1967-Voice Of The Tennessee Walking Horse 1967 December Voice | Page 47

In addition to the deficiencies which normally cha­
racterize whatever plants are available, dry pasture
may be plagued by a short supply of feed.
Generally speaking, a concentrate or supplement
is best used during droughts or on fall-winter pas­
tures. However, when there is an acute shortage of
forage, hay or other roughage also should be added.
HORSE PASTURES
The great horse breeding centers of the world are
characterized by good pastures. This applies to Ken­
tucky, Ireland and New Zealand.
In addition to the nutritive value of the grass, pas­
ture provides invaluable exercise on natural footing
- with plenty of sunshine, fresh air, and lowered
feeding costs as added benefits. Feeding on pasture
is the ideal existence for young stock and breeding
animals.
Most horse pastures can be improved by seeding
new and better varieties of grass and legumes, and
by fertilizing and management. Also, horsemen need
to give attention to balancing pastures. Early-in-the-
season pastures are of high-water content and lack
energy. Mature weathered grass is almost always
deficient in protein (being as low as 3 percent or
less) and low in carotene (the precursor of Vitamin
A). But these deficiencies can be c orrected by proper
supplemental feeding.
Supplementing Early Spring Grass
Turning horses on pasture when the first sprigs of
green grass appear will usually make for a tempora­
ry deficiency of energy, due to (1) washy (high water
content) grasses and (2) inadequate forage for ani­
mals to consume. As a result, owners are often dis­
appointed in the poor condition of horses.
If there is good reason why grazing cannot be de­
layed until there is adequate spring growth, it is
recommended that early pastures be supplemented
with grass hay or straw (a legume hay will accentu­
ate looseness, which usually exists under such cir­
cumstances), preferably placed in a rack; perhaps
with a high-energy concentrate provided also.
Supplementing Dry Pasture
Dry, mature, weathered, bleached grass character­
izes (1) drought periods and (2) fall-winter pastures.
Such cured-on-the-stalk grasses are low in energy, in
protein, in carotene, and in phosphorus and perhaps
certain other minerals. These deficiencies become
more acute following frost and increase in severity as
winter advances. This explains the often severe loss
in condition in horses following the first fall freeze.
December, 1967
Pasture Supplements
Horsemen face the questions of what supplement
to use, when to feed and how much to feed.
In supplying a supplement to horses on pasture,
the following guideposts should be observed:
1. It should balance the diet of the horses to which
it is fed, which means that it should supply all the
nutrients missing in the forage;
2. It should be fed in such a way that each horse
gets its proper proportion, which generally means
(a) the use of salt blocks, (b) tying up horses dur­
ing concentrate feeding when more than one animal
is fed in a given pasture, or (c) taking them to their
stalls at feeding time; and
3. The daily allowance of the supplement should be
determined by (a) the available pasture (quantity
and quality), and (b) the condition of the horse.
The results from the use of the supplement, rather
than the cost per bag, should determine the choice
of supplement.
PRACTICAL PROTEIN SOURCES FOR THE HORSE
Grass hays and farm grains are low in quality and
quantity proteins. Hence, they must be supplemented
with other sources of protein.
In practical horse feeding, foals should be provided
with some protein feeds of animal origin in order to
supplement the proteins found in grains and forage.
In feeding mature horses, a safe plan to follow is to
provide plant protein from several sources.
In general, feeds of high protein content are more
expensive than those high in carbohydrates or fats.
Accordingly, there is a temptation to feed too little
protein. On the other hand, when protein feeds are
the cheapest - as is often true of cull peas in certain
sections of the west - excess quantities of them may
be fed as energy feeds without harm, provided the
ration is balanced in all other respects. Any amino
acids that are left over, after the protein requirements
have been met, are deaminated or broken down in
the body. In this process, a part of each amino acid
is turned into energy, and the remainder is excreted
via the kidneys. Some opinions to the contrary, there
is no such thing as protein poisoning from feeding
rations high in protein content - provided the ration
is balanced in all other respects.
ALL THE
JOYS OF,
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