Re: carbs/fats (here we go again! long msg.)

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

>OK, I am very curious, and am obviously a sucker for this stuff, but
>here goes anyway:
>
>Can someone out there give us a list of examples of high carb horse
>foods?


Grain.  Sugar.

>
>And how about high fat?

Fat--like from vegetable oil, animal fat, etc.  Rice bran to some extent.

>
>That way we can see for ourselves what we're putting into these guys.
>I for one didn't expect to see carrots as a carb. (I guess I should
>have known, since I do know they have natural sugars in them) Fill us
>in please!

Not really a concentrated source.

>
>Now, if I feed fats during training and conditioning rides (BTW, I
>feed about 1/2 cup corn oil every evening - it helps the rolled oats
>stick to the VitE/Se powder) and then give small amts. of carbs during
>a ride (is this what I think I understand Susan that you are
>recommending.)

Yup.



>Susan if you would also be so generous as to give me your idea of
>where to start with a year round feeding program.

Free choice, good quality grass hay.  Lots of it, all he wants, all the
time.  As he starts working more than a time or two a week (say, more than
20 miles a week, though it's not an absolute number), add in some
concentrates---I prefer starting with a few pounds of soaked beet pulp (if
soaking is practical management-wise), add to it a few pounds of a mixed
grain.  If you can afford it, then buying one of the good grain mixes
formulated for performance horses (ie low protein) is fine, as you then have
a vitamin pack already in.  If cost is an issue, then I'm happy with a mix
of corn-oats-barley, the absolute best quality grain you can find.  In the
latter case, I add a scoop of a good vitamin-mineral mix, like Select or
Grand Vite.  When the horse is starting to work hard, I'll increase the
grain up to about five pounds a day and beet pulp to about 4-6 lbs.  If it's
practical to do so, I'd prefer to split the grain into at least two meals,
still mixed with the beet pulp.  If he starts to drop weight as his
condition improves, I start adding fats to the beet pulp/grain mix.  I start
with a half cup and gradually work up to about two cups a day.  If you can
split the fats into two meals as well, all the better.  You can go beyond 2
cups, but it takes some doing and 2 cups a day (or thereabouts) will do the
trick for most horses.  The fats are removed from the diet the day before a
ride and not fed while at a ride, or at least not until the day after.
Never during.

If the grass hay being fed is one that I suspect might be calcium-phosphorus
inverted, then I add maybe a pound or two (and I mean a pound or two, not
five or eight or twelve) of alfalfa in almost any form (hay, pellets, A&M) a
few times a week to ensure the calcium is sufficient without being
excessive, and without increasing protein too much.  Also, because there's
often alfalfa at rides supplied by ride management, I don't want my horse
eating something totally different, so I feed him a small amount just so
he's used to getting a bit here and there.

I happen to feed 3 specific supplements---I feed a small amount of
probiotics, I feed 20 mg of biotin/day and I give about 2500 IU/day vitamin
E (not vit E/Se, just vitamin E) to the working horse.  Plus he has loose,
free-choice TM salt available at all times.  Not anything special, just
plain old TM salt.

Sorry I'm behind on getting this out, just got home from convention, so I'm
behind.  Hope this helps.

Susan G



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