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RE: [RC] Hay while trailering - heidiI was talking with some friends and was told just yesterday that an 'old timer' that one of the ladies knows insists to NEVER give hay while trailering. That is, do not put hay in front of the horse while you are driving. Stopping and giving hay is fine. He (over 70 years of experience) 'knows' that horses MIGHT colic if eating hay while traveling. Something about horses possibly getting a type of motion sickness like we do, eating and not being able to burp. While there may be the odd individual who has trouble with hay while traveling, I'd be far more concerned about horses colicking from NOT having free access to forages on a long trip. The persistent nibbling helps to stimulate the gastrocolic reflex and keep guts working. The only problem I've ever had feeding hay while traveling had nothing to do with colic--I had an old standard 2-horse bumper-pull with a manger, and some alfalfa fines had accumulated, which I did not remove prior to a long trip. I had a lovely mare (who was a bit of a hog) scarf them up and choke on them, and then aspirate because she could not get her head down. She died four days later of aspiration pneumonia. My only caution about feeding in the trailer is having a horse in a position where, if such a thing occurs, they can get their heads below level just as they would if they were loose. And I continue to feed hay in the trailer (except for short hops when I sometimes don't bother) because of the obvious benefits. Heidi =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= Ridecamp is a service of Endurance Net, http://www.endurance.net. Information, Policy, Disclaimer: http://www.endurance.net/Ridecamp Subscribe/Unsubscribe http://www.endurance.net/ridecamp/logon.asp Ride Long and Ride Safe!! =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
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