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Hi Donna,
Thanks, I'm glad you like the posts.
To answer your question, Equi-Jewel is better than the others, but it's
still excessive in calcium and phosphorus, even though the ratio IS
balanced. In some horses, this isn't a big deal. In horses that are
eating southwest-grown alfalfa, then I feel it's a significant factor
(among others) in enterolith formation, as it contributes greatly to an
alkaline pH in the hindgut. Also, I don't like very high calcium levels
in endurance horses specifically, because such high calcium tends to
lead to a condition called hypercalcitoninism. This means that because
the plasma levels of calcium are so high, the parathyroid hormone that
regulates pulling calcium from storage in bones gets lazy. During a
long endurance rides, the calcium in the blood isn't going to be
sufficient to supply calcium demand for muscle contraction, and the
parathyroid hormone is, in a sense, going to be left with it's pants
down, unable to quickly mobilize enough calcium from the bones to meet
the demand. As a result, the horse is at the very least going to
fatigue faster. And, very possibly, he could either tie up, or go into
thumps, which is one of the direct results of excessive calcium
depletion.=20
So that's why I'm not even all that thrilled with Equi-Jewel---there are
still too many disadvantages when all of the benefits are very easily
obtained elsewhere. It's better than unbalanced rice bran, but it's
still kinda like adding a piece of lettuce to a big, greasy hamburger
and saying that makes it a health food.
> Also (really I have two questions), I once thought I caused my mare to =
colic
> > by over-soaking beet pulp..I live in Fl...when now I think I may =
have
> > under-soaked it. I am afraid of spoilage so I only soaked for one =
hour. I
> > would like to feed it for all the reasons stated on =
ridecamp...water,steady
> > carbo source, weight maintenance minus the rocket fuel, ect.
=20
I would think that it's likely you undersoaked the beet pulp. There is
alot of expansion that takes place after just an hour of soaking and it
could very easily have caused a tummyache, if it expanded in the wrong
place at the wrong time. You CAN adequately soak beet pulp in an hour
if you start with boiling water, but assuming it was normal Florida
weather (was it cool or hot at the time?), it usually takes at least a
few hours to adequately soak it---out here in So Cal, even during hot
weather, I'll add water to the pulp and let it soak overnight. Even in
hot weather standing in the sun, I would think it's going to take at
least a good six or eight hours or more before it's going to start to=20
spoil---and when it does spoil, it won't go moldy (at least not right
away), it'll start to ferment because of the moisture and sugar content
and you'll be able to smell the alcohol. It's an easy way to check if
you're in doubt.
Another way to see if it's soaked long enough is to see if there's still
any water left unabsorbed at the bottom of the bucket. I always add
water at the rate of around 2 parts water to one part beet pulp by
volume. It also seems to more evenly absorb the water if you use a big
flat feed tub (one of those big black rubber ones) rather than a tall
bucket. Anyway, if there is still water sitting in the bottom of the
bucket, then in my opinion, it hasn't soaked long enough. When it's
soaked enough, the pulp shouldn't be sloppy wet, it should be nice and
light and fluffy, and the pellets should have totally fallen apart.
Around here, my major concern isn't making sure the beet pulp has soaked
long enough, it's making sure that Dakota aka George of the Jungle isn't
actually allowed ACCESS to the big rubber feed tub full of beet pulp
without first chaining and padlocking it to the oak tree. If he is,
then first he grabs it in his teeth and drags it backwards all over the
paddock, dribbling beet pulp like Hansel and Gretel's bread crumbs,
followed by a parade of Normal horses who are resignedly trying to get
their lunch back. Once the beet pulp has been lightheartedly Flung
throughout the arena, then he spends awhile flipping the empty tub
around and preferably over his own head, so he can blindly and gleefully
gallop back and forth crashing into trees and fences and other horses.=20
Once he gets tired of that, he remembers that Mummy Always Said To Put
the Toys Away, so he finishes by chucking the d**n thing over the fence
and into the neighbor's duckpond. If he can actually hit a duck,
apparently that's worth extra points. Mysteriously, all the ducks seem
to be getting increasingly neurotic and go hide in the reeds whenever
they see ol' Spudnuts with his feed tub. I wouldn't mind all this so
much if the imbecile would keep his shenanigans private, but now all the
neighbors start whispering whenever they see me and the nice lady next
door with the duckpond has been suggesting that maybe I should have that
dear little horse, well, examined, dear, because he always seems to be
doing the Oddest Things. Sigh. And THIS is the horse that I'm looking
forward to riding for thousands of miles??? (Someday. Like in maybe 20=20
or 30 years.)
Anyway, back to reality. Hope this answers your questions (and then
some, as usual), if not, let me know. Thanks again for the nice post
and your kind words.
Seeya,
Susan Garlinghouse
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