Translate

Tuesday, December 3, 2013

Greetings Everyone!  I see that there are over 100 comments, so I am working on figuring out how to post another fresh message, without it being embedded in the long list!

My goal with this forum is to encourage all of you to help each other by offering suggestions that have worked for you.  And I, too, will chime in.  The way of accomplishing a free-choice forage feeding program can vary depending on the horse's living arrangements.  But ultimately, the goal is that the horse always has easy access to forage.

There are four very basic reasons for this (which I'll simply list here, but I encourage you to take a look at my newest book in the Spotlight on Equine Nutrition Series called "Equine Digestion - It's Decidedly Different.")  You can take a look at this title and others by going to this link:http://gettyequinenutrition.biz/TeleSeminars/TeleseminarBooks/SpotlightonEquineNutritionTeleseminarSeries.htm

Reasons horses must have forage flowing through their digestive tract at all times:

  1. Need to chew to produce saliva, a natural antacid. The stomach continually produces acid, even when empty. Chewing neutralizes this acid, thereby preventing ulcers. 
  2. The entire gastrointestinal tract is made of muscles that require exercise. This is accomplished by pushing forage through. Without forage, the muscles can torque or intussuscept, two common causes of colic. 
  3. An empty stomach promotes the back flow of small intestine contents back into the stomach. This leads to pyloric and duodenal ulcers.
  4. The cecum (fermentation vat) has its entrance and exit at the top. Therefore, in order for material to leave the cecum it has to be full enough for it to push out the top. Colic is a real threat if the cecum is not full enough.
I hope you find this list helpful in making decisions for yourself and in explaining the reasons for free-choice forage feeding.

My very best wishes,
Juliet Getty 

9 comments:

  1. Wishing you all a very Merry Christmas with peace of heart and a joyful outlook for the new year.

    I look forward to helping you with your free-choice feeding programs!

    Best wishes,
    Juliet Getty

    ReplyDelete
  2. Hi Everyone,

    I too love Dr. Getty's work and have been practicing free choice forage for about 20 years since I got my first off the track, nervous thoroughbred. I can testify to how wonderful this system is.

    I do have a problem, though, that I hope someone can help me with. I no longer have thoroughbreds, I now have Friesians. They are very easy keepers. One of the geldings was very thin when I got him. I started him on free choice right away in a slow feeder. He has been on free choice now for 2 years. The hay is meadow hay tested low in sugar and his feed for vitamins and minerals is Pavo Care4Life - very low sugar and starch. He gets just enough Pavo to cover his requirements which is 1 kilo a day. He is getting good exercise 4 times a week.

    He does not have access to grass where we live.

    He just keeps gaining and gaining and is so fat now that it is a danger to his health. He remains very food fixated and doesn't seem to taper off in his appetite. The slow feeder is always filled up otherwise our other horse wouldn't get enough. They do waste a bit picking the good stuff out and turning their nose up at the rest so maybe I am giving them too much?

    The hay is good quality but not rich. I have tried 50% hay and 50% straw on my vets suggestion but they won't eat the straw and just go without which won't work for us as our other horse has had ulcers in his previous life and they flare up easily if I don't keep his tummy full.

    Are there horses like this who just don't respond to free choice by tapering off their food intake? Is there anything else I can do?

    Another aspect is that we are moving to Spain where I will only be able to get oat hay which I'm afraid will really turn this into a nightmare.

    All suggestions appreciated!

    Thanks,
    Maggie

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Maggie,

      I had a similar situation with my Lipizzan/air fern. I am now using NAG bags in the one inch hole variety. This slows him down enough so he does not consume HUGE quantities of hay daily. I have also added magnesium as suggested by Dr. Getty's book. You can also try a mineral supplement that is made to balance your hay. That way you can avoid ANY grain which your easy keeper does not need. I mix my minerals in a tiny amount of beet pulp that does not contain molasses.

      Good Luck,
      Laura

      Delete
    2. Hello Maggie,

      There are two very important components to feeding free choice -- exercise, and making sure your hay is appropriate.

      Exercise not only builds muscle (which is more metabolically active than fat) but is also increases insulin receptors on cell surfaces, making your horse more sensitive (rather than resistant) to insulin. Even a 10 minute walk per day will make a difference.

      Testing your hay is critical since it may be too high in sugar, starch, and calories to be appropriate to offer free choice. Straw can be a problem, too, not only because it can induce impactions, but also because it can be higher in sugar/starch than grass hay or even alfalfa hay. Please take a look at my library for this recent article on straw on my website www.gettyequinenutrition.com

      One kilo of feed per day, even if it is low in starch, is likely too much. Concentrate on giving him the appropriate supplements -- magnesium, chromium, and omega 3s to lower circulating insulin and add it to a very small amount of a carrier feed that is low in starch and sugar. You can use unsweetened beet pulp or alfalfa pellets.

      If you haven't had a chance to read my booklet on the Easy Keeper, I hope you will, to give you more ideas. Here is that link: http://gettyequinenutrition.biz/TeleSeminars/TeleseminarBooks/SpotlightonEquineNutritionTeleseminarSeries.htm

      All horses will self-regulate as long as they never run out of forage -- not even for 10 minutes. If they run out, even for a very short while, they will never get the message that it always there and there will overeat. A smaller hay net opening, as Laura suggested, is a good idea as long as you introduce it slowly and do not induce frustration (which is a form of stress, causing a hormonal response that keeps horses overweight).

      I hope this is helpful. Please keep me posted.

      All the best,

      Juliet Getty

      Delete
  3. Dear Laura,
    I hadn't realized I gotten an answer so sorry for my slow reply : ) Good idea to try a smaller hole in my hay net, I need to buy a new one anyway. I have tried magnesium but will try it again as I think it is a good idea. I have also thought about switching to a vit/min "cookie" to feed as a treat and then avoid any extra feed and will look into that. Good suggestions, thank you!
    Maggie

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Maggie,

      Just be careful with "cookies" - they tend to be made from cereal grains (high in starch) with added molasses (sugar). You are much better off feeding a comprehensive vitamin/mineral supplement along with enough magnesium (10,000 mg per day at a minimum).

      Best wishes,
      Juliet Getty

      Delete
    2. Hi. I'm new to this blog and was reading these posts. My question is: why Magnesium? What does it do? Thank you. Sue Ann

      Delete
    3. Hi Sue Ann,

      Magnesium has been shown to lower blood insulin levels. It's not magic, but when combined with a lower NSC diet that is also combined with low stress, it helps reduce insulin resistance. This is very important because elevated insulin tells the body to store fat. By reducing insulin, the body is better able to burn fat. Also, the risk of laminitis is reduced because endocrine-related laminitis is caused by elevated insulin.

      Juliet Getty :)

      Delete