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Date Posted: 20:50:58 03/24/03 Mon
Author: Cheri
Subject: Monday's inspiration...
In reply to: Cheri 's message, "A New Week. Daily inspirations and horse facts..." on 20:47:33 03/24/03 Mon



GOD'S GIFTS

_________________________

Job 12:7-10 (NRSV)

But ask the animals, and they will teach you;   the birds of the air, and they will tell you;
ask the plants of the earth, and they will teach you;   and the fish of the sea will declare to you.
Who among all these does not know
      that the hand of the LORD has done this? In his hand is the life of every living thing
      and the breath of every human being.

_________________________

It is good to give thanks to the LORD, to sing praises to your name, O Most High; to declare your steadfast love in the morning, and your faithfulness by night.

- Psalm 92:1-2 (NRSV)

_________________________

I recently had foot surgery, after which I was off work for two weeks. I had to lie or sit with my foot elevated all day and all night. Trying to fill the days with activities, I armed myself with books, magazines, videos, and needlework.

The spring weather was beautiful. As I recuperated, I would open my bedroom window and let the breeze blow through the room. My cat would come upstairs and lie in the sun or stare out the window at the birds and animals in the yard. Soon I found myself propped up next to her, enjoying the sun on my face and noticing all the wondrous life happening in my own yard. Instead of spending my days closed up in my room, trying to make time go by as quickly as possible, I relished the opportunity to enjoy the gifts God had put right outside my window.

How many times have I gone about my daily tasks with my head down, rushing to get things done, all the while ignoring the glorious things God has put in my life? In a world moving quickly, it is important to slow down in order to appreciate the precious gifts that God has given.


Prayer: Dear God, help us to notice and appreciate all the beautiful
gifts you have given us and to take the time to share these gifts with others. Amen.

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY:
Stop. Look. Appreciate.

-- Kathy S. Gupton (Tennessee, U.S.A.)

PRAYER FOCUS: Those recovering after surgery
_________________________

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Replies:

[> Monday's horse fact.. -- Cheri, 21:00:46 03/24/03 Mon



Shaping up your overweight horse...


Part 9...


Managing Overweight Horses..


The first step in management of overweight or obese horses is to establish the current body condition score (and, if possible, body weight) and set a goal for weight loss. For example, let's assume that you have a horse with a body condition score of 8 and his ideal score is around 5. Based on height and breed, this horse has an ideal body weight of 450 kg (1,000 pounds). As one unit of body condition is about 20 kg (44 pounds), this horse is overweight by 60 kg (about 130 pounds).

Next, accurately assess the horse's current feeding and exercise program. Although it is common to feed using convenient units such as a "flake" or section of hay and a coffee can full of grain, this system is very inaccurate for assessment of actual feed intake. For example, alfalfa hay weighs more than grass hay per unit volume. Therefore, it is important to weigh amounts fed--you could use kitchen scales. If possible, send a sample of your hay for laboratory analysis. The data will give you a better idea regarding overall nutrient intake.

A few rules of thumb are useful here. Most horses will consume somewhere between 1.5-3% of their body weight per day in feed. For the overweight and "easy keeper" horse, about 1.5% of body weight is a reasonable ballpark figure. About two-thirds of this amount should be in the form of fiber--grass, hay, or other sources of forage and fiber (e.g., hay cubes or beet pulp). Regardless of body condition, fiber always should be the main component of a horse's diet. At the absolute minimum, a horse should eat 1% of his body weight per day in the form of forage and other fiber sources.

So, our fictitious fat horse for the past six months has been receiving 7 kg of grass hay and 3 kg of a typical sweet feed each day that contains added minerals and vitamins. He is ridden two or three times per week, usually 45 to 60 minutes of gentle trail exercise, and has some drylot turnout at other times. The amount of hay fed is appropriate--about 1.4% of his body weight (again, 1% is considered the safe minimum).

The diet is supplying 20.5 Mcal (or 20,000 calories) of digestible energy, which probably is 25% higher than this horse needs even considering activity level (see figures on page 90). This excess energy intake is certainly enough to explain weight gain. Assuming no change in feeding and activity level, we might expect this horse to gain a further 20 kg (or 44 pounds) over the next three months.

Tomorrows fact .. Clearly, this horse needs to go on a diet.


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