Re: RC: Re: Karen's Questions #3, 4, 5, 6 & 7

[Bette Lamore <woa@stormnet.com>]

Hi Marci
I was going to buy an alfalfa/bermuda mix and then my hay person said
the bermuda was a waste. Have you had luck with it? I've always used
alfalfa for pregos and lactating mares and the forage for the rest but
if the bermuda/alfalfa is nice, it would be great to give them the extra
warmth in winter (although Central Coast CA winters are 45-55 at
worst<bg>)
Bette

Marci Cunningham wrote:
> 
> 3:  What is your feeding program?  What do you feed before, during and after
> hard rides?
> 
> My feeding program is fairly simple.  The horses are rotated between two 1
> 1/2 acre irrigated pastures.  During the hot weather, and it can get very
> hot in Bakersfield, the bermuda grows well however now that it has cooled
> off the bermuda is going dormant and my husband has overseeded with rye
> grass.  I consider the grass as supplemental to the hay the horses are fed.
> I feed alfalfa cubes that I buy in bulk from a local hay cubing company.
> Although baled hay is less expensive, storage is an issue as 2 tons of cubes
> takes up a lot less room that 2 tons of baled hay.  While alfalfa is not the
> ideal diet for endurance horses, again it has worked for my horses.  One
> year at the AERC convention, one of the speakers said that a diet of hay and
> cob grain wasn't a balanced diet so now I add a vitamin supplement to the
> minute amount of grain each horse gets.  Not very scientific, but oh well.
> I'd guess that each horse gets maybe a half pound of grain, as I don't weigh
> it but eyeball splitting up one scoop measure 3 ways.  I don't change the
> diet after a hard training ride but I do take oat hay to endurance rides and
> offer it along with alfalfa hay.  I don't take cubes to rides but buy baled
> hay as I think it is easier to eat than cubes.  I try to feed baled hay a
> couple of days prior to going to a ride just to let them get used to the
> baled hay.  Don't know if it is necessary but it makes me feel better.  I
> have started taking beet pulp to endurance rides but only one horse has
> taken a shine to it, the other would rather have a bran mash.  I do feed
> additional grain after an endurance ride.  Keeping weight on my horses is
> not an issue, as both horses in training are plenty plump.
> 
> 4:  What supplements and electrolytes do you use on conditioning rides and
> competitions?
> 
> I've been using ABC Ride Rite electrolytes for a couple of years.  First
> bought them from Roger R. at the convention.  If it is going to be really
> hot I may use them on a training ride, especially with Koztarr, as he seems
> to need them more than Torch.  I think each horse is different in their
> electrolyte needs and somehow we need to figure this out before we go
> overdoing the electrolytes.  More isn't always better.  At an endurance ride
> depending on the ride, weather etc, I may or may not give them the night
> before the ride, the morning, and several times during the day.
> 
> 5:  What strategies do you use for cooling?  How do you cool after hard
> rides?  Do you ice legs?  Do you poltice and wrap legs?
> 
> I like to start my cooling down prior to getting to a vet check.  It is
> always interesting to see how many people you can pass in a vet check, and
> neither of my horses have exceptional recoveries.  I'm trying to sponge more
> on the trail but I will never be as good as Angie.  At home I always hose
> off the horses as long as the temperature permits it.  I don't ice or
> poultice or wrap legs after an endurance ride.  I used to wrap legs after
> every ride years ago when I first started endurance riding.  I think that
> was because everybody else did.  Then I started reading about why not to
> wrap and it made sense to me so I stopped wrapping.  I can't remember that
> last time any of my horses had any filling after a 50 or a 100 mile ride.
> 
> 6:  How do you train with your HRM's?
> 
> I have a HRM, but I don't train with it.  It just takes too much work to try
> to keep track of where your horse is.  I use it at rides as an expensive
> stethescope, which I'll bet most people do also.  I don't think a newbie
> endurance rider should get a HRM until they have ridden a year of endurance
> rides and know their horse very well.  Stethescopes are a lot cheaper and do
> the job at vet checks.
> 
> 7:  Saddles, tack etc?
> 
> I ride in an old OF Traditional (#12) that I bought from Susan Gibson when
> she was still down here in California.  It has been rebuilt from the tree
> up, with new leather, panels, and rigging, and it still fits all of my
> horses.  I feel so fortunate that it fits all of my horses since I know what
> a bummer it must be to have saddle fitting problems.  Last year I bought
> another used Traditional from Barbara Sanches, to have as a back-up.  I
> think there are a lot of good used saddles around and I don't believe in
> buying new if I can find it used.  When I started riding the same saddle on
> different horses I switched from the booties to woolback pads that I can
> rotate the pads between horses.  I don't encourage new riders to go out and
> buy new saddles and tack prior to their first ride.  Use what you have in
> your tack room.
> 
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-- 
Bette Lamore
Whispering Oaks Arabians, Home of 16.2hh TLA Halynov
(yes, REALLY!)
http://www.arabiansporthorse.com