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An Equine Nutritionist can help you sort through any product’ s ingredients lists if you need clarification on what nutritional or anit-nutritional properties each one has. There is an emotional toll on the horse owner and considering affordable stock numbers becomes a reality. As hard as this decision maybe, if you cant afford to feed your horse what he / she needs, then they should be sold to someone who can. As responsible owners weshould always prioritize our horse’ s health and be realistic about our ability to provide appropriate care.
Once a feed and forage shortage is established, the price of horses usually decreases so once you have decided to sell, do it quickly to avoid loosing money on the sale. Environmental impact on your property is a big concern. In the situation of a drought, it is best to salvage one area and leave the balance of the property to rest.
Without rain, the grass won’ t grow, but if you can leave the paddocks with out stock, then you reduce the risk of weed staking over. Weeds are more dominant than grass and will take advantage of exposed soil paddocks. Horse’ s will eat what ever they can when there is no grass, including toxic weeds.
Be realistic about the condition score of your horse. Determine if you can let the horse go backa little bit or if the horse is already in lean condition and will need additional feeding. For breeding enterprises, it may be necessary to keep mares dry for the season and salvage the current stock. Work out how much feed you will need and explore the best options available to you.
As a nutritionist, I recommend all kinds of diets based on weight management, energy requirements, work load, breeding status, age, health concerns and type of pasture / hay available to each horse. All horses are individuals and their requirements vary substantially. In the case of drought and financial hardship, a simple survival diet can be put in place. Pasture if available, or Grass Hay or Hay cubes Vitamin & Mineral Mix Fresh water.
EQUICUBE PROVIDES SUFFICIENT FIBRE WHEN HAY IS SCARCE
Being sensible with your planning and purchasing of the correct feed will get you through the hard times until life is back to normal and feed andforage is abundant.
For assistance with pasture management or feed management plans during drought or floods, utilize the services of a Nutritionist and Pasture Management consultant. These services are often free or at low cost and will save you money in the long run. www. hiform. com. au
2025 AQHA YEARBOOK ~ MAY / JUNE ISSUE