Feeding My Underweight Thoroughbred

In Beet Pulp II - How to Soak and Feed Anonymous wrote:
Hello! I just recently bought a five year old thoroughbred gelding in june. He was in rough, rough shape. Bad case of rainrot, and a bag of bones. I have put about 50lbs on him. His teeth were done in june, he was dewormed in june, and a vet had checked him before, also in june. I just recently slowly started switching his grain over to Legend Equine Senior Feed and Beet Pulp. He gets fed 2x a day. 4 flakes of hay in the morning, and turnout in the evening until the morning at 8 a.m.

I was curious to know around about how much I should be feeding him? I gave him 3 qrts of senior feed, 2 qrts of his previous feed, his supplements, and I gave him about 1/4 of 3 qrt scoop of beet pulp. I mixed it all together, then soaked it. Should I do this 2x daily? Or beet pulp mixed in with feed only in am, and then regular senior feed in pm? He needs to gain weight, like badly. So, please help! :)

 Good for you for seeing the potential in this young horse and for spending the time and effort to find out how to bring out his best.

For safe weight gain, we want to feed to his "ideal" weight - which, for an adult Thoroughbred we expect to be between 1000 and 1200 pounds.   The foundation of his ration should be forage - hay, pasture, beet pulp, hay pellets - at least 1.5 to 2.5% of his ideal body weight, using the upper range for weight gain.  If he should weigh 1100 pounds, then he should be getting a minimum of 22 to 28 lbs of forage.  Because we can only estimate how much he consumes when he is turned out in pasture at night, at least half to two thirds of that  (11 to 18 or more pounds) should be hay, spread out over the day.  If he comes in from pasture seeming really hungry in the morning, he should be getting more hay.

If the hay and pasture are good quality, they will provide most of the protein, energy (calories) and major minerals that he needs.  If a portion of it is alfalfa, which has high protein and calcium levels, he might not even need supplemental "feeds" unless he is working. If this is the case, then all that is needed to be added would be a quality supplement that supplies generous levels of trace minerals and plain salt - 2 to 3 ounces/day.

Fish Scale from Walmart

You should be weighing all his feed - nutrition requirements are based on weight and volume measurements (quarts, cans, etc.) are not accurate.  The weight of a "flake" or "leaf" of hay can vary considerably depending on the size of the bale and how tightly it was packed.  With different varieties of hay in my barn right now, I have some "flakes" weighing as little as 4 pounds and some weighing as much as 9 pounds.  One of the best (and least expensive) investments you can make is a "fish scale", available in sporting goods departments of stores such as Walmart and Target for under $10.00. This can be used to weigh hay - in hay nets or in a muck bucket - and to accurately weigh concentrate feeds and grain.

If at all possible, spreading his hay feedings over more than just the morning meal will also help your horse gain and maintain his weight. Using small mesh hay nets can help smooth out his hay intake and help avoid any lengthy periods when he is without forage in his stomach.  We tend to think of using these to help lose weight but they work as well when your horse needs to gain.

Supplemental concentrates and grain are generally used to take up the slack if forage and pasture don't meet all the horse's requirements for calories and protein.  I tend to be a fan of using "straights" - grain such as oats or barley plus a quality supplement - instead of premixed feed concentrates. This lets you keep the vitamin and mineral supplementation separate from energy and protein supplementation.  Vitamin and mineral requirements tend to remain fairly stable while energy and protein needs can vary more depending on work level and other factors (age, pregnancy, etc.).  But pre-mixed concentrates can contribute quality protein and energy sources.  They tend to target basic calorie, protein and mineral requirements for a specific class of horse (senior, growth, performance, pasture ornament, etc.) and the main differences are in the amount of processing and level and type of carbohydrates.  

Senior horses often can't chew well and produce less saliva so can benefit form more highly processed feeds - this helps make up for their poorer digestion.  Senior feeds are often designated as "complete" feeds and need to be fed at high levels if you're counting on them to supply vitamins and minerals.

Pre-mixed concentrate feeds need to be fed at levels specified by the manufacturer to provide the vitamins and minerals needed by your horse.  If fed at lower amounts, his ration could become deficient in essential nutrients. One way I compare feeds is to see how much needs to be fed to supplement a desirable level of copper - 125 mg per day for your 1100 pound horse.. 

 It would take about 7 pounds of the Legend Senior (pelleted) to provide the daily requirement for copper. Legends Grow & Perform would require about 5 and a half pounds.  You would only need 4.6 pounds of the Mare & Foal pelleted feed to meet the copper requirement.  Concentrates should be spread over two or three meals when possible.

To really optimize his ration, having hay analyzed and supplementing based on the hay test results provides the best, and usually the most cost effective way to form a feeding plan.  This can be done together with using a concentrate feed as most feeds are "balanced to themselves".   When using both a supplement and a fortified feed, you need to watch that the total levels of selenium, vitamin A and vitamin D aren't too high.  This isn't a problem when using "straights" to boost calories and protein.

Finally, although "high fat" has been the latest fad, fermentable fiber (hay, beet pulp) still remains the best way to provide calories for weight gain.  But when you do add fat, make sure it's not just empty calories - make it count nutritionally.  Stabilized rice bran and stabilized or fresh ground flax  can add fat calories plus provide essential fatty acids (Omega 6 and Omega 3) and boost protein.  Rice bran is high in Omega 6, so make sure you provide an equal or larger amount (by weight) of flax, which is high in Omega 3.  

Best regards,

Patti in Vail, AZ


Links:
Southern States Legends feeds http://www.southernstates.com/catalog/g-179-legends-horse-feeds.aspx 
Walmart - Berkley Fish Scale http://www.walmart.com/ip/Berkley-Scale-with-Tape/16637411
Article Small Mesh Hay Nets  http://www.desertequinebalance.com/articles/small-mesh-hay-nets
NutraFlax http://www.horsetech.com/nutra-flax.html
Omega HorseShine http://www.omegafields.com/equine-products/omega-horseshiner.html
Analyzing Hay and Feeds http://www.desertequinebalance.com/articles/analyzing-hay-and-feeds

Yummy Yummy - but good for your horse's tummy?

I often see articles and posts on various horse groups encouraging the feeding of fresh fruits and veggies to your horse. Many think this provides an oft times missing link to "live" foods that many hay fed horses miss out on. But is this really a good practice?

I scoured the internet - well, I went through the first 3 or 4 pages of related search arguments about safety of fruits, veggies and greens for our horses - and came up with a lot of comments, lists and opinions but not one which was documented and referenced.

Shotgun Equine Nutrition to the rescue! My compadre Claire recently took the time to review and find source material to come up with a list: Fruits and Veggies for your Horse: What's safe and what's not...
This downloadable pdf can be printed and stored in your feed room or kitchen - or wherever you might prepare fresh snacks for your horses.

While a few of the veggies listed in the "Avoid" group are considered "safe" in small amounts by some fresh veggie advocates, knowing that experts in toxicology consider them potentially poisonous for horses would have me leery of even considering them.  But the list of yummy things your horse can enjoy is long enough that the "avoids" certainly won't be missed.

Best regards,

Patti in Vail AZ
where Dreamer thinks she heard someone say "Strawberries for dessert? Yum!"

Links:
http://www.shotgunranch.me/Fruits-vegetables-safe-unsafe.pdf
Shotgun Equine Nutrition http://www.shotgunranch.me/
Desert Equine Balance http://www.desertequinebalance.com/

Naturally Soothing

In Sunday's article Allergic Skin Reactions - a nutritional approach I tried to keep the focus on how you could support your horse nutritionally to lessen (or even eliminate) exaggerated skin reactions.  Today I'd like to add some soothing  recipes that others have shared.

Marsden's Oatmeal Bath

Marsden's owner (Katherine Calkins of Wicked Good Horsemanship - training and instructing at J-Six Ranch Equestrian Center in Benson, AZ and owner of Marsden Merri Masquerade) recently demonstrated her homemade Soothing Oatmeal Bath on Marsden. After several requests, she shared the recipe -

Marsden Merri Masquerade

Owner's oatmeal shampoo recipe has been requested. It is as follows: 1 cup ground up oatmeal (turn to flour consistency), 2/3 cup baking soda, 3 cups warm water, 2 tablespoons aloe gel (optional), 4 drops lavendar extract (optional). Leave on itchy areas for 5 minutes. If you don't want your horse to have little oatmeal chunks on him/her strain the shampoo through cheesecloth. Otherwise just do your best to rinse off the little oatmeal pieces. To help get it out of the mane, spray with a hose and brush simultaneously.

Marsden obviously gives his stamp of approval.

Some other timely recipes can be found at Desert Horse Equestrian Services - the website of wholistic horse and rider biomechanics coach and horse rehabber Stacey Kollman.

NATURAL FLY REPELLENT SPRAY
BUY ESSENTIAL OILS HERE
Yield: 1 gallon
Fill a gallon container about 3/4 full of water. Add 1 cup vinegar (apple cider or white), 1/2 cup Dawn dishsoap and 20 drops of the following essential oils: peppermint, eucalyptus, tea tree, citronella. Top off with water as needed to fill the container. Shake well. Store airtight and out of direct sunlight.
Variations: if you're having big problems with flies, you can "power up" the spray by doubling the amount of peppermint; same for mosquitoes/gnats by doubling the citronella. (Be sure you're using 100 percent pure essential oils, not synthetic "fragrance" oils.) I know some folks are concerned about using citronella after hearing it attracts bees, but I haven't had any problem with that either in Arizona or Colorado, both places where you can find Africanized bees.
This is a variation on a recipe developed by the manager of one of the elite Kentucky thoroughbred breeding facilities for use on broodmares and foals. In my experience, it has safely been used on horses of all ages, humans of all ages (even those with chemical sensitivities), dogs, raptors at a wildlife rehab center and a herd of organically raised yaks! Still, use caution the first time you use it and apply to a small area at first to gauge sensitivity.

Click here for a full menu of Stacey's Natural Horse Care Recipes. 


One of my favorites has always been to add a few drops of Tea Tree essential oil to vitamin E oil.  Add four to six drops of Tea Tree oil to about one half cup of vitamin E oil - the aroma should be pleasantly obvious but not overpowering.


You can also use Benadryl (diphenhydramine) cream or hydrocortisone cream on itchy spots but avoid getting the cream on any open areas your horse may have rubbed. If your veterinarian has prescribed an oral antihistamine or steroid, check with her before using one of these topically.


Best regards, 


Patti in Vail AZ
~ where the monsoon brings us toxic Colorado river toads and a huge array of new bugs.


Links:


J-6 Ranch Equestrian Center - http://www.j-sixeqctr.com/
Desert Horse Equestrian Services - http://www.deserthorseinc.com/index.htm
Natural Recipes from Stacey Kollman http://www.deserthorseinc.com/recipes.htm
Essential oils can be purchase from: http://www.deserthorseinc.com/resources.htm#oils
My favorite is Mountain Rose Herbs http://www.mountainroseherbs.com/

Allergic Skin Reactions - a nutritional approach

Does the arrival of summer herald an outbreak of hives? Or does your horse try to rub her chest or ears raw?  Does your horse look like a war horse - covered in mesh protective blankets, sock and face masks?  Are Tri-Hist and prednisolone part of your horse's everyday diet?  And finally, does she try to hide when she sees you coming with a spray bottle of the latest chemical or natural repellent?  

There may be some help in the feed bucket - not some magic bullet but some common sense basics with tried and true track records - thanks to the teachings of Equine Nutritionist Eleanor Kellon, VMD.

Allergic Skin Reactions - a nutritional approach is a handout I put together for some clients and friends to help them understand how to support their horse's immune system and lessen the severity of their horse's inflammatory reactions to bug bites and other "allergy" responses.  

"Once an inflammatory cascade is started it seems more and more things will act as triggers until our horse is in a bubble of inflammation - with many systems affected. It can take something fairly significant (such as steroids and antihistamines) in large enough doses taken for a long enough period of time to stop the inflammatory response spiral and hold it off long enough for the immune system to regroup. If we don't get a handle on inflammation, our horses will start to react to "everything" - this is what we often see when horses are given allergy tests (not particularly reliable) and they respond as "allergic" to every hay, feed and other things they encounter in their environment."  

To see the entire handout or to download a pdf version go to Allergic Skin Reactions - a nutritional approach 

Monsoon season is here is Arizona - stay dry and stay out of running washes! (For maximum impact, watch in full screen. You don't want your or your horse caught in this.)

Best regards,

Patti

Desert Hoofprints from damp Vail AZ