Feeding Time
1. “Lately a couple of our 3 year old mares have been acting colicky about 2 min after being grained. “
2. “The reports say wheat bran can be unhealthy…””My mare will not eat grain with regumate poured on it.
3. “My mare will not eat grain with regumate poured on it…”
4. What kind of hay would you suggest that I could buy?…
5. I would like to know a good horse feed for a 25 year old horse who is coming out of the winter really thin…”
6. “what you’re saying is that I need to find a high protein high fiber feed and that senior feed might be necesary? Now is senior feed a grain or hay,…
7. “How much, how often & what kind should we feed. …”
8. ” Is alfalfa the right choice?…”
9. “What is the difference between Energy and Protein? Can too much protein cause a founder or laminates case?…”
10. “what exactly is “crude” Protein? …”
11. “I am moving my two horses to a pen that had cane bailed out of it….”
12. “Hello, I have two elderly horses. One is a 42-year-old Appaloosa mare (Ginger), and the other is a 35-year-old Walkaloosa gelding (Cody)…”
1. “Lately a couple of our 3 year old mares have been acting colicky about 2 min after being grained. “
We own many horses. Lately a couple of our 3 year old mares have been acting colicky about 2 min after being grained. They eat for a little while and then proceed to roll and act uncomfortable. One of the mares is bred with her first colt. I always thought that the colt was moving and she didn’t like it. Then tonight, another of our unbred 3 yr olds began to roll shortly after we grained. We have a mix of oat/corn/beet pulp that we buy from the local elevator. We are at a loss of what could be bothering them. They both had good bowel sounds and pooped as they were feeling this way. Any advice as to what it might be?
Dr. Jack Sales’ Answer:
The symptoms that you are describing are definitely abnormal. There is a problem and it should be addressed. When one horse out of a group would act like that within minutes of eating the grain, you might suspect a stomach ulcer. Since you have two or three doing this, I would highly suspect that the grain mix may possibly have a problem. It could be a possible additive that may be toxic to the horse, or one of the ingredients may be spoiled. If this is a grain elevator that mixes cattle and other animal feeds, it has been known to occur that some ingredients could be getting into the horse feeds. Horses have a problem with a number of ruminant feed additives (rumensin, urea, and others) and they may be reacting to this. I would have your feed analyzed if you have a lot on hand to feed, but if you don’t have much on hand, I would strongly suggest that you switch to a commercially prepared sweet feed (grain mix) for horses from a reputable company. This change should be done before there is any serious problems. I hope this helps and good luck.
2. “The reports say wheat bran can be unhealthy…”
We bought a rescued Hackney pony in January our horse friends helped us get started with him for a couple months. We recently moved him to a stable and when feed questions about the 2 lbs. of Wheat Bran daily came up, controversy has kept us all wondering. He also is on 2 lbs. of Pleasure Horse, (12% sweet feed, grain,feed in a warm water mash), 1/2 oz. wheat germ oil, 1/2 oz. vita plus, 4 flakes of hay, and a red salt lick block. Carrot daily and apple ocasionally. We are mainly concerned about the bran, he was slightly foundered on cow grain, prior to rescue, and also had to overcome weight loss, he now weighs about 700plus lbs. at 15 hands. The reports say wheat bran can be unhealthy, what should we do? Thank you.
Dr. Jack Sales’ Answer:
Hi Tammy. Wheat bran in a horse’s diet is only harmful if it is the sole ingredient. The way that you are feeding wheat bran is a very beneficial way to utilize wheat bran in a horse’s ration. It will help prevent digestive disturbances when fed as you are feeding. It sounds as if you are doing a very good job of supplying your horse with all the vital nutrients needed for a healthy condition.
3. “My mare will not eat grain with regumate poured on it…”
My mare will not eat grain with regumate poured on it, is there another way for me to give to her? She has been on regumate for 11 days now and and have only a few days left, can I give it to her orally like you would paste wormer?
Dr. Jack Sales’ Answer:
Yes, you can give the mare the regumate orally. The best way to do this is to get an oral dose syringe. Fill the syringe with the dose of regumate, have some one else holding her, and you can grasp her tongue with your left hand and introduce the syringe into her mouth with the right hand on the left side of her mouth at the inter-dental space (the space between the corner incisor and the first cheek tooth. push the syringe well up into her mouth and then deposit the regumate into the back of her throat. Once you have done that, close her mouth and raise her muzzle slightly, coaxing her to swallow it. Make sure she has swallowed it before letting her lower her head.
4. “What kind of hay would you suggest that I could buy?”
I am about to buy my first horse, and this horse is a year old. She has been eating grass most of her life. When I buy her, I want her to eat hay, along with grass. What kind of hay would you suggest that I could buy, that she will like?
Dr. Cheryl Rahal’s Answer:
Young horses do best when feed a grass or grass-alfalfa mix hay. In young growing horses we try and avoid feeding excessively high protein feeds and are careful to have a Calcium:Phosphorus ration close to 2:1. Types of grass hay available are going to depend on the region you live in. Shop around for timothy grass hay or an orchard type grass, some picky horses prefer the grasses to be mixed with Alfalfa, which provides a fairly balanced nutritious ration. Just remember to make any feed changes as slow as possible, mixing feeds for about 1-2 weeks.
5. “I would like to know a good horse feed for a 25 year old horse who is coming out of the winter really thin….”
He’s been losing weight but not to this extent. He is currently on Nutrena’s Senior with alfalfa/grass hay. I am feeding the Nutrena to him daily as much as he wants. Also, would like to know of a good wormer and how many days to give it to him. Am hearing lots of things.
Bill Schurg’s Answer:
These older horses need even more care as you notice any drop in condition and weight. You may find that using Nutrena Feeds Safe Choice along with your alfalfa and grass would be a better choice than the Sr. Feed. Also, if you haven’t had a recent veterinary check to evaluate teeth and parasites that too may be useful. You may need to add a high fat supplement such as Amplifiy (Purina) or Nu-Weight (Select the Best) to your horses diet. Using products like rice bran, beet pulp and soaked flaxseed may be another means of providing added calories with little sugar that may help. Essentially the Safe Choice product uses many of these high fat, high calorie and low sugar products. There are many ways to get greater caloric density to your horse, but start by making sure that the health care issues are understood and then modify the diet. It may take 45-90 days to see improvements in your horse provided optimum digestion of nutrients occurs.
6. “what you’re saying is that I need to find a high protein high fiber feed and that senior feed might be necesary? Now is senior feed a grain or hay,…”
Yes she had her teeth floated in October of 07. She hasn’t received any worming since October but I am planning on doing that as soon as possible. She had some hoof isues and was at the vet in January so she is fine as far as we know. So basically what you’re saying is that I need to find a high protein high fiber feed and that senior feed might be necesary? Now is senior feed a grain or hay, I appologize for my ignorance. She is about 1000 pounds but should be about 1100…I think part of the issue is that she is worked at least twice a week for up to 3 hours each time.
Bill Schurg’s Answer:
The senior feed or a feed with high fiber, high fat and protein are all concentrates. These feeds are supplemented to your horse in addition to the hay or forage she is receiving. These products will have higher levels of calories that are more digestible and therefore will aid the horse that needs to gain additional weight. As the work load has increased this horse needs more total highly digestible feed. A typical horse that weighs about 1100 pounds needs about 16.4 Mcals of digestible energy each day and when the work load increases this energy value will need to increase to as much as 32 Mcals during intense work. Your horse should likely be fed at least 16 pounds of good quality hay each day and from 4-8 pounds of the concentrate. Of course the amounts are dependent on the obvious condition of the horse but using high fat, high fiber feeds will allow you to feed at higher levels daily of the concentrate as those feeds generally are based on ingredients that are low in starch content but high in calories.
7. “How much, how often & what kind should we feed. …”
My vet has recomended feeding our pregnant mares brand mash, starting about 4 to 6 weeks before due date. How much, how often & what kind should we feed?
Bill Schurg’s Answer:
I tend to use a wet bran mash (wheat bran) just after my mares foal. Many horses do not consume a dry bran mash very well, but adding a 1 pound coffee can of bran mash mixed with water would not be a problem for your horses. If consumption is a problem you can add a little grain, vegetable oil, or molasses which may make the wet bran mash more palatable. Bran when moistened is an excellent hydration method for your horses. When mares foal it helps rehydrate them and gives them an opportunity to readjust to their regular feeding schedule.
8. ” Is alfalfa the right choice?…”
I have a question. I have a 12 year old mare that is belly heavy but her ribs are still visible and her back is sinking. Is there any feed suggestions for this? Right now she is only receiving hay. Is alfalfa the right choice?
Bill Schurg’s Answer:
First, I would ask have you had your mare’s teeth checked and made sure she is free of internal parasites? It may be that she has a few health related issues that should be addressed by your veterinarian. A good quality hay including alfalfa, mix or grass can be used, however you might find that feeding a concentrate supplement like a Senior Feed or one of the high fiber high fat feeds to be useful. If your horse weighs about 1000 pounds she would need around 20 pounds of good quality feed daily. Using 14-16 pounds of hay and 2-4 pounds of a senior feed may help improve your mare’s condition.
9. “What is the difference between Energy and Protein? Can too much protein cause a founder or laminates case?…”
Bill Schurg’s Answer:
Energy is a term which describes the amount of calories an animal needs or takes in each day. Energy comes primarily from carbohydrates in the form of non-structural carbohydrates (grains) or structural carbohydrates (hays or pasture). These sources make up most of the energy used by horses. However, energy can also come from fats or oils and these are 2.25 times the energy value of typical carbohydrates or protein. Protein when in excess above the requirements of the horse can be turned into some energy but most is voided from the horse through urinary excretion. Protein alone probably is not likely to create founder or laminitis but if one is feeding high levels of protein contained in concentrates which are also high is grains this could be associated with the problem.
10. “what exactly is “crude” Protein? …”
Thank you so much, that reply helps!!! I just have one more Question, what exactly is “crude” Protein?
Bill Schurg’s Answer:
Crude protein is the term which describes all the nitrogenous materials that are in a particular feed. It is measured by determining the nitrogen content of the feed and then multiplying it by 6.25. So if something was 2% nitrogen it would have a crude protein content estimated as 12.5%. When you look at a feed tag and see CP or crude protein that is 12.5% or someone says the hay has 10% crude protein that is what is being described. One needs to understand that the crude protein does not mean that all the protein is available to the horse. Only what is actually digested and absorbed by the horse is what is going to be used.
11. “I am moving my two horses to a pen that had cane bailed out of it….”
It has some regrowth back but its not real tall. Would this be bad for our horses? Thanks
Bill Schurg’s Answer:
I would not expect this to be a problem and am not aware of any ill effects associated with a horse eating small amounts of new growth.
12. “Hello, I have two elderly horses. One is a 42-year-old Appaloosa mare (Ginger), and the other is a 35-year-old Walkaloosa gelding (Cody)…”
Which is the most fattening? grass/alfalfa mix hay oats (Sprout brand) broodmare/foal feed I am trying to figure out a good balance between all three for my 6 year old mare – she is still nursing her 4 month old colt – he is grazing, eating grain and hay as well. My vet said he wouldn’t like to see her any heavier.
Bill Schurg’s Answer:
Horses that are the age you have are very challenging to both put and keep weight on. Many times you will be able to get some rib covering but due to age the backbone area may never return to where you would like it to be. The use of moist alfalfa pellets along with additions of rice bran (1-3 cups/day) and even some soaked beet pulp may be ways to improve weight gain. I like the use of soaked flaxseed poured onto the alfalfa pellets, rice bran and beet pulp as well to increase energy density. Some horses may not like the mixture and at the age your horses are you have to try several things to find what they will consume and begin to show benefit. I am not familiar with the Allegra and Millenium Gold products but I suspect they may have some of the ingredients that I have suggested and I would indicate to continue their use. The addition of the soaked pellets for Ginger may be useful and not complicate your feeding program. It sounds like you are doing the right things and these horses are lucky to have this great attention.
