Re: can horses pick their ration?

["Cathy Sabe" <csabe@servicepaper.com>]

Ti,  I am simply stating observations based on my particular animals and
setting.  I have a mare who used to lick the dirt constantly and a gelding
who chewed wood.  I have been offering free choice minerals/salt for a year
now and this has stopped.  The amount eaten varies all the time.  I have
regular blood tests done as part of my routine vet care and have excellent
results.  Does the free choice option have a direct relation to this? Well,
I can't say for sure, but I feel I must be doing something right as stated
based on the above results.  No one can really know what our horses need on
a day to day basis, but I prefer to offer as many options as possible, I
also have beneficial herbs planted in my pasture as well.  I don't feel
there is any "phenomenon" involved here at all, I have happy, healthy
animals and it is my personal choice to offer these options, I was merely
offering some positive feedback based on my success.
-----Original Message-----
From: Tivers@aol.com <Tivers@aol.com>
To: ridecamp@endurance.net <ridecamp@endurance.net>
Date: Wednesday, December 02, 1998 11:25 PM
Subject: Re: can horses pick their ration?


>In a message dated 12/2/98 8:46:22 PM Pacific Standard Time,
>csabe@servicepaper.com writes:
>
><< i again!  I offer my horses free choice minerals and salt in feeders in
> their stalls in the winter and in their sheds in the Spring/Summer/Fall,
and
> they do indeed take what they need, this way I don't feel I'm under or
> over-doing it on these types of supplements.  It's also nice to monitor
how
> they are doing during different times of the year or their work/stress
level
> by how much is eaten.
> Cathy :) >>
>
>They do indeed? By what criteria are you judging this phenomenon? If the
>criteria is that they're eating what you think they need, then how did you
>arrive at those figures?  I don't even know what my horses need, day to
day,
>month to month, in terms of   measureable amounts of salts and minerals. If
I
>set out 4 or 5 piles of different nutrients, I'd have next to no idea if
they
>were eating the right stuff in the right quantities--and we do frequent
blood
>testing. I don't think the NRC has a handle on the requirements of horses
in
>athletic training and competition. Nor have I seen any valid testing
>procedures that ensure the horse is getting the appropriate quantity of
these
>nutrients. The horse's blood and urine minerals are all over the place from
>day to day--and about all you can tell is that the horse is getting way too
>much of some items or is disease-producing underfed others.
>
>I just can't see how you can come to that conclusion in a farm setting.
>
>ti
>
>
>