This message is from: [EMAIL PROTECTED] (BRIAN C JACOBSEN) Thanks for the thanks Anton and others who have replied to my foal feeding post. In reply to your question,
"One more question about feeding; is it correct that for the first two years of life a foal can stay on grass all the time compared to older ones who have to be removed to avoid problems?" Yes, for the most part this is true. The problems you allude to would be excess weight gain and founder I guess? When horses founder due to what they've been eating (vs. other causes of founder) the problem is excess carbohydrates. Since young horses up to two years old are usually growing fast, the carbohydrates are not excess, they are needed for growth. This is also the reason a pregnant mare on grass alone will almost never founder - she has a high requirement for carbohydrates to help that foal inside her grow. A mature gelding or non-pregnant mare or stallion, on the other hand, is usually getting excess carbohydrates if they are on grass 24 hours per day, and can founder as a result. Back to your question again, though. If that young horse is getting grain in addition to unrestricted grass, possibly there could be a problem. Founder should almost never sneak up on a person; Ninety-five percent of the time it should have been seen coming. See the post "Founder" on the list for more details. Brian Jacobsen, DVM Norwegian Fjordhest Ranch Salisbury, North Carolina. _____________________________________________________________________ You don't need to buy Internet access to use free Internet e-mail. Get completely free e-mail from Juno at http://www.juno.com Or call Juno at (800) 654-JUNO [654-5866]