Forage Cubes - Just Add Water

Recently, we've had several horses arrive for rehab that are fed alfalfa cubes as their sole diet.  There’s a lot of controversy over the "perfect way to feed" our horses - and we certainly aren’t claiming to know what “perfect” is!  After all, each horse has his own special and unique needs. 

But, if you are going to feed alfalfa cubes, we HIGHLY recommend they be soaked in water before feeding for three main reasons: 1) choke, 2) tooth wear, and 3) dehydration.

Choke is a common enemy to all horses that bolt down their grain.  But alfalfa and Timothy cubes are the perfect size to cause an obstruction.  So, it’s critical these cubes break up quickly and easily for your horse. 

Quickly and easily is not how anyone who’s tried it would describe breaking these cubes up!  They’re hard as bricks!  Think about how hard (and long) your horse will have to chew to break them up in small enough pieces to safely swallow!  Now think of all the wear and tear on your horse’s teeth - teeth that were designed to bite off tender grass shoots, not chew threw the equivalent of plaster chunks.

And these cubes aren’t just difficult to chew – they are very dry.  Look at the pictures and you’ll see that close to 3/4 of a whole bucket of water was added to the cubes. 

After just 4 hours they crumble nicely in your hand.  But, if you don't ADD water to the cubes, the cubes will TAKE IT from the stomach and intestines for digestion.  This increases the risk of colic and dehydration.

In a nutshell, if you're going to feed cubed alfalfa, Timothy or any other forage, please remember to soak first!  Whenever possible, start with smaller sized cubes - alfalfa comes in both regular cattle size as well as minis.  This ounce of prevention really is worth a pound of cure!

Wild Winter Weather – Cause for Colic?

Yep, it's winter in Texas!  It can be 70º today, then drop 40º tomorrow!  How do horses handle this shock?

Typically, healthy horses can adjust rather quickly.  And, most of the time, it's not the temperatures that effect them…it’s the barometric pressure changes.  In humans, these changes can cause headaches, dizziness, and arthritis flare ups.  In horses, they can cause colic.

We can't control Mother Nature and her winter wonders, but we can stay one step ahead of her.  Keeping a close eye on the10 to 15 day forecast, as well as monitoring the current temperature and barometric pressure readings, are important to avoiding weather-related incidents of colic. 

When you see changes coming, here are a few things you can do to help your equine buddies…

• Add electrolytes and probiotics to their feed several days ahead of the storm
• Set them free!  If horses are able to move about, they can stay warmer, lay down and roll to help their own GI tract adjust
• Don't worm, vaccinate, travel, change their diet, or exercise them heavily
• Don't dramatically change their housing; if they are accustomed to being stalled or in a pasture, just leave them be
• Watch closely for signs of colic in the first 24 hours after barometric pressure changes; while there are no confirmed study cases of barometric pressure changes and colic, most veterinary clinics will report an increase in colic calls

At Cold River, we believe that “an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.”  That includes doing everything possible to help our equine companions withstand the roller-coaster conditions of our Texas winters.