Hay, water, and teeth. From Jim Went to pick up hay today. The usual 6 tons for the week. Lyle puts up great hay for horses. It's beardless wheat with some rye grass. It's carefully baled, not loose, no mold, very few weeds-none toxic, and no foreign matter. Hay works well with horses because it provides their gut with bulk and they're kept busy eating it, which means they're not bored and getting into trouble. It's good for their minds because they are grazing animals and have a strong urge to chew on stuff. Hay is dried pasture plants. It packs a lot more food value pound for pound because it has less moisture (water content). So, for a horse's gut to work properly they need to drink a lot of water to reconstitute the hay's moisture so they can digest it-or the micro-organisms can. How much hay is enough? We like to feed so that some is always left on the ground. Because our animals live in herds, we spread it out so the more timid guys get plenty. We also put out water in a lot of spots for the same reason. None of this means a thing, if the horse, donk, or mule can't chew. We have the vet check teeth regularly. When teeth become hooked or get sharp it really compromises the animals well-being. Floating teeth is just a normal part of equine upkeep. The quality of an equine's rest squarely on having enough groceries and the necessary equipment in good working order to use them. The sound of the herd eating-the grinding of hay-is sweet, sweet music!
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