Re: can horses pick their ration?

["Robert Morris" <bobmorris@rmci.net>]

Some interesting things can be observed regarding "free choice" dietary
trends.

While many persons, including TI feel that horses do not knowledgeably make
a choice I have observed some actions to the contrary.

An example; our area is VERY deficient in selenium! How did we find out that
our horses were very deficient? They were eating the Astragalus (loco weed)
that concentrates selenium in the leaves. We noticed that these plants,
quite prominently visible in our pasture, all had the center leaves cropped
off. Vet advised supplementing their diet and when we did the eating of the
plant diminished and over time ceased.

Now, one observation that is not a dietary choice; we have a "free choice"
salad bar close to our water supply (a spring) for the horses. I has , from
left to right, a salt block, loose salt, mineral supplement and another salt
block all in a five foot line between two trees and chest high off the
ground. Also a roof for weather protection. The loose salt and mineral
supplement are consumed according to the work the horses get. NOW, the left
hand salt block is consumed twice as fast as the right hand one. Both are
the same but always the left hand one goes twice as fast as the right.
WHY???

Third observation concerning diet. In the past year we have been host to
four horses , not endurance horses, that on arrival were beavers. Any wood
in sight, as long as it was dry, was consumed. (consider how my barn corners
now look) Even old power poles used for retaining walls were chewed upon.
After these horses were put on free choice minerals and a diet including
rabbit brush, cottonwood leaves and cheat grass (also various semi-desert
foothills vegetation) they lost the webbed feet and flat tails and now
behave like (well almost like) horses.

No real scientific proof, but I do feel the horse does to an extent, make a
dietary choice depending on needs other then nourishment.


Bob Morris
Morris Endurance Enterprises
Boise, ID
-----Original Message-----
From: Tivers@aol.com <Tivers@aol.com>
To: Zaronica@aol.com <Zaronica@aol.com>; ridecamp@endurance.net
<ridecamp@endurance.net>
Date: Wednesday, December 02, 1998 5:48 PM
Subject: Re: can horses pick their ration?


>In a message dated 12/2/98 4:09:51 PM Pacific Standard Time,
Zaronica@aol.com
>writes:
>
><< have been around long enough to remember when Farnam had the minerals,
>etc.,
> all separated out in little bins in a triangle arrangement and they
claimed
> that the horse would only eat what he needed.  Oops!  It didn't work and
>guess
> where that idea went.  I think it would be lots easier if the horse knew
what
> he needed and then ate accordingly, oh well.  Lovell
>  >>
>
>There are still some companies out there selling that concept--ABC is one
of
>them. Humans are supposed to be smarter than horses--and some actually
>are--but if I sat down to breakfast with five tubs of powders in front of
me,
>I'd probably avoid the bitter ones and try to get down the sweet ones.
>
>I used to think that horses ate dirt because they were shy of certain
minerals
>in their diets--but that's not true, either. I think that may have to do
with
>gastrointestinal distress.
>
>ti
>
>