CHOCOLATE FESTIVAL
When? Saturday, February 8th, 9:00AM-2:00PM
Cost? Free Admission
Where? Pinehurst United Methodist Church
4111 Airport Road, Pinehurst
What? The Festival features Chocolate Treats
of all kinds including our “church fudge,” Gift
Boutique, Donut and Hot Chocolate Bar, Chocolate
Demonstrations by Chefs Sueson Vess, Martin
Brunner and SCC culinary students.
Cause? Proceeds will benefit Friend to Friend,
Linden Lodge and Methodist Home for Children
Contact? Call: 910-215-4559
email: www.pinehurstumc.org
FIGHT THE COLD con't from FRONT PAGE
FIGHT THE COLD con't. next column
FIGHT THE COLD continued
consideration in the
diet for any horse.
Without adequate
water intake horses
will not survive. An
adult horse (1000 lbs.)
in a cool, comfortable
environment that
is not working or
lactating requires a
minimum of 7—10
gallons of fresh clean
water per day. The
amount of water
required is closely
related to the amount
of feed eaten. Most horses will drink 1.5 quarts
of water per pound of dry feed intake. If a
horse were consuming 20 lbs. of dry hay per
day, the horse would be expected to consume
approximately 7.5 gallons of water.
Problems associated with water intake
during the winter months usually revolve
around inadequate intake. Water that has frozen
or is near freezing will result in decreased intake.
Similarly, horses that must eat snow, as their
only water source, will not eat enough snow to
completely satisfy their water requirement. This
decreased water intake can result in digestive
upset or “colic” that is associated with feed
material becoming impacted (stuck) in the
digestive system. Therefore, the water source
should be free-flowing or heated to prevent
freezing and guarantee adequate intake.
Adequate fiber intake is the next consideration
in feeding horses during the winter season. It is
recommended that horses receive a minimum
of 1.5% of their body weight in dry forage per
day. For a 1000 lb. horse, this equates to 15
lbs. of hay per day. Can horses consume more
hay? Certainly, horses can consume up to 3%
of the body weight per day in hay (30 lbs. for a
1000-lb. horse) if the hay is of good quality. The
fiber obtained from hay is necessary to keep
the digestive system of the horse functioning
properly. Adequate fiber from hay is even more
critical during the winter months since it is the
feed ingredient that keeps horses warm during
cold weather. Digestion and fermentation of
fiber (hay) produce heat that helps the horse
maintain its body temperature during winter.
Unlike hay, consumption of grain does not
produce large amounts of body heat during
digestion. Grain functions to keep horses warm
by providing energy for muscle contraction that
can be used to help the animal shiver.
When environmental temperatures
(including wind chill) drop below 45°F (referred
to as the critical temp), significant amounts of
energy are used by the horse to maintain its
internal body heat. For each 1°F decrease below
the critical temperature, the horse requires a
1% increase in digestible energy to maintain
a consistent body temperature. Wind chill,
moisture, and coat thickness will affect the
critical temperature. The horse’s thick winter
coat has an insulating effect against the cold.
Increase the forage content of the diet 24
hours prior to forecasted cold conditions. Strive
to keep your horse in a good body condition
prior to winter months as the extra body fat
provides an additional insulating effect against
wind and also serves as an energy reserve.
A frequent hay–related problem with horses
during the winter months is chronic weight loss.
This can occur either by not feeding enough
hay to the horse, or by feeding poor quality hay
to the horse. In the case of not feeding enough
hay, the simple remedy is to provide all the hay
the horse will consume during the day. If the
horse is being fed all the hay it will consume and
weight loss is still a problem, better quality hay
or forage should be substituted for all or part of
the current hay source.
Standlee Premium Western Forage® offers
Performance Horse Nutrition products at
Aberdeen Supply. For more info, see ad p.29.
No. 137 The Pinehurst Gazette, Inc. p.5
/www.pinehurstumc.org