Nutrition Was a Hot Topic at the Elenbaas Open House

by Karen Pickering

photos by NWHS

October 6th brought many local horse people out to the Elenbaas Country Store in Lynden, Washington. The evening was packed with guest speakers talking about dewormers, vaccines, and the theme of the evening: equine nutrition.

Scott Hooper, a regional representative from Farnam Companies, Inc., discussed the importance of deworming practices, farm management, daily feed-through worming, purge worming and more. One of the interesting facts he shared was that since the release of Ivermectin in 1984, there has not been a new formulation of dewormers. Hard to believe!

Here in the Northwest, most of us let our horses graze. This leads to more issues with worming, as grazing is how many forms of worms are transferred into the horse's system. When horses are in stalls, they are far less likely to become infested. In addition, our damp weather creates the perfect breeding ground for many varieties of worms. Hooper stressed the importance of good farm management practices in the control of worm infestation.

Gib Moore from Intervet spoke on the latest in vaccinations. He discussed the rabies vaccine and the importance of a variety of vaccines horse owners should consider when immunizations are due. He was a very enthusiastic speaker and was excellent at explaining the science behind the vaccines. Attendees received a handout that explained in detail the key vaccines, how and where to inject, and time of year to administer the appropriate product.

The evening finished up with an impressive presentation by Ty Cochran, Equine Nutritionist/Specialist for Elenbaas Company. He was funny and really broke the science down into an easy-to-understand language. I’ve sat in on a few nutrition seminars before, and this one was one of the best I’ve heard. He reminded us all that one of the most important aspects of nutrition is water. One of his key points was keeping the water temperature around 45 degrees (any colder and horses drink less water). Using a stock tank de-icer in winter can help keep your horses healthy. Look for upcoming articles on watering your horse and other important nutrition topics in the NWHS Equine Wellness column beginning January 2010.

Northwest weather can be very hard on horses. During cold weather, we should feed more grass hay, not grain, because the hay creates warmth. Many people don’t like it because of the “hay belly” appearance horses get, but it’s a significant factor in winter horsekeeping. Cochran also noted that horses rely on movement to enhance digestion, so it’s important they get some form of exercise all year 'round. There are more cases of colic in horses that are stabled 24/7 than in those that receive regular exercise; this could very well be the reason.

Cochran stressed the importance of weighing your feed. It’s critical in keeping your horse on a consistent diet, and judging a flake by sight just isn't accurate. Feeding cubed doesn’t necessarily qualify as the roughage your horse needs; hay must be at least 2" long to qualify as fiber.

Overall, the evening was very informative, and those who turned out enjoyed pizza and beverages along with the education.

If you live in or near Whatcom County, make sure to attend this event next year. It’s well worth the drive out to Lynden, and the team at this store knows their products and are committed to educating the horse people in their community. Many thanks to Elenbaas Country Store in Lynden for putting on such a necessary seminar!