I just read the funniest email about UPS pilots and maintenance crew.  I’m going to have to come up with a post that is that funny about horses.  But this isn’t it.

I have a new horse coming in and he is currently on a Seminole Product.  I have nothing against Seminole Products, I just use a different company.  I have shied away from companies that produce both horse and cattle feed.  After some very old, established, large companies have had issues of ingredients meant for cattle, finding their way into horse feed, poisoning, and killing horses, I choose to stay with a company who deals purely with horse feed only.  For over 50 years I have used other companies products without a problem, but now I have made this decision, and am sticking to it.  Seminole was not a company that has had any cases of bad feed, but my feed dealer does not carry their product line.

Now when switching a horses feed it should always be done slowly.  I try to take a week or more to switch, depending on the amount of grain the horse is presently receiving, and how much of his old brand I have on hand.  So I decided to look into the ingredients of the grain he is currently on, and the product I was going to purchase to make this transition.

When I went to the Seminole site they had an interesting article on their web page.  Horse Feeding Myths and Misconceptions, by Beth Stelzleni M.S., PAS, Blog Webinars.

Being an older horsewoman, and growing up with even older horsemen, I was raised on many of these old Myths.  If Pop said it was to be done this way, he would know.  So I followed their recommendations.  (It’s done this way, end of discussion.)  One of them is feeding bran mashes.  Pop always had a bucket of bran mash steeping by the side of his old wood burning kitchen stove, with a towel over it.  Fond teenage memories.  Now we have colleges and other companies who do research on our old myths to find out how much of it is true.  Much of what we were taught to believe really has no merit.

I must say that it was a very interesting read.  Some of it, I understand and will take into consideration.  Some of it, the jury is still out on for my way of thinking.  Oh I’m very sure that they have done their testing and have found their conclusions to be true.  But being an old horsewoman, I have had experiences that have had a lasting impact on my mind.  They said Coastal Hay does not cause colic.  That other issues bring upon the colic when the horse has eaten it.  Well I have a Clydesdale who coliced on it the three times I tried it, who would like to testify otherwise.  Yes I agree with them that if it is harvested before it’s matured, it is too fine and will perhaps colic a horse.  Some horses do not chew their food as well as others.  I now have found a local hay man who grows Tiften-44 (a courser local hay) who is very particular about the timing of his cut.  He assured me that no one has ever had a horse colic on his hay, and he was right.  The Clyde can eat it with no problem.

I think this article would be an interesting article to read and take into consideration.  It also included the myths about a hot horse drinking cold water (we all remember what happened to Black Beauty), soaking Beet Pulp, bran mash, and many more myths.

Never just accept one persons ideas or information on what to do with your horse.  In this day and age where information is so available on the internet, do not hesitate to do your own research into any matter.  The more you know the better decision you can make.  BUT!  I like the commercial with the woman who met this guy on the internet who said he was a French Actor (I think or he was French something.)  Anyway he obviously was not, she turned to her friend and said “They can’t print anything that isn’t true on the internet.”  Well they do.  So don’t believe everything you read on the internet either.  Check things out, really check things out.  Then, armed with all your information, consult with your vet.  Now different vets hold different views on many subjects, according to their knowledge and experiences.  So once again, gather all your information, make an informed decision, but keep an open mind.

Remember when we were kids, spinach was the best, most healthy, thing you could eat?  Well years later they found that the decimal point was in the wrong place, and it wasn’t as good for you as they once believed.  First eggs were bad for you, now they’re not.  Oh then it was don’t eat chocolate, now it might cure cancer.  Hello!  Anyone out there really know what’s going on?

Yes some of the myths, I was sad to learn, were not true.  Some of the things I had already decided where not in the best interest of the horse, through my personal experiences.  But I did learn a lot through this article.  The bottom line is that I will take everything, old and new into consideration when making my own personal decision, after discussing them with my vet.

I can only hope that you have the kind of relationship with your vet that I have with mine.  She never thinks a question is stupid.  She is patient, and if she is not sure of the answer, will consult with specialists in that particular field.

There is right, there is wrong, and then there is just plain different.  It’s up to you to figure out where your information lies.