Re: alfalfa and heart rate (long)

[Teddy Lancaster <Teddy@runningbear.com>]

PLEASE....alfalfa in the EAST is NOT like alfalfa in the west.  I
feed 80% alfalfa ALL YEAR and IN COMPETITION with NO PROBLEMS and
have done so for 20 years.  The type of alfala is of PRIME
importance.

Teddy

Karen_Callan@radian.com wrote:
> 
> In a message dated Thu, 24 Dec 1998 11:28:49 -0700
> Cheryl Newbanks <horsetrails@inficad.com> writes:
> 
> >> I would like to hear from people who USED to feed alfalfa and then
> stopped...I really don't know what
> to substitute for the alfalfa so that they'd have a balanced diet.  If I
> wanted to stop feeding alfalfa, AND THAT IS
> A BIG IF, what could I substitute for the nutrients they'd be loosing,
> especially for my yearling, and maintain the energy level that a 50 miler
> would need...Would beet pulp be the thing to
> substitute? <<
> 
> Cheryl, (just saw your message from last week....)
> 
> I used to feed all alfalfa (because I didn't know any better) for years, and
> my Arab mare had (has) the most remarkable recoveries. I don't think I ever
> did a ride where one of the vets didn't remark on her low pulse (both
> resting pulse at the start "Wow - that's the lowest we've seen yet" type of
> comments, as well as her recoveries throughout the ride - both 50's and
> 100's.)
> 
> I made a lot of other mistakes with her - believe me - feeding all alfalfa
> wasn't the only one. I think the greatest one was I simply didn't provide
> her with enough energy to do what I asked of her. She was/is a very
> successful athlete - I don't mean at all that she couldn't/didn't perform -
> she top-tenned in just about every ride she did - I've just learned a lot
> with her, and will be doing things differently with my next guy, an 8-yr old
> ready to start in endurance. She's 15 now, and in foal.
> 
> I really had no idea what I was asking in terms of energy output, and even
> less of what I was providing. I used to feed all alfalfa, wheat bran/rice
> bran mix, and oats. Hmmm, a little hay (again, no appreciation for the
> difference between types of hays/roughage), a little grain, a little of
> this...
> 
> I now feed all grass hay when I can get it, and when I can't, I mix with
> whatever else I can. Alfalfa is my last choice now. I also feed lots of beet
> pulp, with some NaturalGlo or oil - for the fat content. I supplement with
> Select II. It's balanced for a grass hay diet; they also have another one
> for horses eating more than 8 lbs of alfalfa per day. I have been very happy
> with the results of this diet.
> 
> The horses themselves are the best proof this is a good diet; they look
> great, are in good flesh, are well-mannered and eager to work. (These are
> two criteria near and dear to my heart, having erred on the side of both
> over-feeding grain and seeing the effects of high blood sugar (eek!) and
> over-work and not recognizing when she needed a break.)
> 
> So, I am now a big believer in grass hay, beet pulp (it's cheap, easy to
> feed, provides additional calcium that the grass hay doesn't, and also might
> balance out the higher than necessary phosphorous content from the
> NaturalGlo - although I don't worry about that too much - I feed the same
> amount when I'm not feeding NaturalGlo - and am sneaking in oil instead.) I
> know lots of folks have good reasons for not feeding a supplement like rice
> bran - but I've been happy with it. Hay, beet pulp, added fat (rice bran or
> oil) and the supplement Select II. When they're not working, I don't feed as
> much beet pulp or fat. The beet pulp is also great for all the added water
> you can provide  - important more at rides than at home I guess.
> 
> I believe that the truly remarkable recoveries (as with my mare) are
> genetic, and no amount of conditioning is going to enable a horse to drop
> into the 40s and 50s within minutes (as she does - at a top ten pace) beyond
> its optimal fitness. There is nothing wrong, or less fit, about a horse
> recovering to 60 or 56 or 52 vs. 48 and 44. The difference, I think, is
> simply that individual horse and its own physiological gifts. I do think
> horses recovering only to 68 and 64 need to be managed/ridden differently to
> gain optimal fitness/recovery - but that's not what you asked, is it?
> 
> Interesting that you noted a difference in energy level when feeding only
> the grass hay. Try experimenting with beet pulp and extra fat over the
> long-term and see if you notice an increase in energy. The beet pulp itself
> isn't necessarily going to provide a huge increase in available energy -
> from what I understand it's sort of a mid-level glycemic index/
> "availability" type feed (with grain being on the high end of the scale in
> terms of its ability to raise blood sugar, and hay being on the low end) -
> but I think over the long haul, the additional roughage, the extra fat you
> add to the beet pulp should combine to offer an endurance/aerobic athlete a
> nice diet. Now if only I could come up with one for myself!
> 
> Ask Susan G., if you haven't already heard from her.
> 
> Good luck - and I think your horses will be fine on a dramatically decreased
> alfalfa diet!
> 
> Either lurking or rambling,
> 
> Karen Callan
> 
> with Miss Sassy, gestating away, bless her semi-retired little endurance
> heart,
> Frisco,  Mr. 8-yr old who has yet to get a taste of it all,
> and 4 yr old  Brazo - FOR SALE!!
> Pilot Hill, CA