Skip to Content.
Sympa Menu

msar-riders - Re: [MSAR] Shelf life of pellet feed, etc.

msar-riders@lists.ibiblio.org

Subject: Mounted search and rescue

List archive

Chronological Thread  
  • From: "Paul" <pfleming@nwlink.com>
  • To: "Mounted search and rescue" <msar-riders@lists.ibiblio.org>
  • Subject: Re: [MSAR] Shelf life of pellet feed, etc.
  • Date: Mon, 27 Feb 2006 09:53:05 -0800


----- Original Message ----- From: "Una Smith" <una.smith@att.net>
To: "Mounted search and rescue" <msar-riders@lists.ibiblio.org>
Sent: Monday, February 27, 2006 8:49 AM
Subject: Re: [MSAR] Shelf life of pellet feed, etc.


Among rec.equestrian old hands re pellets, consensus is that
the pellet form isn't the main problem, as far as founder and
colic are concerned: content of the pellets is. Read labels
carefully.

I have experimented with using a small amount of pellet senior
feed in addition to grass/alfalfa hay. The feed in question is
designed to be a complete feed, with nutritional value similar
to grass/ alfalfa hay. If given this feed alone, the average
horse in light work would need about 15 pounds per day. I give
just 1-2 pounds per day, simply to habituate the horse to it, so
that on long rides I can feed it in larger quantity. It comes
in 50 pound bags; I transfer the feed to a clean galvanized
steel can with a snug lid. Even in cold weather, I notice the
odor of the feed starts to change to what I would call stale or
even rancid, if I don't use it up within a month of opening the
bag.

If hay is not allowed, I offer pellet senior feed at the trailer.
My mare dislikes "old" feed, so any supply kept in the trailer
ready for a fast callout response needs to be changed out every
month or so. I also prefer to change out the water frequently,
but I do store 20 gallons of water on the trailer rather than
delay response to fill up with fresh water or arrive without 24hr
worth of water.

My mare gets a flake of her usual hay in a hanging net in the
trailer. She does not eat much while we are moving but during
stops she will either eat heartily or sleep. I think this is
something most horses need to learn, and will learn if given
enough opportunities. Meaning, don't worry about it. Go out
and do your thing, and let them figure out that if hungry they
should eat whenever they have the chance. The same goes for
horses' learning to drink water outside of their own stalls.

Una Smith
New Mexico
_______________________________________________
MSAR-Riders mailing list
MSAR-Riders@lists.ibiblio.org
http://lists.ibiblio.org/mailman/listinfo/msar-riders




Archive powered by MHonArc 2.6.24.

Top of Page