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Equine Misconceptions: Horse Feed

There are so many myths and misconceptions about horses that people follow that in reality are false.

By Rachel SlaterPublished 2 years ago 3 min read
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Titan, squashing false narratives one day at a time.

Horses sleep standing up. If a horse lays down, they're dying. Horses need grain to live. If a horse colics, walk them or their gut will twist. Old horses must be retired and can't be ridden. Horses need to be sedated when their teeth are floated. A harsher bit is a better bit. You should start riding a horse when they are 2 years old.

In reality, a lot of our "horsemanship" that has been passed down over generations has been proven to be false. As a society, we have evolved, but the treatment for our horses really hasn't. Many people still follow so many myths that they hear either from their parents, instructors, horse trainers, vets, and friends; and don't really bother to look up and educate themselves on new studies or findings that can actually benefit their horses. A lot of people think that fancier and more expensive is better. The more sugar and molasses in the food is better. The more expensive and harsher the bit is better. In reality, it's not.

Let's talk about the feed. We're told that grain and hay are the two main things that horses need to live. That's not true. Naturally, horses are foragers and grazers. They always need something in their stomach or their stomach acid with rise up and eat away at their stomach and esophagus lining, causing ulcers. Most grains at feed stores are made with inflammatory fillers. There's a reason that too much grain can cause impaction collic. Horses' stomachs aren't designed to digest grain. A lot of people think that horses need grain to get all the nutrients to help sustain their diet, but they get those same nutrients, if not more, from the hay and grass they eat. Even better, if a horse has access to well water, they can have access to salt and trace minerals from that natural source and don't need it added to their diet.

A lot of people tend to think that if a horse doesn't have grain, they will lose weight. Contrary to that belief, horses will actually lose muscle mass due to a protein deficiency. So how do we supplement that protein into their diet without grain if grain is filled with inflammatory fillers? Soybean meal is a safe noninflammatory high protein supplement that can be fed to all livestock to supplement protein deficiency. This can be fed with soaked cubed or pelleted alfalfa to horses without grain. And results can show within two weeks of removing grain from their diet. All of this information has been thoroughly research by Dr Geoff Tucker, an Equine Veterinarian and founder of The Horse's Advocate and The Equine Practice Inc, and has done extensive research on how to help horses thrive in a human world. He has had 49 years of experience with horses and continues to advocate for horses everyday working as an equine dentist.

On his website, www.thehorsesadvocate.com, he has numerous resources for changing your horses diet to a more natural grain-free diet with soybean meal. On his facebook, he answers questions, makes short videos about different topics, and brings up different topics for discussion. He is always referencing studies for his information and recommendations for his clients.

And in his equine dentistry practice, he does not use drugs or sedation unless he absolutely has to, does not use power tools, and does not use an equine dental speculum to hold their mouth open while he floats their teeth. Horses are much more calmed and relaxed under his care and have a much more positive experience with the equine dentist. No drugs, no drama.

My horse, along with others, is proof that this "magical" soybean meal works. Titan has been a hard keeper all his life. I've struggled to keep muscle on him. I tried everything. I tried many different feeds, every trick in the book, and nothing worked until I tried soy bean meal. He has not lost muscle mass since. Melissa from Doc T's "The Equine Practice" comes and float's Titan's teeth with his method and he is beyond comfortable with her. They travel up the east coast of America and I could not recommend their services enough.

"Being your horse's advocate won't change the world... But it will change your horse's world!"

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About the Creator

Rachel Slater

My name is Rachel, I'm 26 years old and I live in Florida. Aside from drawing, painting, horse back riding, and soap making; writing has always been one of my favorite past times.

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