Kittens' Hooves Paws and Claws

24/08/2024

Some Sunday morning reading

Emotional Horsemanship by Lockie Phillips

29/07/2024

There’s always that one work college that causes more work for others

06/07/2024

⏰ 𝙒𝙞𝙣𝙩𝙚𝙧 𝙁𝙚𝙚𝙙𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙏𝙞𝙥: 𝙃𝙖𝙮 𝙊’𝘾𝙡𝙤𝙘𝙠

🌾 I am regularly asked what the best time of day is for a horse to be fed, and the answer is generally ‘whatever time is most convenient…’ however during winter, what time of day you feed hay in particular can be an important management tool for weight loss prevention and temperature regulation.

🔥 In order to keep warm during the cold, horses will burn energy to maintain their body temperature through thermoregulation. What is interesting, is that a horse has a built-in fermentation vat inside them known as the hindgut or large intestine. The predominant purpose of the hindgut is to break down fibrous matter and convert it into energy and nutrients that can be utilised by the horse. This biological process is called microbial fermentation, and a by-product of fibrous matter being broken down is… heat.

🐴 Food moves rather quickly through a horse’s stomach and small intestine (1-2 hours on average) however, it can remain in the hindgut for up to 36-72 hours during the microbial fermentation process. Food produces more heat in a horse's hindgut when it first enters as this is when the most active breakdown of fibrous materials occurs, releasing a significant amount of heat. As the food material continues to move through the hindgut, fermentation decreases, and by the time it is ready to exit, most of the fermentable material has been processed, producing less heat.

🌡️ With that mini biology lesson out of the way, how does this information influence the most appropriate time to feed hay during winter? Given temperatures are generally lowest overnight and in the early mornings, it makes physiological sense to provide a horse with hay of a late afternoon or evening, so that by the time it reaches the hindgut, it can ignite an internal fireplace to help keep the horse warm during the coldest part of the day.

🌱 As an additional bonus, legume hays such as lucerne (alfalfa) will produce even more heat during microbial fermentation in comparison to grass hays as a result of the higher protein concentrations. Lucerne can be a really handy ‘extra’ tool for the harder keeping horses during colder months.

06/03/2024

They need to be effective, fair and forward thinking. They need to actually halt and then turn around the destruction of natural values.

26/01/2024

So much great info on salt

Also know that feeding salt should be more then 1 x a day so that stores are replenished

Twice a day tplus a salt pit are great!

📖 𝙎𝙩𝙤𝙧𝙞𝙚𝙨 𝘼𝙗𝙤𝙪𝙩 𝙎𝙖𝙡𝙩

🐴 I love reading about misconceptions when it comes to feeding horses, but today I’d like to debunk some common myths about good old sodium chloride.

🧂 Myth #1: Salt only needs to be fed when the weather is hot.

🐴 Truth #1: Salt needs to be fed 365 days a year because it is vital for many bodily processes and is excreted in sweat, saliva, mucous and urine. Even in the midst of winter, horses need salt.

🧂 Myth #2: Horses instinctively know to drink water regularly, especially when they are hot and sweaty.

🐴 Truth #2: A horse’s thirst reflex is triggered by sodium, which is a component of salt. Horses’ sodium requirements need to be met in order to seek water.

🧂 Myth #3: A horse can meet their sodium and chloride requirements with a salt block alone.

🐴 Truth #3: Unlike cattle, horses do not have an abrasive tongue and are not designed to lick harsh surfaces to extract nutrients. While it is technically possible for a horse to consume their daily salt requirement from a salt block, it is much less work and more physiologically-appropriate for them to consume loose salt that is either provided in a meal or left out free-choice.

🧂 Myth #4: Horses know what nutrients they need and can self-medicate with supplements such as vitamins and minerals.

🐴 Truth #4: Salt is the only nutrient horses have been studied and proven to actively seek out when it is required. They will not seek out other nutrients “because they know they need it.” Look at how much salt and molasses (palatable additives) are added to free-choice supplements.

🧂 Myth #5: Himalayan rock salt is better for horses than plain salt.

🐴 Truth #5: Himalayan rock salt contains naturally occurring components other than sodium and chloride. Some may view this as a positive; however, it is usually a more expensive means of supplementing salt, and often contains traces of iron which almost never needs to be supplemented given horses are generally oversupplied iron by their forage intake alone.

🐎 Your horse’s diet should be providing a minimum of 10g of salt per 100kg of body weight each day; typically more after exercise, intense weather, or illness. Ensuring your horse always has access to clean, cool, and fresh drinking water will ensure they remain well-hydrated and if by chance they intake more salt than necessary, the water they drink allows them to excrete excess very effectively.

26/09/2023

Amazing

What a great idea

This can be some for cat grass etc too

What’s your favourite pet food hack ?

21/08/2022

So true …

28/07/2022

Always fun looking after farm animals

Makes the twice a day early mornings worth it when the whole house gets involved

Thank you for having us at your among home
So many animals I never felt alone ☺️