Assignment feeding question

B

blackbess78

Member
Joined
26 August 2005
Messages
26
Location
Manchester
Visit site
I was wondering if anyone could help me with an assignment question I am struggling with. I have to formulate a ration for an endurance horse that suffers from azoturia, using only straights. I allways thought that it was best to avoid feeding azoturia sufferers a lot of cereals, but don't know what other straights that I could feed this horse that will provide it with enough energy for endurance.

If anyone can help I would be most grateful.
 
Can you supplement it with limestone, for example? I might be talking rubbish, but I think the low ratio of calcium:phosphorus in oats, for instance, can interfere with the way the body processes magnesium and can therefore cause muscle cramping. But I think azotoria is caused by excess starch? :o So, having waffled maybe look along the lines of whole oats (husk increases fibre content, and oats are lowest in energy of the cereals by my understanding) supplemented with lime flour to increase intake of calcium to maintain 2:1 calcium:phosphorus ratio. Alfalfa is also high in calcium, but not a straight per se.
Some horses are fed chopped oats (I forget where I read it, but it's a carriage driving yard) ie the grain and stalk chopped to form a mix of 'chaff' and concentrate.
Bran can increase the levels of fibre too, I think? But is a diruetic (sp?) appropriate for an endurance horse?

Major waffle I'm afraid, and I'm nearly 100% sure none of it was of any use. Sorry :o

J&C
 
By straights do they mean cereals or just not commercial compound feeds? Any diet for an endurance horse with azoturia should be fibre and oil based with a protein source. So good quality ad lib hay / hayledge then maybe an alfalfa chaff and oil. Remember if you're feeding any large quantities of oil you should supplement with vitamin E and the diet should also have a full complment of vitamins as well.
 
Not much help because I don't really know anything about this sort of thing but was interested so looked it up. This site, http://iceryder.net/endurance/endurance3.3.html says a bit about what to feed a horse with azoturia but nothing referring to straights. Though, as previous poster said, what does 'straights' refer to in this case? This is quite interesting as well: http://www.aera.asn.au/qera/veterinary/feeding.html , though again, it does not refer to azoturia. You might have to take knowledge of feeding endurance horses and apply it to feeding a horse prone to azotoria to find your answer. Sorry, not much help!
 
Walrus said:
By straights do they mean cereals or just not commercial compound feeds? Any diet for an endurance horse with azoturia should be fibre and oil based with a protein source. So good quality ad lib hay / hayledge then maybe an alfalfa chaff and oil. Remember if you're feeding any large quantities of oil you should supplement with vitamin E and the diet should also have a full complment of vitamins as well.
Click to expand...

Sounds good to me. You could also ask your tutor to clarify what he/she means by straights - as it is a rather odd way to phrase a question!

Would also help to know what level the horse is competing at!
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top