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Barnyard Buddies:  Anything else you would do?  |
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Alee
True Blue Farmgirl
22941 Posts
Alee
Worland
Wy
USA
22941 Posts |
 Posted - Jan 16 2012 : 10:25:11 PM
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So we recently brought Tala home from boarding. She is a bit skinny- you can see some of her ribs and her hips look a touch bony to me. I know they fed her and good hay- I think the cold was getting to her.
Anyway- now she is home and can eat as much hay as she wants, doesn't have any competition and I am feeding her Purina Strategy for extra calories.
Tonight is very cold- below zero. So I am a little worried about her since she doesn't have much body fat right now. (She is not scary underweight- just not as plump as I like! ;) )
So I have her blanketed with a fleece cooler, and an insulated canvas blanket on top of that. Her shelter does not block the wind (I will be working on that on my days off) but it does keep rain and snow off.
I just got done topping off her water tank with hot water so there is no floating ice or anything in it, and I gave her a warm mash of her strategy with a little molasses drizzled on top.
Anything else you can think of? So lots of hay, double blanketed, deiced water, and warm mash. I think overall that should take care of it, but we are going to be getting some cold weather rolling in and I want her to use her energy to stay warm and even gain a little weight if possible.
Alee
Farmgirl Sister #8
www.farmgirlalee.blogspot.com
www.allergyjourneys.blogspot.com
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StrawHouseRanch
True Blue Farmgirl
1044 Posts
Paula
Holt
Missouri
USA
1044 Posts |
Posted - Jan 17 2012 : 05:45:40 AM
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Hay is the best way for them to keep the furnace going inside. Provide a healthy supply and she will eat what she needs to stay warm without a candy coating. Horses should not eat sugar and it won't keep them warm. Strategy is typically used for performance horses. I would be careful with it. Try to keep in mind that the marketers are trying to sell you their products with carefully chosen words.
There is a good article by the Colorado State University on how sugar detrimentally impacts a horse's digestive function and can set the stage for laminitis, especially for horses who are going through dietary modifications.
Most of the horses in my care, while I was performing equine rehabilitative hoofcare were laminitic. 99.8% of the cases were due to a diet that was too rich for the horse. The majority of the remaining were due to improper hoofcare. The tiniest percentage was due to genetics. A horse can be skinny and still experience laminitis. It is not just something that happens to overweight horses.
This article will provide you with some very good information about how a horse processes feed and the impact of sugar on the diet:
http://www.ext.colostate.edu/pubs/livestk/01818.html
Just be careful throwing a lot of dietary changes her way. Their digestive system requires a very delicate balance, and the most natural (hay) is the best way to go in most cases.
Paula
Farmgirl Sister #3090
Yesterday is History, Tomorrow is a Mystery, and Today is a Gift.
http://www.etsy.com/shop/StrawHouseDesigns |
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MEWolf
True Blue Farmgirl
358 Posts
Margaret
Byers
Colorado
USA
358 Posts |
Posted - Jan 17 2012 : 08:38:44 AM
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Alee, I second what Paula said Hay is the fuel that keep'em going! The only thing I would add to what Paula said is invest in a stock tank heater. They are well worth the money (and the bigger electric bill LOL), as horses can colic very easily in Winter if they do not drink enough water. And if their water is very cold they will not drink.
Margaret
“Kind hearts are the gardens, kind thoughts are the roots, kind words are the flowers, kind deeds are the fruits. Take care of your garden and keep out the weeds, fill it with sunshine, kind words and kind deeds.” ~Henry Wadsworth Longfellow (1808-1882)
Farmgirl #3020
www.grey-wolf-farm.com |
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Alee
True Blue Farmgirl
22941 Posts
Alee
Worland
Wy
USA
22941 Posts |
Posted - Jan 17 2012 : 08:40:16 AM
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Thank you for the concern about Tala getting laminitis due to sugar Paula. Tala is on less than the manufactured recommendation feed of Strategy and has been on Strategy her whole life (except at this most recent boarding facility). It is what her breeder feeds to her horses with great success. Tala is a show horse and will be entering into some conditioning for the show season as soon as I had enough daylight (still is dark when I get home) so she needs to build her reserves now and will be using ever calorie she gets in the next month or so. Her grain is carefully measured and again- less than the manufactures indicate. However even with just hay (she is fed free choice hay so she always has enough) at the boarding facility she lost weight- probably close to 100 pounds.
As an update- Tala was warm under her blankets this morning and her neck was warm under her mane instead of cold like the night before so I was successful in keeping her warm through -10 degree weather! :) Yay! Tonight is going to be chilly too. I am eager to get started on closing in her part of the barn. That will help a lot. Especially since it seems the prevailing wind has been coming from the west to the east.
So overall I am really glad. She really seems to be happy at the new house and internal control freak is happy that I can monitor her feed and water intake :)
Alee
Farmgirl Sister #8
www.farmgirlalee.blogspot.com
www.allergyjourneys.blogspot.com
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RedHoopWoman
True Blue Farmgirl
513 Posts
Kathryn
Yoder
Colorado
USA
513 Posts |
Posted - Jan 17 2012 : 1:32:26 PM
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Alle I'm sure you're doing everything right for Tala,my Red is a big appendix quarter horse and he's a hard keeper and we compete in Dressage and jumping and we also work cattle in the Spring and Fall work season so he has demanding work as well.
Sometimes it just takes time to put weight on them,I think the Purina Strategy is a good feed,I feed Purina Senior and that has always worked for my horse in helping him to put on and maintain his weight,I give that and free choice hay and a loose mineral blend as well as a salt block.
They tend to drop weight quicker than they put it back on but with your good care and the extra attention you're able to give her I am sure she'll come around just fine,it just takes time.
My horse is a real picky eater,he is strictly a hay,grain and carrot guy and occasionally will eat some beet pulp with his feed as long as it isn't too much at one time but I cannot put anything powdered,oily or apple flavored on his feed and that rules out just about every weight gain supplement out there except for rice bran but I quit adding that when I switched to the Purina Senior.
Anyways,I'm sure she'll do just fine,just give her time and consistency in her diet,my vet always says that if something is working in a horse's diet,don't change it and give your feeding program time to work.
Take care,hope this helps.
"Today's Mighty Oak is just Yesterday's Nut" |
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Alee
True Blue Farmgirl
22941 Posts
Alee
Worland
Wy
USA
22941 Posts |
Posted - Jan 17 2012 : 5:26:10 PM
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Thanks ladies- I really do appreciate all the insights and advice! The quick change in the weather is leaving most of the livestock and wild animals gasping. Tala was still warm when I got home and had drank a good amount of water today. I gave her a good pile of hay hay and she dug right in. I am going to give her a few hours before I give her a warm mash before bed.
We are in for an artic blast and possible 13 inches of snow. I am not looking forward to that.
Alee
Farmgirl Sister #8
www.farmgirlalee.blogspot.com
www.allergyjourneys.blogspot.com
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Barnyard Buddies: Anything else you would do? |
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Anything else you would do?
