fallon Bull Sale - The Progressive Rancher Magazine

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Behind the Summit Headlines By Shammy Rodriguez am a fourth generation cattle rancher. My family raises beef for a living and • Turning it loose…out of sight out of mind. I we raise and use horses to get the job done. As a dear friend use to say, “while • Of the above options, selling the horse or donating it to a horse sanctuary would be the cattle make us a living, the horses make the living worthwhile.” Let me preface this the most comforting to the owner as the horse’s life is spared..at least temporarily. article with this thought. Selling a horse is not the same as selling a cow. Beef cattle The problem is, it is hard to sell a horse in this economy and horse sanctuaries are raised for one purpose-to provide a delicious source of protein to a hungry publicthus their ultimate end is a foregone conclusion. In the case of horses-whether it be a horse sanctuaries have been forced to close entirely because they were so overrun are already filled to capacity. In fact, since the closure of harvest facilities, some trained horse to a new owner or a crippled horse to a harvester…both situations leave with unwanted horses. you with an ache in your heart. I don’t care who you are it is never easy to put a horse down either with a barbiturate or I personally attended the Summit of the Horse held January 3-6, 2011, in Las Vegas a bullet. Even if a horse is suffering, it is pure hell to be the human involved saying goodbye. and was taken aback by the subsequent coverage in a number of media outlets. For example, one headline read“Summit Advocates Return to Horses as Food.” The author went to be disposed of properly so that it is not eaten by wildlife (coyotes, crows, eagles, etc.) or Euthanizing with barbiturates involves a vet and disposal fees because the carcass needs on to say that US ranchers and horse owners “implored the federal government to once domestic dogs and cats. The euthanizing agents are deadly to them. Thus, euthanasia with again embrace horse meat as a viable source of nutrition” The entire article gave readers barbiturates can be cost-prohibitive to many people. Euthanasia with a bullet is tough at the impression that Summit attendees were hell bent on getting horse meat into the diet best. Shooting a horse takes skill and a certain amount of intestinal fortitude that few people of American society. I would like to take this opportunity to clarify the facts that were so possess, although it is an accepted form of euthanasia and is probably the most humane and grossly misrepresented and /or misinterpreted in that and similar articles and blogs. efficient when done correctly. Horse processing in America was closed down in 2007 when federal legislation passed The ever-increasing solution is to just turn the horse(s) loose. Sometimes it is out in that prohibited federal funding of USDA inspections of horse meat intended for human the country, the desert, on a reservation…wherever. The rationale being that the horse can consumption. Other regulations prohibited the interstate shipment of any meat products fend for itself, and the owner will be absolved of the responsibilities that come with horse without the USDA seal of approval. Over-the-counter human consumption of horse meat ownership. Often the result of this desperate action is the prized “pet” horse ends up dying in the “wild” from starvation or thirst. You see a horse that has been raised inside and has not taken place for many years in America. However, there are areas around the world where horse meat is considered a delicacy and the consumption cared for on a daily basis doesn’t necessarily know how to fend thereof is commonplace. Proposed legislation soon followed that for itself. There have also been instances of horse carcasses found made transporting of horses intended for slaughter illegal-it passed with plastic bags tied over their heads!! If the horse doesn’t die it the House but failed in the Senate. ends up being “someone else’s problem.” Is this responsible ownership? Would you like to have a horse dumped in your yard? If When the economy took the big downturn, many hobby or “backyard” horse owners found themselves struggling to pay for an owner were inclined to euthanize (dare we say shoot) his horse basic necessities from month to month. When you are struggling away from his property…out in an open field away from habitation, for example, on public, state, or tribal land- and that animal to support your family, the extras get cut first. The “extras” in a lot of instances included the family horse or horses. As the supply was discovered before the coyotes and ravens and eagles had done increased and the demand began to dry up, the result was not only their jobs, the imagination has no limits as to the legal fallout if a glutted horse market but also overcrowding of rescue facilities ownership could be traced. and ultimately public, tribal, and private lands where the horses When horse harvesting existed in America these were not would be abandoned. major issues. Unwanted horses were sold to a broker who could There are many reasons someone might need to get rid of a horse. do with them as he pleased; they became his property. Those that showed potential might • The person may no longer be able to afford to take care of it. While a horse may receive as much or more affection than the family cat or dog, the similarities end there. Obviously, it eats more, its feed is expensive, and it needs a place to live. Sometimes that is near the house, and for other devoted horse owners it means paying another entity to board the horse. Keep in mind it also needs hoof care, vaccinations, and worming from time to time in addition to other health care. Plus the normal life-span of a horse is around twenty-five years!!! Owning a horse is a big obligation…a much bigger obligation both in physical size and financial support than most family pets. • The person may have lost interest in the horse. be resold for other purposes but the majority would go to a processing facility where the meat would be either used for zoo animals or processed into pet food as it is very high in protein. It was also exported to other countries where horse meat IS consumed by humans. Now back to the summit. The Summit of the Horse was by no means an “imploring” of horse owners to the feds wanting the reintroduction of horse harvest so we can get Americans eating horse meat. That wasn’t even implied! We need horse harvest reinstated because it was a humane way to deal with excess and unwanted horses. And when it gets reinstated every effort needs to be made to make it as humane as absolutely possible (including such measures as video surveillance by a third party to be sure the process is consistently above board)! • The horse may have gotten hurt or sick and will not recover fully to ever be sound While the problem of unwanted horses may be something many people choose to or have been physically unsuitable for work or breeding from early in its life cycle. ignore, it is very much a fact of life. For all of the reasons previously discussed, regulated, humane, horse processing in the United States should be a viable option to responsible • Old age may have rendered the animal unridable or incapable of reproduction in owners who are trying to exercise the ultimate duty of ownership-letting go in the most the case of a broodmare. practical, humane , and economically feasible methods available to them. • The horse may be unmanageable and untrainable which creates a safety concern For further information on the horse issues, we suggest the following: for those involved. An unruly horse can be extremely dangerous. This is the “parent” website for much of the information leading up to the Summit and • There are segments of the horse world where a horse’s value is based on its performance ability. If the horse can’t perform as expected, the owner doesn’t want it – more or less for economic reasons. This happens in ALL segments of the performance horse world from racing to cutting to pleasure to reining to jumping, etc. It also happens in the human sports world. Just turn to the sports page of the newspaper or to ESPN to find out which NFL player has been traded for poor performance or faces a career-ending injury. As it stands today the options for getting rid of a horse are the following: going forward. http://www.united-horsemen.org This is an excellent science-based article that anyone interested in feral horse issues should read. http://audubonmagazine.org/incite/incite1101.html Probably the most comprehensive article to date on the feral horses aka “mustangs.” http://www.rangemagazine.com/features/winter-11/wi11-range-mustang.pdf This article appeared in the Wall Street Journal while the Summit was in progress. http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748703808704576062064022541024.html?K EYWORDS=Summit+of+the+Horse A recap of the Summit by Sue Wallis, one of the organizers of the event. http://www. • Selling the horse outright either through an auction or privately to another person. united-horsemen.org/2011/01/08/report-from-the-summit-of-the-horse-by-sue-wallis/ • “Donating” it to a horse sanctuary that takes in unwanted horses. The second response by Callie is excellent. http://www.united-horsemen. • Euthanizing it. org/2011/01/08/willing-servants-message-to-membership/ 34 February 2011 The Progressive Rancher www.progressiverancher.com
DR. Margaret, Ph.D. 208-308-0106 Dr. Margaret Winsryg, Ph.D. 208-308-0106 MNM Consulting Services Why We Feed Different Protein Sources to Our Horses? The protein needs of the horse vary according to use and age. The table below gives the minimum level needed for various types of horses. From the table it can be seen that protein needs are greatest for foals and for lactating mares. Work does not increase protein needs very much but does increase certain amino acids needs. For example, if we were feeding 18 lb. of a ration that is 13% protein to a mature horse and if we begin riding the horse hard, we would maintain a 13% protein level, but increase the total amount of feed (20 lb.) used to maintain the horse in good flesh. This would also increase the total amount of protein given and be sufficient to meet extra protein needs caused by work. Proteins are the building blocks of tissue and are composed of units called amino acids. Although there are 22 different amino acids that are needed for protein synthesis, several can be made by the tissues of the body. There are 10 that must be supplied to the horse – arginine, histidine, isoleucine, leucine, lysine, methionine, phenylalanine, threonine, tryptophan, and valine. Lysine is the one most often lacking in growing horse rations Because of the high cost of protein, it is economically wasteful to feed more than is needed. The body breaks down excess protein to carbohydrates and urea. The carbohydrates are used for energy or changed to fat and stored, and the urea is passed in the urine. It was previously mentioned that urea is a feed supplement fed by cattle feeders that a cow can use to make protein in the rumen. Horses cannot use urea as a protein source, and feeds with their protein level based on urea will not reflect an accurate protein level for the horse. In addition to cost, another possible detriment of excess protein is that it produces more body heat in breaking the proteins into energy as compared to using carbohydrates or fats for energy. This could be a problem for the endurance trail horse that has to keep as cool as possible as he works long and hard. Current research has shown that feeding a diet containing 10% added fat reduces the daily heat load by 5%, which may benefit hard working horses, particularly in hot weather. Therefore, high protein rations are not recommended for these horses. Occasionally horses will develop hives, commonly called protein bumps, on the skin. These can be an allergic reaction of the body to foreign proteins in the feed but are more likely are the result of skin contact with some chemical in the bedding. Insect bites also cause these hives. Generally, the hives are short lived and no serious problem occurs. High protein rations have also been blamed for the diseases such as epiphysitis and contracted tendons. These problems are associated with fast-growing foals, as these foals are typically on high-protein high-energy rations that allow the foal to grow quickly. However, it is the imbalance or deficiency of other factors such as minerals that are the real culprits, not the protein. Plant Protein Supplements These are basically the high-protein parts of grains that have had the oil removed for use in other industries. Soybean Meal This oil meal has the highest biological value and has a 44% to 48% protein content on an as-fed basis. The quality (biological value) of a protein supplement is based on a comparison of the amino acids that make up soybean protein to the amino acids required by the horse to make up his proteins. Not only do they need to have the same amino acids, Table. Minimum Crude Protein Requirement (Percent in Ration). but they should be present in the same relative percentages. Soybean meal is especially high in lysine, which is commonly low in most grains. Soybean meal is also usually the cheapest source of protein per unit of protein available for horse feeds. Soybeans should not be fed to horses in their raw form. In the raw form they contain an inhibitor of protein digestion in the horse. Raw soybeans are especially detrimental in foal rations. % In Ration % of Live Wt. Fed/Day* Mature idle horse 14.0 1.5 Pregnancy (last 90 14.5 1.5 days) Lactation (first 4 mos.) 14.5 2.0 Foals (creep feed, 18.0 2.8 nursing) Weanlings 16.0 2.3 Yearlings (12 mos.) 14.0 1.9 Yearlings (18 mos.) 13.0 1.7 Two year olds 13.0 1.5 * Percent of live weight fed is based on moisture-free feed. Actual percent of weight eaten will be higher on an as-fed basis. Also, if the horse eats more or less than this percent of its weight per day in moisture-free feed, the percent needs to be adjusted accordingly. Linseed Meal Linseed meal used to be in great demand for inclusion in feed rations for horses. This meal is high in sulfur-containing amino acids, which were thought to aid the quality of the hair coat. Actually, the quality of the hair coat came more from the oil in the meal. However, modern processing removes most of the oil, thereby decreasing its value for horse feeding. Linseed meal is about 35% protein as fed, costs more, and has a lower biological value than soybean oil meal. Linseed has been recommended in rations of horses that suffer from tying-up syndrome, because it is a good source of selenium, which helps maintain normal muscle function. Cottonseed Meal Cottonseed meal contains about 39% protein on an as-fed basis and is second to soybean oil meal in quality. If it is available and cost effective, it may be used for horses. Cottonseed meal contains a substance called gossypol that interferes with digestion and is particularly undesirable for feeding foals. Adult horses can tolerate the gossypol. Research in other species has shown cottonseed oil meal to decrease sperm production in males, and this effect is thought to occur in stallions, too. Other Sources Other protein sources such as sunflower and canola meals can be used in horse feeds. Also, brewers grains, distillers grains, and gluten are commonly used in horse feeds as protein sources. Animal Protein Supplements Animal protein supplements such as meat scraps or blood meal are not used in today’s feeds. Dr. Margaret Winsryg MNM Consulting Equine & Bovine Nutrition (208) 308-0106 3290 N 2200 E, Twin Falls, ID 83301 www.progressiverancher.com The Progressive Rancher February 2011 35
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