NEWS & VIEWS by WALT OLSEN

Most seasons are starting to wind down after this summer, here in Washington State the rains are starting to show up just in time with some of our areas of riding getting very dusty, and not much water in the creeks, maybe the yellow jackets will get flooded out, at least those living in the ground near or on the trail. Some of our areas which have been very dry have been closed to our recreational activates. This weekend the rains have come and will continue until the next ride date on the last week of August.

A reminder is always at hand; Have a safe and wonderful ride whenever riding in the woods, look out for the other riders and those folks that are hiking or riding their bikes on these multi-use trails.

BASIC CONCEPTS in Nutrition- - -

It's not just what your horse eats, but what, how much, and when they eat and drink that can help your horse stay healthy and happy. This information is to review the differences between the Òsimple-stomachedÓ creatures (ourselves, dogs and cats, etc) and the horse. We will take a look at how domestication has impacted the horse's digestive system and how that impacts their general health.

The horse is considered a "post-gastric fermenter" meaning that after the simple stomach and small intestine, a large portion of the horse's digestion comes from the fermentation of fiber within the later portions of the digestive system. Actually about 60% of the energy a horse gets from his food can come from volatile fatty acids produced by the bacterial fermentation of fiber within the large intestine.

The bulk of the average horse's feed ration is hay (as it should be). The nutritional quality of hay can vary greatly between a pure grass hay like timothy, which has a digestible energy content of about 1.8Mcal/kg and a crude protein content of about 7.5 %, and a high-quality legume hay such as alfalfa, which has a digestible energy content of about 2.2Mcal/kg and crude protein content over 15%.

The nutritional content of hay can also be affected greatly by weather conditions at the time of harvest and other processing factors. If buying a large amount for storage it is best to have it tested to see what the protein is and the TDN, digestibility numbers.

The nutritional requirements of an individual horse vary with the stage of growth, sex, healing if injured, recovery from illness, climate and exercise. The average 1,100-pound mature gelding requires 16,400 kcal (calories or 16.4Mcal) with 660 grams of crude protein for daily maintenance. The horse would require 20 pounds of timothy grass hay or 16.3 pounds of alfalfa for daily maintenance. If this horse is a mare with foal she would require 28,000kcal ( 28.0Mcal) for daily maintenance, with 34.2 pounds of timothy or 28 pounds of alfalfa, a CMO horse of the same weight, working intensely would require 32,000kcal (32Mcal) for daily maintenance with 39 pounds of timothy or 32 pounds of alfalfa to meet the energy needs for the event. A horse can only eat about 3% of its body weight in dry matter per day.

The mare and CMO horse would need a higher energy density feed (such as grain) to meet energy needs. A general rule of thumb for daily maintenance is to feed 2% of the horse's body weight in pounds of average quality mixed grass hay, so it follows that the average 1,000 pound horse would require about 20 pounds of mixed grass hay a day to maintain weight.

The best and cheapest way to determine weight is to weight using a tape, most tapes are about $3.45 to $5.00 in most mail order catalogs. It is wise to buy a scale for hay and grains. You should feed your grains by weight if at all possible.

PROTEIN

There are 22 amino acids used in the construction of proteins, the proteins within a foodstuff are broken down by digestive system into individual amino acids and are absorbed. From there the amino acids are used to build new muscle tissue and can be used to produce energy where there is a problem with nutritional elements in the graze, but comes at the expense of heart and other muscles.

More on protein, it is not a certain percentage of protein, but an actual gram amount, that should be used to meet requirements. It should also be noted that a certain quality of protein is necessary for it to be utilized. The amino acid lysine is the so-called rate-limiting amino acid for the horse, meaning there must be a certain minimal amount of lysine (23 grams per day for our 1,100 gelding) in order for the dietary protein to work.

CARBOHYDRATES

Carbohydrates can be simple (also called soluble carbohydrates or monosaccharides), such as glucose and various other sugars, or complex, such as starches, fiber and the less soluble portion of grains. The grains have both soluble carbs (the inner parts of the seed or kernel) and insoluble carbs (the outer parts of the seed and remainder of the plant).

The digestibility of the grains is also affected by the processing. For example, crimped /rolled oats or cracked grounded corn have soluble carbohydrates that is better available to the digestive process than their ÒwholeÓ counterparts. Most of these soluble carb's are broken down and absorbed in the small intestinal portion of the horse's gastrointestinal system with the insoluble passing on to the colon and cecum to be fermented by bacteria to produce volatile fatty acids. The glucose and fatty acids are then used by the horse's chemistry to produce energy or are stored in various tissues as fat reserves for later energy production.

FATS

Fats are also broken down and absorbed by the small intestine. From there the fats can either enter the biochemical energy production pathways or be stored for release later. Recent research has shown that the fats can make up to 10-20% of a horse's daily energy requirements and be well utilized.Ê Facts are showing up from this research that horse's afflicted with muscle diseases ( such as tying up and glycogen storage disease ) can benefit by lowering the soluble carb's (grain ration) in their diets and increasing the amount of energy that is provided by fat. Fats contain two times the energy production ability on a gram to gram basis compared to soluble carb's or protein. There are many new feeds on the market with more fats and less carbohydrates in them. Ask at your local feed store or feed outlet which is best. Then read the label and decide for yourself.

WATER

Water is the most important nutrient. Your horse could live for weeks without ingesting any feed, but two to three days without water would cause severe illness or death. The average 1,000 pound horse drinks over 4.5 gallons of water per day. Fresh water is needed to for fill this requirement at all times.

More on this topic will continue in the next edition.

Research for this material came from the Nutrient Requirements of Horse's, by the National Academy Press, 1989 edition, Feeding and Care of the Horse by Lon Lewis and from Washington State University 4-H material.