Mark Your Calendars

Looks like the month of March for the Hueber Equine Specialists will be a busy one!!!

Hueber Feeds will have a booth (#703) at the Illinois Horse Fair Friday March 7th through Sunday March 9th at the Illinois State Fairgrounds. 

With high request from our customers Hueber Feeds will be hosting several Horse Meetings this month.
                           Featuring Hubbard's Dr. Randy Raub & other key speakers

Tuesday, March 11                      Wednesday, March 12                       Thursday, March 13
     Dekalb, IL                                        Newark, IL                                     Poplar Grove, IL

                               Stay tuned to the Huber Feed Blog for locations & times

Over Supplementing

Horse owners spend allot of time and money trying to fix symptoms with supplements instead of examining what their horse is primarily eating. If we all started at the beginning to see what we are feeding our horses we could probably answer allot of our own questions as well as discover appropriate nutrition that could actually make expensive supplements unnecessary. 

For example, horses didn’t just walk around the pasture and Cushing’s or Insulin resistance or one of the many other issues fall out of the sky and hit them in the head. Unnatural things happen to horses who’s owners and carers are out of touch with nature. These problems are not found in feral horses, they only exist in captivity, now that’s food for thought.

As horse owners we must try to make our horses diet as natural as possible. When looking into fortified feed our first concern maybe price. Remember when buying cheap feed it may actually be the more expensive route. You will be feeding more pounds per day to reach a balance of daily vitamins, minerals & protein level. Even forced to buy expensive supplements to meet the full recommended amount of vitamins and minerals. In the long run buying quality fortified grain and forage is the cheapest way to reach your goals. 

If your horse does need supplements due to a specific problem be careful to not over supplement and read the dosage per pound. Do your best and take advantage of Hueber Feeds Equine Specialists to help provide your horse a complete and balanced diet primarily consisting of good quality forage, fortified grain & possible supplements.

Healthy Animals are Parasite Free

Having animal’s parasite free is important although unfortunately it may not be absolutely possible 100% of the time.  However, a scheduled program for internal and external parasites is a must for your animal’s health.  You can find information about parasites by searching the web for ‘internal and external parasites in…’, then add the animal; for instance ‘dogs’. 

For internal parasites, worms are the most common and for external parasites we are concerned with fleas, ticks and mites primarily.  The best source of local information is your veterinarian who can make you aware of the local parasites your animal may be exposed to and can help set up a control program.  Programs vary from region to region so if you are moving to a new area contact a veterinarian in that area to start on a program specific for the new location.

If you have not yet established a parasite control program for your animals the best time to start is NOW!  If you have a program follow it rigidly so parasite re-infestations are controlled. If you notice an unexpected weight loss, rubbing, scratching, energy loss or parasites on your animal or in their feces contact your veterinarian and review / update the control program.  Avoid ‘home remedies’ as the remedy may cause damage to the animal’s skin or digestive track.  Follow the use directions on all products and only use it for the animal it is made for.  Inspect your animals frequently for parasites.

Animals look and perform better when they are on a program to control parasites.  They digest their food better which helps young animals grow faster and reduces the amount of food required for older animals to maintain proper body weight.  They are more alert and active.  Hubbard® Life products are formulated to optimize your animal’s nutritional needs. 

Quench their Thirst

It’s that time of year when horses are traveling, under intense exercise,    introduced to different water sources and weather conditions, that it’s      essential to keep your horse well hydrated. 

Making sure your horse has access to plenty of fresh clean water and a clean salt block can help prevent dehydration.

When traveling, horses are very suspicious of unfamiliar water. Traveling with a water tank with familiar home water may decrease some stress and promote drinking.

If water tank is unavailable, consider using electrolytes for performance horses, horses in hot, humid conditions, horses being subjected to      changing water sources, during times of stress, when horses may sweat  excessively.

McCauley’s Hydrolyte is an electrolyte that restores the correct balance of electrolytes lost in equine sweat. Helps horses recover following intense exercise. It’s unique formulation encourages drinking and facilitates   rehydration.  Added to drinking water, McCaulery’s Hydrolyte provides a more consistent taste and smell to different water sources.

Ease Your Horse into the Spring Pastures

Spring is finally here!  The white blanket of snow has been replaced with green grass.  Your horses have noticed too as they start to deposit large amounts of shedded winter hair on every corner and wall around the barn. The temptation is very strong to turn your horses out to pasture and let them consume as much grass as they want.

As hard as it is to restrict a horse from doing just that when they are first put into a pasture, for the health of your horse, it must be done. If your horse has been eating hay and Hubbard Life® horse feed over the winter letting them eat all the new grass they want will usually result in a call to the vet instead.  Early, fast growing grass found in pastures is very soft and sweet compared to the hay they have been fed all winter. All that fresh, green grass tends to be higher in sugar and starch type carbohydrates and lower in fiber, which is the same as if you poured corn in their feeder.  Too much sugar/starch carbohydrates all at once can create colic issues in the hind gut and founder in the feet.

Another challenge is that as horses become older they tend to become insulin resistant – think human type-2 diabetes, which means it’s harder for them to utilize the sugar and starch  from eating too much high quality spring  grass diets. The sugar and starch cause the glucose levels in the blood to increase and insulin would normally help the glucose get into the cells and be utilized. But with insulin resistance, the insulin receptors do not work well and it takes more and more insulin to get the glucose into the cell. After a while if the insulin has not forced the glucose into a cell, the body will get rid of the excess glucose via the kidneys. That’s why people and animals that develop diabetes may go to the bathroom frequently and start to lose weight. 

Here are some tips to help your horses adjust to spring pastures and avoid health challenges:
      •  Start slowly on green grass to allow time for the micro-organisms
         to adjust in the gut. Build up over time to full time grazing.
      •  Watch out for animals, especially older ones, losing weight. If they
         do not have teeth issues, they may becoming insulin resistant. 
      •  Insulin resistant horses are better managed by restricting pasture
         access and being fed low carb diets like Hubbard® Life Cool Command®.
      •  Regardless of time of year always look at the horse’s body condition
         and adjust feed and forage accordingly to maintain a moderate body
         condition (body condition score of five).

Stop in at your local Hubbard Feeds dealer and ask about our line of Hubbard Life Equine products. 

McCauley's ALAM Feed...AMAZING!!!!

I just wanted you to see the difference the Alam has done to my big girl in only 2wks of hard training and 8lbs per day. I can hardly believe it she has always been such a hard keeper and now she’s a happy medium of fit/fat. I’m so pleased with these results! The first picture was taken April 11, 2013 and the second was taken April 25, 2013. I can’t believe the change!

Samantha L Maier

from Iowa City, Iowa purchasing from Hueber Feeds LLC

  

Join us for Hot Dogs, Pop & Prizes at our Shabbona Location

    Saturday, May 4th

10am-2pm

Join us for Hot Dogs, Chips, Pop & Prizes

214 Comanche St.

Shabbona, IL 60550

    815-824-8018