Starts with Feed Prep:
We do not throw grain to horses.
Our meal decisions have been created, using the advice and research from an internationally known PHD in Equine Nutrition who we pay to consult with us at Angels Landing Farm.
Alix Kendall, herself, is a Certified Nutrition Health Coach and has over 35 years of expertise and knowledge in human nutrition.
This combination is applied daily to the equine care at the farm.
Thus, our attention to detail in the feeding of our equine partners is second to none. These feeding choices are made to support the health of the equine digestive tract, the weakest part of the horse.
As senior horses age, they need more care, not less; especially on the nutrition side of their care. To support that, we can offer feeding regimes up to 4 times a day for certain seniors.
If special supplementation is required, we would ask our guest boarders provide their own feed in baggies, which are then dispensed appropriately, most often in the horses’ special wet mashes. Wet mashed dishes would normally be fed at 6:00 am and 4:00 pm, and if needed, again at 8:30 pm.
Alix will oversee the mixtures. Because we are here 24/7 we also watch closely for any changes in the horses’ eating habits. If anything looks different or amiss, we can catch situations that might require medical attention early. That can make a huge difference in outcomes.
Please understand: this feeding process involves prepping and cleaning 2 to 4 tubs a day, depending on the number of meals. It is labor intensive.
SLOW FEEDER BARRELS:
These special feed barrels were developed out of the reality that horses were meant to wander and feed all during the day and night.
Not be fed 2 times a day!
Horses are fed their hay by weight and each horse should eat a certain amount of weight in hay per day. There is a calculation for this. The serving is not determined by flake size, as all flakes are different in density and size, but by weight. Weighing hay is imperative and knowing the weight differences of each flake is important to the proper feeding regimen.
They need access to forage 24/7 as a species. That is what a slow feeder offers. This is the best preventative for both colic and ulcers. Also: Horses consume 80% of their forage at night. We take that into consideration when laying out the feeding regimen!
TO DENY A HORSE FOREAGE, WHEN HIS BODY SAYS EAT, IS THE SINGLE MOST EXTREMEME STRESS YOU CAN PUT ON THAT ANIMAL.
TWO TYPES OF FEEDING:
DRY HAY:
A barrel is loaded with the correct amount/weight of hay for the needs of that particular horse. A horse will normally have 2 barrels overnight and 1 during the day to accommodate the eating habits of horses.
Dry hay will ultimately leave a certain amount of dust/chafe at the bottom as they graze it out. That will make the barrel heavy and hard to move, as well as taking up valuable space in the barrel for eatable hay. Thus, the barrel needs to be checked and cleaned often. They also need to be washed every few days, to keep the feeding pan clean.
The barrels are heavy and cumbersome to move. A cart is usually the best solution and /or a John Deere Gator. Again, this is more labor intensive than just throwing a flake or two of hay into a stall or paddock.
SOAKED HAY:
An “easy-keeper” OR perhaps a metabolic horse who can put on weight as they breathe; can be a big red flag. The danger of Laminitis looms large in a horse like this.
No, we do not pull feed away to have them lose weight!
The single most damaging thing to do to a horse, is to withhold feed from these grazing animals.
Withholding feed presents a grave danger to a horse’s hind gut being empty and because of how much stomach acid horses naturally produce; an empty gut can lead to acid burning the stomach lining.
Also, withholding of proper feed causes a loss of muscle, vs a loss of ‘fat’. Not ideal!!
To deal with this, we feed soaked hay in the slow feeder barrels.
Soaked hay provides the all-important forage but with much less sugar content and the sugar content is what can cause weight gain and / or the dreaded Laminitis.
Feeding soaked hay is an involved, labor intense process!
At 3 pm daily, the afternoon / evening hay is soaked.
A staff member stands by all the barrels and fills them with water to soak for a minimum of an hour.
A staff member must wait for the timer to go off and then go back to the barrels and thoroughly drain them.
Then they are hand carted to the specific horse for feeding, with 2 barrels given overnight.
The same process is done early morning @ 7 am, for the daytime soaked hay.
These soaked barrels are very heavy and require the staff member to carefully use the gator or wheeled cart to move them around.
We also strongly recommend adding a full spectrum supplement to the diet, since soaking hay not only removes the sugar, but also deletes some of the nutrient density as well. We use one supplement brand which has shown remarkable results for the past 10 years. In essence we have had a working lab, observing the results of this supplement and feed process.
Just know: Removing the sugar content of the hay far outweighs the downsides of this process, and adding in the supplement more than compensates for the nutrient deletion from the soaking process.
One more process: Any left-over hay needs to be discarded at the end of the night or day feeding. It cannot be saved or used. It has spoiled.
Twice a day, the barrels need to be hand carted back to the pile where we dump used hay.
Then they are cleaned out and washed.
Then reloaded, according to weight, with the next evening or day’s serving.
3 barrels per horse is the most normal. (2 in the evening; one in the daytime) There are of course exceptions.
Over the years, we have had and have now, severely metabolic, insulin resistant horses. We manage them here and they are safe, happy, and living like horses.
We believe this attention to detail and extra care are worth the long-term health of these animals. However, this process is the most labor intensive of any feeding program in existence. It involves a great deal of hand labor, effort, and knowledge.
We ask that each client purchases their own barrels and pans. We provide all the hay. We feed Timothy, which we have sourced from a consistent and very high-quality grower.
We offer this service, but due to the extra labor and oversight, we must charge extra for it.
We hope you see the benefit for your horse(s).
Fly Control:
Aside from managing an extremely clean environment, free of flies as much as we can, we apply fly spray once a day at 11 am.
Why 11 am? Because flies come out at that time. If we sprayed earlier, the repellent fades and does so at the worst time of the day, leaving the horses unprotected. And miserable.
Masks are removed at DUSK. Not when a staff member is feeding at 4 pm. Why Dusk? Flies are active until twilight!
Blanketing:
The same detail is followed with blanketing. Very often horses are left blanketed far too long into the day. Many / most boarding operations don’t have staff to go around responding to temperature.
Same with the later afternoon: horses need to be blanketed or unblanketed regulated by the outside temperature, not because someone is there to do it, no matter if is too late or too early for staff. We teach our staff to time this activity pursuant to temperature.
Outside Paddocks:
Bedded deep with a special, clean white sand that received a blessing from Dr. Doug Herthel, founder of Alamo Pintado Equine Clinic, when we built this farm. He had observed that this particular sand created no issues in the horses’ digestive tract. (i.e. like sand colic)
The eventual buildup of urine areas are scooped out as needed and removed. The space is then filled with another load of this clean white sand.
We bed the paddocks generously, to encourage horses to lay down for their full rest. Bedding this way also helps eliminate hock sores or coronet band sores.
Inside Barn Stalls:
Abundantly sized 12 by 16 feet with both auto waterers and additional large water buckets. This enables us to check on water consumption.
In each stall, are wall to wall, thick black mats over a compacted DG floor. NOT concrete!
We bed deep with fine pine to absorb urine and then we add in fluffy larger flake shavings to make a fluffy comfortable bed. This encourages the horses to lie down and get deep rest.
Oder is controlled by an abundant dusting of the rubber floor mats with Sweet PDZ during the daily stall cleaning. Ammonia is noxious to horses’ noses. Ours too!
We clean twice a day and again at 8 pm to control the cleanliness of their environment, the odor, and flies. During the summer we have fans in each stall. The combo of all these items, keeps flies to a minimum.
Eurocizer:
The process: multi-step!
Horses are brought to the Eurociser from their paddock or stall.
Halter goes on, blanket comes off (if it is warm enough, otherwise they are in a light blanket (see Alix)
In the Eurocizer the horses walk on a loose rubber pelleted footing which provides a padded surface.
They walk for a predetermined amount of time that is planned by Alix. Some walking can be fitness focused; some may be all or part rehab, walking for strengthening ligaments, bone, and soft tissue.
Barefoot horses do very well on this special rubber footing.
The Eurocizer switches direction every 8 minutes. The speed is set up for the right length of stride.
A Staff member must then remember the timing for each horse and take them off when their time is up.
They are then led back out to a paddock, corral, or pasture, fly masks are put on and if appropriate, a blanket also.
They can walk in the rain as well, due to the rubber footing.
The Eurocizer space must be cleaned after each walk round to prevent a buildup of manure dust and soiling the rubber footing.
It is also watered down to prevent dust and helps create a cooling environment.
The rubber footing is replaced about every two years or added to, as needed. We keep an additional supply to add in, as necessary.
Use of this Eurocizer adds to the long-term health and longevity of each horse. We found that horses walking every day retain good mood, tone, digestive health and limb health. Most importantly, walking keeps the digestive processes moving and helps keep the stool loose and soft. This walking process also adds to the blood supply and warms up ligaments and muscles prior to working. The benefits abound, and it is the single best equipment investment we added here.
Theraplate:
Hand in hand with Eurocizer is the Theraplate. We have it here for the additional soundness benefits along with increasing blood flow and warming up tendons. The increased blood flow in the musculature helps before a workout. We can offer this at NO Charge to people who have their horses here. But be mindful: someone must stand with the horse during the session on the plate.
Summary:
We are a high touch horse farm. If someone has not owned or operated a horse farm, they would have no idea as to the intense detail it takes to do it correctly.
Alix has a lifetime building this knowledge; Carey half a lifetime. We are also on site 24/7.
All this breakdown may be too much detail for many! For us to provide services on this level, we have to charge extra or it simply makes NO sense to do so.
All this happens, only here!
For anyone who cares deeply about their horse’s care, this should matter.