October 2021 Issue

Page 10 October 2021 EAST COAST EQUESTRIAN By Martin W. Adams, PhD, PAS Equine Nutritionist for Cargill Animal Nutrition Most senior horse feeds are high in fiber and can be fed as complete feeds with no added forage. However, these feeds lack “chew” and “scratch” factors that provide increased chewing and salivation, more gastric and intes- tinal buffering capacity, greater bulk and thus increased intestinal motility, and lower incidence of cribbing, colic and wood-chew- ing. How can I bump up chew and scratch factors? If possible, incorporate high-quality forage into your older horse’s diet. High-quality hay is harvest- ed at an earlier stage of growth, which makes it is less fibrous than more mature hays and easier to chew. Unlike poor-quality hay, it breaks down quickly in the horse’s digestive system, thus reducing the risk of impaction colic. In addition to hay, other high-quality forage products can be incorporated into the diet, such as hay cubes and hay pel- Forage for Senior Horses Tell our advertisers you found them in East Coast Equestrian. lets. Be sure to wet hay cubes, pellets, and chopped forage before feeding to prevent the risk of choke and increase the ability of your older horse to chew and swallow. As the older horse ages and dental ability dimin- ishes, change the forage in his diet from chopped to cubed to pelleted to insure that the forage fed can be consumed and body condition maintained. For older horses with dental problems who can only eat a limited amount of hay, use these guidelines: provide 0.5% of the older horse’s body weight daily in chopped forage or hay cubes or pellets (five pounds daily for a 1,000-lb horse) and provide up to 1% of the older horse’s body weight in senior feed (ten pounds daily for a 1,000-lb horse). Soak the hay cubes, pellets, or chopped forage and senior feed before feeding, and divide the forage and senior feed into two to four daily meals. Wondering which feed or supplements are right for your horse – find out with the Legends Microsteed Ration Wizard - www.microsteed.com/legends. See Mountain View Supply for Your Horse Health Needs Submit your events to East Coast Equestrian at steph@eastcoastequestrian.net for inclusion in our calendar at no charge! Please provide event name, location, city, state and contact information by the 10th of the prior month. Attention Event Organizers! Looking for supplements and feed? Mountain View Supply & Rental in Hamburg, northwestern Berks County, PA, has what you need. Mountain View Supply carries a wide variety of feed from multiple brand name suppliers to meet the nutritional needs of any horse. New this year, is a drive through ware- house to make buying and loading feed a breeze. Just drive your car or truck into the warehouse and your feed is loaded for you! In addition, their expert staff can help you choose the right feed management program for your horse. Fay Seltzer, the “Horse Lady,” brings over 30 years of experience to horse owners. She offers expert advice in balancing feed options for healthy and needy horses! When customers come in looking for Fay, they know that she has their horses’ best interest at heart. They carry supplements from Farnam, Vita Flex, FoxDen, WF Young/Absorbine, Kauffman’s, Ky Performance Products, Grand Meadows, Select the Best, Cose- quin, Animed, Source, Manna Pro, Uckele, Vapco and others as customers request. Mountain View Supply carries a large selection of Carhartt clothing, Muck Boots, DryShod, Redwing and Irish Setter Boots and a full line of hardware, paint, Stihl power equipment, EGO power equipment, lawn and garden supplies, animal feed, gates, sheds, hay huts and fencing supplies along with a fence post pounder for rent. For kids of all ages, they stock Breyer and Ertl, and they can help you decorate in and around the home with their varied selec- tion of Country Farm décor. Serving everyone from the horse owner to the farmer to do-it- yourselfers and the professionals, their expert staff is committed to meeting the needs of every customer that walks through their door. Mountain View Supply is lo- cated at 5104 Old Route 22, Ham- burg, PA. Call (610) 488-1025, email infomvs@dutchcountry.net or visit mtviewsupply.com.