| Horsey Needs Candy | |
Treats that a horse would like! Pick horse treats that do not spoil. Skode’s Horse Treats can be used by many insulin resistant horses. Their web site states they have absolutely no sugar added to their all natural, whole food and herbal ingredients. They are naturally rich in antioxidants, phytonutrients, minerals, vitamins, and amino acids. They should be used after your DVM reviews and approves them to be sure they are appropriate for your horse. Pharmacognosy is the study of medicines derived from plants or worded a bit different phytonutrients & herbal ingredients – often with medicinal effect. Is that what you want to see in a horse treat? Some manufacturers put expiration dates on their treats. U-Bake Horse Treats are a mix that you bake yourself. That sounds like a good idea for Girl Scouts involved at the Ranch or mom keeping the kids busy on a rainy afternoon. My horse “Jack” fits into the classification of a picky eater. I brought in a different treat than Jack’s usual Mrs. Pastures Cookies. He took a sniff. His head went straight up. His eyes told me that I had done a bad thing. I gave them to another boarder who's horse loved them. If I had to pick one treat to recommend, Mrs. Pastures Cookies gets the best rating. They are not baked. They are dehydrated. Because they have been dehydrated there is no expiration date. Use some common sense when they are once opened. That technique avoids heat damage to the ingredients. It is not fortified with vitamins or minerals nor preservatives or additives. The aroma works as “Jack” will give me a sniff to see if I have any treats with me. The cookies are durable enough to stuff into a pocket. Mrs. Pastures states: “Our ingredients: crimped oats, rolled barley, wheat bran, cane molasses, fresh apples and water. We core the apples and grate them fresh every day.”3 A bit of Horse Pharmacology One has to watch a horses diet. Adding grain to the oats increases the sugar level. Quoting a show barn, “The medium sugar and starch feeds do not cause a problem in hard working horses because they are fit, not fat and their metabolisms are functioning normally.”6 Think of using sweet feed – anything with sugar added is not a good idea. “Inexpensive (ESPECIALLY the ones that are less than $10 for a 50 pound bag) sweet feeds that are grain based are some of the worst feeds for horses.”7 Sugar intolerance develops in horses just as it does in humans. “A study of geriatric horses found 70% over the age of 20 had signs of altered glucose metabolism”8 Insulin resistance causes the horses (and people) to be overweight. That puts stress on joints, spinal column and heart. We start to see synovial inflammation, blood vesicle problems. The blood vesicle problems leave the horse prone to laminitis accompanied with a loss of weight. How Not to Train a Horse Instead of trying to get my horse “Jack” to conform around the arena I decided to build a bridge into Jack’s world. I spent much of the winter getting to the barn late. Much of the time no one was around. I used a lead line to take Jack over to the arena and turn him loose. He trotted off in one direction. If he had been in the stall several days due to bad weather Jack would be frustrated. His trotting off changed to gallop, kick, buck, and a roll. I started to jog around the arena. I thought that he was not paying attention to me. I stopped to say hi to a horse in another stall. My paying attention to that horse is a big no in Jacks world. Jack came running over. Of course I had a whole pocket full of cookies. Jack caught on fast. He got to run around about a bit but then walked with me. If I went too far without giving him a treat he would drop behind me. Give me a push. And step right back to me. That was his way of telling me that it was time for a treat. Spring came. Sometimes the pasture was muddy at the gate. Why should I walk way over to the back of the pasture to get Jack? I held up my hand. Waved and yelled "Jack"! Jack started to walk over. Another horse started to head over. Then about four of them were heading over fast. I opened the gate. Let Jack through. Gave him a chance to be a horse. Jack gets 5 minutes to graze outside the pasture mixed with a few cookies before we walk to the barn to tack up. “In the first ten minutes, I learned that my horse was just being a horse (a prey animal) and that I was the problem. Of course Pat didn't directly point the finger, but when he started to speak some truths about people thinking and behaving like people around horses, I saw every little thing I was doing to cause my horses to respond or react negatively.”9 Build a bridge to your horse. Figure out what he is trying to tell you. If you are out riding and he wants to graze he is just being a horse. It took me the longest time to grasp that. Straight from Pirelli training. If the horse is never allowed to graze while out on a walk expect a rebellion. Whose fault was the rebellion? Not the horse. 1 Poisoning in the Feed Room, by Kenneth Marcella, DMV |
All properties ©Flying S Ranch, LLC • Flying S Ranch • 2331 County Hwy C • Grafton, WI
plenty in the literature of accidental mix ups in feed mills where toxins get into the feed. “It's beneficial to periodically review the clinical signs and causes of feed-associated poisonings in horses because these scenarios are possible.” “…horses are extremely sensitive to ionophore poisoning. The LD50 for monensin in horses is 2 to 3 mg/kg, whereas cattle and poultry can tolerate much higher levels without issue…. Ionophores become a problem when higher-than-acceptable concentrations are found in horse feed, and this typically occurs when horses come into contact with poultry or cattle feed or because there's a problem with contamination at the feed mill.”