For the Horse Who Has Everything
I
s there is a special horse on your Christmas list that
you would like to thank in some way for his enjoyable
partnership and devotion to duty? If so, show that you
really appreciate him by choosing something that a horse
would enjoy. Pass up the reindeer antlers and choose
something from this, a horse’s Christmas wish list.
As you might suspect, with horses, food items top
the list. If you have several horses, you can wish them all
happy holidays with a truck load of carrots. Some farms
sell a pick up load for $100 or so delivered. If you have a
cool shady place to store them, they will likely keep until
the last one is fed. Carrots provide a welcome diversion
to the horse’s normal ration and can be a healthy reward
for good behavior. Carrots are an excellent sources of
carotene, the precursor to Vitamin A. Vitamin A is
usually the only vitamin that ever needs to be supplemented in a horse’s diet. If a horse is not receiving green
sun-cured hay, he may not be getting adequate carotene.
If a truck load is not an option, then set aside the $$ to
buy large bags of carrots or apples, especially affordable
if you belong to a buyer’s club like Sam’s. If you’re on a
tight budget, you’d be surprised at how many perfectly
good (for horses) carrots and apples are thrown away by
grocery stores every day. Make friends with your local
produce manager and arrange to pick up goodies for
your horse regularly.
When the temperature dips, oatmeal makes a
healthy and warming breakfast for you. Likewise, at
the barn, during cold weather, your horse might relish
a hot grain mash. It takes a little practice and some
testing to see what grains and mash consistency appeal
to each horse. Don’t think of wheat bran as the only
choice for a mash. In fact, wheat bran, fed on a daily
basis, can be detrimental since it could add too much
phosphorus to your horse’s diet. There should be no
such problem if you only feed wheat bran once a week.
But also experiment with mashes made from rolled
oats, sweet feed, cracked corn, barley, shredded beet
pulp, a handful of molasses or a pinch of salt, some oil
or chopped apples or carrots and you are on your way
to satisfying your horse’s culinary pleasures (or at least
enjoying the benevolent feeling you get from trying!).
Measure and mix the dry ingredients the night before and bring them to the house in a pail. When you
put the water on for your tea the next morning, boil
some extra water for the mash. Usually a 4:1 ratio of
grains to boiling water is satisfactory for most horses.
It is best to err on the dry side rather than the mushy
side. Stir as you pour the water. Let the mash steep in
a warm place for about thirty minutes, preferably covered so it can steam. Check the temperature and serve.
Take a mug of hot tea out to the barn for yourself, find
a warm corner to sit and then listen to the contented
slurpings of your appreciative buddies. And know that
beside the nutritional benefits, a mash during cold
weather can provide your horse with the needed moisture he might be reluctant to sip from a cold bucket.
Swirl a candy cane in your horse’s water pail? This
is not just a frivolous holiday act but can have a practical application. Peppermint oil is one substance that
can be used to disguise water for the horse that is often
“on the road” and will be offered different types of
water to drink. Using an aromatic and tasty substance
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in his water while he is both at home and away, may be
the best gift you give a reluctant drinker.
A tasty treat that doubles as a pacifier for the a
horse that is stalled during cold weather is a molasses
grain block. Sold across the country under hundreds of
local feed mill labels, these blocks should be considered as an occasional supplement to the horse’s normal
diet. Under most feeding circumstances, they are
unnecessary, but horses dearly love them. Comprised
of grain products, molasses and minerals, the forty to
fifty pound cubes have a wonderful smell and a texture
that entices horses to both lick and chew them. Similar
products are made for sheep and cattle, but contain a
synthetic source of protein called urea which horses
can’t utilize. For horses, it is important to purchase
the “premium” horse version which contains protein
from plant sources, such as soybean meal. Most horses
appear to enjoy these large “candy bar blocks” and, in
fact, some horses are determined to finish an entire
block all at once. If your horse falls in this category,
you will have to roll the block out of his stall or pen
each day and only let him have access to it for a limited
period of time. Be sure he always has adequate water
available, as even the small percentage of salt in most
of these blocks will increase your horse’s thirst reflex –
which is a good thing during cold weather.
Probably the next most popular request on a horse’s
wish list is his desire to be allowed to be a horse. Many
horses like nothing better than to nose around a pasture
inspecting roots and sticks and tracing recent equine
history. From observations, it seems like a roll in the
mud or the snow is hard to beat on the equine list of
all time favorite recreational activities. Contrary to our
guidelines, horses see nothing wrong in being dirty or
having their manes flop over to both sides of their necks.
Depending on the type of winter management that
you follow, you may wish To Groom or Not To Groom.
A pasture horse, left to his natural devices, grows a thick
protective coat and further seals his skin from wind
and moisture by accumulating a heavy waxy sebum at
the base of his hairs. Horses that are turned out for the
winter should not be extensively groomed, lest you inadvertently remove your horse’s valuable oily protection.
The best gift for the pastured horse is to let his waxy
layer stay intact (no vigorous currying), let his coat be
fluffy (not smoothed down by brushing) and to offer
him shelter from wet weather or piercing winter winds.
If your horse would be more comfortable w