Question
Arabel
My new mare has been of the track since June. I am boarding her at a
beautiful facility, but they believe in unlimited hay and very little grain. So
she gets a quart of senior morning and night. I am concerned because she
has started eating the wood in her stall and I dont believe she had this vice
previous to my owning her. Is she getting enough food right now for a horse
coming off the track? All the other horses in their care look to be a good
weight except a few real old ones ... I would appreciate your opinion
Many Thanks
AnswerYes, Unlimited Hay and 2 quarts of grain is fine.I give my horses in training unlimited hay as well. Grain should be adjusted according to the horse's level of activity. You should definitely take the horse off most of the grain to keep the energy levels down. She may lose some weight at first, but that is because her metabolism is still high from racing and the bulk muscle. Feeding some grain is good for nutritional needs to supplement the hay. Both my horses, that are now racing, chew wood. Believe me, they are far from hungry. It's just a vice you may have to accept. I had them both turned out for three weeks and even in the field, they chewed the fence. One taught the other and now they both do it. If there are any other horses near her that chew wood, she probably learned it from them. I sprayed the fence with a product called No Chew. It worked well.
I hope this helps. Thanks for the question.
Christopher Crocker
http://CrockerRacingStable.com
Crocker Racing Stable and Thoroughbred Horse Racing Partnerships
