Re: Feeding bermuda

[CMKSAGEHIL@aol.com]

In a message dated 1/7/99 4:03:53 PM Pacific Standard Time,
avpinc@bellsouth.net writes:

<< She was born in FL and I know
 she had it when we lived here before, but she had been in CT for 18 years
 and had been fed almost entirely "orchard grass" or local hay.  This became
 a problem when her teeth started to go, and I supplemented with beet pulp
 until we moved to FL.  She loved the coastal, but it didn't love her!  Now
 she is fed alfalfa (flake--separated from the stalk) and I supplement her
 hay with alfalfa pellets which are actually her main source of  roughage
 and forage.  Ironically, she is now able to chew easier since I have had
 several teeth extracted (when they were infected), and her weight, health,
 and digestion is better than it has been in about 8 years.  I think the age
of
 the horse, and their ability to chew their hay thoroughly has a lot to do
with
 how the coastal hay affects them and their tendency to colic. >>

Right on, Linda.  Age and bad teeth are BIG factors in leading to colic, and
certainly some feeds are tougher to deal with in these circumstances than
others.  "Gummers" DO do better than horses with extremely bad or infected
teeth, as a rule, if they just get a little TLC in terms of what they get to
eat...

Heidi