, damp cardboard, my horses decided they really liked it. I fed it all through the spring, until I got too lazy to soak the stuff. I had been worrying I was feeding too much bran (though I always throw in some alfalfa pellets).
If anyone could pull up the nutritional values of beet pulp, I would appreciate it.
Karen
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