Oh boy! LOOK!

Jubal's usually a pretty non-reactive sort of guy.  What prompted this much interest?

Could it be...........

You bet it could!

"Now, if I could just levitate a bale a or two..............."

Feeding Hay to Elders

Most equine senior feeds are described as "complete feeds." The term "complete feed" implies that a horse can maintain good health on that feed alone. While there are some Toothless Wonders that are physically unable to eat anything but a soaked complete feed, all horses require roughage to maintain optimal gut function and good health. Insufficient roughage is a common cause of soft droppings in elderly horses. Many dentally challenged horses live happily for years on a diet of only "complete feeds," but there is nothing like good ol' roughage to keep things moving along in a healthy manner.

The most common sources of roughage for horses are pasture and baled hay, although beet pulp, alfalfa or hay cubes, and bagged chopped forage are viable options in many circumstances.

For horses just beginning to experience dental problems, choice of hay and the manner in which it is presented can mean the difference between eating the hay or "quidding" (wadding the hay into balls, then spitting it out.) First cutting grass hays and alfalfa hays are usually quite coarse and stemmy. Second cutting grass hays are generally very leafy, with few stalks or seed heads, and easier to chew.

When serving hay to elders, it sometimes helps to "shake out" the flakes or books. A loose pile of individual strands allows a horse to pick up smaller mouthfuls than a compacted hay flake permits. (One disadvantage, however, to loose hay piles is their tendency to travel long distances on windy days. Choose a sheltered location when possible.)

Placement of hay can be very important when feeding several horses in one field. Large round bales are often not the best choice for elders, especially when feeding a large group of horses. A large number of horses forced to push toward a single food source is a very unnatural way for these animals to forage. Timid horses do especially poorly in this stress laden situation.

In both photos, above and below, "Lucy," an elderly mare, is the farthest horse on the left, unwilling to push her way toward the hay bale through a crowd of younger, more dominant horses.

A much better way to feed hay to elders (or any groups with submissive horses) is to divide the hay into more portions than there are horses, and place the portions several horse lengths apart. Appropriate spacing of enough hay piles ensures that timid or weak horses will have access to their share.

The horses shown grazing above have voluntarily chosen approximately three body lengths each as their comfort zones. Placing hay portions in a comparable pattern ensures all three can eat in comfort.

In the photo below, the two mares on the left are young, dominant animals who are very comfortable with each other. The mare on the right is a more timid elderly animal. She needs a greater space around her to eat in a relaxed manner. (Note the loosely piled hay as mentioned above.)

Spacing numerous hay piles some distance apart has a second benefit. It allows horses to mimic the meandering fashion in which they graze. Horses wander from one pile of hay to another just as they wander from one patch of grass to the next. It is unnatural for a horse to stand in one spot to eat for long periods of time. The horse's digestive system evolved to serve an animal "on the move," and functions best when he is allowed generous opportunity to perform that movement at will.

"Lucy," approximately 8 months after being moved to Traveller's Rest and a more appropriate feeding style.

The Importance of Roughage in the Senior Horse's Diet

As a follow up to the Manurology 101 post:

The Importance of Roughage in the Senior Horse's Diet

written for Traveller's Rest Equine Elders Sanctuary by
Amanda Blanton, DVM
Rappahannock Equine Veterinary Clinic

To understand how critical roughage is to a horse’s diet, it is necessary to have a basic understanding of the horse’s gastro-intestinal (GI) anatomy and how the horse’s GI tract handles different types of feed stuffs.

A horse’s GI tract consists of the mouth, esophagus, stomach, small intestine, cecum, large colon, small colon, rectum, and anus. It takes 48 to 72 hours for feed material to pass through a horse’s entire GI tract. Each portion of the GI tract has a specific function in digestion. The mouth’s functions are prehension (acquiring feed material), mastication (chewing/breaking feed into smaller particles), and swallowing. Feed material is then transported from the mouth to the stomach via the esophagus which has no digestive function of its own.

The horse’s foregut is composed of the stomach and small intestine. Most starches, protein, fat, vitamins, and minerals found within feedstuffs are digested and absorbed by enzymes in the foregut (primarily in the small intestine). The cecum, large colon, small colon, and rectum make up the horse’s hindgut which contains micro-organisms (bacteria and protozoa) that break down dietary fiber found in roughage into usable components. These micro-organisms are present in the equine hind gut to digest fiber because horses lack the enzymes required to break down fiber themselves. Due to the horse’s innate hindgut micro-flora, roughage is a necessary component to a horse’s diet. Otherwise, the micro-environment becomes instable and indigestion, colic, diarrhea, etc. result,

Micro-flora instability and resulting indigestion and colic are also caused by rapid changes in feeding routines because the micro-organisms adjust to the new feed slowly. As a result, colic and indigestion can be prevented when changing feeds by making necessary changes slowly.

Recommendations for the amount of roughage (hay, pasture, beet pulp, etc.) required to maintain a healthy hindgut are as follows: no less than 1 percent of body weight, which is 10 pounds/day for the average 1,000 pound horse. Overfeeding concentrates, or grain, can also be detrimental to a horse’s digestive health. When too much grain is fed to a horse, most of it is digested in the small intestine, but some of the feed will spill over into the hindgut where it is rapidly digested, producing large amounts of gas and acid. This excess gas can cause discomfort and result in colic, and if the amount of concentrate consumed is severe (like in a case of grain overload), toxins are released that can result in laminitis (or founder). As a result of the consequences of overfeeding grains, it is recommended that a horse be fed no more than 1 percent of its body weight in grain per day.

Because a horse’s gut functions best when small amounts of feed are moving through it regularly (like when a horse is grazing), it is also a good idea to feed a horse small (over) meals throughout the day. The best way to achieve constant filling of the horse’s GI tract is to maximize the amount of forage being fed in the diet and to minimize the amount of grain in the diet while meeting the horse’s feed and energy requirements. In other words, making forage, or roughage, the base of the diet and supplementing with grain to provide what is lacking in the forage.

This type of forage based diet becomes more difficult when dealing with geriatric horses due to the inability of many older horses to prehend (grab) and masticate (chew) well. This difficulty is due to the normal progression of geriatric tooth wear and tooth loss. Luckily, there are many commercial diets that are “complete” feeds, meaning that they contain both concentrates and fiber. A horse’s complete nutritional needs can be met by feeding these feeds alone; however, their need for long fiber bulk is not met if these feeds are fed exclusively. As a result, horses fed these senior or complete feeds alone often have soft, unformed manure. The mechanical bulk provided in roughage allows feed material to pass through the GI tract at a rate that improves digestive efficiency and reduces the risk of colic. Some examples of feedstuffs that add the necessary long fiber bulk to the diet while being more prehendable for older horses with dental imperfections are beet pulp (soak overnight before feeding) and soaked alfalfa/timothy cubes and pellets. Most of the “complete” or senior feeds also form nice mashes when water is added, making them more prehendable and digestible for the older horse. Contact your veterinarian for specific diet options for your horse.

In addition to processed sources of roughage, all horses, unless they are suffer from a disorder where limited turn-out is required, benefit from regular pasture turn-out. Not only is turn-out and access to pasture good for their minds and bodies, it also stimulates saliva production (even if they are old and drop most of the grass or hay they prehend) which helps buffer stomach acid and reduces the incidence of equine gastric ulcer syndrome.

In summary, keep the hind gut micro-environment happy by doing the following:
--Mimic the natural constant grazing of wild horses by feeding small, frequent meals or by providing free choice hay or turn-out
--Feed 1-1.5% of a horse’s body weight in roughage per day (~10# hay/1000# horse/day)
--Feed no more than 1% of a horse’s body weight in grain per day
--Provide a forage based diet with grain/concentrate supplementation
--Make feeding changes slowly, over at least a 10 day period
--Have a good relationship with your veterinarian and discuss your horse’s specific needs with him/her

© 2009 Traveller's Rest Equine Elders Sanctuary

.......And a non-Expo-related Thank You!

Thank You to Ruth G for the generous gift of 73 bales of mixed grass hay yesterday. We haven't offered any to the horses yet, but it smells absolutely wonderful to us. We're always happy to get good quality mixed grass forage........horses never evolved to eat only timothy, or only orchardgrass and seem to thrive on a little variety, just as we do.

Manurology 101 - roughage

What can your horse's manure tell you about his diet?

In this case, it may tell you whether or not your horse is consuming enough roughage.

Any changes in manure consistency, color, smell, or amounts should be discussed with your horse's veterinarian. If no obvious reason for the change is found, you may want to look at roughage consumption as a cause, especially if your horse is dentally challenged.

Even though most senior feeds are high in "fiber," that fiber may not be a suitable substitute for roughage. Think of it as the difference between Metamucil powder and green beans. Both provide bulk, but of different consistencies. The "long fibers" in roughage provide mechanical benefit in the gut, keeping things moving along at an appropriate pace - not too slow, not too fast - and can help improve digestive efficiency and reduce risk of colic.

Our first Manurology photo shows a normal pile. Nice firm fecal balls, well separated, not too dry, but not overly wet or sticky.

Here, the fecal "balls" are becoming flattened and more sticky. This horse may be showing a slight roughage deficiency.

As roughage intake decreases, we see fewer distinct "balls" and more large "doughy" portions.

And here, subtle suggestions of individual segments, but mostly "doughy" feces. This horse is definitely not getting enough long fiber.

And finally......"cow pies." These piles came from horses unable to consume any grass or hay at all. This is what we see when functionally toothless horses are fed exclusively senior mash.

In a worst case scenario, a horse getting no real roughage can develop projectile diarrhea, and begin to lose condition very quickly.

To combat the inability to chew grass or hay, these horses may be offered a substitute such as well soaked forage cubes, in moderate portions, several times a day. Many do very well on these "processed" roughages and can return to normal or near normal manure production, a sign of a more normally functioning digestive system.

If you give soaked forages a try, remember to soak and serve only what the horse can easily consume in one meal. Soaked forages can spoil quickly during warm weather and will freeze solid in winter. At TREES, we soak alfalfa or timothy/alfalfa cubes in hot water for 30-60 minutes, then "squish" them with our hands to make sure no hard portions remain.

Our Equine Vets are the Best!

Traveller's Rest uses the services of several equine veterinary clinics on a regular basis. Some vets serve as our remote "eyes," evaluating and beginning treatment on horses still in their original homes, but bound for the sanctuary as soon as arrangements are completed. Some come to the sanctuary once in a while as specialists or complimentary practitioners.

The bulk of TREES' vet care, though, falls in the more than capable hands of the veterinarians of Rappahannock Equine Veterinay Clinic in Locust Grove, VA. Drs Blanton, McColgan and Licciardello all seem to have the same soft spot for Elders that we have. Not only do they provide excellent care (sometimes requiring a little extra research for the uncommon health issues we seem to attract - see "Happy Summer Solstice") but they treat our seniors as though they are high dollar show ponies. (Or course, some of them are, its just been a few years since they pinned that last ribbon .)

REVC looks out for our elders in other ways too. Sadly, one of the clinic's other clients recently laid to rest his last elderly horse. Having several hundred pounds of senior feed and bagged forage in storage, the old veteran's owner and REVC discussed whether or not there was a way to put that feed to use. We are gratefully happy to say they decided to donate the forage and senior formula to TREES. Arrangements are being made to pick up the goodies by the end of the week. TREES has also benefitted in the supplements and blanket departments when REVC mentioned the sanctuary to clients with surplus supplies.

Its difficult to express our gratitude for the entire staff of REVC, the vets, the techs, and the "girls" who keep the office humming. So we'll offer a shameless plug.........if you're interviewing equine veterinarians in the Spotsylvania, Orange, Stafford areas........add these folks to your short list.

Rappahannock Equine Veterinary Clinic