Friday 31 July 2015

What is in our horses' food?




Over the last year I have written several blogs about feeding; Feeding, Feed Types, Special Feeding  and Watering.  Today and next week I'm talking about what is in our horse's feed.


Food and water are vital to life.  Food provides energy which is needed for growth, tissue repair and the maintenance of life!  There are 3 main sources of energy:


Carbohydrates
These should be the main source of energy for a horse and should form two-thirds of his food intake.  Carbohydrates provide the energy for all cell processes and basic functions eg: breathing and for muscle contraction.  Carbohydrates are found in vegetable tissue so; plants, grass (hay) and grains. 


Carbohydrates comes in 3 different types; Starch, Sugar and Fibre.

Starch is where most energy is stored in plants and is digested in the small intestine of the horse.  Any starch (carbohydrate) not used for energy will be stored in the liver and muscles in a form known as glycogen - this can then be converted to sugars.

Sugars are simple forms of carbohydrate and these too are digested in the small intestine. Glucose is the preferred source of energy for most body tissues and it is the only type of energy that Red Blood Cells and the medulla of the Kidney can use.

Sugar and starch are both soluble carbohydrates - built up of molecules of glucose (a simple sugar).  Sugar and starch are broken down by digestive enzymes into glucose  before it can be absorbed through the walls.  See my Digestive System blog.



Fibre, this consists of cellulose and lignin.  Fibre stimulates gut action and so without it a horse cannot digest his food!  Cellulose contributes to the strength which allows grasses to stand upright.  It is an insoluble carbohydrate which means that it cannot be broken down by enzymes as the sugar and starch are.  Instead cellulose is broken down in the large colon and caecum by bacteria this produces volatile fatty acids which the horse can use to produce energy .  As plants get older - grass becomes more 'stemmy'  the lignin content increases - lignin is indigestible by the enzymes or bacteria!

Excess carbohydrate ie: carbohydrate that is not used for energy, will be stored as fat in the body!  However, not enough will cause the horse to break down it's body reserves to supply the energy they need.


Protein
This is the source of growth, repair, replacement and development of cells.  Protein makes up a large percentage of muscle tissue.  


Proteins are made up of chains of building blocks called amino acids, there are about 20 different amino acids, which can be linked together in any order and contain hundreds of amino acids.  The huge variety of amino acids mean that there are also many different types of proteins eg: hair, enzymes and meat. 

Horses are able to make some of these amino acids, the others must be taken in through their food.  Plants and micro-organisms can synthesise all amino acids.  Any amino acids that the horse cannot synthesise (make) themselves are called essential amino acids.  If a protein has lots of these essential amino acids then it is said to have 'high biological value' and would be a valuable addition to a horse's diet!   Peas, Beans and Alfalfa are some of the feeds high in protein.





It is worth noting that if one of the essential amino acids is low in a horse's diet it will affect the balance and therefore limit the use of all the other amino acids in the diet!  This will lead to a protein deficiency which leads to poor condition, poor muscle development and stunted growth in youngsters.
Excess protein in the diet causes the excess amino acids to be broken down in the liver and the resultant energy is stored as fat.


Fat
Fat is a highly concentrated source of energy and horses can easily digest it.  However horse's diets usually contain no more than 4% fat!  Fat is important for growth and maintenance of cell membranes, it helps maintain body temperature, metabolism of cholesterol, for energy and stamina.  Fats and oils can be found in Linseed. 



Alternatively adding oil to a horse's diet will provide much higher calories than other feedstuffs.  Therefore this is a useful addition for endurance horses or eventers.  It also helps add weight on to horses when needed.  Chesney has been having oil added to his feed for a number of months as I try to build him back up.  




Food also provides Vitamins and Minerals and  I will cover these in next week's blog.


Have you seen this week's vlog 'One Day in January' on my You Tube channel.   
Horse Life and Love.  Please check it out and SUBSCRIBE.

You can also follow me on Facebook and Instagram for updates on Chesney, Basil, Tommy and Daisy.

Until next time!
Jo

Thursday 30 July 2015

How is our schooling progressing?



I think I am stuck in a schooling rut again! Although, Basil has really begun to work in a good round shape and is soft and his bend is improving our movements are getting a bit repetitive.  In walk and trot he feels really light in the hand and works beautifully.  There is still a way to go with our canter work though! 

We have been doing plenty of serpentines

 .... which I always enjoy.  These are so much improved in trot when Basil is working more on the bit.  We have more control and work at a better pace in a nice rhythm.  20 m circles are a staple in all paces!

  
As is changing the rein on the diagonal! 

 
I quite like using these half circles to change the rein too.


We have also been doing lots of leg yield, both towards and away from the track. This is also definitely improving.

We do need to continue working on our transitions but I decided it was time to dig out the book again!


This exercise can be done in walk, trot and canter.  You can walk the 10 metre circle then change the rein as you move to the larger circle and do this in trot.  You can then change the rein back to do the 10 metre circle again in walk!  Alternatively you can do the 10 metre in trot and the 20 metre in canter.

Basil and I are still working on balance to be able to trot 10 metre circles but it is getting better!

 
This exercise is good for practising your turns as on the square you really have to ride the corners and not just drift around them as we often tend to do!  This exercise is best to perfect in walk first so that your horse understands you before progressing up to trot!

We will see how we get on with these over the next few weeks!

Did you see yesterday's vlog 'One Day in July' on my You Tube channel?
Horse Life and Love.  Please check it out and SUBSCRIBE.

You can also follow me on Facebook and Instagram for updates on Chesney, Basil, Tommy and Daisy.

Tuesday 28 July 2015

Tubtrugs Baler Twine Cutter


A few weeks ago I bought one of these 'safety' cutters as I have had a pen knife for a long time.  The pen knife is really not that safe so I treated myself!


Obviously, with 3 horses I get through quite a bit of hay and in the winter when it is dark and dingy I am always rushing about trying to get things done quickly.  So, like many people I want an efficient way of quickly cutting the baler twine around the bales.  

When I first tried this cutter I was disappointed, it didn't seem very sharp and wouldn't cut.  However, I soon discovered that if you have it at the right angle it cuts well, nearly better than the pen knife.  


It is a much safer option and with the clip at the end can be attached to something to keep it safe.  This isn't something I do at the moment.  I may have to attach it to something bigger for the winter though as I can imagine it could easily disappear in amongst the hay if I am in a rush one morning!

Look out tomorrow for another vlog on my You Tube channel.   Horse Life and Love
Please check it out and SUBSCRIBE.

You can also follow me on Facebook and Instagram for updates on Chesney, Basil, Tommy and Daisy.

Until next time!
Jo

Monday 27 July 2015

How good are horses' memories?




If you asked me this question my initial answer would be that they have good memories.  If I think about this further it is more complex.  Domesticated horses are expected to perform many different tasks, from lifting their feet to have them picked out to performing dressage movements!  On a day to day basis we expect them to remember how to be led, how to stand tied up, what a wheelbarrow is etc.....


These memories are based on types of learning.  Other types of memories such as those learnt from cruel treatment can be remembered and affect a horse for many years, even after the treatment has stopped.  Tommy has learnt to be frightened of people because they cause him pain, slowly he is learning that people can be kind and allowing them near does have rewards.  

  
This can carry over to learning about cars, vans, lorries, motorbikes etcetera on the road.  Basil obviously learnt early in his life that they are not scary, nothing has happened to teach him otherwise and so he remembers that they are fine and is really good on the road.

To train a horse we practice and repeat the lesson until the horse remembers, this can be done in a variety of different ways.  We are still relying on the horse to remember!  Chesney has had his feet picked out in the same order and in the same way for most of his life.  This means that if I go into his stable with the skip he has his first foot in the air before I place the skip on the floor!


Nowadays we work towards developing good memories for the horse - so using positive reinforcement to help them learn, rather than using punishment (negative reinforcement) if they don't do as we ask.  Building pleasant associations eg: if you let me catch you then will you get a carrot, generally work more effectively than building unpleasant associations eg: if you don't go forward I will beat you!

It is also now more widely accepted that it is better to work with a horse's natural behavioural traits and that each horse is an individual.  They will all have different abilities for learning - just as humans do.  So to help a horse learn properly and to retain the information he needs motivating ie: rewarding.  For many horses this motivation can be food, some enjoy a neck scratch and others a kind word.


Chesney is actually motivated by the voice more than anything else, he knows if your tone is cross or if it is soothing or if you are praising him.  Basil is more difficult to work out but I think he likes to have time to eat in peace.  So after I ride he either goes back in the field or has a nice haynet!    Tommy likes food (which is often true of rescue cases) but also seems to really enjoy a neck rub as a reward.  I am also finding that he is very aware of your tone of voice - like Chesney!
 
Horses, like humans also learn more easily at a younger age.  Early learning will affect their future training and highly emotional horses can be more difficult to train. 


Have you seen last weeks' video 'What I'm Feeding and Horsey Clips'    
Horse Life and Love.  Please check it out and SUBSCRIBE.

You can also follow me on Facebook and Instagram for updates on Chesney, Basil, Tommy and Daisy.

Until next time!
Jo