tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7657955103086716631.post8290594578549384358..comments2023-10-09T04:52:59.121-06:00Comments on Trails to Lead Old Cowboys Home Again: FatCrickethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00834640625999522559noreply@blogger.comBlogger12125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7657955103086716631.post-53470112054518038262014-02-11T05:53:13.162-07:002014-02-11T05:53:13.162-07:00after spending so many years trying to put weight ...after spending so many years trying to put weight on a horse, it is amazing to me to begin to realize how little food my easy keeper needs. i would love to feed free choice hay but that was way too much food and both my animals were fat. when rain water forms a pool along the spine crease, it's too fat. with my background i hate to see horses above a 5, cuz heavier horses have more lameness issues. my vet agreed that my mare is very "padded" but said "it's winter, no worries." but i've cut them back to 2 flakes twice a day - that seems like so little! but they get 24/7 pasture too, what is left of it anyway. so, if you're curious, you can take a look at when fatty arrived last spring, and compare with this week. i'll post some photos now. <br /><br />i try to keep from overfeeding my pets, but on the other hand, i show my husband my love with cooking and the main ingredient of my love is butter. he asks, "are you trying to make me fat?" and i say, "you mean that you look well-loved? well, yes." (bad, i know)<br /><br />i wish i could get low/no sugar beet pulp but here in germany, it's 20% sugar. nice: (lythahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01719586193059362084noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7657955103086716631.post-48121510021418755662014-01-29T08:11:02.916-07:002014-01-29T08:11:02.916-07:00You are absolutely right on on this one. Men are j...You are absolutely right on on this one. Men are judged on their wallets, women on their looks and that means weight. Its ingrained in us in ways we don't even know. It comes out in places we didn't expect and it takes a toll. Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16373645714219556738noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7657955103086716631.post-75947817918152135862014-01-29T05:26:47.105-07:002014-01-29T05:26:47.105-07:00OMG yes about the cravings! That is what I have AL...OMG yes about the cravings! That is what I have ALWAYS done and told people when they ask me about my way of eating! I always do my best to eat what I'm craving. My body will naturally balance itself out. I may have a day or two days in a row where I eat complete and total crap. But then I KNOW I'll have days after that where I eat AMAZINGLY. My body knows what it wants. So I do my best to give it that in some portion-size! Oddly enough, "cravings" for me aren't always for one item of food, but moreso for a whole genre; sushi, Indian, Taiwanese, Japanese, cheap-Mexican, Venezuelan, Ethiopian. Wish I lived somewhere that I could satisfy most of those cravings more often, haha!Liz Stouthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18267806576736655184noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7657955103086716631.post-53769535108129388222014-01-29T02:15:42.170-07:002014-01-29T02:15:42.170-07:00I'm glad that conversation we had made a diffe...I'm glad that conversation we had made a difference! :) <br /><br />The barn is definitely the best (and most fun!) gym!Nicole Ahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09817619834026667737noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7657955103086716631.post-3865522591842691562014-01-28T17:50:09.147-07:002014-01-28T17:50:09.147-07:00Thanks! I love writing it.
I think if I had known...Thanks! I love writing it.<br /><br />I think if I had known when I brought him home how much dirt he had been eating in Texas (he was still demonstrating this behavior six months after I got him) and had realized how mineral starved he was, I would have implemented some kind of daily mash with lots of fiber for him when I first brought him home. It MIGHT have prevented the colic we dealt with in June of 2012. <br /><br />I also think, as you said, consistency is the key. Not to mention, I think the horses like the "special" food. They show appreciation by nickering, even though they aren't starving to death. And what we are feeding them isn't "Candy" or treats but actually good for them. I just think they like feeling special. Kind of like giving kids ice cream. Or making a special meal.Crickethttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00834640625999522559noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7657955103086716631.post-29182991907384729532014-01-28T17:06:16.710-07:002014-01-28T17:06:16.710-07:00My horse came to me eating a bran mash weekly. I e...My horse came to me eating a bran mash weekly. I evolved him into a nightly mash, 3 parts beet pulp, 1 part bran (to preserve the calcium / phosphorus ratio), and here's why:<br /><br />We live on 100% sand here. Even using mats and hay bags, sand colic freaks me out. Sand Clear is way too expensive, so I feed my fiber.<br /><br />During weird weather changes etc the mash gets water into him, and he always eats his mash.<br /><br />Teeth problems and medication needs come with age. Val will already love slurping up soft mushy food that masks stinky pills.<br /><br />I was advised that it's infrequent bran mashes cause the problems. Bran should be fed regularly if at all. <br /><br />(Don't know why I just found your blog - Ashke's story is so great!)Calm, Forward, Straighthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08360276614916635500noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7657955103086716631.post-70811163189495156662014-01-28T16:02:21.450-07:002014-01-28T16:02:21.450-07:00Yup, many vets still believe that bran is good for...Yup, many vets still believe that bran is good for horses. Hay is actually higher in fiber than wheat bran. It's an old horse keeping practice that continues today. Some horses do fine with the occasional bran mash, but after seeing 3 of the 9 horses in my barn in FL colic after bran mashes, it just frightens me.Nicole Ahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09817619834026667737noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7657955103086716631.post-81264354541100356082014-01-28T14:54:42.997-07:002014-01-28T14:54:42.997-07:00The thing that drives me crazy about people who di...The thing that drives me crazy about people who diet is that they stop eating real food and start eating processed crap that they've been sold on as "food". We stay away from fast food for the most part, and try to choose the restaurants we eat at carefully. Often J and I will share a meal, because most of the time they are big enough to do so, or a meal and an appetizer if the portions are small. <br /><br />I do take a caffeine supplement, caffeine equivalent of less than a cup of coffee, because at least 80% of my soda craving (I have been known in the past to kill a 12 pack of soda in a day) was really the desire for caffeine. I use a very moderate amount and have found that it is just enough to help mask the body pain I get to deal with. <br /><br />One other key, via a conversation with Saiph, is not denying yourself something you are craving. There is something about telling yourself no that makes whatever it is so much more appealing. That was the part about dieting (the one time in my life I tried) that bothered me the most. I told myself no and suddenly couldn't stop craving whatever it was I was saying no to. I decided this time around that I can have whatever I want, in moderate portions, and have found that my incessant craving for soda or whatever is gone. I have lost about 15 lbs, but have gained so much core strength that I look like I have lost more. And I love going to the barn as my "gym" time. :)Crickethttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00834640625999522559noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7657955103086716631.post-36859858661049566742014-01-28T14:46:22.897-07:002014-01-28T14:46:22.897-07:00Funny, we had this conversation with the BM on Sun...Funny, we had this conversation with the BM on Sunday, about bran vs beet and she is actually feeding a horse that colicked about a half lb of wheat bran mash daily to help keep the digestive tract moving (similar to using sand clear: fiber, you know) and to provide extra water. This was at the recommendation of the treating vet. I think your point as to consistency is very valid, and not over doing it on the amount that is fed. <br /><br />I was feeding Ashke bran, but decided that the calcium/phosphorus balance wasn't something I wanted to encourage, so stopped. The timothy mash is working pretty good for him and he loves the Equipride, so a win-win. Crickethttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00834640625999522559noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7657955103086716631.post-80101256176181239362014-01-28T13:43:50.194-07:002014-01-28T13:43:50.194-07:00GREAT POST!!!!
P.S. It's great to see more a...GREAT POST!!!! <br /><br />P.S. It's great to see more and more equine professionals moving away from the bran mash. I know vets that still recommend it as a source of water and fiber, and I've seen horses that didn't receive bran as a regular part of their diet colic dangerously from eating bran mashes. I was considered the "weird one" in FL for giving beet pulp instead of bran mash. Other horses colicked. <br />YES to the warm mash of beet pulp, grain and hay pellets/chopped forage! Beet pulp to keep water in their gut longer, and just adding water to the diet that they normally eat to add to their water consumption while providing them the diet that they normally eat.Nicole Ahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09817619834026667737noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7657955103086716631.post-3020682933385236022014-01-28T13:41:58.678-07:002014-01-28T13:41:58.678-07:00OMG projecting an issue like that onto your HORSE?...OMG projecting an issue like that onto your HORSE?! For serious? <br /><br />I need to stop being so surprised at the idiocy of people. I really do. <br /><br />And I agree with staying away from candy/soda/etc., being active, and not weighing yourself. I cut out candy and soda in HS when I was competing at a high level with my swimming. I've never added it back beyond "treat" status. I'll go weeks without candy and months without a soda. When I indulge, its a treat. I'm active which keeps me in shape. And I was just telling Mike last night that I don't know how much I weigh. I don't own a scale. I'm only weighed at my Dr. appt. every year. I'm in shape because I can keep up with the chaos I put myself into and I eat well. WAY better manner of living than having to micromanage!Liz Stouthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18267806576736655184noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7657955103086716631.post-6217582711168138392014-01-28T11:04:42.309-07:002014-01-28T11:04:42.309-07:00Amen to that.Amen to that.Paolahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17010335773772355225noreply@blogger.com