Re: New to Nutrition

Jeff & Bambi Forbes (forbes@vail.net)
Tue, 21 Jan 1997 13:01:47 -0700

Susan wrote:

The recommended rule of thumb in the industry is not to increase
> grain by more than 1/4 pound per DAY (not per feeding), with no more
> than a one pound increase per week. That is, you can start out with a
> 1/4 pound per day and gradually increase it so that you're feeding one
> pound a day by the end of the first week, two pounds by the end of the
> second week and so on.

> I realize these are very conservative
> increases, but it's much better to err on the side of caution,
> especially since a bad case of colic or founder is a really lousy way
>of
> finding out your horse doesn't tolerate dietary changes well. I used
>to
> work in an equine surgery and it was really sad the numbers of horses
> that showed up for colic surgery because their owners had innocently
> made a sudden (often minor) change in the horse's diet, thinking it was
> perfectly OK.

I know people who do the "Sunday Night Smorgasboard" for their horses,
beet pulp, bran, apples, carrots, crimped oats, molasses, corn oil and
boiling water to make the "mash". Wouldn't this be considered a drastic
leap in food type and amount for one night per week if the horse is used
to just crimped oats during the week? Not that I would do this to my
horses, but can anyone comment on this practice?

Bambi