ti's "article"

[Sarah Ralston <ralston@AESOP.RUTGERS.EDU>]

Oh boy, here we go again. I'll leave the blow by blow rebuttal to Susan who
does it so well and enjoys the sparring. Read my lips: horses are not
humans! and what works for TB racehorses (I agree here that fat supplements
are not going to help them in a race unless it is only to reduce the bulk
of feed they have to carry around the track) is NOT appropriate for
endurance horses! I agree that fat supplementation during a race isn't much
indicated, but implying people should concentrate on feeding carbohydrate
supplements rather than good quality hay is downright dangerous. Horses
need the gut filling forage to maintain proper intestinal motility/energy
utilization, especially when being used for prolonged work as in endurance.
Remember those articles I quoted (and referenced 2-3 years ago) that listed
HIGH GRAIN diets as a major risk factor for colic? Well the most recent
HORSE research has also shown an dramatic incidence (up to 90% in some
stables!)of gastric ulcers in racehorses (not a problem in our forage fed
endurance horses!). PLEASE don't restrict your endurance horse's hay to get
a racehorse competitive edge and DON'T be afraid to supplement some
vegetable oil or use one of the high fat and fiber feeds designed for
endurance horses if your horse is having trouble with maintaining his/her
weight or especially if it has a problem with tying up!in horse feeds "high
fat" is only between 6-10% in the total ration (though some supplements,
designed to be fed in SMALL amounts contain up to 25%), whereas the
human/rat literature considers 15% fat to be a LOW level intake! Once
again, horses ain't humans and their muscle physiology/energy utilization
IS different!

Out comes the asbestos suit again.... 

Sarah L. Ralston, VMD, PhD, dACVN
Associate Professor
Department of Animal Science
Cook College, Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey
Ralston@aesop.rutgers.edu
732-932-9404


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