Re: RC: feeding pasture horses at rides

[Jim Holland <lanconn@tds.net>]

Pat...

I also have that concern.  Sunny is also on lush pasture, with a mix of
fescue, broome, coastal bermuda, etc.  In the two years I have competed
him, I have not had a problem with the diet change except that he
doesn't eat as well as he should when he doesn't have grass.  Prefers
that to anything else. I have experimented trying to find out what kind
of hay "products" he likes.  I prefer NOT to feed a lot of alfafa...of
course, he WILL eat that.  I finally started feeding one of the packaged
"forages" made from timothy hay.  It's really simple, just chopped up
timothy, a little fat, and a little molasses. I give him a double
handful "treat" every day with his morning feed.  He has become used to
eating that every day and it keeps a "hay" product in his system. At
rides, I give him a choice of bermuda and fescue hay and all of the
"forage" he wants.  He has been eating more and getting better gut
sounds at the rides this year.  He sorta "browses" among them all.  I
also give him that in the trailer instead of hay. 

Susan, could you comment on this issue?

Jim and Sun of Dimanche

Onefarmgirl@aol.com wrote:
> 
> Hi all
> 
> This is the first year that I've had the luxury of having my endurance horse
> on gorgeous pasture.    That's all well and good, but here's my problem.   I
> don't think that en route to a ride and/or at a ride is a good place to
> suddenly change the horses' feed.   Of course with the pastured horse this is
> not an option - by definition you have to change your feed practices.    Not
> only am I changing his feed, I'm changing him from fresh grass with a very
> high water content to dry old hay.  I do generally soak the alfalfa; if I try
> to soak the grass hay, he just won't eat it.  However, no reasonable amount
> of soaking approximates the fresh grass.
> 
> Seems as if I am changing his feed at the worst possible moment, and changing
> it for the worse at that.   I've been toying with the idea of moving him to
> his paddock a week or so before a ride to change him to hay then.
> 
> So......... whadaya think?   Is this a non-issue?    For those of you who
> have been keeping your horse on pasture, do you just pull 'em off and load
> 'em in the trailer with hay?    Susan?   Comments?
> 
> pat farmer
> 
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-- 
Richard T. "Jim" Holland                 Phone:  (706) 258-2830
LANCONN, Inc.                            FAX:    (706) 632-1271
Three Creeks Farm			 INTERNET:  lanconn@tds.net
175 Hells Hollow Drive                   
Blue Ridge, GA 30513