Re: high fat feeds=MEAT

[Susan Evans Garlinghouse <suendavid@worldnet.att.net>]

-but I am curious, since looking into feeds, I've discovered
> that many of the supplements and the mixed feeds contain _animal_ fat, ie,
> fat from horses and cows.... Doesn't that seem a bit of a mean trick--
> turning our beloved herbivores into cannibals??  I don't have a problem
> with humans eating meat, but tricking my horse into eating meat seems
> repulsive. 

Although I adore my horses, I have my doubts that they have quite the
same values that I might.  Since horses in the wild *will* chew on the
bones of dead animals for the mineral content, it's apparently a "hey,
you're not using this anymore" mentality.  And if feeding animal fat is
a mean trick, so is using a leather bridle, saddle, lanolin to oil them
with.  So far, my guys don't seem to be losing sleep over it.

The fats contained in U.S.-manufactured feeds don't come from
horses---cattle, swine, possibly poultry.  But not horses.

Nutritionally, I have no problem with it---although it's not a
traditional ingredient that horses would be eating in the wild, neither
are 90% of the other feeds we provide them with.  The horses digest it
just fine.  So, from the horse's viewpoint, I don't see a problem.  If
it makes *you* uncomfortable, which is perfectly okay, there's an easy
solution---just don't feed complete feeds.  Hay and grains are about as
basic as you can get.:-)

Just my .02, of course.

Susan G