Yo! Check Out My Crib

This horse is cribbing, also known as wind sucking.  It is a vice that, once learned, is virtually impossible to stop.  It usually develops as a result of boredom or frustration, but it can also be learned from other horses.  It is quite common in horses that stand in stalls or small paddocks for extended periods of time.  It is thought that the locking of the jaw releases endorphins that can cause a sensation of pleasure.

Cribbing can lead to colic or digestive upset caused by an excessive amount of air in the digestive tract.  In general cribbers are difficult to keep weight on, either because they would rather crib than eat or don't eat due to digestive disturbances.  Cribbing can also cause the front edge of the incisors to wear unnaturally.

One type of cribbing collar

The only real "cure" for cribbing is the use of the "cribbing collar".  It is a strap that is placed on the neck just under the jaw that prevents the horses from locking it's jaw.   Cribbing can also be reduced by giving the horse more turnout and having pasture or hay available at all times to prevent boredom.

Takin' it Slow

In my last few posts I have talked about both keeping my horses busy and keeping them full of hay to stay warm.  Well, here I am going to do both.  I decided to make "slow feeders".  A slow feeder is just a device to slow down the intake of feed.  These are commercially available but I decided to make my own for half the price.  

In this case I made a bag with small holes that makes it more difficult get a mouthful of  hay.  They still get the same amount but it takes them twice as long to eat it.

I started with 2 inch nylon webbing and cut them into strips of 18 and 22 inches.  I chose these measurements because they are approximately the dimensions of a flake of hay.

I pinned them together in this grid pattern and sewed where the pieces overlapped. 

I sewed each section in a box pattern then across the middle in an X because these areas are going to take a lot of abuse.

I cut pieces for the back, sides and bottom out of duck canvas.  (Again, I chose the canvas because it will take a lot of abuse.)  I cut the sides and bottom to be 6 inches wide (not including seam allowances) so I could fit more than one flake in the bag.

Sewed them together...

then added the nylon webbing and some handles.

I was able to get 2 1/2 flakes in each bag.

I hung them from an eye screw with a double ended snap to the inside of the dutch door to each stall.  That way I could use them at night as well.

Happy Horses!

My Little Hay Burners

As I have mentioned before I am not a big fan of blanketing my horses.  I believe in letting them be as nature intended.  I do, however, like to do a few things to help them stay warm in the winter.  I like to let them stay outside at night in the nice weather, but as the the weather turns colder I lock them in their stalls.  I'm not sure if it makes any difference the them, but it makes me feel better. 

I also like to feed them extra hay, especially at night. The amount of extra hay depends on how cold it is supposed to get.  I give them more at night for two reasons. One, it gives them something to do while they are stuck in their stalls and two,  they are in a small space and are not moving around as much so they are not as warm.

Horses use hindgut fermentation as an "internal furnace" to help them stay warm.  After food leaves the stomach it passes through the small intestine, which is about 70 feet long and can take up to 90 minutes to get through.  Most of the warming process occurs in the hindgut, cecum, and large and small colons. These organs are designed to slow the passage of food so that plant fibers have time to break down.  This process can take up to 72 hours.  Roughage, like hay or grass, take longer to breakdown than grain and create a more steady source of heat.  So if the digestive tract stays full of forage, by getting a couple of extra flakes of hay, they have a constant source of heat energy and are toasty warm!

America's Obesity Problem

I just saw an ad for a weight loss system for dogs. Seriously?

Yes, Science Diet has a new weight loss system for the portly American canine. It claims a 94% success rate in the first thirty days. It comes with pre-measured meals (because apparently measuring one cup twice a day is too much for some people) and...wait for it...pre-measured "snacks". Do dogs need snacks?

FEED THEM LESS! My dog gets a cup of dog food in the morning and one in the evening and maybe a cookie in between. She still looks at me like she is famished, but that is all she gets! I would love to give in to those sad eyes, but I love her and want her to live as long as possible. She would eat until it came out of both ends (which happened once when she was left home alone with a ten pound bag of cat food). That is what dogs do! It is up to us to stop them from blowing apart. The woman in the ad says "this weight loss system is easy!". Of course it is! Its like having a pet, but without all the nasty responsibility of actually having to care for them. Its one thing if you can't stop yourself for over-eating, since we don't keep our food locked away in a bin in the kitchen, but, please, have some self control for your pets!