DailyNhtly
21st Nov 2006, 07:21 AM
I have an interesting situation that I would love to run by you guys...
Think of it as a role playing game. I'm going to set up a scenario for you (I'll apologize for the length in advance) and see what you would do if you had complete controll of the situation. (And further apologies if you frequent other horse boards, because I will probably cross-post this).
You are contracted to come into a riding facility as their consultant, the resident equine nutritional expert (congrats!). You are presented with a herd of average horses (varying breeds, ages, experiences, degrees of fitness) that are worked on a regular basis (4-5 times a week) for a good days work. The conditions are hot and humid.
You notice that some of these horses seem to be a bit underweight, while others look a bit plump for your liking. Visiting the local feed store, you find that have the following at your access in terms of feed and supplements:
10%, 12% and 14% mixed pellet feed
Shredded and pelleted beet pulp (with or without molasses)
Various kinds of corn feed
Various kinds of oat feed
Sweet feed/pelleted mix
Corn oil
Rice bran
Minimal grass is available but you have access to a large supply of round bales (timothy mix) of average quality.
Your goal is to get these horses into condition, and keep them that way while they are working at your facility. You are given four horses to begin with:
Horse A - 17 year old mixed breed, very energetic but underweight. Always seems to be 'hot' and you're told he's a 'hard keeper'. He is currently being fed 5lbs of 14% a day with access to hay.
Horse B - 4 year old mixed breed, slightly underweight. Green and has a tendancy to 'explode'. Food aggressive. You are told she will put weight on easily. Currently being fed 3lbs of 14% a day with access to hay.
Horse C - 9 year old mixed breed pony, slightly overweight. You are told that she gains weight simply by looking at food.
Currently being fed a handful of 14% a day with access to hay.
Horse D - 12 year old TWH gelding, lanky but a good weight. You have been told that he constantly goes lame and will work 5 days a week the first month, and then 1 day a week the next month, depending upon his health. Currently being fed 2lbs of 14% a day with access to hay.
Your concerns are as follows:
Your horses (with the exception of horse D) are constantly worked and need their energy to perform, however, you don't want anyone coming up hot, but you certainly don't want to end up with underweight horses. Horse D presents a problem because you never know how much energy he will need in a given week, but wanting to change his feed gradually, presents a problem as his needs change from day to day. You are able to mix various feeds and supplements for your horses, but your budget and physical space allotted for feeding restricts you to choose only 2 or 3 different feed choices.
What do you do to keep everyone healthy, full of energy, a good weight and managable under saddle?
Feel free to pick away or ask any questions and thanks in advance for your time. It's appreciated :)
Think of it as a role playing game. I'm going to set up a scenario for you (I'll apologize for the length in advance) and see what you would do if you had complete controll of the situation. (And further apologies if you frequent other horse boards, because I will probably cross-post this).
You are contracted to come into a riding facility as their consultant, the resident equine nutritional expert (congrats!). You are presented with a herd of average horses (varying breeds, ages, experiences, degrees of fitness) that are worked on a regular basis (4-5 times a week) for a good days work. The conditions are hot and humid.
You notice that some of these horses seem to be a bit underweight, while others look a bit plump for your liking. Visiting the local feed store, you find that have the following at your access in terms of feed and supplements:
10%, 12% and 14% mixed pellet feed
Shredded and pelleted beet pulp (with or without molasses)
Various kinds of corn feed
Various kinds of oat feed
Sweet feed/pelleted mix
Corn oil
Rice bran
Minimal grass is available but you have access to a large supply of round bales (timothy mix) of average quality.
Your goal is to get these horses into condition, and keep them that way while they are working at your facility. You are given four horses to begin with:
Horse A - 17 year old mixed breed, very energetic but underweight. Always seems to be 'hot' and you're told he's a 'hard keeper'. He is currently being fed 5lbs of 14% a day with access to hay.
Horse B - 4 year old mixed breed, slightly underweight. Green and has a tendancy to 'explode'. Food aggressive. You are told she will put weight on easily. Currently being fed 3lbs of 14% a day with access to hay.
Horse C - 9 year old mixed breed pony, slightly overweight. You are told that she gains weight simply by looking at food.
Currently being fed a handful of 14% a day with access to hay.
Horse D - 12 year old TWH gelding, lanky but a good weight. You have been told that he constantly goes lame and will work 5 days a week the first month, and then 1 day a week the next month, depending upon his health. Currently being fed 2lbs of 14% a day with access to hay.
Your concerns are as follows:
Your horses (with the exception of horse D) are constantly worked and need their energy to perform, however, you don't want anyone coming up hot, but you certainly don't want to end up with underweight horses. Horse D presents a problem because you never know how much energy he will need in a given week, but wanting to change his feed gradually, presents a problem as his needs change from day to day. You are able to mix various feeds and supplements for your horses, but your budget and physical space allotted for feeding restricts you to choose only 2 or 3 different feed choices.
What do you do to keep everyone healthy, full of energy, a good weight and managable under saddle?
Feel free to pick away or ask any questions and thanks in advance for your time. It's appreciated :)