CSU hay test explained

For starters horses need a minimum of 1% forage but in reality a horse will want to, and naturally, consume 1.5-2% of their diet in forage to meet their energy needs. Hay is your forage.  So if your horse weights 1200 lbs you should not give them less than 12lbs of forage a day with 18-24lbs/day being more realistic to their natural and desired consumption.

If you have a horse that is susceptible to obesity do not reduce the volume of hay, reduce the quality of hay. By that I do not mean get moldy cow hay. I mean get lower energy, lower protein hay that the horse can eat all day long without gaining. A full gut round the clock is a happy gut.

The below information is based on the factors tested by Colorado State University standard forage test. In 2016 it was a $35 test. There are more tests for minerals available but the below information is just for the basic test that they provide for the hay test. The test from Colorado State University was selected for this post because they are well known. Other institutions may give other reports with other components.

 

Moisture -  Ideal is 10-17%, when it reaches 18% it’s at high risk of mold. Hay over 25% poses a huge heat and fire risk.

 

Crude protein (CP) --  Is actually an estimation of total protein based on the amount of nitrogen in the hay. So areas with high nitrogen may falsely read high protein.  It does not tell you anything about the amino acid composition or the protein quality.

High quality proteins are usually found in legumes, like Alfalfa. Combining the two makes a more balanced protein diet for the horse.
Ideally a horse needs around 10% protein (Lactating, Pregnant and Growing foals need more)
Grain hays (oat, rye) generally have a lower CP than grass hay
grass hay contains 8 to 10%
legumes  (alfalfa, clover, perennial peanut) can range from 17-20+%.

 

Neutral Detergent fiber (NDF) – Measures insoluble fibers. Since fibers are digested by the microbes living in the hindgut (cecum and large colon), a healthy microbial population is important for your horse to derive calories from fiber. This figure is a good indicator of Net Energy (NEL, NEM, NEG see below) they are inversely related so when NDF goes down NE_ increases. This measurement is also the best indicator of how much forage a horse will eat. The lower the # the more the horse will eat. Legumes (alfalfa) are lower in NDF so horse will want to eat more legume than grass. But as most people know high alfalfa diets can risk founder, bloating and other issues. So just because they like Legumes doesn’t mean that is what they should eat 24/7.

40-50% are good
65% the horses may not want to consume them
 

Acid detergent fiber (ADF) ADF is composed of cellulose, lignin (not digestable), and other poorly digested components. The lower the ADF value, the more digestible the nutrients in the hay. Lignin increases in mature plants and more hay will end up in the manure.

30-35% is desirable
45% and above you will have to feed more hay

 

Equine Total Digestible Nutrients (Equine TDN): This is a measure of the hays energy value, TDN is rarely used in evaluating horse hay, which is ironic because it’s the digestible nutrients. TDN is very closely related to Net Energy (NE) below. As TDN (DM% increases so does the NE for Lactation, Growth and Maintenance. It is a measurement that is also directly correlated to Digestible Energy (DE) and Metabolizable Energy (ME) below.
 40 to 55% is desired.
 

Equine Digestible energy (DE): Measure of the digestible energy in the hay. Horses in light work should get about 20 Mcal/day. So if hay is DE 1 Mcal/lb you need to feed 20lbs to that horse. Horses usually have a loss of 35-40% DE in feces, so don’t be stingy on feeding hay to your horses.

Most hays are 0.76 to 0.94 Mcal/lb of DE.
The DE requirements for a 1,102 lb  horse (500kg) can range from 15.2 Mcals to 34.5 Mcals

Net Energy (NE):  There are 3 types of Net Energy

Maintenance (NEm) –maintenance of the animal
Gain (NEg) – Growth and gain for that animal
Lactation (NEL) – Lactation (mainly dairy cattle)
This is highly dependent on the animals actual intake of the forage.
 
Estimated Net Energy (ENE) A term expressing available energy in a forage. The higher the number, the greater the energy to the animal.
 

Net Energy Lactation (NEL) this is usually used for cattle to help determine if the forage will meet the needs for lactation. Mostly used for the dairy industry but it can also be helpful for horses.

An average NE Lactation is 0.5-0.95
When TDN is 50 (DM%) NEL is around 0.5
When TDN is 90 (DM%) NEL is around 0.95
So very closely related

Net Energy Maintenance (NEm)

This is the energy available for maintaining the animal
An average alfalfa maintenance is around 0.4-1.02
When TDN is about 50 (DM%) NEm is around 0.44
When TDN is about 90 (DM%) NEm is around 1.02

Net Energy Gain (NEg)

This is the energy available for the horse to gain.
An average around 0.19-0.7
When TDN is about 50 (DM%) NEg is around 0.19
When TDN is about 90 (DM%) NEg is around 0.7

Metabolizable Energy (ME)

Range from 0.82 – 1.48
when TND (DM%) is around 50 ME will be around 0.82,
when TND (DM%) is around 90 ME will be around 1.48

 

Relative Feed Value (RFV)- Combines ADF and NDF to estimate consumption of the hay. So in theory it’s the expected consumption, or the animals want to consume the hay . As ADF and NDF increase, RFV decreases.  It’s mostly used for Cattle. There is no formula for horses yet for RFV because this formula is based on fiber and cattle have a better fiber conversion because of the rumen digestive system. But it’s a number CSU gives for their hay evaluation so it’s one that we are going to explain.  

Average RFV for alfalfa is 100 (ADF 41, NDF 53). The higher the # the better the quality

Alfalfa can be up above 150, 185+ is considered Supreme quality. Low quality alfalfa will be around 70.

 

Keep in mind that horses do not need the higher quality forages that a dairy or meat cattle need. And horses digestive systems are not equipped to handle the higher levels of RFV and CP. Feeding strait Alfalfa with a  100 RFV could risk obesity, founder and other health issues, So please consider other values that are more tailored for horse feed to base your feed choice on. If you pick a lower TDN grass hay you could supplement with Alfalfa to meet your horse’s needs, or free choice the grass hay so the horse has a full gut (much more healthy for them than sporadic feeding)

 

But when in doubt test your hay, soil and water. Take those results with your current grains and supplements to an equine nutritionist to balance your ration. You may find that a few simple changes could reduce your feed cost and ultimately have a healthier horse. Do not grain your horses blindly, know what they are eating so you don’t throw them off balance.

 

 

 

Colic and the Broodmare

There are many causes for colic, after all by definition it's abdominal pain.... there is just sooo much in there to go wrong. The broodmare has some extra "baggage" to deal with when it comes to her abdominal cavity.

While they are pregnant....

We experienced a 7.5 month pregnant mare that had a splenic colic. So her intestines were up over her spleen. The only way to fix that is surgery. Yes she went through surgery 7.5 months pregnant. Her baby saw the light of day before birth when she was opened up for colic surgery. She could have rolled, but that was not common for this mare. It was likely that the foal movement pushed it up to the wrong spot.
She made it through the surgery and successfully carried to full term a healthy baby boy. The foal is now an adult and is doing very well. The only complication is that the surgery clinic did not put a hernia belt on the 7.5yo very large Friesian mare and she has a life long hernia. Her abdomen is also distended towards the ground an abnormal amount likely from having the stomach re stitched in such a distended frame from having the foal. She is healthy and rides. She got a few years off  to fully heal and has since had 3 foals. She did loose her first foal post surgery in a late term abortion. No autopsy on the foal was done so there is no way to know if the abortion was because of mare pain or foal problems.

There are other pregnancy colics that are possible such as uterine twisting. This is very painful but there is a chance to fix it non surgically by rolling the mare. This obviously takes a vet and a large team so please don't try it at home. This FYI is just so that you know there are other things to look for with broodmares and colic symptoms.

During or just after birth.....

It's scary when your mare goes into labor... then she's still in labor an hour later. You check the foal, it's in the right position, cervix closed... ok so not labor.. Colic. We had a situation where the foal was due and all the signs that the foal would be born in the next 24 hours was there but the mare coliced instead. What happened in her situation was that the birth impacted her cecum. She was distressed from that so didn't want to give birth. The big debate was to force the birth medically... not safe and the foal can be red bag, or wait till the foal is born, or get her to surgery. We opted for all three. I know that sounds odd. We took the mare to the clinic because a pasture or farm birth with that much distress could cost the foal and the mare. Our drive was not longer than 30 min and we were lucky that we got the mare there safely. She was in the clinic under serious watch of the vet for the foal and for her. She was up and down deciding if she would have the foal or not. The foal came out Red bag, meaning that the placenta detached before the foal was born so there was blood in the sac and the oxygen was deprived to the foal. She was not a dummy foal (no suckling response) so we gave the foal post natal care of oxygen and plasma. We rushed the mare down to the surgical vet so that if and when she flipped her gut she would be ready for surgery. With the added space from the foal being out, the added gas from the impaction and the weight of the impaction she flipped. Lucky for her and us she was at the clinic ready to go on the surgical table so there was no damage to the intestinal track. She recovered in record time, 4 not 7 days. She was ok with us taking her baby away, it was as if she knew we had to save her. The foal lived 36 hours. The trauma of the birth complicated her blood flow. When we stood her up her tongue got cold and fell out of her mouth. When she was laying down her limbs were cold. She was suckling and did have a few pees and poops but her viability was very low. We stayed with her round the clock and had her in the house by the fire. She got plasma to replace the inability to get colostrum, but she was too compromised to make it longer than 36 hrs.

 

Longer after birth....

You don't need a traumatic birth to have a post birth colon flip. It's very common when the intestinal system takes back the space where the foal is. It can happen up to 2.5 months post foaling. Most surgical clinics don't put the 2 together when it's that late after birth. Or they are more worried about saving the horse then why they are saving the horse. But many surgical clinics have put the 2 together and when you tell them the foal is 3 mo or under they put that mare on the higher risk for a twist or flip.

We had a mare go through a 2 month post partum colic surgery. She was vibrant and feeding her foal, there were no indications of issues. We looked out and she was laying down in a spot that she would normally have felt unsafe. She had some gas build up on rectal palpation, but no elevated pulse, respiration or temperature. We got her down to the surgical clinic and were told they would watch her closely. My gut just knew she was surgical, that mother intuition or something, but I was scared. Sure enough they called us 30 minutes after we left and she was going into surgery. Her Colon had slid up along her diaphragm and her small intestines were twisted around her cecum. So she definitely had a displacement and was surgical.
Her foal was taken from her as she went into surgery. He was already eating hay and grain and grew as steady as the other foals from that point on. She must have known that we had to save her life because she was not upset that her foal was gone. She was milked out a little bit to keep from having utter pain while she was recovering from surgery but her utters dried up appropriately even with being stall bound. If we had left such a large foal with her during recovery she would have had to produce milk for the foal which is taxing on the mare's resources. The foal would have been fussy in a stall for a month and in the ICU would have likely tangled in the catheter line and cause issues with that.

Colic is never a good thing and there are sooooooo many causes of colic. So keep an eye on those broodmares, they have a lot more going on in their abdomens.

The other side of Colic - The stomach rupture

It's sadly more common than you think
Stomach Rupture
The symptoms can be nothing to full thrashing colic symptoms. The reason I'm brining this to my blog is because this happened to us, but not in a normal way. No ulcers, now colic, no grain, just pasture living with pleasure rides and lots of love. I'll start with what is normal. I'll also include some autopsy photos so WARNING graphic photos to follow.
The most common cause are gas or feed back up from the small intestines causing distension of the stomach and eventual rupture. Diagnosis and treatment for this would be along the lines of colic, passing a stomach tube to evaluate the horse. Tubing a horse is a very common practice in a colic exam.

The other common cause is ulceration of the stomach that eventually leads to the ulcers and the weak tissue of the stomach ripping open. Ulcers can be caused by many things; stress, excessive exercise, lack of exercise, high starch feeds, a lot of grains and sugars in the diet, rescue horses that have an un known past. Ulcer guards and treatments are recommended there are several supplements out there that treat ulcers. I could go into all the symptoms of ulcers but that would have to be a whole post. But bucking, irritation, poor personality, lethargy, not wanting to do normal activities are all signs of ulcers, but there are more. I should also add that some horses show no signs of ulcers till autopsy. So be aware of the stress your horse is under and try to keep their life as natural as possible. If you can't, then consider supplementation as a prevention.

Well what if your horse lived on pasture with their friends never had grains or sugars in their diet. They were not hauled around for shows. They were just home being loved and ridden from time to time. That horse seems lethargic, not a lot of moving around the pasture. Followed by laying down and having to be forced to stand. She lay on her belly legs folded, no thrashing or rolling, almost like a nap but she was drooling. Horses DO NOT drool. She was not exhibiting any normal colic symptoms, so choke was suspected. Obviously the vet was called and a tube passed all the way to the stomach, so not choke. The vet extracted 20 liters of saliva from the horse. The stomach was not emptying. The small intestines were moving and manure was being passed appropriately... what was going on? The valve at the base of the stomach that goes to the small intestines was not passing appropriately. It was probably a degenerative situation where just enough got by and the horse could graze all day so eat at a pace that didn't over strain the stomach. But it got to the point that fluid was not passing and the back up of saliva was voluminous. The horse was treated on fluids in the hospital but ultimately 3 weeks later her stomach ruptured. The autopsy showed a ruptured stomach. Small intestines were fine, no abnormal gas or feed. All other organs were normal. There was less feed in the stomach than we would have expected to cause a rupture but the saliva volume can put equal pressure on the tissue.  There was obvious irritation of the tissue area near where the tear was, but the vet suspected that because we managed to keep her alive an additional 3 weeks that we were looking at fresh damage to the tissue and not ulcers or long term trauma to the stomach. It was decided that the valve emptying the stomach to the intestines was abnormal and ultimately non functioning.

During an autopsy the first indication of a stomach rupture is food debris up near the heart area or girth area when the body cavity is opened. If the intestines had ruptured it's usually further back in the body cavity.
This autopsy was done on a rescue horse that had bad ulcers that went necrotic causing the stomach tissue to tear. In her adopted home she lived a year longer than anyone had ever expected. She was loved in her last year by many and was given appropriate care prior to death, so please no harsh comments, they were kind enough to share the autopsy photos for education.  She exhibited no signs of colic leading up to her death, was eating dinner normally and interacting with other horses normally. She was found in the morning with no signs of struggle. She did have a worn spot on her sternum/girth area as if she had been laying like the above horse, so please add that as something to watch. Horses do sleep, but not to the point of having sores on their sternum/girth area, so please check for that on your horse.

Sadly the stomach is not an organ that they can operate on. Sometimes even when you do what every Vet would consider the dream horse life and most natural life, sometimes it still can happen. But be aware of the life your horse is living. Their natural life is not a box stall with corn and sugar and limited exercise, so please take the precautions and preventative measures for your beloved beauty.

To bit or not to bit.... Check out that Smile

I have been around horses a very long time and seen and heard a lot of theories on when to start your horse with the bit, Either riding or driving. I can go into long discussions about frame and bone growth and joint closure, but that will be a whole other post. This post is just about the teeth.

I'm not a dentist, but I believe strongly in equine dental care. I hire an actual equine dentist to take care of my horses teeth and not just the regular vet. Just because they say they can float teeth, doesn't mean that they are current on the dental procedures, or that they have the experience. Not to say there are not Vets out there that are not fantastic at teeth. But I was conned one time by a local vet that said that they would be able to float my horses teeth and it cost me 3 times more than it should have. Their price was not high, but they did such a bad job that those horses lost weight, consumed/wasted more feed, needed extra supplementation to maintain themselves AND I had to get the real dentist in to redo the crappy job that was done the first time. So lesson 1 know what a good job is, and make sure it's done right the first time.

So back to our trusted future riding or driving partner. Some industries hop on their horse in their yearling year. That is their choice but at 1 year old they have a full set of baby/milk teeth in their mouth. They also may have grown wolf teeth, which may or may not irritate them when bitted.  Not to mention they are gangly and have a ton more growing to do. So some industries wait till the horse is 2 years old. Well there are A LOT of changes going on in a horses mouth from at 2-5yo. They systematically loose all their baby teeth and grow in their adult teeth. Their caps should be checked to make sure they are coming off correctly and all sharp points should be addressed.

Here are some photos of some very stunning 2 1/2 and 2 3/4 year olds before they got their teeth done. Several caps were pulled on both horses are now more comfortable. But could you imagine having a bit in your mouth trying to behave and accept the bit with these teeth.




With so much going on in their mouth from 2-5, why would that be the most optimum time to put a bit in their mouth and ask them to do things quietly and to teach them to be comfortable with their bit???? Well not all horses are uncomfortable or have odd things going on, but it's guaranteed that they will be loosing teeth, shifting their dental structure for those 3 years. So be considerate in your bit choice. Be kind with your hands. And more importantly get the dentist to have a look and make sure that their teeth are growing in properly, caps are coming off as they should and that they are ready for the bit.