How many pounds is that, Ranelle. Flakes are REALLY inconsistent
in size across the country.
From:
ridecamp-owner@xxxxxxxxxxxxx [mailto:ridecamp-owner@xxxxxxxxxxxxx] On Behalf
Of Ranelle Rubin Sent: Sunday, September 28, 2008 8:13 AM To: Janeene; ridecamp@xxxxxxxxxxxxx Subject: RE: [RC] Newbie with a Concern
Janeene,
You are very right in your concern. IMO, alot of riders increase the physical
activity of their horses without increasing the "groceries". I happen
to be a fan of maintenance level high quality supplements, very little grain,
and free choice good quality forage. My horses are easy keepers no matter how
much work they get..every horse I have EVER been responsible for feeding has
been this way.
The old "two flakes a day" just doesn't cut it with an endurance
horse. Can you do this sport without supplements? Sure you can! Can you do it
on alfalfa? Sure you can! Would I do this sport without supplements or on a
straight alfalfa diet? NO WAY.
Here is what my horses get:
AM: 2 flakes 3-way grain hay..(Oat, Wheat, Barley)
PM: One flake grass hay, one flake grass/alfalfa
I don't weigh my hay, but these are large flakes out of 100+ lb bales of hay
Very small mash (about 6 c total after soaking): This is just the easiest way
to get vitamins and a considerable amount of extra water into my horses.
Beet Pulp
PGR-Dynamite's Pelleted Grain Ration-1-2c. depending on physical activity that
day.
1oz. maintenance level Dynamite vitamin
My actively racing horse also gets the joint supplement "Free and
Easy"
I will happily email pictures of my "in good flesh" horses to anyone.
I have rescued horses who were underweight and put weight on safely, (while
conditioning) too many times to listen to anyone tell me their horse is
"just a hard keeper"!!!!
Courage is
being scared to death, but saddling up anyway. ~ John Wayne
To: ridecamp@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: [RC] Newbie with a Concern
Date: Sun, 28 Sep 2008 07:52:51 -0400
From: janeenesings@xxxxxxx
Hi,
I just attended my first endurance ride this weekend (the Texas Tango), and I
had a great time as a volunteer. The ride was well-organized, people were
extremely helpful and friendly, and it was just an overall great experience and
it definitely motivated me to get more involved (I'm planning to do a 25 at
next month's Armadillo). Here's my concern: the number of what I
consider "skinny" horses I saw at this ride. Now, I know that
human marathon runners are lean and sometimes downright skinny, but, if I had
seen some of these horses in someone's pasture, I would have called a rescue to
report neglect. To be fair, the top riders and their horses were not
guilty of this; for the most part, their horses looked lean, but in good flesh
and well-conditioned. The first-time riders seemed to all have horses in
good weight. There were, however, a very large number of horses that just
looked downright underweight (ribby with toplines prominent and hipbones
protruding). What is up with this?&nbs p; Is it due to
overconditioning? Underfeeding? Stress? I really am getting
hooked with this sport, but I want to do right by my horses. I would love
to hear some feedback from you guys....
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