HORSES + FEED

Foal

young horse; usually less than 1 year

Colt

young male foal

Filly

young female foal

Mare

Female horse of breeding age

Maiden (mare)

mare that has never had a foal

Broodmare

mare used for breeding purposes; has had at least one foal

Foaling

mare giving birth to foal

Stallion

male of breeding age

Gelding

castrated (gelded) male horse

Herd

group of horses

Historical perspective

Evolved about 55 million years again; started out as fox like creature

2 theories on How horses evolved

1) Died out about 15,000 years ago (last ice age) and Europeans brought them back over

2) Horses were maintained in North American by Native Americans; mixed with European horses

Horses Social Hierarchy

“pecking order”; a dominant (or “alpha”) mare will be the leader in a herd. Other mares and geldings are considered subordinate to here. Once determined it won’t generally change unless you add or remove a member.

Calm horse behavior

• Resting on one hind leg

• soft/calm eye

• little/soft movement in tail

• licking/chewing/eating

• lack of tension in face and neck

Irritated horse behavior

• Pinned ears - flat against head

• Clamped tail/whipping tail

• changes in movement (driving stance)

• Hard eye - tension in face/neck/jaw

• Present hindquarters (this is very disrespectful) and possibly kick

Walk

4-beat gait; sequence is left hind leg, left front leg, right hind leg, right front leg, 4mph

Trot or jog

2-beat gait; movement of diagonal leg pairs, 8mph

Pace

2-beat gait lateral legs striking ground (most horses cant do this)

Canter/lope

3-beat gait; one of the horses rear legs - the right rear leg for example - propels the horse forward. During this beat, the horse is supported only on that single leg while the remaining three legs are moving forward through the air. On the next beat the horse catches itself on the left rear and right front legs while the other hind leg is still momentarily on the ground. On the third bet, the horse catches itself on the left front leg while the diagonal pair is momentarily still in contact with the ground, 10-17 mph

Gallop

4-beat gait; unlike the walk, this results in a split second of air-borne suspension for the horse, 25-55 mph

Cold-bloods/draft breed horses

larger bone and body structure; necessary for pulling heavy weight (carriages, plows, etc.) Generally are docile/even - tempered

Friesians

• Netherlands

• Solid black

• large bodied with black feathering on lower leg

Friesians

American Cream

• U.S.

• Only American - produced draft breed

• cream colored body and Amber colored eyes

• No feathering

American Cream

Hot blood breeds

Generally have lighter bodies; multiple uses but have great stamina. Can be sensitive and might be “herd-keepers” (meaning struggle to maintain body weight)

Arabian

• Arabian Peninsula

• Dished (concave face “jibbah”)

• Open throat latch, level croup, high set tail

• Endurance (50-100mi)

Arabian

Thoroughbred

• British breed

• Used for flat racing (Kentucky derby) - 1.25 - 1.50 miles

Thoroughbred

Warmbloods

Consists of specific breeds, but many were started by breeding cold + hot blooded horses. Resulted in horse breeds with medium body sizes, and still heavy bones and great temperaments. Used for jumping, eventing, dressage, riding

Selle Francais

• French breed

• Jumping, dressage

• typically bay or chestnut

Black color

Extension gene - EE/Ee/ee EE and Ee is black base

Chestnut/Sorrel

• Red color

• Both words mean the same thing

Bay Color

• Agouti gene on EE/Ee = bay

• Lightens/dilutes the black base color

• Lighter points = Face, tail, shoulder

Grey

Buckskin

• Cream colored body

• Black mane/tail

Dun

• Cream colored body

• Black mane/tail

• DUN GENE = dorsal strip and/or zebra markings on legs

Housing concerns

1) Safety of handlers and horses

2) Ventilation

3) Ease of work

4) Comfort for horse

5) Cost of building/maintenance

To increase barn safety

• NO smoking; fire extinguishers/sprinkler system/smoke alarms

• Work in pairs/teams (let others know what you are doing)

• Good footing

• Clear aisles/no clutter

• Good lighting

• Proper ventilation

• Lock feed rooms

• Document/good records

• Check fencing and animals often

To increase ventilation

A) Mechanical

• Fans and AC

B) Passive

• Ridge vent opening

• doors/windows open

• Eaves

Rumensin (brand)/monensin(product)

ionophore (facilitates ion transport across cell membranes) derived from bacteria that is commonly fed to cattle/goats/poultry to improve gain, milk production, or control coccidiosis, respectively. Capable of modifying rumens microbial environment, which helps improve feed digestion. TOXIC TO HORSES! (damages muscle cells)

Hoof Maintenance

• typically trimmed about every 6-8 weeks (young grow faster than senior)

Shoed/shod

By a Farrier

• this means that horses will have horseshoes on the bottom of hooves.

• Can be Steel, Aluminum, Rubber, Plastic

Laminitis

inflammation of the laminae (hoof layers). It is the most prevalent non-infectious disease in horses.

Laminitis Causes and Symptoms

Causes

• Hormonal disruption (endocrinopathy)

• Systemic infection (ex. retained placenta)

• Mechanical trauma (pounding pavement)

Symptoms

• Head higher

• weight shifted to hinds

• unsound in their movement

• warm/hot hooves

Strangles

a serious infection caused by streptococcus equi bacteria and is highly contagious. This infection is common in horses less than 3 years old.

• There is a vaccine

Strangles symptoms

Fever (101.5 +)

Nasal discharge

Swollen mandibular/parotid glands

Lathargic/off feed

Trouble swallowing/breathing

Colic

its a gastrointestinal condition that is another major concern in horse and can be caused by: Grain overload (another reason to lock feed), increased internal parasite load, or Impaction(block in digestive tract)

Colic symptoms

• off feed

• pacing

• kicking/biting/looking at belly

• polling

• increase HR/RR

• stretching

• decrease in gut sounds and manure

• sweating

• pawing

Colic treatment

Can be as simple as providing a pain reliever and getting them to walk around, whereas other times surgery is absolutely necessary for the horse to survive (and even then, they may not)

How much water horses will drink per day

6-10 gallons

Horses diet

forages (grasses/hay) should make up the majority of their diet, with concentrates (grains like corn) being fed to hard-working horses (athletes or lactating mares)

How much horses eat

They will consume about 1-3.5% of their body weight per day. Range depends on breed, size, physiological state of horse, and usage

Horses stomach

monogastric

• small stomachs, evolved to graze constantly and slowly over about 20 hours of the day, and cannot vomit. Because of this, large amounts of feed should never be given to a horse - should be provided in 2 to 3 smaller amounts throughout the day.

How we measure horses height and why

Measure using hands: 1 hand = 4 inches

why: originally was no commonly known measuring system; so used hands

• 17.1 hand horse = 17 × 4 = 68 + 1 = 69 inches

Difference between a horse and a pony

Pony and horse are the same genetically

• Pony = less than 14.2 hands

• Horse greater than 14.2 hands

Difference between horse, donkey and mule

Horse has 64 chromosomes

Donkey has 62 chromosomes

Mule is a cross between a donkey and a horse and has 63 chromosomes

Obligate nasal breathers

Means you must breath only through nose.

Horses are this because they cannot breathe through their mouth

Przewalski’s horse

Mongolian breed of horse (aka Takhi) - not domesticated

Evolutionary advantage to not being able to vomit

If the horse eats anything of nutritional value it cannot lose it.

Horses blind spot

Directly in front of the head and directly behind the tail

Horse handlings safety

• Keep the horse you are handling about 8-10 feet away from other horses

• Pay attention to the horse and other handlers/students

• Make sure to constantly let your horse know where you are so you don’t startle them

• Move slowly and quietly around the horse

• Wear closed-toed shoes and keep you feet away from the horses hooves so you don’t get stepped on

Type of knot uses when tying a rope halter

Sheet bend

Advantage of a rope halter vs. flat/nylon halter

There is more feeling(pressure) with rope halter because of the knots that a flat/nylon halter doesn’t have

2 benefits to cleaning out a horse’s hooves

• Removes debris and rocks

• You can inspect the legs and hooves

Grooming properly is important because it allows us to

• Visually check them over for injuries, swelling, and /or skin issues

• Remove dirt /debris before tacking up the horse

• improve hair quality by helping to even distribute the natural oils produced over the entire coat

• learn that individual horse’s behaviors and build trust between each other

Curry

Use on: areas where muscle/fat present (not face or legs)

Function: remove large pieces of mud and loosens dead hairs

Hard brush

Use on: areas where large muscle/fat; can be gently used on legs, but not on face

Function: Removes dried mud, large debris, loose hairs

Soft brush

Use on: Anywhere on body, face, legs

Function: Removes smaller dust particles and spreads natural oil over coat (increases shine)

Mane and tail brush/comb

Use on: Forelock, mane, and tail

Function: Removes tangles

Hoof pick

Use on: Bottom of hoof

Function: Removes mud/manure/stones from sensitive underside of hood

Dominant horse behavior

Pin their ears, raise their head, flare their nostrils, brace through the neck, swish their tail aggressively, or move quickly and aggressively toward another horse to maintain dominance

Submissive Horse behavior

might lower head, look away, or move away from a dominant horse

Major Nutrients

1) Water

2) Carbohydrates

3) Lipids

4) Proteins

5) Vitamins

6) Minerals

Ration

what is consumed in a 24-hour period

Why we want animals to mainly consume forages

1) Evolutionarily, our livestock species developed consuming predominantly forages

2) Forages are generally cheaper per pound when compared to concentrates

Influences how we graze our animals

1) Land availability - own vs. renting, rent year-round? acres available

2) Stocking rate - Goats, cattle, horses? Rotational grazing vs. continuous grazing

3) Grass species available - Cool season(KY bluegrass, ryegrass) vs. Warm season (Bermuda, zoysia)

4) Aesthetics - Do you care what the turnout space looks like

Don’t overstock

Goats = 3-6 does/acre

Cow/calf = 1/acre

Horse - 1/acre

• Ideally want to move animals when grasses are about 3-4 inches tall

Rotational graze + sacrifice areas

• Moving animals from one pasture to another prior to major damage to plants

• Wet + winter months = sacrifice area (your allowing damage to this area but its to help the other areas)

Mowing and harrowing

Mowing = evens out grass height, which promotes more even grass growth during recovery period. Helps encourage more leaves and lowers stems (hardy and more palatable)

Harrowing (aka dragging) = breaking up manure - helps evenly distributes nutrients and helps control parasites

Fertilize properly

• Plants require nutrients to grow; fertilizer can provide that, but should test. Lime may be needed

• Careful when apply; rainy weather can cause run-off and kill sensitive fish/wildlife

Identify weeds

• Often, livestock won’t graze and can be poisonous

Control via:

• Grazing management

• Mechanical control (mowing)

• Chemical control (herbicides)

What happens is we overgraze pasture spaces

1) Plants decrease in nutritional value

2) Takes plants longer to recover

3) Animals often have increased internal parasite load (they are eating in spaces where they poop (ROUGHS))

Hay

Can be made out of multiple grass species

Grasses cut + dried (about 12 - 18% moisture)

• < 12% = too dry and breaks apart; dusty

• > 20% = rick of mold, possible fire

Determine the type of concentrate you need to provide

• Species/genetics (cattle vs. sheep)

• Age/stage of life (dry vs. milking; growing vs. finishing; athlete vs. pasture ornament)

• Season/weather

• Housing conditions

• Stress

• Remember, can adjust/modify as needed; do so slowly

Rules for feeding livestock

1) Don’t mix feed for different species (or scoops)

2) Access to clean water ad libitum(any time)

3) Feeding about same time of day

4) Keep good records + monitor health (BCS)

5) Don’t overfeed ( health concerns + waste of money)

6) Keep feed properly stored

Molasses

Increases palatability

decreases dustiness

Hay feed

• Greenish color

• made of dried grasses and/or legumes

• store are 12-18% moisture

• USE: fed to livestock as major forage; can be fed to livestock, horses, and some companion animals like rabbits and guinea pigs

Straw feed

• Yellow/golden color

• Made of dried cereal crop (wheat, rice, oats, barley) stalks

• USE: Animal bedding, Compost, Erosion control on property, Mixed into total mixed ration (TMR) to increase fiber); note that straw contains very little nutritional value

Legumes

Made up of rounder leaves and more prominent stems.

• They are able to use ammonium to build proteins and thus have higher protein than grass hays

EXAMPLE: Alfalfa, Clover

Advantages to alfalfa hay

It is higher in protein

Has greater palatability

More Vitamin A

Advantages to Grass Hays

They are cheaper

Have less calories

Difference between alfalfa hay and grass hays

• Alfalfa has leaves in it and grass hays don’t

• Grass Hays contain more structural matter in their long slender leaves

Advantages to processing grain

1) Grains like corn, oats, and barley have a fibrous hull (or seed coat) on the outside that cannot be degraded by digestive enzymes/microorganism. By processing it, we can increase the energy available by 5-10%.

2) It decreases particle size, therefore, increases surface area that is available for enzymes and microorganisms to interact with

3) If using thermal processing, the heat can destroy pathogenic microorganisms and mycotoxins (from mold)

Disadvantages to processing grain

1) It takes time and energy to complete (therefore, increases cot of the product)

2) If grains are powdered too finely, it can increase the amount lost/wasted by the animal dropping it. This is often times why we pellet finely ground products

Cold processing methods

1) Cracking

2) Grinding

Hot (heated) processing methods

1) Steam rolling

2) Pelleting

Relaxin

A protein hormone produced by the ovaries and placenta

• Causes relaxation of soft tissues within the hindquarters of females as the get very close to giving birth.