Talk to me about protein

HaffiesRock

HaffiesRock

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I've had my instructor out today and she thinks my mare (turned 5 this May) has gone a little gangly and bum high (everything crossed for another inch or 2!) She suggested I increase the protein in her diet to help her grow?

I've never had young horses before so don't know if this is the correct thing to do or not? If it is, how much protein should she be having? She currently hacks 3 times a week for about an hour, including lots of trotting, walking up hills and a good canter. She will be increasing this to add in a schooling session and a lunge session in the Pessoa from this week.
 
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At five it would be very optimistic to be expecting inches, more likely she is just filling out and muscling up. She is really an adult at this stage and the recomended rate is 10% of the total feed ration.
 
NZJenny said:
At five it would be very optimistic to be expecting inches, more likely she is just filling out and muscling up. She is really an adult at this stage and the recomended rate is 10% of the total feed ration.
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I disagree [my fans will not be surprised].
The horse which is bum high is, [hopefully] a growing youngster, I say hopefully because a bum high mature adult horse will never be balanced, it will struggle to canter and will always be unbalanced.
Please don't push young horses which are bum high, if this were mine I would plan to turn away now and give a tiny daily feed with minerals and vitamins.
The skeleton is growing and bones need to develop. Review the situation in October/November.
Most horse diets will provide enough protein, protein is not going to grow muscles in itself, and will not provide energy efficiently, very few horses suffer from protein deficiency.
I do not advocate buying or using a pessoa, I think you need to give her time.
 
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I wouldnt use a pessoa ever if possible but in the right hands they can be useful they tend to make horses nosedive onto the forehand and creatae a false outline but that is just my opinion. Your youngster if he is bum high and gangly will already be on the forehand and needs to stop doing much at all until the front catches up with the back. However at this point I disagree protein is vital for the muscle development and probably is available to most horses but in the spring and summer while horses tend to grow most the grass is naturally high in protein so I do feed all my horses a low carb low sugar high protein high fibre high oil diet year round The only reason not to is a compromised liver or kidneys as what isnt needed is converted to slow release energy or weed out hence not feeding to compromised horses
All my youngsters have been fed anything up to 20% protein and never come to any harm but are well grown not forced and have lean but well covered muscular outlines
 
Looking at some research on diet, 8 TO 10% crude protein in the total diet looks to be adequate, Dodson and Horrel Suregrow has about 26% CP, ring them for advice, but only you can judge the condition of the horse. Do not overfeed, you will not do horse any favours and predipose to laminitis, something breeding stallions on high concentrate diets are prone to.
I used to give all mine D&H Mare and Youngstock, just a little , from birth to breaking, though not in in summer after weaning. The were on old pasture with herbs and mixed grass species.
 
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windand rain said:
All my youngsters have been fed anything up to 20% protein and never come to any harm but are well grown not forced and have lean but well covered muscular outlines
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I think we have to clarify the feed: we are feeding a horse to meets its current dietary needs, ie 8 to 10% of the TOTAL diet, we have to take in to account the protein it is getting from its forage, which is the main intake.
The horse will be eating 2 to 2.5% of its own bodyweight per day, so in order to increase the total intake of CP we supplement with a concentrate based diet, Suregrow is 26% CP, it is designed as a supplementary feed, no way is the total intake of the horse 26% protein.
http://www.holistichorsefeed.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2011/03/Forage-Facts.pdf
 
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I also keep mine in a field 24/7 so they have constant access to grass. The bagged feed is 20% and more protein but as you say they are not on huge volumes the basis of their diet is grass and or hay
 
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