Grazing on sandy soil

Ella19

Ella19

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Does anyone else graze their horses on sandy soil? Do you feed anything due to this? I was told today by yard owner that I should be feeding a product called "sand out". I've been to uni, studied nutrition and never heard of this. Do any of you feed it and if so why? Is there any scientific proof?
 
Ella19 said:
Does anyone else graze their horses on sandy soil? Do you feed anything due to this? I was told today by yard owner that I should be feeding a product called "sand out". I've been to uni, studied nutrition and never heard of this. Do any of you feed it and if so why? Is there any scientific proof?
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yes its because there is a chance of them developing sand collic .. basicly it sometimes gets ingested and dosent always pass thru and come out with the droppings and builds up causing colic..
 
Ditto perfect11s. This is exactly what we were told when we were looking to move to an area with very sandy soil. Apparently there are supplements that help prevent the problem, but not sure what they are - best ask your vet.
 
I'm aware such products are available (there are several) but unless you are grazing on a bare paddock I don't think it should be a problem. There was one year it was a massive problem but I think it was a record dry year and there was very little grass which exacerbated the problem.
 
I think some people recommended psyillium (sp.) husks but if you have a chat with a supplement company or your vet, they might have some advice...
 
Do a monthly sand test to check (put a bit of droppings in a jam jar with water, agitate, leave to settle and see how much/little sand is in there). Sand Out is used on a one week on, three weeks off base but it is quite expensive. I would add oil to the feed, do the monthly check and only add Sand Out if you think there is a build-up in their system.
 
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