Golden Horseshoes 4-H Club - goldenhorseshoes4hclub

Special thanks to Deanna Sund for passing on this valuable information from a Pleasure Walking Horse Club she is associated with.  It is certainly useful information for all of us.

 

Add a Serving of Caution to that Tender Spring Grass

Spring is almost upon us in most of the country, so it’s time to revisit that critical topic: spring grazing.

Transitioning a horse from hay to pasture must be handled with care; this point is non-negotiable. For every horse, a gradual change from hay to grass is required to allow the digestive system to adapt, but for the insulin-resistant horse, grazing time and duration can make the difference between soundness and a disabling condition like laminitis. This time of year can be a test of patience for horse—and owner. The horse may be pawing at the gate to get to the first taste of tender spring grass, yet the owner must pay close attention to making the transition safe and healthful.

The first spring sprouts are actually lower in sugars and starch (non-structural carbohydrates—NSC) because they use all that energy to promote their own rapid growth. As the leaves form, the overall sugar and starch content increases, making it especially tempting. Regardless of the growth stage, quantities should be monitored because horses crave fresh grass and will eat volumes of it, making their overall NSC consumption really high—dangerously high for horses who are overweight, cushingoid, or who have experienced insulin-related laminitis.

Temperature and sunlight play a major role in the amount of NSC accumulation. To be safe, here are the rules:
-- When the night temperature is below 40 degrees F, the grass is too high in NSC.
-- Once it gets above 40 degrees F at night, the lowest NSC level is before the sun rises.
-- The NSC level is highest in late afternoon, after a sunny day.

There is no exact “best time” to turn out your horses on pasture. Generally speaking in moderate climates, it’s safest before dawn, until approximately 10:00 am, and then again at night, starting at around 11:00 pm. Start slowly, offering hay when horses are not on fresh grass.

Finally, test your pasture! Yes, testing is not only for hay. It will take the guesswork out of knowing which times are best.

Attached is a flyer regarding a benefit play day for Sylvia Hylton.  This will be a fund day for kids and/or adults, scheduled on Saturday,  3/24/2012.  This is not sponsored by 4h, but I thought many of you would enjoy the opportunity to start getting your horses ready for the show season. Sounds like a fun relaxing day and you could win a buckle.  Most importantly, this is an opportunity to help a fellow horse lover who has been stricken with cancer.

 

Attachments:

 

Jim Luty is hosting an information meeting on Wednesday, 2/29/12, at Cedar River Middle School in the multi purpose room.  I believe the meeting starts at 7 pm.

We will have an opportunity to save King County 4-h, but we need all of you to pitch in and help bombard King County Council with emails and letters telling them how 4-h has had a positive impact on your life. Please pass the word to your teachers, parents, family.  The more information we can provide, the more they are going to see why it is imperative that we keep King County 4-h!!! 

 

I know some of you are seniors and may not be as worried about the future, but do think of the many younger members that will really benefit as you did.

 

Please take some time right away to send your emails to the council members:

jane.hague@kingcounty.gov
pete.vonreichbauer@kingcounty.gov
joe.mcdermott@kingcounty.gov
reagan.dunn@kingcounty.gov
bob.ferguson@kingcounty.gov
larry.gossett@kingcounty.gov
kathy.lambert@kingcounty.gov
larry.phillips@kingcounty.gov
julia.patterson@kingcounty.gov

We will not be forwarding  emails from the KC 4h yahoo web page, instead you can join easily and get this information. 

We will forward all information from the King County leaders meetings but there is much more communication and opportunities posted on the KC 4h Yahoo group site that extends past 4-H.  You should join and check it out.  You will have to create an account with Yahoo but you can ask it to forward all emails and notifications from this group to your regular email account once you set it up so you don't have to check more than one place for email information.  The link is here: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/kc4-hhorse/

This is where you can post a question, suggestion or thought.. it is open to everyone who is a member.