Exploring Animal Science and Nutrition focusing on Equine Nutrition & Interesting Things
Name: Abby
I'm a freshmen at Michigan State University. I'm interested in animal science and hoping to focus on equine nutrition. I have two horses and work on a horse farm.
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It’s that time again. At least for farms when every one is starting to calve, lamb, furrow, or foal out. Some farms actually have been having babies since January. Those people are the ones who show or are trying to get the most weight on their babies before they go to slaughter. For me it’s been a time of excitement that has dimmed to “oh my gosh when is it going to be over” type of things. Considering where I work has eight foals on the ground and one more yet to come. I’m defiantly ready for this time of year to be done. There is one good thing about this time though and that’s because I’m trying to get my mare in foal for next year. This might seem like I’m contradicting myself but I’m not, especially when it’s my mare that’s going to foal not my boss’s horses. With getting in foal this changes the mares entire nutritional requirements, because she has to have enough food going in to make sure she doesn’t absorb the embryo. Below is an idea of the change in diet that is needed to have a healthy foal.
essential she is fed correctly during gestation. Once she has foaled and is
lactating, her energy requirements will increase by as much as 44% and
nutrients such as protein, calcium, phosphorous and vitamin A will be in
particularly high demand.
During the first three months of lactation a mare will give 3% of her body
weight daily in milk production so, for example, a mare of 454kg will
produce in the region of 13.6kgs of milk per day. Not providing the mare
with enough feed at this stage will reduce the quantity and quality of milk
production, which could affect the foal's health and growth rate.
http://www.horseandhound.co.uk/stallionsandstuds/article.php?aid=48241
If you do any of the following you are without a doubt a true horsewomen:
* You use your horse's mane/tail comb to put up your hair.
* You use your horse's braiding bands for your own hair.
* Your entertainment for the week is playing in the manure pile.
* You fight for what wheelbarrow your going to get.
* You give your horse more baths than you get yourself.
* Your horse has more blankets than you do clothes.
* You clip your horse more often than you shave your legs.
* You spent more money on your horse's front shoes than you did on all
your own shoes put together.
* You didn't have air conditioning, but you got two fans for your horse's
stall.
* You go to a horse show rather than going to church.
* Your horse has more grooming supplies than you have cosmetic products
* You wear the same dirty clothes every day, so you don't have to make
another outfit dirty.
It's that time of year again when animals are soon going to be getting to the ability to be washed. This is so exciting for me! The last time I washed either of my horses it was probably mid tol ate september. So what's that about 6 months. Over the course of these last six months my horses have accumulated an unbelievable amount of dirt and nasty stuff. Though it's not like I haven't had to do this for the last eight or so years. It's a very exciting time because it also means summer is getting closer.
Like us horses need vitamins. Unlike us they don't need to eat some of them, they make a lot of it in their small and large intestine. Quick fact humans are the only animal on the planet that doesn't make vitamin C. All other animals make it. Also like us they are not the same each one needs a different amount of hay, water, and vitamins. Since horses have been domesticated some vitamins have been ignored. Now that more people are getting a little more educated they are starting to realize that horses need free choice of minerals that have vitamins in them. Like salt and depending on whether you have a red block or a white block it will have vitamins in it. (the red one has the vitamins) This link will give you an idea of what I'm talking about, it's just a little broader. http://www.admani.com/AllianceEquine/TechBulletins/FeedingVitamins.htm
Well if some of you haven't heard already that gas is going to most likely work it's way up to about 2.50 this summer. Which really bites for those of us who have large gas guzzling vehicles. Like truck or suv's. I myself have a V8 GMC Serria with an 8ft box and extended cab. Which currently get about 14 to 15 mpg, not the best by any means. This also means that travel this summer for myself and many others is going to be limited or it's just going to cost a whole lot more. My show schedule has slimmed down because of this dumb rise in gas. It deffinately won't stop me from doing some things but long distance runs are going to be kept to a minimum.
I'm just loving this warm weather as is everybody else as well. I can't wait until the leave start to come out and everything turns green again. I love every season in Michigan but one can only take white and brown for so long. Summer here we come!!
It's that time of year again when almost every animal with four legs starts to shed it's winter coat. Everyone who owns a cat, dog, or horse have an idea what happening. Hair is coming off in clumps 24 hours a day it seems. For those who have horses are really feeling the pain (I am at least). If I look at my horse she starts to drop hair and no matter how long i brush, curry, and scrape the hair keeps coming. So after a while I give up and continue with what I went to the barn to do; which is to ride. But by the time I leave the barn to get in my truck my coat is covered and my gloves are covered. It's extremly annoying as one can guess, but at least it only occurs twice but when they shed in the fall it's not nearly as bad. It will soon be over and life wil continue on as usual.
Everyone has heard of home remedies, and some may use them quite a bit for ease or because it costs less. Some of these get passed down from generation to generation. There are so many different things that can be used for injuries that might be considered rather bad. Like for fly repelent in horses one can use apple cider vinigar in thier water for protection from the inside out, garlic also has the same affect. Or to use kerosene is used for skin problems in animals and to put it on hooves of horses and cows to help with craking. Amazing to find out some things that were thought to only have one use actually has many.
Evolution. It's a wonderful thing. Natures way of improving on what already exists. Most know this is why we and everything else on earth is here today. Well like us (in a sense) who have been believed or have evolved from primates (whichever your view) horses in their beginnings we're very different than they are today. About 55 million years ago they were no bigger than a average sized house cat of today. They also had three toes instead of the one visible one that they have today. It's amazing that something that originally weighed 15 to 20 lbs to what the big drafts can weigh today which is about 2500lbs.
Like many people at this time of year we start to get a little antsy about summer and gettig outside. As well as getting summer jobs, going home, or sticking around. I am definatley no exception to this either. Since I am into the horse thing, this means getting summer weekends set aside for shows or do nothing weekends. So much of my summer is already gone in respect to available weekends, but I can't say that my summer's going to be a blow out. It's far from and it's only about tow and a half months away.
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