Bokt.nl

Citaat:

My 16.2hh Veteran Horse is gradually losing weight and the dentist said he will have difficulty chewing hay and haylage, what can I feed him?

A:
Calories from fibre are provided predominantly by hay or haylage during winter and make up a large proportion of the ration. Considering your horse is struggling with long fibre sources such as hay and haylage, and assuming there are no other clinical problems, the most likely cause for this weight loss is a reduction in fibre intake. Fibre is essential to maintain a healthy digestive tract and in order to synthesise B vitamins (via fermentation) for energy utilisation. Furthermore, fibre digestion will help to generate heat for winter warmth. This is why it is essential to arrange for a registered equine dental technician to visit your horse every 6 months and ensure they can process fibre effectively.

Another useful method of assessing your horse’s grinding ability is to look at the fibre particle size within droppings. Fibre particles more than a few millimetres in length indicate a reduced grinding ability which will decrease digestion and nutrient absorption and increase the risk of the horse developing impaction colic.

I recommend replacing the hay / haylage portion of the ration by creating a ‘haynet in a bucket’ using a combination of soaked high fibre nuts (Pasture Nuts), a highly digestible chaff (Alfalfa) and soaked unmolassed sugar beet shreds (KwikBeet). The feeding guideline for this forage replacer is 600g dry weight of each product per 100Kg of ideal body weight per day. Therefore, a horse with an ideal weight of 500kg would require 3kg of each product, which in total would be 9kg per day. If your horse is still eating significant quantities of grass then you may need to reduce the quantities per day during the spring and autumn when grass is more available and nutritious

Ideally the forage replacer should be divided into several small meals throughout the day. However, many owners cannot gain access to their horse this frequently. Therefore, the forage replacer may be divided into 2-3 large buckets and left with the horse to graze on in the field and stable. If the field is shared with other animals it is essential to section your horse off and ensure only he has access to the bucket but still has social contact with other horses. A useful method of slowing down consumption is to place salt/mineral blocks within the bucket so your horse has to eat around them.

The ‘haynet in a bucket’ is an effective method of meeting your horse’s fibre requirements within an accessible mash. This alone should help to encourage a steady weight gain and improve your horse’s overall condition. The supplement Yea-Sacc may also be a beneficial addition to the ration, which creates a favourable environment for fibre fermenting bacteria within the hindgut. This will maximise fibre digestion and the utilisation of the resulting nutrients, which can be compromised in older horses on fibre restricted rations.

Rachel Sainsbury BSc (Hons)
Nutritional Advisor

GamblersCup schreef:

Dat valt best mee denk ik, die zak Agrobs was 10,95 euro voor 15 kilo.

Alleen wat voor krachtvoer zit daar dan doorheen? Ik voer mijn paarden liever geen krachtvoer, nergens voor nodig.

Zit daar verder wel alles in wat een ouder dier nodig heeft, als ze niet meer goed kunnen kauwen?

GamblersCup schreef:

Gouda, is dat dus goed te verteren voor ouwetjes?

Vonnie84 schreef:

Ik ben eigelijk wel zeer benieuwd naar dat verhaal van de Seniores Priores van Subli. Ik voer het namelijk nu een tijdje aan m'n oudje en hij is nu dus ook opeens met rijden stokkreupel.

Citaat:

Ben wel nheel erg geinteresseerd wat daar dan is uitgekomen! Dat is speciaal voor oudere paarden, en van zo'n merk mag je er toch wel enigszins vanuit gaan dat er op dat soort zaken ook gelet wordt? Al doe ik wel persoonlijk vooronderzoek en check ik bij de da, want ik vertrouw toch nooit iemand op zijn woord.

Citaat:

En dit gaat onder begeleiding van de da, alleen ik probeer hier nog meer ideeen te verzamelen, van mensen die ervaring hebben met hooi vervangers voor oudere knollen.