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This is the time of year horses get vitamins. It is common practice to dose horses with vitamins and minerals during shedding season, because it is believed that the horses expend energy shedding, or lose their sharpness, I don't know, my next door neigbhor says she gives Shedding Season Vitamins because her horses feel off otherwise while in the "Coat Change" (literally translated from German).
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It's like soccer or softball back home - riding lessons for kids. It's much more common here that kids learn to ride - even city kids get dropped off at the local stable for weekly group lessons. Even boys learn to ride at a young age. (I've heard they just don't get into the grooming part as much as the little girls do.) In talking to one mother last week, I found that most children begin with vaulting lessons and then move up to riding with saddles. I think that's ingenious. The kids get used to horses and find their balance while doing horsey ballet until they're ready to sit down on a horse's back. Cool.
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Ezcema. What is up with that? It's a huge problem here, the horses have sun allergies and many, many have to wear sun suits. So many horses in Germany have "Summer Excema" that when you look at horses for sale, they usually list it in the ad, "160cm TB mare 10 years old. No ezcema." Weirdy. So apparently horses here have different medical issues, even though the climate is not that different from back home.
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Oats are the enemy. Feed manufacturers have several types of grain that are advertised "Oat free." What's wrong with oats? I mean, why is corn so much better? (They all have corn instead.) From my research, corn is actually higher in energy, more likely to cause a "sugar high", and easier to overdose. (I feed straight up corn to Baasha cuz he needs calories.) But don't horses in Germany experience insulin resistance? (The two vets I've spoken to just looked at me oddly when I asked.) There are no low-starch feeds available. I read feed magazines a lot, to see what is available by the different firms. No mention of NSC. I read a label last week that was called "American" horse feed (or something silly, with an American flag on it), and it actually had oats, and said, "Oats are used in America are like corn is used in Germany." Then there's the total lack of a senior complete feed. Purina could make a fortune here, it's up to me, I guess, to blog about this so they find out. *giggle* It's fascinating to me, the difference in feeding trends. More details about the craziness you find in the catalogs here:
Check it out.
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People bring horses to remote areas and leave them. It seems to be part of the culture to utilize random fields for horses on a temporary basis. I'll be riding through the woods and come upon a sliver of a field where someone has put up an electric battery-powered fence and left a bunch of horses. I should say, in a 2 hour ride I found three examples of this. They will either stop by regularly in a car to bring more water, or use one of those water trailer things (a metal tank on wheels with a hitch and an automatic waterer gadget). There is no one around, no house, nothing. Just horses out there in random grassy areas allowed to graze them down. Every bit of land in Germany has its purpose, and if a particular acre is in between purposes, people ask the owner "Can I put my horses there this summer?" and so I come across these odd "abandoned" groups of horses living behind a strand of electric wire. The horses are lucky to be out, in my mind, it's better than overcrowding them at a barn, and it's really fun to visit with them, cuz they feel pretty isolated and come running to greeet us.
I took these pics yesterday from my bathroom window as the sun came up and hit Baasha, making his tail look way brighter than it actually is. It's still braided cuz my man has been practicing braiding my hair, and I wanted him to see a typical horse tail braid. (Braided loosely so Baasha won't notice it, hopefully.)
.jpg)
This is the time of year horses get vitamins. It is common practice to dose horses with vitamins and minerals during shedding season, because it is believed that the horses expend energy shedding, or lose their sharpness, I don't know, my next door neigbhor says she gives Shedding Season Vitamins because her horses feel off otherwise while in the "Coat Change" (literally translated from German)..jpg)
It's like soccer or softball back home - riding lessons for kids. It's much more common here that kids learn to ride - even city kids get dropped off at the local stable for weekly group lessons. Even boys learn to ride at a young age. (I've heard they just don't get into the grooming part as much as the little girls do.) In talking to one mother last week, I found that most children begin with vaulting lessons and then move up to riding with saddles. I think that's ingenious. The kids get used to horses and find their balance while doing horsey ballet until they're ready to sit down on a horse's back. Cool..jpg)
Ezcema. What is up with that? It's a huge problem here, the horses have sun allergies and many, many have to wear sun suits. So many horses in Germany have "Summer Excema" that when you look at horses for sale, they usually list it in the ad, "160cm TB mare 10 years old. No ezcema." Weirdy. So apparently horses here have different medical issues, even though the climate is not that different from back home..jpg)
Oats are the enemy. Feed manufacturers have several types of grain that are advertised "Oat free." What's wrong with oats? I mean, why is corn so much better? (They all have corn instead.) From my research, corn is actually higher in energy, more likely to cause a "sugar high", and easier to overdose. (I feed straight up corn to Baasha cuz he needs calories.) But don't horses in Germany experience insulin resistance? (The two vets I've spoken to just looked at me oddly when I asked.) There are no low-starch feeds available. I read feed magazines a lot, to see what is available by the different firms. No mention of NSC. I read a label last week that was called "American" horse feed (or something silly, with an American flag on it), and it actually had oats, and said, "Oats are used in America are like corn is used in Germany." Then there's the total lack of a senior complete feed. Purina could make a fortune here, it's up to me, I guess, to blog about this so they find out. *giggle* It's fascinating to me, the difference in feeding trends. More details about the craziness you find in the catalogs here: Check it out..jpg)
People bring horses to remote areas and leave them. It seems to be part of the culture to utilize random fields for horses on a temporary basis. I'll be riding through the woods and come upon a sliver of a field where someone has put up an electric battery-powered fence and left a bunch of horses. I should say, in a 2 hour ride I found three examples of this. They will either stop by regularly in a car to bring more water, or use one of those water trailer things (a metal tank on wheels with a hitch and an automatic waterer gadget). There is no one around, no house, nothing. Just horses out there in random grassy areas allowed to graze them down. Every bit of land in Germany has its purpose, and if a particular acre is in between purposes, people ask the owner "Can I put my horses there this summer?" and so I come across these odd "abandoned" groups of horses living behind a strand of electric wire. The horses are lucky to be out, in my mind, it's better than overcrowding them at a barn, and it's really fun to visit with them, cuz they feel pretty isolated and come running to greeet us. 
I took these pics yesterday from my bathroom window as the sun came up and hit Baasha, making his tail look way brighter than it actually is. It's still braided cuz my man has been practicing braiding my hair, and I wanted him to see a typical horse tail braid. (Braided loosely so Baasha won't notice it, hopefully.)
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11 comments:
This is so fascinating. I wonder about that sun eczema; do you think it is an allergy to something they feed?
FL - That could be! I'd be interested to learn how the common German diet influences the typical health issues seen here, and vice versa in America. For example, most horses here spend the winter eating Silage/Haylage. They tell me its cuz feeding hay causes dust allergy issues (well, IMO that means your hay is too dusty, not that hay in general is unhealthy). Then in May almost all horses in Germany get turned out for the summer and really rough it out there, often without shelters. They really get it here, that turnout is vital.
I'm so curious about these mysteries, I hope some Europeans visit this blog and clear things up for us!
Oh wow, you wouldnt catch Americans feeding silage/haylage to horses! for fear of botulism. There are a lot of differences across the pond arent there! The eczema thing, is there a lot of clover? it could be the photo sensitivity thing like is caused by eating clover in the pasture here. It affects the white pigment areas, nose etc and looks like sunburn.
The only thing that comes to mind about oats is a mold that grows on it in the field and causes sickness, that could be why they keep away from oats, even if it isnt prevelant today, its one of those things that you dont feed, like silage here LOL or the bread thing, I still think thats wierd LOL. It is great reading about the differences that you are finding.
I love learning about other cultures. It is fun to see how things are done elsewhere, isn't it??? Although I am sure it is a tad bit frustrating when things are done completely different (such as with horses).
Glad to see that you are enjoyong your home and having Baasha with you. :0
It is interesting to hear that Germans feed maize rather than oats. Actually it does make sense. When I ran a riding centre, I fed maize rather than oats precisely because it didn't make the horses fizzy. It does have more energy per pound than oats, however the rate of energy release is lower. A horse can be in hard work fed on hay and maize. It is also a good winter feed as it helps to keep weight on.
We see haylage fed to horses here in Britain. I'm suspicious of it as botulism is a risk, also it seems rather high energy therefore one would want to take care with native breeds because of both fizziness and laminitis. COPD is a well known problem so many people soak hay before feeding. I am quite enthusiastic about alfalfa, which is good for coat and feet as a partial hay replacer.
WHP - alfalfa --> controversy.
my jury is still out on alfalfa. they've been out a while now. i just peeked in the room and listened for a while.
what do high protein, calcium, and magnesium levels do?
in endurance, there's the risk of thumps and tying up, so the endurance people i know don't feed it at all. (you'll see it in ridecamp provided at vetchecks sometimes cuz a horse who's too exhausted to eat will change his mind when he sees alfalfa!)
i hear feeding alfalfa has been linked to enteroliths. i've heard contradictory reports on this.
the high protein's also not good for the growing bones and joints of babies, but then again some people say high protein is a good thing for babies. hm.
kidney damage from the protein is not conclusive, but the horses do have to drink more when they eat alfalfa. is that a bad thing?
this is what i overheard in my jury room just now.
what's this about it having less sugar than grass hay? is that true?
less fiber than grass hay too? less energy than beet pulp? help! really?
so much to think about here.
~lytha
A horse does have to be healthy in order to shed their winter hair. I'm actually amazed that this is actively managed in Germany, as it should be in the US.
Have you ever noticed that as horses age....I'm talking late twenties and thirties....that they seem to have a harder time shedding their winter coat?
I always increase my supplements in the spring months. Part of this is due to shedding and bringing in a very healthy summer coat, and part of this is to make up for any nutrients that the horses may not have gotten from their diet of hay all winter long.
Lytha - I am so sorry. I just noticed that my response to your email got rejected by your mail server. I don't want you to think I was ignoring you. I did respond, but for some reason my Google email domain is being rejected by your Hotmail domain. Anyway, the gist of what I said was that I'll keep you in mind, but the company doesn't appear to be hiring anyone except the boss's son at the moment. (I'm not kidding... and guess who got stuck having to train him?)
Lulu - Really? I thought I just hadn't noticed before, how long shedding takes, cuz I never lived with my horse before. Now I realize he's been shedding for almost 2 whole months. He's almost completely "bald" now, but not quite. He's thoroughly irritated with my efforts to help. Sorry! For example, yesterday I curried him for 2 hours straight. I'm gonna get kicked for that at some point! I just want it all done with!
Thanks for illuminating the subject - I really didn't know, and you're right they probably could use supps at this stage - old and shedding, especially.
~lytha
Beautiful photos of Baasha! I love the way the sunlight makes him glow. :)
Funny about the oats, too, I agree. Over here corn is treated similar to alfalfa.....fattening and high sugar and protein.
We have a hard time finding non-alfalfa hay around here, though. Even orchard hay will often have a blend of alfalfa in it. We have to wait until Colorado starts shipping in their hay to New Mexico, so we can have alfalfa-free hay.
Weirdy about the eczema, too. I'd think rain rot would be more of a problem....or maybe sunburns. Will you be dressing Baasha up in protective garbs, cremes and potions too? hehe
~Lisa
Lisa, my grooming box is full of American items, and it's gonna probably stay that way. Every visit I'll stock up.
Since I dose him with permethrins for insects, he doesn't really need a flysheet - yet, we'll see what nasty bugs come out as the weather changes! So far it's kind of a horror show here for me, bug-wise.
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