01/28/08 Problems of overfeeding

Typically wild horses don't suffer from laminitis and founder but it's becoming a chronic problem with performance horses. I'm Susan Allen covering for Jeff Keane who is out today doing what ranchers do , ranching. I'll be back after the break with some insight into the problems of over feeding. . When you look at the sparse rangelands the wild horse thrives on then compare it with what today's performance horse is fed, the adage "killing them with kindness" couldn't be more true. The reason wild horses and even those on Jeff's ranch that graze freely on native grasses don't seem to have the hoof problems that horses kept in stalls and small pastures do can probably be blamed on excess sugar. Most of us don't think of hay as having a high sugar content but different cuttings can fluctuate to over 30 percent sugar. In contrast, the grasses from the high desert habitat, average around 8 percent and no higher than 12. Adding grain and mixes can double or triple the sugar count. Most domestic horses don't move around much so we have created what some nutritionist are calling a "sugar plague" that's killing our horses. Excess sugar in horses, like humans creates more insulin and high insulin levels actually destroys the attachment of the hoof to the horse, one reason laminitis is on the rise. Most people don't have the luxury of letting a horse be a horse and range freely. Tomorrow I will share some ideas if that is your case. I'm Susan Allen filling in for Jeff Keane who will be back Wednesday.