Re: hydration and hay type

[Deanna German <finishis2win@columbus.rr.com>]

Katrina,

From one Ohioan to another, I've read it here that the alfalfa hay grown
here in Ohio is not as rich as alfalfa hay grown elsewhere, especially
California. I don't know if that's true or not. What I do know is that, of
the distance horses I am familiar with, which include CTR horses doing 300
miles of competition every year on up to horses doing 100 mile races and
many more hundred miles of competition annually, they are on some kind of
grass mix "at home" (with perhaps a small percentage of alfalfa), usually as
much as they can eat, and are only offered straight alfalfa at rides to a.)
get the horse to eat something, anything (and it's sometimes offered soaked
to get needed moisture into the horse) and b.) as a source of calcium. I
think I also read here that the horse's body is better off if it doesn't
learn to rely on the calcium that is in alfalfa and thus to not feed alfalfa
on a regular basis.

I myself feed a grass hay mix that has a small percentage of alfalfa in it.
But my mare is also on pasture 12 hours per day. Next year or the year
after, when my mare is ready to do a 300+ mile season, I will switch her to
all grass for conditioning and competing.


>We don't feed grain at all and seem to have healthy horses with no
>ribs showing.  Quick recovery times too.

Having seen your horses, they look nice and I don't disbelieve you regarding
recovery times, but keep in mind the level at which you have competed is not
the same as a 50 mile endurance ride or even a 25 mile LD. Pulse recovery
after 15 or 20 miles at a 5 to 7 mph pace doesn't really compare to pulse
recoveries of a horse that has gone 50 to 100 miles at that pace or even 25
miles if the pace is faster. ( Please forgive me if I'm wrong about the
distances at which you have competed.)

Deanna (Ohio)
AERC # (is that the same as my ID #?) M30478
AHAO CTR rider, endurance crew and future endurance rider