Re: can horses pick their ration?

["Robert Morris" <bobmorris@rmci.net>]

Susan:

Re the "beavers" I do to some extent agree with you on the social aspects
but still hold to the idea that diet changes also play a part in the habit
of chewing buildings and power poles. Then again since the natural forage
includes cottonwood twigs, locust and rabbit brush perhaps that is the
reason of decline from eating finished lumber. (real organic diet)

I still hold to my observations that selenium supplementation decreased the
browsing of Astragalus. The change occurred over a period of several months
but was noticeable.

Bob Morris
Morris Endurance Enterprises
Boise, ID
-----Original Message-----
From: Susan Evans Garlinghouse <suendavid@worldnet.att.net>
To: Duncan Fletcher <dfletche@gte.net>
Cc: Robert Morris <bobmorris@rmci.net>; RideCamp@endurance.net
<RideCamp@endurance.net>; CMKSAGEHIL@aol.com <CMKSAGEHIL@aol.com>
Date: Thursday, December 03, 1998 12:18 PM
Subject: Re: can horses pick their ration?


>> That proves the inadequecy of most poorly designed tests. The 2 identical
>> blocks are not consumed at the same rate. If that had been different, it
>> would have appeared to prove something when in fact it proved nothing
other
>> than horses are creatures of habit. Try 4 piles of loose CaCl, NaCl, KCl,
>> P2Cl. Track the consumption and also track the mineral input from the
normal
>> diet. Then change the diet substantially - say go from an alfalfa and
beet
>> pulp diet to orchardgrass and rice bran. See if the horse makes the
>> appropriate transition in his mineral choice. Personally, it is not an
>> experiment I am going to try on my horses. But if indeed they eat what
they
>> need, the risk to the horse would be zero.
>
>Actually, that pretty closely describes the field trials that were done
>to see if horses could balance their own diet--and the horses did not
>adjust their mineral intake, even when the imbalances were starting to
>approach life threatening.
>
>
>Bob, I wonder if the horses that came to your property that were
>"beavers" eventually stopped chewing simply because your set-up is a
>pretty ideal one for horses---constant turn-out, a natural diet, others
>of their own kind to socialize with, no blankets, stalls, lights, etc.
>Horse paradise.  I think Heidi may have hit the nail on the head
>IMO---gastric ulcers caused discomfort and the odd chewing and eating
>behaviors, and as the ulcers went away through a primarily forage ration
>and good turnout, so did the aberrant behavior.  Just a thought.
>
>Susan G
>