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  Discussion on Fresh green leafy vegetable and carrots
Author Message
Member:
frances

Posted on Wednesday, Aug 13, 2008 - 9:47 am:

Hi DrO, My 20 year old mare is a very easy keeper, and when she was injured in May (see Lacerated Knee) and put on stall rest, it was felt it would be better to omit the chaff and a little barley that she normally has twice daily and just keep her on grass hay. Otherwise she tends to get really hyper even on that small amount of feed, and also puts on weight.

To stop her from getting in a state during the morning and evening feeds when only HER manger had no bucket emptied into it (her worst nightmare), we put leafy green vegetables, carrots and apples into a bucket for her, and she was happy.

She did very well indeed on this diet, is shiny and healthy- looking and this was the calmest, pleasantest rehab I've ever had with her. She's back in work now.

My trainer and I were very pleased with how this has worked out, and my trainer wants to continue with this diet as long as possible. I like it too, but I sometimes worry that there may be a downside to so much of the leafy stuff, esp with carrots as well.

Could she be getting an overdose of Vits A or E? Or anything else?

The green leafy vegetables are bitter, and are various types of chicorium, such as curly endive I think (they are commonly eaten by humans in the Mediterranean, boiled and dressed with olive oil and lemon) and also considered to be very good for horses, raw of course.

She gets 1.5 - 2 kg a day of the greens, probably about 12 carrots, and 3 apples, divided into 3 meals.

Grass hay is two or three flakes am, one flake at midday and three at night. We don't have any pasture here (but we do have turnout in a paddock - she's out all night).

Thanks a lot for any comments!
Member:
mrose

Posted on Wednesday, Aug 13, 2008 - 11:01 am:

My horses would think they had died and gone to heaven on this diet! Where are you finding leafy greens inexpensive enough to be feeing them in large quantities to your horse? They are quite expensive where I live.
Member:
paardex

Posted on Wednesday, Aug 13, 2008 - 11:53 am:

In Holland the first thing an old vet advised for sick horses was about the same as your leafy greens but the dutch variety, he said it was easy to digest and so tasty most horses would give it a go.
The carrots in Holland are so inexpensive my horses used to get up to 4 kg[8lbs a day] washed ofcourse to avoid sandeating. And over here the same amount of cheap [cidre] apples are given to stabled horses.
Draft horses were known to consume up to 25 lbs a day during winter stabling time.
As you don't have grass I can't see why it wouldn't work and the vit A in carrots is the betacarotene variety which doesn't hurt in high doses as far as I know.
Jos
Member:
frances

Posted on Wednesday, Aug 13, 2008 - 5:12 pm:

Sara, yes, she does seem to have a big smile on her face these days . And you're right - the cost is definitely another downside! The greens cost about almost 1 euro a kilo. And then there's the time: because I'm concerned about possible pesticide residue, I also wash them in 2 or 3 changes of water - it takes ages before I've got them put away. This is a whole other aspect!

Jos, thank you! That's very reassuring. I'm feeling better already. I wonder if DrO will give it the all clear as well, so I can carry on pouring money and time into my horse (who among us doesn't after all?).
Member:
scooter

Posted on Wednesday, Aug 13, 2008 - 6:41 pm:

LL on the other side of the coin if your horse is an easy keeper all that sugar from carrots and apples could be a bad thing.

When I worked at the barn a lady would bring her easy keeper horse a bag of carrots a day and some apples, he was not on grass or grained....it took awhile but the horse foundered, he was not being exercised either.

I know Hank would go 4 feet in the air if I gave him that much...but don't take much for him to go over the edge either tho.
Member:
frances

Posted on Thursday, Aug 14, 2008 - 5:41 am:

Thanks Diane, but she is being exercised - has been back in work for 1 1/2 months and I ride her 6 days a week, on a one day schooling, one day hacking (trail riding) basis.

When she was on stall rest, I did worry a bit about the sugar content of apples and carrots, but she was handwalked am and pm, so she was getting some exercise even then. Previous rehabs had been somewhat explosive experiences, whereas this time it went like a dream! Don't think this would have been the case if she had been on a sugar high.

It's now that we're continuing the same diet that I'm wondering if there could be any insidious longterm buildup of Vits A and E - and any pesticide that may not wash off. Jos's experiences are very interesting to hear. Got to worry about something, after all!
Moderator:
DrO

Posted on Thursday, Aug 14, 2008 - 6:24 am:

I certainly don't see anything toxic about the diet though I know little about the total nutrition provided by this. In general I would think it is fine as long as the horse's condition is on target.
DrO
Member:
zarr

Posted on Thursday, Aug 14, 2008 - 11:52 am:

LL, we have always fed carrots lots of carrots! The inside of my 4 is no doubt orange! When Ellie was confined on her diet the vet saw nothing wrong with carrots about the same as your mare. In fact Ellie has maintained her weight now for several years. Apples are rare but that is because Zarr gets wheeeew gassy!Besides if your horse ever escapes stand in one spot and wave the magic orange wand and poof there they are, LoL. Cindy
Member:
frances

Posted on Friday, Aug 15, 2008 - 6:50 am:

DrO, thank you very much for your thoughts.

Cindy, carrots carrots all the way - more good news! My mare thanks you profusely!
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