Susan Acree's Blog, page 3

Roughage in a Horse’s Diet, The Need And Importance

As in the case of Human diet a higher percent of Fiber content is required for Horses also to keep its normal function of the digestive system. The normal requirement of roughage in the case of a horse is determined in relation to its body weight. Ideally speaking a horse should get 1.5 percent to 2 percent of its body weight as roughage in a day. But ideal situations are rare and as such it should be ensured that the animal gets roughage at least a minimum of one percent of its Body weight.

Roughage is a vital component of the diet of a horse that includes Hay and Pastures also. It is the source of the digestive energy, protein and a small percentage of Vitamins and Minerals. The total requirement of food per day for an average animal is estimated at around 3 percent of the body weight of the animal. However the suggested percentage cannot be applied without consideration of a few basic facts. The feed need be adjusted based on the grain content in the food, the stage of growth of the animal, lactation and the volume of work besides the expected body condition.

As already explained the term Roughage means high content fiber feed with an expected minimum fiber content of not less than 18 percent in crude form.

It is quite normal for the Horse owners to compromise on the hay and pastures supply in the daily feed of the horse during the period of severe drought when they become too expensive. In such situations they may either be replaced completely or their quantity curtailed. It is in this context the relevance of grains with moderate levels of fiber content comes into picture. It is expected that such alternate feed contain eleven to fifteen percent of fiber. It should be born in mind that such low fiber content cannot replace the hay and pasture s completely but the amount of hay can be reduced successfully. The change in the feed may not be done immediately rather gradually. One need ensure that the Horse gets at least one percent of its body weight Roughage per day the remaining portion being filled by the required quantity of moderate fiber feeds.

Though it has been stated earlier that a horse ideally requires one to two percent of their body weight as roughage in the daily feed the same cannot be applied uniform for all type of Horses. In the case of working horses though this depends on the intensity of work on an average this can be taken as one to two percent. The mare either in late gestation or lactation may be taken as work horse for the purpose of feed content, while weanling and yearling requires comparatively lesser quantity of roughage say one to 1.5 percent.

Having seen the importance of the roughage in the feed of a horse let us discuss some of the alternate feed that can either partially or fully replace for the hay and pastures. The alfalfa hay is a good supplement for the hay and the pastures in this category as it contains higher protein and calcium and as such less quantity would suffice. The grass hay and the Bermuda grass hay are also complete supplements for the normal hay and pastures. While Millet hay has less nutrient value when compared to other grass hays. This has a laxative effect when exclusively fed as roughage.

Among other feed substitutes for roughage in full, sorghum grass is not recommended because of its bad effect on the health of the animals leading to neurological problems. The other major supplements are oat hay, straw, beet pulp, soy hulls, alfalfa hay, bermuda-grass hay and millet hay that can be successfully used as a roughage substitute. Besides the above there are other sources of moderate fiber feeds that can be used as partial substitute for hay and pastures in the horse feed like rice bran wheat bran oats etc.

Susan
Roughage in a Horse’s Diet, The Need And Importance
Natural Horsemanship Info - Respectful Horses and Polite Humans, Naturally!

Thoroughbred Champion Might And Power

A truly magnificent thoroughbred horse, the New Zealand bred and Australian owned gelding, Might and Power conquered Australian horse racing in the 1990s. He was named Australian Horse of the Year twice. The brown very plain horse that could of passed off for a few dollars at the yearling sales did his owner and trainer proud, and wealthy, with an astonishing $5 million dollars in prize money. His indefatigable spirit to win made him one the very few thoroughbreds to succeed in winning both the Melbourne and Caulfield Cup.

Might and Power by Zabeel, a champion sire, is rated among greats such as Tulloch and Kingston Town, who each had their moments of glory on Australian racing tracks. Owner Nick Moraitis, jockeys Brian York and Jimmy Cassidy, trainer Jack Denham, all had much to do with the horses great success. After his first victory in only his third start on 24 July 1996, never looked back, winning back-to-back restricted races at Canterbury and an impressive victory in the Frank Packer Plate, winning by six lengths.

What made the sprinter different from the pack was his free, front running style that made him win a number of races by big margins, breaking many course records along the way.

As a four-year old the bay gelding reaffirmed his authority on the race tracks with an impressive victory in the Show County Quality over a distance of 1,200 meters, coming from right behind to beat Alfa, winner of the Caulfield Guineas. With Jim Cassidy in the saddle, Might and Power made mincemeat of his rivals in the 2,400

At the start of 1997 Might and Power ran into third place in the Orr Stakes and then ran into second position in the St. George Stakes, behind Dane Ripper, while a minor injury forced the gelding out of the Australian Cup. In Sydney Brian York took over the reins and steered Might and Power to a five length win in the Mercedes Classic. Might and Power was now definitely the horse to back, soon becoming every punter’s favorite by winning four weight-for-age races. The AJC Queen Elizabeth Stakes was the icing on the cake which the gelding won by ten and a half lengths in a race that included the best among Group 1 winners including the like of Champagne and Juggler. Might and Power continued on his winning way with more victories when he won by five and three quarter lengths from Summer Beau in the Hollindale Cup in Queensland, and then another win by one length in the Doomben Cup defeating Intergaze.

After a few defeats, Brian York was again replaced by Jim Cassidy, who whipped up the Caulfield Stakes once again. The gelding had 40,000 punters in Moonee Valley on their toes on 24 October 1998 in the Cox Plate, winning comfortably in record time by over a length from Northern Drake. The VRC Queen Elizabeth Stakes was perhaps his last victory, winning by seven lengths after which a tendon injury kept the gelding out of racing until September 2000, trotting off into retirement at the Living Legends in Woodlands Historic Park, Greenvale, Victoria, after two starts. Undoubtedly, Might and Power is also an inductee in the Australian Racing Hall of Fame.

The thoroughbred breed was actually created during the 17th and 18th centuries when mares from England were bred with Arabian stallions brought to the country. Later, the thoroughbreds were shipped to other countries including America, Australia, Japan, and Europe. Now close to 120,000 new thoroughbred foals are registered around the world each year.

Every year, thousands of Thoroughbred racehorses find themselves homeless and without purpose due to events in the Thoroughbred racing industry. The fate of many of these horses is uncertain at best. The fortunate ones find themselves in second careers in different horse sports. Thoroughbred racehorses make excellent partners for a variety of equestrian activities. Promoting Off-Track Thoroughbreds for competitive sports is beneficial to both the horses and the performance industry. Shows and organizations that promote them should see increased participation levels and new levels of healthy competition from these already proven competitors.

Susan
Thoroughbred Champion Might And Power
Natural Horsemanship Info - Respectful Horses and Polite Humans, Naturally!

2013 Road To The Horse Finale!

And the Champion Is....Guy McClean and his Mate!

The first day of Road To The Horse 2013, Guy McClean made the announcement that he was going to name his colt, Mate. So that someday an announcer could say “And here is Guy McClean and his Mate!” he thought it was funny, but the crowd never did quite get the joke.

Well, after their obstacle course performance, we all get it. They are very much mates!

Here is Guy and Mate’s final winning performance, just amazing!

Susan
2013 Road To The Horse Finale!
Natural Horsemanship Info - Helping to Achieve Respectful Horses, Polite Humans

Dan James at 2013 Mustang Million

I wrote an earlier blog about the inspirational event I attended in Ft Worth last September called the Mustang Million. One of the most memorable performances was Dan James and his mustang Smart Little Mustang.

I wanted to share this fun and awe-inspiring experience with you. Enjoy!

Please leave a comment if you like these types of posts. Thanks

Susan
Dan James at 2013 Mustang Million
Natural Horsemanship Info - Helping to Achieve Respectful Horses, Polite Humans

Maui Trail Ride…Awesome!

My husband and I enjoyed a much needed warm vacation over the holidays. We spent Christmas with all of our children and grandchildren, although we had to travel 4 hours on Christmas Eve,and then an additional 7 hours Christmas Day to accomplish this amazing feat, it was worth it.

After a wonderful visit with our daughter and her family which included a brand new baby girl, we departed for Maui on New Year’s Eve. We arrived by 3:30, my brother-in-law picked us up from the airport and we got settled into our Condo. We then had a fantastic dinner at Cheeseburger in Paradise and headed to Wailea for the annual fireworks on the beach celebration. Because I was a bit jet-lagged, I took a much needed nap on the beach and woke up just in time to watch the spectacular fireworks display. Since it is also my husband’s birthday, we had cake and sipped champagne to end a wonderful evening and ring in the new year.

After spending many hours at the beach and poolside, sunning and just enjoying being warmed to the bone, I asked if anyone would be interested in going on a horse ride. We were staying at a condo with my husband’s brother and family. My two nieces, ages 18 and 25, eagerly expressed interest in a ride, so we started researching the options.

There were basically three ranches that offered trail rides. I had taken a ride with some girlfriends a few years ago, and although we had a great time and saw some amazing ocean views, the horses were not in very good shape and the ranch was pretty run down, so I immediately marked that one off. The other two were similar in what they had to offer, but one was a bit higher in price so we decided on the less expensive Ironwood Ranch.

It was going to cost us $80 each for a one hour ride through the mountains of Maui. I’ve often had to answer the question of “Why, when I have horses of my own, I would pay to ride a worn out trail string horse?” My reply is always the same “I do have horses of my own that I can ride any time, but I can’t ride my horses in Maui!”

One of things we really liked when looking at the ranch’s website was that their horses appeared to be healthy and well cared for. We arrived about 30 minutes early so we could wander around the ranch and just enjoy the unique beauty of a horse ranch on Maui.

We were pleasantly surprised to see the neat and tidy rows of covered pens where the horses were kept. There were only a few horses present because some earlier rides were still out. As we ate fruit from the abundant orchard, we anxiously waited for our guide to call us.

Ryan, our entertaining trail guide

My niece had somewhat jokingly asked the receptionist if they had any cute guides and she said they had a local guy that was pretty nice on the eyes, but she wasn’t sure if he would be the one assigned us. We laughed and quietly hoped she would try to make that happen. Ryan was an attractive young man and as he introduced himself, the girls gave each other a sly but happy glance.

We were asked about our horsemanship ability level, and since we all had riding experience and the others signed up for the 11:00 rides were beginners, they placed us with Ryan and we were to go ahead of the others on our own ride. This was very good news!

My view of the beautiful Maui mountains from atop Vigo

They assigned a horse named Vigo Mortenson to me. He was a beautiful horse, not the type you usually expect to find on a trail ride string. They led him out for me, and after giving him a “nice to meet you” pat, I got on and waited for the girls to get their assigned horses brought out to them. My youngest niece was given a sweet Buckskin gelding named Kona and her sister was given a flashy white mare named Lady Gaga!

As we headed down the trail, Ryan told us how nice it was to have experienced riders, because some of the beginners could be pretty scary to try to control on the rides. He told of one ride when a family took a ride and for a reason Ryan never knew, the 14 year old boy started screaming from the back of the string of horses. He was thrown from his freaked out horse, which caused Ryan’s horse to buck him off, the mother slid off her horse and the sister also somehow landed on the ground. Ryan said as he watched the four horses galloping down the trail all he could think to do was call to the guide ahead of him to warn her that four riderless horses were headed their way. The other guide later told Ryan she had just gotten the last rider safely to the ground as the renegades caught up to them and ran past them on their way back to their corrals.

I always thought these trail horses were bombproof, but I guess that is not always the case. As we continued our ride, Ryan told us stories of Maui and Hawaiian traditions, pointed out different trees and flowers and basically kept us entertained the whole time. I was wondering why they had placed me on Vigo, because he was extremely well behaved most of the ride. Lady Gaga was being a little bit of a pill bringing up the rear, but my niece was handling her little tantrums well. Just as we were getting to the end of the ride, Kona, the horse ahead of Lady and behind Vigo got a little too close to me. Vigo laid his ears back humped his back and gave fair warning that Kona should get the heck away from his tail! I guess a less experienced rider may have had a hard time with Vigo, but I reprimanded him and moved on like it was no big deal and Ryan again reiterated how nice it was to have good riders for a change.

We got back to the ranch with no major incidents and wished we could have gone a little longer, although it was great just to sit on a horse for me. The weather in Idaho has been less than conducive for riding this winter. We have had either sub-zero temperatures or endless rain creating lakes out of my arena and pastures. Summer can’t get here fast enough for me.

So, the little warm weather respite in Maui was beyond welcome. And, although it was hard to come back to the cold and ice, I was happy to see my horses, Bonus and Baile and our cat, Kitkat who had been in the capable hands of dear and generous friends and pick up our dogs, Annie and Twix, who had been staying with my son in Boise for the last two weeks.

On my last two trips to Maui, I have enjoyed a trail ride on the beautiful island and can say without a doubt, I will go on a ride on every future visit!

Naturally,

Susan

If you haven’t had a chance to check out my recently published book, The Horses I’ve Loved, A Memoir, you can do so here.

 

Susan
Maui Trail Ride…Awesome!
Natural Horsemanship Info - Helping to Achieve Respectful Horses, Polite Humans

The Mustang Million-2013

I recently returned from a phenomenal event in Ft. Worth, Texas.  It was called The Mustang Million.

I was looking for an excuse to take a trip back to the Dallas area to visit my friend, Kim, and other friends I had made during my six year stay.  I ran across an article in Western Horseman about last year’s winner of  The Extreme Mustang Makeover.  The article mentioned that the event for 2013 was renamed The Mustang Million and it was taking place at the Will Roger’s Coliseum in Ft. Worth the week of September 16-22, 2013.  I immediately called Kim to see if those dates worked for her to have me come for a visit.  She said “Absolutely!” and I purchased my ticket and anxiously awaited the day of my flight.

The Mustang Heritage Foundation started the Extreme Mustang Makeover a few years ago.  The premise of the makeover was to take 100 mustangs, and give them to 100 trainers for a 100 days.  At the end of the 100 days of training the mustangs would be brought to Ft. Worth for a competition.  There were different levels of competitors from youth to amateur and professional trainers.

The mission of the The Mustang Heritage Foundation is this.  The Mustang Heritage Foundation, in cooperation with the BLM, created the Extreme Mustang Makeover. The Extreme Mustang Makeover is an exciting national wild horse training event created to show the beauty, versatility and train-ability of these amazing animals currently in holding facilities. This event gives the public a unique opportunity to see the results of wild horses becoming trained mounts and companions.

I was living in the Dallas area the first year the Makeover was held.  I went to the event not knowing what to expect.  I love to watch most anything that involves horses and engages the new more gentle and kind techniques that trainers are using these days.  The training on these mustangs was amazing and the results astonishing.

That first year, I was so impressed with the results that some of the mustangs revealed in essentially three months of training, that I was immediately hooked on the event.  Since that first inaugural event, The Extreme Mustang Makeover has grown exponentially.

This year,  The newly named Mustang Million promised to exceed all expectations and it did!  The trainers and their mustangs competed in a week long show.  The top competitors kept moving up to the next round and it all culminated with the top 15 competing on Saturday.

Prize money was paid to the top contestants of each preliminary class.  Then, the top 15 were each awarded a substantial monetary prize relative to their place finish Saturday night.  The overall winner was given $200,000 plus a brand new truck and  championship saddle and buckle.  The total amount awarded throughout the week of competition was over $1 million dollars, thus the new name.

The results were as follows:

Legends Overall

1st – Tom Hagwood and Merv, 561 points
2nd – Bobby Kerr and Jingle Bob, 527.5 points
3rd – Bobby Kerr and Trigger, 519 points
4th – Jordan Donnelly and Mercedes, 503.5 points
5th – Dan James and Smart Little Mustang, 494.5 points

By the end of the weekend we all had our favorites and the top 5 were so close, it was anybody’s guess who would come out the winner.  I would recommend this event to any horse lover looking for an unforgettable and amazing excursion!

Susan
The Mustang Million-2013
Natural Horsemanship Info - Helping to Achieve Respectful Horses, Polite Humans

First day of competition at 2013 RTTH

Dan James roman riding bridleless

Day 1 of 2013 Road To The Horse did not disappoint!

Last year’s Champion, Guy McLean gave an inspirational demonstration with his super Australian Stock horses and his new star, Aussie. Aussie is the 6666 colt he had in last year’s International Team Competition.

Sarah Winters also gave a fantastic exhibition with her lovely reining horse. She spoke about the importance of being able to control each part of your horse’s body independently.

They had a wonderful Opening Ceremony with many past competitors and champions including Clinton Anderson, Chris Cox, Stacey Westfall and Richard Winters, who is Sarah’s father. Great horse training definitely runs in the family.

Last year’s Canadian Team, Glenn Stewart and my favorite from last year, Jonathan Field along with some other past competitors were also on hand.

Always the most thrilling part of the first day for me is the running of the remuda. The remuda is the herd of colts that the competitors choose from.

When they come galloping into the arena, it brings tears to my eyes, so beautiful!

Next week I’ll post a fantastic video of the remuda. A few of the colts were mesmerized with the big screens at either end of the arena. They just could not stop watching themselves and their herdmates. It was so fun to see.

Everyone loves to watch horses run, with their necks arched and tails high, there is nothing more magnificent.

After the Opening Ceremony, the four horsemen drew numbers to decide who got first pick of the colts.

I think the order was Dan, Guy, Sarah, then Obbie was last.

The contestants each got to spend 1 1/2 hours with their colt today.

They all made amazing progress. Obbie and Guy both saddled and rode their colts. Guy even trimmed his “Mate’s” hooves

Dan used a surcingle to get his big buckskin colt used to cinch pressure. Probably a good decision, as “Buck” had some bucks;)

Sarah saddled and mounted a few times with good success.

A great first day! We are all excited to see what tomorrow will bring. More beautiful horses and awesome horsemanship, I’m sure.

Susan
First day of competition at 2013 RTTH
Natural Horsemanship Info - Helping to Achieve Respectful Horses, Polite Humans

Beautiful Thoroughbred Farms of Kentucky

Our first day in Kentucky was wonderful!  We started the morning with a beautiful drive to Louisville to tour Churchill Downs.

Our tour guide, Barry was so fun.  He told stories of his favorite Kentucky Derbys and funny memories of sneaking in as a teenager to watch the races.

Barry, our fun and enthusiastic tour guide

One year he came in for the Derby through a hole in the fence, watched a few races and then decided to head home to watch the Derby on TV because the crowd was so huge he couldn’t see the track.

It was the 1973 Derby, the year Secretariat won. He said he still regrets that he missed seeing that historical race live.

He sent us back to Lexington on the Kentucky Scenic Byway.  It took us past many beautiful thoroughbred farms with miles and

miles of elegant four rail fences.

Entry to Thoroughbred farm in Lexington

We had an absolutely perfect first day in Kentucky and we are looking forward to three more just like it!

Susan
Beautiful Thoroughbred Farms of Kentucky
Natural Horsemanship Info - Helping to Achieve Respectful Horses, Polite Humans

Spring At My House

This is what Spring looks like at my house!  I’m glad the snow is finally gone, but man do I have the mud

As soon as I return from Lexington, Bonus and Baile are in for some long grooming sessions

My Muddy Buddy, Bonus

Susan
Spring At My House
Natural Horsemanship Info - Helping to Achieve Respectful Horses, Polite Humans

Remembering Our Trip to The Kentucky Derby

Charismatic-1999 Kentucky Derby Winner

Back 1999, my husband made it possible for us to attend the Kentucky Derby. Of course, this was one of the top things on my Bucket List.

That first Saturday in May of 1999 was indeed memorable. One of our funniest memories is that between the two of us we had made wagers including 10 different horses and combinations of win, place, show finishers.

Charismatic was the eventual winner in an exciting running of the 125th Kentucky Derby. After the cheering subsided and we started sorting through our tickets to find some kind of winner, we realized that neither of us had put Charismatic on any of our tickets! Bummer….

Although the race itself was amazing, the thing I recall most was more just the atmosphere. It was the “experience” that we remember.

Watching these majestic horses parade in the paddock, seeing the jockeys get their last minute instructions from intense trainers and one last “Good Luck” from excited owners was so fun. Shopping all of the artisans, I brought home a few beautiful pieces of art. If I had remembered to pack my money tree, there was one painting, a 36″ x 60″ action shot of John Henry racing, that was awe inspiring, that I would have loved to have, but alas, the price tag was a bit out of reach.

Churchill Downs was a bit smaller than it looks on TV.  A little rundown, and in a part of Louisville that, well, let’s just say the attendees in the luxury boxes, sipping mint juleps and wearing all sorts of fancy hats, probably don’t reside in the Churchill Downs neighborhood.

We did however, meet some wonderful people that were as friendly as could be and allowed us to park in their yard… for a small fee, of course

Oh, and those $12 mint juleps were just plain nasty tasting!

As we made our way to Churchill Downs, the excitement was building.  By the time we got to the entry gates, we were pretty anxious to get in.  Security was really tight and every bag was thoroughly searched.

People were very creative in trying to get alcohol past the security people.  Using water and soda bottles filled with their cocktails of choice  seemed like a good idea, but very few made it past the security checks.  There were two huge dumpsters and they were filling up fast.

When we first arrived, the infield was almost empty. We thought “Cool, we should be able to see everything from our spot on the first turn.”

There were giant viewing screens around the track.  At first, when the crowd was small, we didn’t think we would need to watch on the big screens, but by Derby time, we were in a sea of humanity and were thankful that we could see at least some of the race on the screens.

The track was actually made up of two ovals.  The main dirt track and a turf track right inside that.  So, from our place in the infield, we looked across the turf track to the main track as the horses raced by.

We got there before any of the races started that day, we wanted to experience more than just the one race.

After we set up our infield spot, we ventured out to take in the entire spectacle.  We made our way to the paddock by way of an underground tunnel that runs under the track from the infield.

Since we only had infield tickets, we were unable to even get in the grandstand. There were guards at every entrance and it was fun to watch the elite head up to the luxury boxes.  We saw some celebrities and politicians, nobody too exciting.

Attending the Kentucky Derby back in 1999 was a thrilling and memorable experience that I will always treasure.

And now, I am off on another adventure where I am sure to make many more fun and lasting memories.

I am so looking forward to my trip this week to the Road To The Horse Competition in Lexington at The Kentucky Horse Park.

I will post updates daily from the event, so stay tuned!

Naturally,

Susan

 

 

Susan
Remembering Our Trip to The Kentucky Derby
Natural Horsemanship Info - Helping to Achieve Respectful Horses, Polite Humans