| Depending on how picky you are about feeding your | | | | smaller bucket on the surface of the water, which |
| horses, and if you have any "special needs" horses, | | | | greatly reduced the sloshing. I ended up at the pen with |
| doing chores can take up a lot of time. I've picked up a | | | | several almost-full buckets of water instead of half-full |
| few tips along the way on speeding up the horse | | | | buckets. |
| feeding process, and I'll pass them along here, just in | | | | Supplements in a Free-Choice Environment |
| case they are of use to any other horse folks out | | | | If you have to supplement a group of horses that eat |
| there. | | | | free-choice in an open pasture or pen, one good way |
| Soaking Beet Pulp | | | | to offer unique supplements to each horse is to |
| If you feed beet pulp then you know it has to be | | | | syringe it in their mouths, if possible. All of my horses |
| soaked before being fed to prevent choking and other | | | | are trained to accept this method. I often mix up |
| horse health hazards. It can also take a long time, | | | | separate syringes for each horse and feed those first |
| especially in the winter in a cold climate. I've found that | | | | before placing the buckets and hay in the pasture. |
| beet pulp shreds soak a lot faster then pellets, and | | | | Once the buckets and hay are put down, it's a |
| give horses a lot more "crunch factor." They also tend | | | | merry-go-round of chase and be chased. However, by |
| to satisfy a horse's need for long-stem forage better | | | | giving each horse his or her syringe-full of unique |
| than the pellets. For faster soaking, bring the bucket of | | | | supplements, I know that they each got what they |
| beet pulp into the house and add hot water instead of | | | | needed. |
| cold. Alternatively, soak the beet pulp the night before | | | | For instance, two horses get the standard horse "goo" |
| with cold water, then top it up with warm water in the | | | | I mix of manogsteen juice and Simplexity Health |
| morning. A meal of warm beet pulp will help warm a | | | | Essentials. My mare with heaves gets two capsules of |
| shivering horse on a chilly morning. | | | | Eleviv herbal supplement with the goo, which keeps |
| Hauling Water | | | | symptoms of heaves at bay. Finally, my gelding gets |
| This one is silly, but true. Recently I had to put Walker, | | | | even more supplements than that mixed with the goo. |
| my hothouse flower gelding, in a separate pen so he | | | | But all of it fits neatly into a syringe, and then the |
| could eat in peace and gain weight. The pen was miles | | | | free-for-all feeding frenzy can begin after that! |
| away from water, so I had to haul water in buckets (in | | | | Anyway, don't know if these tips will help, but they do |
| a little red wagon) to his pen. Water sloshed | | | | help me ensure that each horse gets what they need, |
| everywhere! I ended up putting a flat board or a | | | | and chores don't take forever and a day! |