Endurance.Net Ridecamp Archives

In a message dated 1/19/2005 8:48:41 PM Central Standard Time, eylerca@xxxxxxxxxxx writes:

> According to a mailing I just got from AERC's education committee, it takes a horse three weeks to adjust to a new feed.  Why not feed at least a little beet pulp all the time, so your horse's gut bugs are accustomed to it?


This is definitely smart.  Some horses adjust to having beet pulp added to their diet, or the amount increased, better than do others.  My husband's Paso Fino is very sensitive to increases - he'll get a mild but uncomfortable gas colic if we increase the amount too fast.  So, he gets about 2/3 of what he gets at rides, every day at home.  Then a couple of days before a ride, we  slowly increase him to "ride rations."  (If we kept him on that amount all the time, he'd be a blimp.  LOL)  My gelding, however, doesn't seem to be bothered by more rapid increases, but we still try to do it a *little* gradually.  He, too, gets it every day at home when he's being conditioned.

Dawn in East Texas