This message is from: "Marcia Pace" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Hi Kristie,
I agree with Curt Pierce's recommendation regarding Lewis' book on nutrition. It is an excellent book and I refer to it often. Lewis cites tables and requirements established by the National Research Council. The NRC revised their research in 2007 and just recently made a working document available online that simplifies diet evaluation for horses. I used to calculate my fjords diets by hand and it was time consuming. The new NRC working document is fun (if you are a nutrition nut)! The adult fjords are pretty easy but I like to monitor the youngsters (protein, lysine, calcium, phosphorus) so that they have a steady growth rate. I have fed Purina's Enrich 32 (and still do) to my growing horses beginning around age 2. Once they are adults, they do not need the extra protein it provides and I switch to a vitamin and mineral supplement with a small amount of oats. Enrich 32 is of course 32 % protein. I usually feed 1-1.5 lbs per day with a high quality Timothy hay (10% protein). The total protein your horse is receiving has to be calculated by weight. If interested, check this link www.http://nrc88.nas.edu.nrh/ Marcia Pace Ellensburg, WA www.fjordfarm.com Important FjordHorse List Links: Subscription Management: http://tinyurl.com/5msa7e FH-L Archives: http://tinyurl.com/rcepw Classified Ads: http://tinyurl.com/5b5g2f
