Skip to Content.
Sympa Menu

msar-riders - Re: [MSAR] Pelleted Feed

msar-riders@lists.ibiblio.org

Subject: Mounted search and rescue

List archive

Chronological Thread  
  • From: "irvin lichtenstein" <ilichten1@verizon.net>
  • To: "Mounted search and rescue" <msar-riders@lists.ibiblio.org>
  • Subject: Re: [MSAR] Pelleted Feed
  • Date: Sun, 26 Feb 2006 13:06:38 -0500

Pelleted feeds are processed by pressing, milling, cooking, extruding and
other manufacturing techniques. In some cases the component grains are made
easier to digest by having the hulls milled off and in others the pellet
binder makes them clump up and cause either choke or colic. Mixing the
pellets with water softens them and to some extent pre-chews or digests
them. The horse must learn how to eat the manufactured food, much as a dog
learns to eat tooth cleaning treats. The advantages of the feed to the
handler-- reduced dust, ease of measurement, storage, balanced diet, come at
the cost of a hardened feed with the tendency to absorb water and stick
together in the horse. Unlike grain mixed with molasses or oil which sticks
together all the time pellets tend to do it only when wet. When my horse was
on pelleted feed he never had a problem as long as plenty of water was
available. Now he is on grain and round bales and has no problems either.
The overall instances of colic in the boarding facility have gone down (from
rare to unheard of) especially among horses new to the barn as they are not
transitioning to pellets but for the most part are transitioning to another
grain mix or off pellets.

Irv Lichtenstein





Archive powered by MHonArc 2.6.24.

Top of Page