Friday, February 22, 2013

How much feed or hay does your horse really need?

Horses are natural grazers.  Their digestive systems were designed to process a high fiber diet, such as grass and hay.  As humans have turned (some) horses into athletes, the horses' body has demanded more nutrition.  Horses that I usually see are either WAY to fat, or WAY to skinny.  The University of Georgia Cooperative Extension program has an excellent article posted on their website about the basic nutritional needs of horses and how to determine exactly how much to feed your horse.  You can find this article at the link below:
http://www.caes.uga.edu/publications/pubDetail.cfm?pk_id=7824#Calculations

Monday, February 11, 2013

Wild Horses Find New Homes


The Wild Horse & Burro Adoption at the Duplin County Events Center will be held this year the weekend of July 12 in Kenansville, NC. This event gives potential horse owners a chance to develop life skills and gives animals an opportunity for a good home and positive human interaction.
            The U.S. Bureau of Land Management initiates the program and collects the horses, and then a veterinarian examines the horses prior to the adoption. These sales usually last three days and consist of either auctions or set adoption fees.
For the past 4 or 5 years, this annual event in Duplin County has offered about 100-150 horses or burros a chance at a new home and offered 200-300 potential horsemen an opportunity to expand their training and caretaking knowledge and experience.
According to Larry Sessoms, Duplin County Events Center Executive Director, the process is simple: come out to the Duplin County Events Center, look around and see if any of the horses are of interest for adoption. If you find a horse you are interested in, you will need to complete paperwork and meet certain requirements for adoption. If you meet those requirements, you pay an adoption fee, and take your horse home. The adoption fee varies but is usually in the ballpark of $50-$100. There is no charge for admission. Larry adds that many times, a horse trainer comes to perform training techniques used for wild horses so that anyone in attendance can benefit. Sale times vary so contact the Events Center at the number below for more information.
The Duplin County Events Center will be hosting other agricultural and horse-related events in 2013, such as the Duplin Agribusiness Fair October 16-19 (http://duplinfair.com/). For more information about the adoption or other events, contact the Duplin County Events Center at 910-275-0009 or check their website at http://www.duplinevent.com/.
  The Duplin County Events Center prepares their
arena for a wild horse & burro adoption.
 
The Duplin County Events Center hosts an adoption
with a variety of horses and burros. This year’s event
will be the weekend of July 12-14 at the events center.

Can your Horse Farm Handle a Winter Storm?

Look just what happened in the Northeast. Just imagine if any part of that winter storm was about 300 - 400 miles south! Are you ready? Is your horse ready? Is your farm ready? Although we live in an area with mostly sunny days, there are times when we have temperatures below freezing as well as an occasional snow storm.
About the worst thing for a horse during the winter months is ice; most importantly, the ice that covers the watering trough or water bucket. Water for the horse during cold weather is too often overlooked. The water may freeze, making it inaccessible to the horse. Mature horses need about 10 gallons of water a day. To keep the horse healthy during freezing weather owners should make sure an ample supply of fresh water is always available. Excessively cold water will decrease the horses' consumption of water.
The horse has two natural defenses against cold, a long hair coat and a layer of fat beneath the skin. Both provide an excellent means of insulation against the cold.
Most nutritional needs of the horse do not change during the winter season. Vitamin, mineral and protein requirements will still depend upon the horse's age and physiological status and not on the time of year. The horse should be fed according to body condition.
Thin horses should be fed some supplemental grain in addition to good quality hay to assure enough energy to produce warmth, while a fat horse will require little or no increase from their fall diet. Most mature horses that are idle and in good flesh can survive the winter quite well on good quality hay and ample clean water.
Overfeeding can cause too much weight gain during the winter, and lead to laminitis and other health problems in the spring.
While horses need shelter from cold winds, rain and snow; it is not necessary to keep them in a closed barn throughout the winter. Horses kept outdoors in the winter with access to a run-in shed, which opens away from the normal wind patterns, will generally have fewer respiratory disease problems than horses kept in poorly ventilated, heated barns.
One important aspect of care that often is neglected is hoof care. Even though you are not regularly riding the horse, the hooves still grow during the winter months. In addition, the horse is traveling on uneven, frozen ground that can crack and break feet. Have the shoes removed and the hooves trimmed before turning the horse out for winter, and have the feet trimmed on a regular basis. This insures that when spring arrives, the horse will have sound hooves that will be capable of holding a shoe.
The important thing is, do not just turn horses out and forget about them. Every day at every feeding, your horse should receive at least a visual examination.
Reference: Ann Swinker, Penn State Extension Equine Specialist, and Tyrone Fisher, North Carolina Cooperative Extension