HORSEMANSHIP
A finely-tuned
eating machine
In trying to dissuade his son from
becoming involved in the horse
breeding and racing industries, Gary
Player's father is said to have
given his son the following advice:
!Never keep anything that eats while
you sleep."
He knew what he was talking about, did Old Man Player,
although his advice didn’t help ~ son Gary went on to
become not only a world-champion golfer but also a
leading and highly-successful racehorse breeder.
H
orse lovers who
have spent time
observing their
animals will know that there
is truth in this admonishment,
for left to their own devices
horses will eat for between
twelve and 18 hours a day.
These hours are broken up
into about 15 to 20 grazing
periods.
It is unremarkable, therefore,
that horse owners who
understand how the horse's
digestive system works are
likely to have fewer digestive
problems with their animals.
Horses are herbivores ~ they
are designed to eat plants,
which should make up the
horse's entire diet in one
form or another.
They are also non-ruminants,
and have what is referred to
as a “simple stomach” ie, one
compartment that functions a
lot like the human stomach.
The anatomy of the horse's
digestive tract is straightfor-
ward.
It is made up of:
K the mouth and teeth,
K oesophagus,
K stomach,
K small intestine,
K cecum,
K large colon,
K small colon,
K rectum, and,
K anus.
Digestion means the breaking
C ontinued on page 26
BEEKEEPING
From page 21
since 1918. The association
went into recess from 1938 to
touch with developments in
1946 during the war years
the bee world.
but reopened in 1946.
There are three associations
in Gauteng alone, colloquially Easterns meets at Highveld
Honey Farms, 186 Uys Road,
known as “Southerns,”
Rynfield, Benoni on the third
“Northerns” and “Easterns”.
Southerns draws its member- Saturday of the month at
09h30.
ship from Johannesburg, the
The association's activities are
West Rand and the South,
Northerns draws its member- varied to cater for all aspects
of beekeeping from beginners
ship from the Pretoria area
and Easterns covers from west to the “old hands,” and
ladies, gents and juniors are
of Kempton Park, east to
all welcome.
Waterval Boven, north to
For more information: Peter
Verwoerdburg and south to
Clark, chairman, tel 011 362-
Van der Bijl Park.
Easterns has been in existence 2904
23
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