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T H E MAT U R E HO R S E
11
EQUINE MATTERS
PART 2
OF A TWO PART SERIES
An old codger’s blog
An insider’s view on the life and management of
the mature horse...
As told to Dr Teresa Hollands R.Nutr
Something owners need to remember is we
do like to be kept occupied. I’ve more time
on my hands now and standing around in a
bare paddock, (beats being stuck in a stable,
better for my joints and my brain) without
some hay is deadly.
I know that there are rumours about hay
shortages this year, but we’ve lived through
several of these shortages (1977, 1994,
2006) and it’s never as bad as the headlines
suggest.
BUT
, I have a psychological need to
chew and if she restricts the grass too much
and doesn’t give me hay, then I’ll eat her
fence posts and the bark of the trees. OK
I understand why she restricts my grass as I
do have a tendency to gain weight now
I am no longer hacking to shows.
But the latest research has shown that if you
restrict fibre then you increase the risk of
l
wood chewing, (Walters)
l
gastric ulcers, (Murray)
l
colic, (Hillyer)
So what she needs to do is soak my hay for
12hrs and then let me have enough so that
there is always a wee bit left when she comes
to give me my next lot. Soaking hay for 12hrs
gets rid of most of the calories, but it also
leaches out the protein, vits and mins…so
I need a balancer, (shhhh don’t tell anyone
but I swear by Ultimate Balancer…..it has
loads of stuff in it, but is so low in calories
and gives me little or no starch so I can just
keep eating my fibre)
Forage and occupational therapy
Dr Teresa Hollands R.Nutr