Expand your hay and pasture supply

Forage is the most important element in a horses diet and should make up the bulk for a horses diet. With rain being slim to none in our neck of the woods our pastures and hay fields have been dry and bare. Now is the best time to plan for the worst. Expanding our hay supply and making sure our horses get the nutrition they need.

Turning out your horses on pasture may cause more damage to drought stricken pasture land. Hooves can compact dry soil further and break drying grass stems. If they are very bored their attempts at grazing may uproot already fragile roots. If possible, keep horses in a 'sacrifice area' where you don't expect grass to grow. Allow pasture to grow several inches high, before grazing horses. Some areas of your pasture may need to be worked up and reseeded once the drought has ended.

It is best to extend the good hay you have with other fiber sources. A slow transition to other forages is essential for horses rather than to switch when you run out. Hueber Feed and its dealers carry Hay Cubes, Beet Pulp, and Complete Feeds with high fiber.

 For top performance Stable-lyx tubs are also great to ensure daily intake of free choice protein, vitamins, and trace mineral supplement for horses on pasture or range.

Hubbard Life Bags new actions going forward

Hubbard Feeds will discontinue the use of composite bags in all specie product lines   except dog and cat. Composite bags will be replaced with clay coat bags (similar to the old Front Runner bags). The use of clay coat bags will allow us to maintain the current quality graphics and colors, and provide as good if not better breaking characteristics as composite. Most importantly, clay coat bags provide superior handling characteristics as they are significantly less slippery than composite bags. As well as being biodegradable.

Hubbard anticipates clay coat bags to be at the plants by the end of August. Until then plants will continue to use composite bags for Hubbard Life products in order to work through existing inventory in plants.

Meal Timing Matters for Performance Horses

As I watch performance horses competing at the top of their game at events such as the Rolex or Triple Crown races, I often wonder what the feeding schedule of those animals was in the days and hours leading up to the event. Is it better to run a hungry, leaner animal, or a full, heavier animal?

In a recent article, researchers found that feeding hay either before or with grain significantly reduced the glycemic response of the grain meal, thereby reducing insulin production post feeding. Feeding hay also    significantly elevated the total plasma protein within one hour. Water intake was greatly increased after the hay feeding, as we might expect. Researchers also found that feeding grain before exercise with or     without hay reduced free fatty acid availability and increased glucose uptake into the working muscle. This would not be desirable for horses competing in the speed and endurance phase of a 3-day event.

Feeding only forage before exercise has a much smaller effect on        glycemic and insulin response than a grain meal, and it also did not    affect the free fatty acid availability. Researchers did find these horses had a higher heart rate and higher total plasma protein, which they    attribute to increased gut fill and a movement of water from the plasma into the gut.

In summary, the results of their experiments indicated that feeding hay along with grain will result in a decrease of plasma volume and increase in body weight which may be detrimental to performance. Feeding grain with or without hay two hours before exercise will reduce free fatty acid availability and increase glucose uptake by the working muscle. This is not desirable during prolonged exercise.

Take home note: It may be best to postpone your horse’s grain meal on the day of competition, but continue to feed them hay or pasture and water. Feeding hay at the trailer will also prevent boredom and keep your horses busy between classes.

Whether a horse is competing or being worked hard, Hubbard Life has a performance line of Equine products to meet the high nutrient demands of active horses. Hubbard Life Performance Feed is a 12% protein feed specifically designed for the performance horse. Highly digestible energy sources and high quality proteins are added at optimal levels for the   active horse.

Hubbard Life 30% Horse Supplement can be top-dressed on Hubbard Life Performance at the rate of 0.5 to 2 pounds per head per day,        depending upon weight, age and activity.            Written by: Sharon Kill

Stable-lyx Tub

Crystalyx Stable-lyx is a unique, portable, high energy supplement designed for consistent free choice consumption by all classes of equine. Stable-lyx ensures daily intake of free choice protein, vitamins, and trace mineral supplement for horses on pasture or range necessary for top performance. An ideal product for meeting supplemental horse nutrient needs under conditions that make it difficult. Stable-lyx are low moisture blocks that are windproof, waterproof, and waste-proof. Only Crystalyx uses time and temperature controlled cooking to protect nutrients and deliver unmatched quality and consistency. Place Stable-lyx containers in areas that achieve desired supplement intake. Provide one container for every 3-20 horses. A minimum of two containers may be necessary in each lot or pasture to assure proper accessibility. Once forage becomes limited, supplement intake will most often increase. Equines will typically consume between 0.25-3.0 pounds per head per day. Free-choice consumption will depend on the size and age of the animal, as well as quality, source, and availability of forage. Always provide free access of clean fresh water. For more information visit www.crystalyx.com Crude Protein, Min 12.0% Crude Fat, Min 5.0% Crude Fiber, Max 2.5% Calcium, Min 1.0% Calcium, Max 1.5% Phosphorus, Min 1.0% Salt, Min 12.0% Salt, Max 14.0% Magnesium, Min 0.8% Potassium, Min 2.0% Cobalt, Min 5 ppm Copper, Min 250 ppm Iodine, Min 6.6 ppm Manganese, Min 880 ppm Selenium, Min 0.73 ppm Zinc, Min 880 ppm Vitamin A, Min 30,000 IU/Lb Vitamin D-3, Min 5,000 IU/Lb Vitamin E, Min 250 IU/Lb Thiamine, Min 30 mg/Lb

Probiotics

Probiotics in horses are an important part of natural horse nutrition, they are live beneficial bacteria that help the digestive system to work properly by processing food into energy and discouraging the growth of disease causing bacteria. Common organisms in equine probiotic products include Lactobacillus species and Saccharomyces species (yeast).
Wild horses grazed and obtained the proper amount and variety of beneficial microorganisms from the various green plants and grasses they consumed. Today’s domestic horses do not ingest enough of these organisms from their environments to reseed their intestines, causing digestive and immune system problems as well as weight issues.
Probiotics for horses:
~Improve the balance of the normal bacteria in the intestine
~Help break down proteins, starches, fiber, fats & sugars for better food digestion
~Promote regularity in bowel movements
~Manufacture certain nutrients, such as B vitamins
~Protect the lining of the intestine
~Promote healthy immune system function in the intestine
Probiotics are recommended for:
~Horses receiving antibiotics
~Horses with diarrhea or chronic disease of the intestine
~Newborn foals ~”Hard keepers” -hard to maintain weight

Lifting of Horse Slaughter Ban

President Obama signed a bill November 18th, 2011 to reopen the doors of horse-slaughter houses across the U.S. Which will mean the reported spike of 60% horse neglect and abuse since 2007 will decrease across the country.
After Congress quietly lifted this 5 year ban, horses could soon be butchered in the U.S. for human consumption. The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) stated if slaughterhouses in the U.S. butchered horses for human consumption it would conduct inspections to make sure federal laws were being followed.
They estimated a slaughterhouse could possibly open by January 2012 with state approval and eventually over 200,000 horses a year could be through the plant for human consumption. Most of the meat would be shipped to countries in Europe and Asia, including France and Japan with the intention of these plants being American-owned.
Lawmakers in Illinois and California have banned the slaughter of horses for human consumption, and more than a dozen states tightly regulate the sale of horse meat.
For more information or comment on “Lifting of Horse Slaughter Ban” Like Hueber Feeds on FaceBook.
HAPPY HOLIDAYS from all of us at Hueber Feeds!

Hubbard Life...Same Great Products, New Name

Research shows that the rural lifestyle market is growing whether you own cats, dogs and horses to share a strong relationship. For this great bond between animal and human three product lines will be introduced in our Hubbard Life line. New products will be released mid to late October.
Front Runner Equine Feed will also be changed into Hubbard Life as well as the appearance of the bags, but will still deliver high quality proteins, minerals and other nutrients for optimal growth and performance for your horse. Cool Command, Performance, Summit, 30% Supplement and Equi-Star will still be available.