|
|
Discussion on Does soaking hay leach phosphorus?
|
| Author |
Message |
New Member:
Herbert
|
Posted on Tuesday, Jan 20, 2004 - 12:07 pm:
My 4-yr-old Connemara tends to stop drinking at times so it was suggested by the vet to soak & salt her hay during a recent bout of colic.
Since the mare seems to like wet hay, I've continued to do this (for several months), but a recent article I read stated that along with carbohydrates, soaking also may leach out phosphorus. It gave no further details....the old case of an article raising more questions than it answers!
Am I doing her a disservice in trying to prevent a colic, but perhaps causing another problem to her system? What are the immediate and long-range symptoms, if any, of low phosphorus in a diet?
|
Moderator:
DrO
|
Posted on Tuesday, Jan 20, 2004 - 7:45 pm:
Soaking hay leaches all nutrients (vitamins, minerals, protein) of which phosphorous should be the least of your concerns. For information on mineral deficiencies including phosphorous see Care for Horses » Nutrition » Minerals and Nutrition.
The idea that your mare is not able to tell when she needs water and if it were true that this can be made up with soaking the hay is, well, just silly: it will not soak up enough to make a difference. For more on encouraging drinking in the winter see, Care for Horses » Routine Care & Procedures » Wintertime: Caring for Horses in the Cold.
DrO
|
Member:
Herbert
|
Posted on Wednesday, Jan 21, 2004 - 11:10 am:
Well, now...silly me! Thanks for the quick reply, and the point in the right direction for the real scoop. Kathy
|
Moderator:
DrO
|
Posted on Wednesday, Jan 21, 2004 - 7:35 pm:
Love the attitude KRH. Let me know if there are any questions about the info in the article
DrO
|
Member:
Gingin
|
Posted on Thursday, Jan 22, 2004 - 8:39 pm:
Dear DrO,
I actually have a follow-on question to your response above...you say that "soaking" hay leaches all nutrients...can you tell me how long hay needs to be soaked before this happens? Reason why I am asking is because my mare "dunks" her hay and often scoops large quantities of hay into her water bucket just to extract the sloppy mess later in the evening. Does dunking hay affect what horses get out of it?
Thanks much!
Christine
|
Moderator:
DrO
|
Posted on Friday, Jan 23, 2004 - 9:00 am:
No I don't have a time frame but t does not take long for a light rain to run a field of mown hay. Does she then drink this water?
DrO
|
Member:
Gingin
|
Posted on Friday, Jan 23, 2004 - 7:30 pm:
Thanks DrO...well, she doesn't really drink the water but rather slop it on the wall or drip it off the hay when she pulls the hay back out of the bucket. I hung a second bucket of water in her stall far enough away from the hay so that she has something to drink and won't mess up 2 buckets. I'd say she "soaks" at least one third of her hay for the evening....she's a bit compulsive, you know...
Christine
|
|
|
