Central Valley Ag - Ad from 2019-11-17

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When it comes to pasture and
hay quality, how to care for
a senior horse, body condition scoring or feeding rates,
there are many discussions
to be had. In my time crossing the farm gate or hosting
a producer meeting, I have
seen an increase in new horse
owners who want to provide
the best care they can to their
animal. With so many feed
and supplement options on
the market, the information
can be overwhelming. However, this article is not about
products, but to help educate
those looking for answers.

affect a horse? Pasture grasses produce sugars which are
used to fuel growth. When
temperatures become to cold
for grasses to grow, the sugars are then stored for later
use. The ingestion of these
stored sugars may lead to
laminitis or digestive issues
in some horses. Overweight
horses or those sensitive
to sugars are most at risk.
Though there is no science to
prove it, we often see cooler weather and changes in
barometric pressure lead to
less water consumption. This,
plus an increase in hay feed
to help with warmth, can lead
to impaction colic. Keeping
water temps above 45 degrees, plus access to loose
salt will help with water consumption. Watering down
bran to make a mash is a
choice of some, but research
has shown it is the increased
water that helps, while the
bran may just cause digestive
upset.

Going into fall, we are all
aware pasture quality decreases. So how does this

Transitioning horses from
pasture to hay should be a
slow process. Good quality

Brandi Salestrom
CVA Feed Sales Manager

hay means a hay of any variety that is clean, has a high
steam to leaf ratio, small diameter stem, few seed heads
or blooms, and has a fresh
smell and look. Maturity of
a plant at harvest time will
reflect quality more than any
other factor. Younger plants
will have a higher protein,
energy, and mineral content
than those mature plants with
thicker stems. In addition,
more mature plants contain
more indigestible fiber, thus
reducing nutrient availability. If this is the case of your
hay, an addition of a higher
quality feed may be necessary to meet your horse’s
daily requirement. I encourage producers to have their
hay tested. This can easily
be done by calling your CVA
feed specialist to send a sample off to the lab for analysis.
Stop by, call, or email your
local CVA feed specialist for
any questions on equine nutrition. To read the full article
or learn more about CVA, visit
cvacoop.
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