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Revised: 09/15/2008 |
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Nutrition Pasture
How do I manage my broodmare on fescue?
I had some reproductive issues this past year, so I recently had fescue samples tested. Two samples were sent with an infection rate of 27% and 37%. Some pastures may contain 70% fescue and others much less. Unfortunately the fields with the greatest percentage are the ones used for the broodmares. We are not able to close down fields for extended periods of time due to our high population. Would this percentage of infestation be significant enough to cause reproduction problems?
I would not risk your babies or mares by feeding fescue. It is hard to say if that infection rate is "safe", but if you are really concerned, I would not trust it. I usually recommend that people with fescue is remove the mares when they are 30 to 90 days from foaling. I don’t know what your management situation is, but if you have a way to do this, do it - it is the best option. Removing them could be as simple as putting them in a pasture with less or no fescue, or keeping them in a barn or dry lot and supplementing their diet with hay to replace the pasture forage. The other option is to give Domperidone in their last trimester, but this is a pretty expensive option. The reproductive problems you would most likely see are retained placenta and agalactia (lack of milk production). Other problems like late term abortion or premature separation of the placenta could also arise.
Answer provided by Carey Williams, Ph.D., Rutgers Cooperative Extension.
What are good grasses for a horse that has foundered?
I am wondering what combination of grasses you would suggest to reseed a pasture for horses that need low-carbohydrate, low-sugar feed due to a tendency to founder/develop laminitis?
The highest sugar accumulations are after cold (< 32 degrees Fahrenheit) overnight followed by bright sunshine, just after cutting, or during droughts. As long as the temperature overnight is above freezing, the lowest content of sugars is between 4 AM - 10 AM. Also, grasses accumulate more sugars in May and late August/September.
So, restricting access to only the early morning hours during the summer, and keeping at-risk horses off pasture or a day or two after mowing, if there is a drought or after an overnight freeze would be your safest approach.
Answer provided by Dr. Sarah Ralston, VMD, Ph.D., dACVN, Rutgers Cooperative Extension.
Can foundered horses ever eat grass again?
I have an 18-year-old Thoroughbred that foundered. She has been on the same pasture every day of her life for the last 9 years. She has been off pasture for about 6 weeks and is recovering very slowly. She is thin and I thought a good walk through the pasture once a day would not only allow her to gain a little weight but force her to walk a little more, which should promote hoof growth and recovery by maintaining the blood supply to her hoof. She is suffering from an abscess in her hoof that I pack with a poultice every day. She has egg bar shoes on with hospital plates to keep her soles clean and protected. More walking might promote better drainage of that abscess as well. What do you think?
How much walking she can tolerate really depends on how severe the rotation in her hooves is. I would consult with your veterinarian on that issue. Yes, the walking will help with circulation to the hoof, but if there is severe rotation of the pedal bone it could also cause more damage.
Very dry conditions could have led to an unusual accumulation of carbohydrates in the pasture grasses that triggered the founder. Rains and cool weather should reduce the risk, but you want to re-introduce her to pasture slowly since she has been off it for over two months. If you reintroduce her to the pasture, make sure you let her graze only in the early morning (6AM to about 11AM) when the sugar content of the grasses is lowest. If it is cloudy, you could leave her out longer than if it is sunny and warm, which stimulates the grasses to accumulate sugars. If there is an overnight freeze, do not let her graze-the grasses accumulate more sugar and have not yet converted from the previous day's production to fiber! Gradually increase the amount of time you let her out.
Answer provided by Dr. Sarah Ralston, VMD, Ph.D., dACVN, Rutgers Cooperative Extension.
Should foundered horses be allowed to graze on pasture?
It is unfortunate that he does not tolerate a grazing muzzle, for that would be the best solution. The short walks under saddle should not be a problem. Fall is the most dangerous time of year for laminitis prone horses because the grasses are accumulating significant amounts of starch and sugar for the winter. The issue is not so much how to acclimatize him but when to let him graze. As long as there has not been an overnight freeze (which prevents the previous day's sugars from being converted to harmless fiber) the early morning hours are safest, up to about 11 AM or so. On cloudy cool days you can leave him out longer than sunny warm ones, especially if there has been plenty of rain. Grasses accumulate more sugar during a drought too! Five- to ten-minute increments should be safe, but back off under the "danger" conditions. Also make sure he gets his hay or beet pulp before turning him out so he won't be as hungry.
There isn’t enough information at this time to give more exact recommendations, so in the meantime erring on the side of caution is probably best.
Answer provided by Dr. Sarah Ralston, VMD, Ph.D., dACVN, Rutgers Cooperative Extension.
Are grass clippings safe to feed to horses?
I have a question regarding grass clippings - is it safe to feed them to horses? If not, why? Also, what is the difference between feeding grass clippings vs. turning a horse out onto a grass pasture in the springtime?
Answer provided by Carey Williams, Ph.D., Rutgers Cooperative Extension.
Which is better: oats or pellets?
I am engaged in a debate over nutrition with the barn owner where I currently board. Several of the boarders, including myself, feed a pelleted feed; but the barn feeds straight oats. They have mixed some oats in with the pellets of the boarders. The barn owner insists that pellets are a low quality feed and that the ingredients used are cheap and inferior. However, my experience with my pellets has been good. The horses’ manure is always full of oats or oat hulls. My feeling is why feed something they can't totally digest when science and technology has provided a better substitute? I would appreciate your opinion of commercially available pellets and their effectiveness or nutritional value.
Pelleted feeds from the major companies, especially the premium product lines, are made from good quality ingredients and are under careful quality control. They are more balanced with respect to minerals and vitamins than straight grains like oats and tend to be more digestible.
The hulls of oats tend to be indigestible, which is why you see them in the feces. There is no real problem with that. While oat kernels are a good source of energy, they do not supply the calcium and minerals needed for proper bone development of young horses. Even with abundant good quality hay, young growing horses should be on a commercial mix (pelleted or otherwise).
Pelleted feeds got a bad reputation early on when they were first introduced in the 70's because some were made from inferior ingredients. However, the reputable companies do not include substandard ingredients in their top of the line products. Pellets are more balanced, and you can easily pick a product with the nutrient profile you need (e.g. higher fat for a hard keeper, low starch and fat, high fiber for the easy keepers, etc.) without adding supplements.
Answer provided by Dr. Sarah Ralston, VMD, Ph.D., dACVN, Rutgers Cooperative Extension.
How do I adapt my horse to pasture?
I have a 5 year old Irish Sport Horse in good health, but a little on the chunky side at 16.3hh. He is currently receiving timothy hay, 4 pounds of oats and 4 pounds of sweet feed per day. His turnout has been basically rocks and dirt for the last two years. I will be moving him soon to a new barn that has ample pasture turnout. I'm hoping you can give me some advice on how to acclimate him to his new surroundings to lower the risk of founder and colic. I have been hand grazing him a couple of hours per week at his present barn. Do you have a schedule that I can follow, or time spans that would be preferred? How long should I maintain a transition schedule?
Assuming it is half-day turnout, you can easily increase the amount over 3 weeks to get up to 8 to 12 hours of pasture consumption. If it is a full 24 hours of pasture, you might want to extend the adaptation to 4 weeks. However, if he is a bit chunky now, I would be concerned that he will gain more weight on the pasture, so along with increasing the pasture over the course of the 3 to 4 weeks, I would recommend cutting the oats and sweet feed ration in half. Pasture has plenty of fiber, sugars, starches, and protein to make up for the decrease in the grain meal.
Answer provided by Carey Williams, Ph.D., Rutgers Cooperative Extension.
The material provided on this site is for educational purposes only and is not intended to diagnose, prevent, or treat any illness. Any recommendations are not intended to replace the advice of your veterinarian. Any products mentioned are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent disease. Mention or display of a trademark, proprietary product, or firm in text or figures does not constitute an endorsement by the Equine Science Center or Rutgers University and does not imply approval to the exclusion of other suitable products or firms. |
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