TIME TO DEWORM: April 15-May 15. This gets the spring hatch of adult worms. Use Ivermectin or Quest because those kill the bots and all worms.
FOUNDER ALERT: Time to get those fat horses and previous foundered horses off the pasture! The grass is green and full of sugar!
Spring Pasture Turnout article by Dr. Tania Cubitt of Standlee forage products.
Prevention is to limit grazing to 1-3 hours a day 7- 10 am or turn out after 10 pm and remove from grass in the morning. These periods are when the grass has the lowest sugar levels because there is less photosynthesis in the grass plant. Cool nights and warm days reduce grass growth and concentrate the sugar in the grass. If the horse cannot be taken off the pasture and separated from his buddies, put a grazing muzzle on the horse. Research shows that a grazing muzzle reduces grass intake by 70-80%. Also making a 1-acre pasture with an electric fence limits the grass available and grass intake.
Fat horses should be removed from pasture and put on a diet of hay 1-2 flakes in the morning and evening with a cup of Enrich ration balancer or Safe Choice feed. Alfalfa has lower sugar than grass hay but is higher in energy. Mow the pasture regularly, as tall grass stores sugar in its blades.
If the horse has foundered, call the vet. Prompt treatment can get the inflammation out of the hoof and prevent rotation of the bone in the hoof. And of course, get the horse off the grass & stop the grain.
If the horse has foundered it must be removed from the pasture until it is completely well. Repeated yearly bouts of founder will require keeping the horse in a dry lot on hay except in the winter.
Feeding Myths from Dr. Juliet Getty
Myth #1 Horses don’t need as much hay during the night because they sleep.
Horses are awake and moving all the time. They sleep 2 hours a day broken into 20 minutes naps, graze continuously, and need to have forage available 24/7. Their intestinal system is designed to graze continuously. For the non-fat, non-founder horses, feed free choice hay and/or pasture. You can determine how much hay to feed at night is to make sure that there is hay left over in the morning, then the horse didn’t run out of hay. Once the horse realizes that the hay supply will never run out, he will start to self-regulate his hay intake and start to eat less hay.
Myth #2 The horse’s stomach should be empty while exercising to avoid digestive upset
Feeding a meal of feed should not be fed immediately before exercising or trailering your horse but forage should be fed. The horse’s stomach secretes acid all the time. Chewing forage produces saliva which is a natural antacid so it neutralizes the stomach acid. If the horse does not have anything to chew, the acid will accumulate in the stomach. Asking the horse to exercise will cause the acid to slosh around to the unprotected part of the stomach leading to an ulcer. Allow your horse to eat hay for 15 minutes before exercise. If you bring him off the pasture to ride, he was probably gazing eating forage so no need for hay unless he is going to stand tied for a while.
Re-Feeding Plan
The University of California Davis study of diets for rescue, starved horses concluded that an alfalfa diet is best for restoring starved horses to health. They advise feeding a starved horse small, frequent amounts of alfalfa hay. The first 3 days, feed 1 pound alfalfa every 4 hours for a total of 6 pounds divided into 6 feedings. (6am, 10am, 2pm, 6pm, 10pm.) On day 4-10, gradually increase the amount of alfalfa and decrease the frequency to 4 pounds every 8 hours for a total of 12 pounds in 3 feedings. (6am, 2pm, 10 pm). After the 10th day, feed free choice alfalfa. This is necessary to establish fiber in the cecum large intestine for fermentation and re-establishment of gut flora. Then after the alfalfa only refeeding period for a few weeks, then weight gain supplements can be added. If alfalfa hay is not available, timothy hay can be used. Equine Senior feeds can be added later to the diet.
Di Hopkins House Fire
Many of you know British horsewoman/trainer Di Hopkins of Bonham. On Thursday March 31, Di’s house caught fire resulting in a major property loss and the home is unlivable. She was at work at the time, but her neighbors were able to save her dogs from the house. Thankfully, the horses and barn were unaffected. If you would like to contribute money to help Di, you can send a check to this address:
Di Hopkins, 623 CR 1125, Ravenna. TX 75476.
Castration signs: April 19-26, or when the knife is sharp and the weather is good!
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