1969 Voice Of The Tennessee Walking Horse 1969 April Voice RS | Page 7

hazardous, it may produce too much milk, which may
cause indigestion in the foal.
ALL ABOUT HORSES
Q. I have one neighbor who self-feeds cattle and an­
other who self-feeds hogs. Can I self-feed my horses?
A. Not unless you use either a salt-protein block, a
saltrfeed mix in meal form, or a high roughage ration
consisting of chopped hay and grain mixed (and un­
pelleted). A few caretakers do self-feed high energy
rations but, sooner or later, those who do usually
founder a horse.
Q. I’m paying help $3,600 a year to muck out stalls.
By installing a conveyor for the manure, I can elimi­
nate one man. How much can I afford to spend to
automate?
A. Here’s a rule of thumb that I use: Annual saving
in hired labor from equipment divided by .15 equals
the amount you can afford to spend for equipment.
Hence, in your case, this becomes: S3,600 divided by
.15, equalling $24,000. If the equipment costs you
more than $24,000, you had better keep the man.
Q. My horse barn is frosted up on the inside. Should I
be concerned? If so, what should I do about it?
A. Yes, you should be concerned, for this indicates
lack of ventilation, and it may be indicative of insuf­
ficient insulation, too.
A horse breathes into the air about 2 gallons of
moisture per day. When it’s cold and this moisture is
not removed, it condenses and forms frost. So, open
up your barn to move out the moisture-laden air, but
avoid a draft on the horses. Also, make sure that the
ceiling and walls of your barn are properly insulated.
Q. What precautions should I observe in feeding and
watering a mare immediately after foaling?
A. The broodmare should be fed and watered with
care immediately before and after foaling. For the
first 24 hours after parturition, she may have a little
hay and a limited amount of water from which the
chill has been taken. A light feed of bran or a wet
bran mash is suitable for the first feed and the follow­
ing meal may consist of oats or a mixture of oats and
bran. A reasonably generous allowance of good quality
hay is permissible after the first day. If confined to
the stable, as may be necessary in inclement weather,
the mare should be kept on a limited and light grain
and hay ration for about ten days after foaling. Feed­
ing too much grain at this time is likely to produce
digestive disturbances in the mare and, even more
April, 1969
Q. How can I tell whether hay is of good quality?
A. The easily recognizable characteristics of hay of
high quality are:
1. It is made from plants cut at an early stage of
maturity, thus assuring the maximum content of
protein, minerals, and vitamins, and the highest
digestibility.
2. It is leafy, thus giving assurance of high protein
content.
3. It is bright green in color, thus indicating proper
curing, a high carotene or provitamin A content (pro­
vided it is not over a year old), and palatability.
4. It is free from foreign material, such as weeds,
stubble, etc.
5. It is free from must or mold and dust.
6. It is fine stemmed and pliable — not coarse, stiff,
and woody.
7. It has a pleasing, fragrant aroma; it '"smells good
enough to eat.”
Q. Is there hazard of feeding too much protein to
mares in the latter stages of pregnancy?
A. No, not unless (1) the ration is unbalanced in
some other respect, or (2) the mare has a kidney
ailment. Most horsemen feed too little rather than too
much protein.
Any amino acids that are left over after the protein
requirements have been met are deaminated or brok­
en 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.
If
"little1
CELEBRATION
CHARITY
HORSE
SHOW
JUNE 27-28-29,1969
KALAMAZOO, MICHIGAN
ADVANCE ENTRIES CONTACT:
MRS. JOHN SACKETT
ROUTE #7
KALAMAZOO, MICHIGAN
7