FEEDING BELIEFS PT 2  

FEEDING BELIEFS Pt 2   Last month we looked at a few feeding myths- things that we thought were true about oats, hay, and a few other subjects. This month I had planned to write about bag tags, but then I started getting questions and comments that made me think about additional beliefs that we hold. Looks like we’re not done yet with this subject, so we’re going to look at a few more myths about feeding horses. Remember, don’t believe everything you think! The protein in ration balancers is too much for my horse. I hear this a lot when introducing the idea of a ration balancer to someone for the first time. When you look at a feed tag, what is the first nutrient that you see? It’s the amount of protein in the bag. People see a number in the vicinity of 30% (most balancers are close to this number) and immediately back off, shaking their heads and making comments such as “That’s way too much protein for my horse. He’s retired/not doing much work/too hot/already gets enough protein.” Let’s take a look at this. First, what does that 30% mean? It’s telling you that 30% of the product in the bag is protein. That’s right, 30% of what is in the bag is protein. It does NOT mean that if you feed this, 30% of your horse’s diet will be protein. Let’s look at the numbers: if your bag of ration balancer weighs 50 pounds, then 30% of that, or 15 pounds, consists of protein. “Whoa…” you may be thinking, “that’s still a lot of protein!” Take a closer look. What is the feeding rate of this balancer? Let’s say that it’s one pound per day. For every pound that you feed, 30% of that pound is protein. When we do the math, 30% of one pound is almost five ounces. Do you still think it’s too much protein? That’s really a small amount. Remember though that this ration balancer (or concentrated feed, if applicable) is not the only source of your horse’s protein intake. His forage contains protein too. It can be hard to have your pasture analyzed as the nutrient values change frequently (and sometimes rapidly) depending on the season, weather, and other factors that you can’t control. You can, however, have your hay analyzed and you’ll get a good idea of how much protein it contains. Let’s say that your analysis indicates that your hay has 5% available protein as is. (Make sure that you are reading the columns and rows correctly- there may be a couple values for protein, but available protein is what your horse will get out of the hay, and “as is” means hay in the real world.) You have weighed a typical feeding for your horse and figure that you give him a total of 20 pounds per day. Do some more math…5% of 20 pounds is one pound of protein. Your hay provides much more protein in his daily diet than the small amount of ration balancer. Now you may be questioning how much protein your horse needs. It will vary depending on your horse’s age, his job, and other factors. The short answer? For a 1000-pound horse doing nothing, a minimum of 1.4 to 1.6 pounds of protein will likely suffice, and any horse doing more than that will need more protein. This is a good conversation to have with your veterinarian. Remember, each horse is an individual and should be fed as such. Another part of this question should be, “What happens if my horse is eating too much protein?” Yes, it is possible to feed him more protein than he needs. It isn’t usually a concern though. As long as his kidneys are healthy, he’ll eliminate excess protein in his urine. You’ll likely notice a strong ammonia smell in his stall. To help him clear excess protein, make sure that he always has access to clean, fresh water. Breaking down protein can be thirsty work for his body, plus he’ll need adequate liquid to clear the protein. This doesn’t mean that it is safe to consistently feed excess protein. It’s thought that over time the additional burden on the kidneys can become damaging. There isn’t a lot of research in this area yet. Of course, if you have concerns, or if you notice changes in your horse’s drinking habits, stall odors, or peeing habits, talk with your veterinarian. Protein makes my horse hot. Not really. I won’t deny that having adequate protein can help your horse feel better and he may show his true colors as a result, but protein doesn’t make him hot. You can blame excess carbs, windy days, lack of exercise, the hose in the grass, rabbits, horse gremlins and pent-up energy if your horse is being “spicy.” The main source of energy in a horse’s diet is carbohydrates. They break down quickly and fuel the horse’s activities; everything from moving, breathing, digestion…all those things that a horse’s body does during his day. Protein’s job is to build the body: bone, hair, hooves, soft tissue, muscle, his hormones, immune system…we could go on for pages. If a horse runs out of carbs to break down, then his body can break down protein and use that for energy, but it is a very expensive process, metabolically speaking. The body would much rather use carbs because it’s easier to break them down to access the energy. Make sense? Even if you are feeding more protein than he needs, his body will use the carbs first. You may be thinking, “But I gave my horse a higher protein feed and he had way too much energy! It must be the protein.” What was the amount of non-structural carbs (NSCs) in the feed? Before you run out to the barn to check the feed tag, I’ll ‘fess up. That’s an unfair question, because you may not be able to find that answer on the feed