Forage Based Diets

[Palm_Beach]

@GraceLikeRain

Not surprised that there are several hoof rehab group people on COTH as well.

It is a really valuable resource. It can also be a bit myopic. Every single hoof pathology is immediately met with “drop all grain, remove from pasture, test hay, feed Cal trace, and the add rinsed BP or Alfalfa cubes to make up the calorie difference”. If I had a horse founder or one who was metabolic, I see a lot of value in taking a very rigid approach to care. However, there are tens of thousands of top performance horses eating large quantities of commercial grain, grazing on lush pastures, and have zero hoof issues. Often times problem hooves just need better care.

I’m treating seedy toes at the moment. I know that if I posted I would get slammed with the same rigid parameters for diet. However, it is pretty clear that this pony needs her toes taken waaaaay back. So, I’m going to address that first with a good farrier and then go from there. No need to change 20 things at once.

I think TC senior is a really quality feed. Perhaps your hard keeping 18 year old would do better on Cal trace and beet pulp only. I wouldn’t expect to see a big difference but every horse is different. Personally, for an easy keeper I would definitely wait until late spring to experiment with something that is going to be cutting calories.

Good post, and I would question a group that reacts like you say in the bolded text. I have both ends of the spectrum, hard working hard keeping race horses and recently retired race horses, and also easy keepers. They all have pasture and hay as the basis of the diet (easy keepers with muzzles or slow feed nets). The hard keepers get TC Sr and TC 30%, the easy keepers get TC Lite and ground flax. They spend 18 hours a day turned out. I have an excellent farrier, and he tells me not to change a thing about what I am feeding.

[Scribbler]

I have seen several folks at my barn founder their easy keeper horses on a pure hay diet. Yes, just hay. Free choice hay, horses became obese and foundered. Owners shocked.

These horses got no grain of any kind.

It’s not just about the grain.
”‹

[Melissa.Van_Doren]

Re Hoof Rehab Help (FB)
The group was started by Pete Ramey in an effort to offer education and support for folks interested in maintaining barefoot horses (who may or may not need hoof protection in the form of boots, glue ons, etc… it it NOT a barefoot-only group). While all opinions and requests for help are welcome, the hope is that members will avail themselves of the Enormous amount of information available through Pete’s articles, books and DVDs (which can be found through links to his website HoofRehab.com), as well as through links provided to other sources of information in alignment with the group purpose, most notably including ECIRHorse.org (Dr. Eleanor Kellon’s page, which also has a FB group).

Though there are certainly posts on Hoof Rehab Help which escape the attention of the experts, most discussions include excellent information from professionals and experienced lay people. Taking individual comments out of the context of the larger thread can be misleading, because there are usually other comments that have already, or will, clarify further the subject.

In a nutshell, the “prescription” for healthy, fully functional feet espoused by the most knowledgeable group members includes four necessary components: Diet, Trim, Environment, Exercise. It’s NOT just about the grain.

[JB]

Yes, the principal and goal of the group is excellent. The problem is I see so many people coming from that group who are either totally confused, or who have taken a few details and run with them as absolutes for all horses, or who take a few details out of context and just get it all wrong.

Yes, I know that can happen with anything that doesn’t have a more structured learning environment. I’m just saying that in the 2 FB groups I Admin/Moderate, we see a lot of this from that group. The OP is just another example, a common one, of the “you must treat all horses this way, all grains are evil, all problems are from commercial diets” misconceptions

[BoyleHeightsKid]

Agree with both of these posts… I look at the HRH group the same way I look at CoTH… If you can wade through some of the BS there is a lot of valuable information to gain from some of the most experienced horse people out there. The problem I see though are with new people who are just learning. It’s hard for them to wade through it because it takes time to know what’s BS and what is not.

@JB

Yes, the principal and goal of the group is excellent. The problem is I see so many people coming from that group who are either totally confused, or who have taken a few details and run with them as absolutes for all horses, or who take a few details out of context and just get it all wrong.

Yes, I know that can happen with anything that doesn’t have a more structured learning environment. I’m just saying that in the 2 FB groups I Admin/Moderate, we see a lot of this from that group. The OP is just another example, a common one, of the “you must treat all horses this way, all grains are evil, all problems are from commercial diets” misconceptions

@Melissa.Van Doren

Re Hoof Rehab Help (FB)
The group was started by Pete Ramey in an effort to offer education and support for folks interested in maintaining barefoot horses (who may or may not need hoof protection in the form of boots, glue ons, etc… it it NOT a barefoot-only group). While all opinions and requests for help are welcome, the hope is that members will avail themselves of the Enormous amount of information available through Pete’s articles, books and DVDs (which can be found through links to his website HoofRehab.com), as well as through links provided to other sources of information in alignment with the group purpose, most notably including ECIRHorse.org (Dr. Eleanor Kellon’s page, which also has a FB group).

Though there are certainly posts on Hoof Rehab Help which escape the attention of the experts, most discussions include excellent information from professionals and experienced lay people. Taking individual comments out of the context of the larger thread can be misleading, because there are usually other comments that have already, or will, clarify further the subject.

In a nutshell, the “prescription” for healthy, fully functional feet espoused by the most knowledgeable group members includes four necessary components: Diet, Trim, Environment, Exercise. It’s NOT just about the grain.

[Palm_Beach]

They are leaving out the most critical component, which is genetics.

[enjoytheride]

@Palm Beach

They are leaving out the most critical component, which is genetics.

THANK YOU

My arab gelding has the nicest feet you have ever seen. He hardly ever needs trimmed, he mustang rolls himself, and he never has chips or cracks. My farrier says he could go in a book of the perfect trim job and usually she just rasps his heels a bit. My TB gelding makes my farrier cry and if you put his feet on one of those pages people would urge me to fire my farrier.