RE: [RC] [RC] Glycemic index of horse grains - Susan & Jerry Milam
Believe it could be about 2 days...MHO
susan
From: ridecamp-owner@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
[mailto:ridecamp-owner@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx] On Behalf Of
sherman Sent: Thursday, July 06, 2006 11:58 PM To:
ridecamp@xxxxxxxxxxxxx Subject: [RC] [RC] Glycemic index of horse
grains
I’ve been reading so much lately about grains, glycogen,
beet pulp, that I can’t remember which author wrote what. I do recall that
someone with lots more knowledge than myself (Susan Garlinghouse? TI?, or maybe
summarized by Dr. Weary) wrote that the meals eaten during a ride have little to
do with gut sounds at the vet checks as it takes so long for food to get into
the gut where all these sounds we like to hear are formed. Instead, what is
important in keeping good gut motility is good hydration and electrolyte balance
and readily available energy (glycogen?) fed frequently throughout the ride to
keep all systems functioning properly. If the horse runs low on energy or
fluids, systems start slowing down, gut sounds diminish. So, if the horse
frequently eats small amounts (a pound or so) of oats or carrots (not beet pulp,
not enough glycogen?), then they will actually have more energy to keep their
guts operational and may even stimulate them to eat more hay which will
eventually get to the hindgut, but not for quite a while. Did I get this right?
And does anyone remember how long it takes for food to get to the hindgut?
Kathy
First of all, it matters a whole lot whether you're
talking about shredded or pelleted beet pulp. But both forms soak up a heck of a
lot of water! I'm thinking that beet pulp might be more popular in the dry west
than in other, relatively wet parts of the country. Out here, there often is no
water (or grass) along the trail so it can be a long time in between water
sources (i.e., vet checks). That makes beet pulp very appealing as a water
bearer. My guess is that beet pulp soaks up and holds more water than soaked hay
but I've never tried soaking hay so I'm just guessing. Beet pulp is also compact
and relatively light which are also plusses when "lunch" is away from camp &
whatever you want for your horse has to be carried in your crewbag. I agree,
Truman, that whatever the horse eats at a particular vet check isn't going to
affect its gut sounds immediately. But my assumption about beet pulp (or any
other food) is that having something to work on will keep the gut working til
the next vet check. Laney
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