Your Horse - 7 Tips For Safe and Healthy Seasonal Feed Changes
By Moira Clune and Noreen Girao
Fall horse pasture is an economical source of equine nutrition, but the lush grass of cooler weather can cause founder
and digestive upset. If your horse has trouble with early spring grasses, fall growth can also cause problems.
Your
horse needs time to adjust to the changes brought on the new season. Pasture changes, supplemental hay and grain feedings
and fallen leaves can play havoc with your horse's digestive tract.
1. When switching from pasture to a hay-based
diet, do so gradually. Make changes in hay gradually, replacing from 10 to 25 percent of the old hay with the new variety;
increase every three days. 2. If you choose to supplement with grain, introduce small amounts slowly, no more than 1
pound per feeding. Do not feed more than 4 pounds of grain at one time.
3. Be aware that cool or wet weather can
change the nutritional balance of fall grasses. 4. When making any dietary changes, watch for signs of digestive
upset. Be alert for gas, mild stomach distention, diarrhea or full blown colic.
5. As pasture quality and quantity
decreases, your horse may begin to sample other plants. Plant poisonings increase in the fall, so watch carefully for signs
of toxicity. Different plants cause different symptoms, so be familiar with common poisonous pasture plants.
6. Some plants become
more toxic in the fall, including horse nettle, white snakeroot and perennial ryegrass fungus. Acorns consumed in large
quantities can also cause problems. 7. Finally, don't dump large quantities of raked leaves into your horse pasture.
Horses like freshly raked leaves, but the leaves are dense and can compact in the horse's digestive system and cause
compaction colic. There's also the risk that the leaves may contain toxic species like Red Maple or Black Walnut.
Take
advantage of the health benefits and cost savings of fall horse pasture, but be on the lookout for potential digestive
upsets. Let Practical Horsekeeping show you how to become an efficient, effective equine expert! Moira Clune and
Noreen Girao provide helpful horse care information with a practical twist at PracticalHorsekeeping.com/ Our free horse care
ezine shows you the fastest, safest, smartest ways to care for your horse and create an organized, appealing environment
that works for horse and rider! Sign up today and get our free, veterinarian approved Colic Preparedness Report that shows
you exactly what to do in a horse colic emergency. Join us today at http://www.practicalhorsekeeping.com/horsecarenewslette
r.html and start getting practical!
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?
expert=Moira_Clune
http://EzineArticles.com/?Your-Horse---7-Tips-For-Safe-and-Healthy-Seasonal-Feed-Changes&id=1640742
Have a question or comment?
Contact us.
New! Do
a horse specific Google search using our customized
search from Google.
|
