Nutrition
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Ghost Ridge Farms has recently partnered with The Mill to increase the overall health and body condition of their horses. From foals to stallions, Ghost Ridge has opted to give their horses the best care, feed, and knowledge available for a healthy life from start to finish. Some of the health & management aspects Ghost Ridge Farms are giving their horses:Broodmares- before & during breeding:Good nutrition and management starts prior to birth. The nutrition and condition of the broodmare prior to being breed is essential. Research show the rate of conception is greater for mares in optimal body condition rather than mare that are too thin or overweight. Mares in good body condition tend to cycle earlier, conceive more readily, and maintain their pregnancy for the full term. Lactating Broodmares:When the foal arrives, lactating mares almost double their energy requirements then those previously to birth. Keeping the broodmare at an ideal weight will assure that you will provide the nutrients required for a healthy mare and foal. Foals:Newborn foals weigh approximately 10% of their mature weight and stand approximately 60% of their mature height at birth. By six months, they will reach 50% of their mature weight and 80% of their mature height. Within these six months, they will grow faster than any time in their life. It is critical that this growth phase requires proper nutrition and feeding management needs to give your horse a great start toward becoming a sound, healthy adult. It is documented that poor nutrition can increase the risk and severity of developmental orthopedic diseases (DOD’s) and proper nutrition can reduce these incidences. It is important not only to feed quality but to monitor quantity! Too much of a good thing is a concern as well. That is why bi-weekly/monthly visits will help monitor the growth of the foal on a regular basis. Horses in Training/Racing:There are five classes of nutrients that need to be considered in feeding horses in training or who are racing: 1) Water: Horses in work will consume dramatically more water than horses in non-work due to sweat and high temperatures and humidity. The water losses must be replaced. Electrolytes are lost when horses sweat profusely. When choosing an electrolyte you need make sure it is ‘true electrolyte’ that does not contain unwanted sugars. 2) Protein: Although protein is important it affects horses less than other species. A performance horse generally only requires 10%-12% protein in their feed and higher levels may even cause more harm than good. 3) Minerals: If you feed your horse the correct diet, there may not be a need to feed additional minerals or trace minerals. Follow the recommended feeding portions for the growing and performance horses and perhaps supplement their feed with additional fat and/or electrolytes if needed. 4) Vitamins: If you feed your horse the correct diet, there may not be a need to feed additional vitamins. Most vitamins will be supplied through the feed, pastures, etc. Once the vitamin requirement is met, there is no longer a need to continuously supplement with vitamins. 5) Energy: The amount of energy consumed, measured in calories must be adequate to satisfy the work load of the horse in training in order to maintain muscle mass and body condition. Additional calories may have positive or negative effects on a horse’s overall potential. In order to determine this, an adequate body condition scoring, weighing, and height comparison is extremely important. Ghost Ridge is a full service thoroughbred facility that gives every horse the individual attention that he/she requires to insure the best opportunity for him/her to succeed in the thoroughbred industry. Services Include: All Ghost Ridge foals and yearlings are part of The Mills ‘Smart Solution to Success’ program. Below is a detailed description of the specialists Ghost Ridge partners with and the services Ghost Ridge has provided to them to ensure the healthy start of their horses. The Mill is a local, family-owned retail operation that offers the services, knowledge, and products needed to have a successful operation. From feed to fencing, bedding to pasture management, The Mill has it all! Michelle Jennings, Equine Nutritionist: Equine Services Offered: Step 1) The Scale: If desired, Michelle will bring out an equine scale to weigh your horses. It is a tell-tale way to show the actual weight of your horse while removing the guess work of weight tapes! Step 2) Height Measurement: Once weighed, the animal will then have their height measured to help Michelle get a more generalized opinion on the horse’s overall physical health. Step 3) Body Condition Scoring: Afterwards, Michelle will assign each horse a ‘body condition score’. Horses are ranked a score from 1 (extremely emaciated) to 9 (extremely overweight- obese). Although all horses are different, generally if sales prepping, a yearling should be around a 5-5.5 in body condition score and a 4.5-5 while in training/racing. Step 4) Gro-Trac: Gro-Trac is the first equine growth-monitoring software that will allow Michelle to compare the growth rates of the farm’s stock with those of young horses of similar age, sex, and breed. It will also be a key ingredient for Michelle to see the progression of foals through adult horses. In addition we can photograph each weighing session and put the horse’s pictures into Gro-Trac so you can physically look back and see the horse’s progression. David Boniface, Agronomist: Pasture Services Include: 1) Collecting and Interpreting Soil Samples 2) Fertilizer Recommendations and Application Planning 3) Weed Control Recommendations and Herbicide Applications 4) Forage Seed Selection, Planting, & Management Recommendations 5) Nutrient Management Plans |