1962-Voice Of The Tennessee Walking Horse 1962 April Voice

7 Voice of the Tennessee Walking Horse Horse Nutrition Needs Research — Soil Elements Important BY DR. M . E. ENSMINGER Chairman, Dept. Of Animal Science Washington State University Pullman, Wash. Meet The Author (Tile following article appears in the current release of The Stockman's Guide—a monthly column written by Dr. Ensminger and published in 14 different nationally distributed horse publications.) Feeding forages and grains pro duced on leached and depleted soils, confining animals to a stall all or a large part of the year, fitting yearlings for sale and racing two-year-olds (and other types of forced production) have created many problems in horse nutrition. Under these unnatural con ditions, (1) unsoundness and (2) nutritional diseases and ailments have become increasingly common. Soil Nutrients Affect Animals At Washington State University, in a study with rabbits, we established the effect of soil nutrients on plants, and, in turn, the effects of these plants on animals. Generation after generation, rab bits were fed on alfalfa; with one group receiving hay produced on low phosphorus soils, and the other group eating alfalfa grown on high phospho rus soils. The rabbits in the low phosphorus soil-alfalfa group (1) were retarded in growth—with 9.8 per cent lower weaning weights, (2) re quired 12 per cent more matings per conception, and (3) had a 47 per cent lower breaking strength of bones than the rabbits on the high phosphorus soil-alfalfa group. We have reason to believe that soil nutrients can affect horses similarly— in growth, conception, and soundness of bone; but we need more experi mental work on this subject. Mineral Elements Needed The classical horse ration of glass, grass hay, and farm grains is usually deficient in calcium, but adequate in phosphorus. Also, salt is almost al ways deficient, and usually iodine. Thus, horses usually need special mineral supplements. But do not feed them either more or less minerals than needed. On the average, a horse will con sume about 3 ounces of salt daily or U/3 pounds per week, although the salt requirements vary with work and temperature. The salt requirements, and any calcium or phosphorus requirements not met by feeds, can best be supplied by allowing free access to a two-com- partment box containing minerals. One compartment should have salt (iodized in iodine-deficient areas), and the other should contain a mix ture of 2 parts steamed bone meal (or other calcium-phosphorus supple ment) and 1 part salt (the salt is for palatability). It is important, how ever, that the Ca/P ratio of horse rations be maintained at not less than 1 : 1 . Friends, here is Dr. M. E. (Gene) Ensminger, author of this article on horse nutrition; chairman of the Dept, of Animal Science at the Washington State University, Pullman, Wash.; author of the 1958 edition of the U. S. Dept, of Agr iculture's Farmers’ Bulle tin on Light Horse Breeds; and a per son who bulks large in the field of American education in Agriculture. He was born on a farm near Stover, Missouri; graduated from the Benton, Mo. high school as valedictorian; got his B.S. and M.S. degrees at the Uni versity of Missouri. He was a leader in YMCA work for the Southwest; gained his Ph.D. degree at the Uni versity of Minnesota in 1942; since then has been at Washington State University. Once he directed a U. S. Dept, of Agriculture soil erosion re search project that employed 800 men, based at Robbs, Illinois. His wife is the former Audrey Helen Watts of Winnipeg, Canada, who re ceived her B.S. in Home Economics aL the University of Manitoba and her M.S. degree at Washington State U. The Ensmingers have one son, John. They are members of the Presby terian Church. Dr. Ensminger is a speaker; and author of more than 300 books, scientific articles, bulletins and feature articles, exclusive of his col umn from which the nutrition article as taken. He’s in Who’s Who of America, American Men of Science, Leader's in American Science, and Who’s Who in American Education. We admire this man. BAG. A good commercial mineral may be fed if desired. Certain Vitamins Essential Certain vitamins are necessary to the growth, development, health, and reproduction of horses. Deficiencies of vitamins A and D are encountered. Also, indications are that vitamin E, and some of the B vitamins (riboflavin and perhaps thiamine) are required by the horse. Further, it is recognized that single, uncomplicated vitamin deficiencies are the exception rather than the rule. High-quality, leafy, green forages plus plenty of sunshine generally give horses all the vitamins they need. Plorses get carotene (which the ani mal can convert to vitamin A) and riboflavin from green pasture, green hay (not over a year old), and the judicious use of mold-free grass or legume silage. Horses get vitamin D from exposure to sunlight and from feeding on sun-cured hay. Severe deficiency of vitamin A may cause night blindness, reproductive difficulties, poor or uneven hoof de velopment, respiratory symptoms, in coordination, and fanciful appetite. There is also some evidence that de ficiency of this vitamin may cause or contribute to certain leg bone weak nesses. When vitamin A deficiency symptoms appear, the horseman should add to the ration either (1) dehydrated alfalfa or grass, or (2) a stabilized vitamin A product. Foals sometimes develop rickets be cause of insufficient vitamin D, cal cium or phosphorus. This can be pre vented by exposing the animal to di rect sunlight as much as possible, by allowing it free access to a suitable mineral mixture, and/or by providing it good-quality, sun-cured hay or lux uriant pasture grown on well-ferti lized soils. In northern areas lacking in adequate sunshine, many leading (Continued on Page 8)

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