More Horse Care Products from Western States Horse Expo

Another Great product found at the Western States Horse Expo, June, 2008. This Horse Arena Groomer is affordable and will assure Safe Footing for your Horse. Available in different sizes.

Cal me for more information. 530-798-0245

Western States Horse Expo 2008 and Exciting new Products

Another Great Weekend, 10th anniversary of the Western States Horse Expo, Sacramento, Ca, June 6-8, 2008.

Well, the 2008 Western States Horse Expo is over and I came back with some great information on some unique and valuable Horse Care Products.

Two products that captivated my attention were based on Old Knowledge combined with new Technology.

The first has to do with Horse Nutrition and the proper care and feeding of the confined horse.

The following re-print will give you a clear understanding why this Innovative Product form Stable Grazer fits a real Niche in the tools need for the responsible, overall low cost maintenance of our Equine Friends.

Reprinted by permission from the University of Kentucky - College of Agriculture ASC-143 Equine Feeding

Management: The How & When of Feeding Horses

Laurie Lawrence,

Department of Animal Sciences

Providing horses with good nutrition is essential for normal growth, reproduction and performance. Horses should receive feeds that are adequate but not excessive in required nutrients.

However, just providing the right feeds is often not enough to ensure that horses are receiving optimal nutrition. HOW and WHEN a horse is fed may be just as important as what a horse is fed.

The HOW of horse feeding includes the type of feeding system used (group or individual).

The WHEN of horse feeding includes the number and timing of meals that a horse receives. Good feeding management should encourage adequate consumption of feed and limit wastage.

In addition, good feeding management should promote the safety and well being of horses.Number & Timing of MealsIn the natural state, horses are grazing animals that may spend up to 60% of their time eating. Grazing and resting periods are interspersed so that grazing periods are rarely separated by more than two or three hours of non-eating behaviors. When domestic horses are kept in a true pasture situation, most will adopt the grazing pattern described for horses in the natural state.

However, many horses have limited access to pasture and will receive their nutrient needs from hay and concentrates in a more regimented environment. In pasture situations, horses may spend 12-14 hours a day grazing. By comparison, stalled horses may consume a typical hay and concentrate ration in two to four hours.

When the diets fed to stalled horses are high in roughage, more time will be spent eating than when the diet is high in concentrates. Because horses in stalls often spend less time eating than horses in pastures, they may be more inclined to occupy their time with undesirable activities such as stall vices, or wood chewing. Wood chewing appears to occur more at night in stabled horses and is increased when low roughage rations are fed. Horses have evolved to consume small amounts of feed several times a day, rather than large amounts of feed once or twice a day.

Anatomically, their digestive tract is designed to accommodate small meals, in that the stomach is relatively small. Despite the fact that the horse is more physiologically adapted to many small meals each day, it is not uncommon for feed to be provided only two (or occasionally three) times a day for many horses that are housed in stalls. This feeding practice may be labor efficient, but it may not be the most desirable situation for the horse, particularly if large amounts of concentrate are being fed.

The following situations may result when horses are fed two times per day: When a large amount of concentrate is fed before the roughage component of the diet, the horse may consume the grain readily and then have a reduced appetite for the hay. The horse may "pick at the hay or waste the hay by mixing it in the bedding.

In either case, the horse will not be consuming the nutrients that are contained in the hay. A high and rapid concentrate intake may increase the possibility of digestive disturbances. "Concentrates are feeds such as cereal grains (oats, corn, barley, etc.) and commercially mixed feeds that are concentrated forms of energy. Concentrates are high in starch. It has been estimated that the maximum amount of starch that should be fed in one meal to a mature horse is 3.5 to 4 lb (1000 lb horse). When higher levels are fed, starch may bypass the small intestine and enter the large intestine where it will be fermented by the microbes in the cecum and large intestine. Excessive concentrate intake has been suggested as a causative factor in the occurrence of colic in horses.

A large concentrate meal has also been associated with large shifts in plasma volume and changes in other cardiovascular parameters. Individual FeedingA distinct advantage to individual feeding systems is that every horse can receive a ration that has been specifically designed to meet its needs. There is maximum flexibility in the amount and types of feeds that can be given to each horse.

It is also easy to monitor each horse?s appetite and feeding behavior when they are individually fed. Generally, individual feeding also reduces the opportunity for injury due to competition for feed within a group. On the negative side, it is more time- and labor-consuming to feed horses individually than to feed them as a group. Further, individual feeding systems usually require some type of facility where horses can be separated, usually a barn with stalls. The horses may be housed in the stall more or less continuously, or just brought into the stall at feeding time. It is not uncommon for horses that are fed in stalls to develop undesirable behaviors at feeding time.

• For example, horses may kick at partitions, walk the stall or strike at the door in anticipation of feeding. Some of the disadvantages associated with individual feeding can be minimized with good barn and stall design.


• For example, the time and labor associated with feeding can be reduced if all feeders are placed at the front of the stalls in a location that can be reached without entering the stall.


• For example, small doors that swing out into the aisle way can be placed above the grain tub. Swing-out hay feeders are also available. Some people believe that feeding hay from the floor is the most natural situation for horses and that hay racks or hay nets increase the exposure of the horses to dust from the hay.

In addition, some horses will remove the hay from hayracks and eat it off the floor. However, hayracks/nets will often decrease wastage of the hay. The stall design and feeder location may also affect the behavior of horses at feeding. Placing feeders on either side of stall partitions is a labor-efficient design, but it may increase undesirable behavior at feeding, such as kicking. Stall partitions should be high enough to prevent aggressive horses from reaching into adjoining stalls. Some horses do not adapt easily to separation and/or isolation from other horses.

Stalls that allow for visual contact across a stable aisle may improve the response to individual feeding. For horses with poor appetites, visual contact with other horses may stimulate eating activity.

Because of the above research, Dan Ferhinger and his brother Ed, have perfected an Automatic Feeder, which allows your confined horse to fed properly. up to six times a day. The Stable Grazer is constructed of Horse safe High density Plastic and functuional working components.

The timer is powered by 4 C cell batteries which ave ben field tested to operate for 8 months plus without replacment. This timed feeding sysytem will save on Feed waste and possible Veterinarian bills for thar dreraded "Colic Call"

For more information fill in your name, e-mail and phone number and Dan or Ed will get right back to you to discuss this Labor and Health Saving stable necessity

Stable Grazer

or call me direct

530-798-0245

Watch the Video Below

Is Training a Horse like Raising Children?

Good thoughts about the reward system for getting your
horse to be where You want them to be during the training Process.
We appreciate Equisearch for another fine Article.

Read carefully and take to heart

Rewards that Make Sense to Your Horse
Hilda Gurney shares insight on rewards and communicating clearly with your horse.

By Hilda Gurney

I wish I'd known how important the reward is. Unlike punishment, the reward
explains to the horse what to do and ensures that he stays content and
cooperative throughout the levels. Rewards come in all forms--
a pat on the neck or using the voice to say, "Good boy."
A reward can be riding straight and forward after a lateral exercise
or letting the horse stretch. The ceasing of an aid, such as a yielding rein
or a neutral leg, can also be a reward. For example, if the horse is alert
and going forward, he will be rewarded when the rider lightens her leg
at the very moment he starts to go nicely. Then the horse will learn that
when he feels the pressure of the leg and goes forward, he gets the
reward immediately.

Punishment does not tell a horse what to do. It extinguishes a certain
misconduct or behavior. For example, it tells the horse that he can't buck, rear or bite.
But it does not explain how to use his body to go more balanced.
For example, you see a lot of riders punishing their horses for hanging on the left rein.
But they don't tell the horse in a constructive way what to do, such as showing
him that he should soften to the contact or accept the right rein, something
the horse will only understand through a reward.

Another way I can reward my horse when first teaching a movement is to
only do a step or two and not maintain it. If I want to teach my horse to move
sideways from my right leg, for example, and he responds to my leg by moving
his haunches left and moving a step to the left, I reward him right away by ceasing my leg aid, petting him and riding straight and forward. Then you do the same thing again.
Step-by-step rewarding will ensure that you create a solid understanding of the
aids on which you can build. If you insist that your horse continue to do more
steps at a time or try to maintain the movement, he will get confused.
It will not be clear to him what you want.

Once you get a solid, immediate response to your aid, you can delay the reward
and ask for a few more steps. After those additional good steps, in which you
have lessened the pressure of the leg, you may reward him by going straight.
If you insist without making sure the horse really understands what you want,
he will become cranky and unresponsive. Sometimes you can see this at shows:
The horse has spur marks in his sides, the rider is pushing and pushing,
and the horse is swishing his tail and is tense in his back and unwilling to go forward.
The horse and rider are not speaking the same language.

Blind repetition acts like punishment and makes a horse dull. It does not make the horse understand the exercise better. Also, muscles get tired. If the horse does
something well, I may do it once again but then I go on to something else.

The principle of rewarding after a good response is just as important
when you ride at the highest level, where the demands on the horse reach
the limits of his physical ability. If the horse is trained by punishment,
drill or repetition,
he'll soon learn to hate his job, and you'll have a horse that's not going to work for you. The overall picture won't be harmonious. On the other hand, if you consistently reward,
the horse will stay positive. Look at [Olympic bronze medalist] Debbie McDonald
and Brentina. The fact that the horse is doing the most difficult and strenuous
exercises so willingly means that there's a lot of good rewarding work done.

An FEI "I" judge, Hilda Gurney is a pioneer of American dressage. With her Thoroughbred, Keen, she led the United States to the team bronze medal in dressage at the 1976 Olympic Games--the first U.S. dressage medal since 1948. She has competed twice in the Olympics and has won three gold and two silver medals at the Pan American Games. She trains and breeds horses at Keenridge Farm, Calif.

Thoughts on Transitioning Your Horse to Spring Pasture

When introducing a new type of hay or grain it should replace the old feed at a rate of 25% every other day, taking a total of six days until the horse is completely on the new feed.

Feed intake or eagerness to consume the diet may decrease during this changeover period. If this occurs, more time might be needed for the horse to adjust to the new feed.

"When a horse is to be turned out on pasture all day, especially if the pasture is lush and green, time on pasture should be gradually increased to avoid overeating, in a manner similar to increasing the grain," Jones said.

Horses should be provided with all the hay they want to eat about a week prior to the start of complete pasture turnout.

The time on pasture should be increased by an hour each day for four to five days. Then, before the horse is going to be turned out completely on pasture, provide a hay meal.

"It's important to remember that each horse is different," Jones noted. Some horses take more time to adjust to dietary changes than others. So monitor the horse's eating habits and health status closely during this time.

For more information on horses, contact your county extension agent or visit www.uaex.edu and select Agriculture, then Horses.

Your Horse's Weight Control is as Important as Your own

Just as your personal Weight management is important to your overall health, your Horse's weight management becomes your responsibility since we have assume Care Control and custody of a "wild animal"

We appreciate the well written article below by Tane Moores

Also here is a Book you may enjoy for yourself, a Common Sense Approach to Weight Management.

Click here for you FREE COPY



Your horse's health is your responsibility. No if's, no but's, it is completely and entirely down to you to ensure that your horse is well. There are many factors that you have to be aware of when you care for any animal. Generally speaking, animal behavior and development should always conform to a certain course and your horse is no different.

As a horse owner you have to be confident that you are checking for the right things and taking action to rectify problems that may go wrong before they become an issue. You must make sure that you are doing whatever is necessary to ensure that your horse is growing healthily, and being brought on in a way that gives him everything he needs to develop into the best horse he can be. You have to pay close attention to your horse as he develops There are many things that can go wrong and he can't tell you. You need to know him well enough to spot them. If you haven't owned a horse before, you should get some suitable books and read up on them, then spend some time at your local stables talking to the people who care for the horses, rather than just going for a ride, talk to other horse owners and to your vet. Find out what you need to look for, make yourself familiar with the common problems. If you don't know what to watch for, you might not be able to recognize the symptoms.



Your horse's weight is always a good indicator of how healthy he is. There are many different breeds of horse, and they differ in size within the breed, but when you own a horse, you should find out from your vet some idea of the ideal weight, If you suspect your horse may have a problem, check his weight. Even if you don't have any concerns it does no harm to weigh him regularly and make a note of any fluctuations. You will spot dramatic changes quite easily but a steady decline might only show up with a regular 'weigh in'. If your horse loses a lot of weight in a week or so, it is a fair indicator that something is wrong, and you must contact your Vet immediately.

With most animals, and horses are no exception, sicknesses can develop in no time, and they can become too ill to save almost before you have noticed that anything is amiss. Even a small weight change over a short period can indicate a problem before it is full blown, especially if his eating habits change. If your horse is being weighed on a regular basis, you will be able to tell if there's a problem relatively quickly. If you can weigh your horse on a regular basis, you are going to have a very much better chance of spotting anything that goes wrong which, in an extreme case, could save your horse's life. Most good stables have a scale, if you stable your horse at home speak to the owners of the local stables and arrange to use theirs. Failing that you can always use a public scale, it's not ideal but it's better than nothing.

This is a very simple precaution but it will contribute to the well being of your horse with little effort on your part, and you should have many happy years of riding out together.

Tane Moores has been riding since a very early age and has long been involved in all things Equestrian. The experience and knowledge gained over many years of involvement in the world of horses is freely shared with anyone who cares to read. Tane writes regularly on Horse Facts and Equestrian Sports at The Easy Equestrian

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