RC: Re: carbs and heart rate

[Dbeverly4@aol.com]

In a message dated 1/15/00 2:31:46 PM Pacific Standard Time, 
mitts_n@hotmail.com writes:

<< Uhm, don't consider this a flame, but aren't your pellets probably ground 
 grains & hay pressed into pellets? If not, what is it? How many pounds of it 
 do they get?
 Don't you increase the feed during multidays? I know our horses are very 
 hungry after rides, & if they were going back out day after day would 
 probably need that 10-12 lbs by the end of a 5 day also. During the course 
 of a 100 mile ride our horses will eat about 3 times what they get on a 
 normal day. >>

Hi Nancy, yes the pellets are processed alfalfa base with oats, corn, etc. in 
there.  I think the processing makes them more easily digestible.  I'm no 
feed expert, so I should never have jumped in here (never seems to stop me 
though).  Even during a multi-day the most I have given is about 6 pounds 
(split between a.m. & p.m.).  Harca is a definite 5 on the body fat score, so 
this seems to work for him.  I keep forage hay in front of him at all times.  
I can't even imagine giving him 12 pounds of grain (he probably wouldn't eat 
that much anyway).  But it just sounded huge to me and with all the horror 
stories out there of horses having trouble with large quantity of grains, I 
was surprised.  Obviously, though, if it ain't broke don't fix it and in 
Tammy's case -- it ain't broke.  I just don't think you can recommend that 
kind of grain volume for most horses (in my opinion :).

Sylvia (reallllllllly glad Tom's away right now -- course if he was here, I'd 
be too chicken to post)