Idle Hour Stud

21/08/2024

04/04/2024

How's this for a visual you won't soon forgot? This is how much stomach acid a horse's body produces each day. Two standard buckets full.

Why does this matter? Your chosen feeding practices can have a direct impact on whether this stomach acid is beneficial to the horse's well-being, or not.

Horses produce saliva when they chew; the more the horse chews, the more saliva is produced. If horses have access to ad-lib forage (hay or pasture), they will produce two buckets of saliva each day. Saliva serves a few purposes in the digestion process, one of which is to help buffer stomach acid. On the other hand, horses who are fed set feedings, with imposed fasting in between, have greatly limited chew time. They can't produce this same volume of saliva.

The horse's stomach is relatively small, and only lined with a protective coating on the lower two-thirds. Excess and 'unemployed' acid can splash up onto the unprotected top third of an empty stomach, resulting in pain, ulcers, and psychological distress for the horse. Such discomfort is a common cause of aggression at feeding time.

Regardless of the amount of chew time a horse has each day, his body still produces these two buckets of stomach acid - 1.5 litres every hour, 24 hours a day. It is our responsibility as the horse's caretaker to maximize 'chew time', and feed the horse as they have evolved to eat.

What can you do to increase your horse's chew time, balancing out these buckets so-to-speak?

PS - If your horse has metabolic issues, consult with a qualified equine nutritionist to find a hay with an appropriate nutritional profile that can be consumed ad lib.

And watch how you carry those buckets!

07/03/2024

This type of horse will soon be available in Zimbabwe with the crossing of our Connemara stallion to Irish Draft mares. Watch this space!

30/01/2024

The excitement of a black dot. In this case HUGE celebration as this frozen semen pregnancy was achieved with 2 straws, both were split, and probably with only 1.25 straws ( about 0.45ml) of Argentinian polo pony semen we achieved pregnancy. A breeding dose is 6 straws (1.5ml) The owner now still has one complete straw that will be going into another mare.

15/01/2024

LAVENDER is a 3 yr old filly by Lathyros out of a Zalanna by Zeus. She clearly thinks she needs to peep on her neighbors .

09/01/2024

Deliciousness arriving at Idle Hour.
550 bales Lucerne mixed with panicum grass which is full of seed, HIGHLY nutritious and extremely palatable. Our warm bloods are now receiving 2 kg a day of concentrate feed , and 6 kg roughage / quarter of a bale ( this only, no hay)

08/01/2024

Idle Hour MIGHTY GALLANT pony foal c**t out of Gretel by Ashgar Mighty Knight. Connemara , Boerped cross. What a cracker

11/12/2023

Mighty Gallant by Ashgar Mighty Knight ( pure bred Connemara pony) out of Boerped cross Gretel, is growing into a gorgeous young c**t.