Re: A feed question

["Susan Garlinghouse" <suendavid@worldnet.att.net>]

Whether or not the protein level is adequate in the new 10% mix depends on what sort of hay your horse is eating; and also to some extent the quality of the protein in the mix.  First, the hay---if it's good quality grass hay, or has any legume (alfalfa or clover, usually) included, then protein is not going to be an issue.  If the hay quality is extremely poor, than the supplement mix may not be sufficient to supply adequate protein.  When you're trying to figure out adequate protein, remember that horses don't need percentages of protein in their ration, they need absolute amounts, pounds, kilos, whatever. A thousand pound horse at medium work needs about a kilogram of crude protein a day.  That would be supplied by  15 pounds of a good quality grass/alfalfa mix hay, by about ten pounds of straight alfalfa, or by 63 pounds of straw.  See where I'm going?  How much protein supplement your horse needs is going to depend on how much protein is already being supplied by the forage.

 

So, let's assume the barn feeds straight, decent quality grass or oat hay, which averages about 9% protein.  Twenty four pounds a day would supply sufficient protein for a 1000 lb horse at medium work (which most endurance horses are at).  Let's say your horse only ate or was given about 16-18 pounds a day, which equals roughly 700 grams of protein, and a shortfall of about 300 grams.  You'd need to feed about 6.5 pounds of the 10% mix to make up the difference (versus about 4.7 pounds of the previous 14% mix).

 

Bottom line, if your mare was doing okay before on the 14% mix plus whatever hay is being offered, she'll probably be just fine with the 10%.  You might want to ask to see a feed tag and look for the word  "soybean" in some form on the ingredient list.  Soybean meal is a very high quality protein for horses, and about the best amino acid profile available in a vegetable-based protein source.  So that would mean the protein contains the right amino acids to support metabolism and tissue growth, and is also bioavailable to your mare.

 

If your mare (or anyone else's) does start to have a protein deficiency, it usually shows up in the hair coat and hoof tissue.  The hair will look and feel rough and harsh, stands away from the body (not fluffy and thick like a healthy winter coat) and it won't feel silky or soft no matter how much you groom her.  It often will have a slight curl to it, and in darker colored horses, it may have a sort of bleached out look to the tips of the hair.  If you start seeing that, plus changes in the quality of the hoof tissue growing down from the coronary band, then you should probably change the ration a bit.  Otherwise, you're probably just fine.

 

Hope this helps. :-)

 

Susan G 

----- Original Message -----

From: Karen Snodgrass

To: ridecamp@endurance.net

Sent: Friday, December 07, 2001 7:52 AM

Subject: RC: A feed question

Hi All,

 

I have a feed question and thought that someone here might have some helpful advice.

 

The barn where I board my mare has had their sweet feed custom mixed for the last 6+years (since I got my mare).  I am told the protein level of this sweet feed is 14%.   Now, with the economy as it is, the local mills are starting to charge more for this mix and the barn owners are switching to a different sweet feed, still a custom mix, but one that other stables in the area are using (the old power in numbers thing).  Anyway the new feed has a protein level of 10%.  How will this protein change affect my mare?  We completed 355 miles this year, mostly 2 day 50 mile CTR's, but we did do 2 slow 50 mile endurance rides as well.  She kept her weight up and bounced back from all of the rides well.

 

If everything she is being fed is kept the same, except for the protein levels, is there anything to watch for that would tell me we need to supplement?  And if so, what would we supplement with.

 

thanks for your help - back to lurking

 

 

Karen