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In freezing weather or during extremely high temperatures, give each horse 1/4
scoop of electrolytes to make them drink more water and prevent dehydration.
Add molasses to feed only as directed. Most of the horses will readily eat
all their feed and do not need molasses to entice them. Molasses is used very sparingly in order to avoid causing diabetes.
Other horses have conditions such as glucose intolerance and EPM and molasses can be dangerous for them to ingest.
Supplements should already be stocked and ready for the morning feeder but if one
isn't do not assume that we are out. Check for the supplement in the feed room or up at the house. Make every
effort to get the supplement for that feed.
Do not leave lids off supplements. After a supplement is used, immediately
replace the lid. We live in a very humid climate and many of the supplements lose potency easily. Our horses cannot
afford not to receive the full benefit of their vitamins and medications. If lids are left off for a few hours, twice
a day, every day for a week, then they have already begun to deteriorate. We replace lids immediately at home
on our own vitamins and should do the same at the sanctuary.
Check that all horses have finished eating before letting them out of the stalls. Slow
eaters will not finish eating if their friends have already left the barn. If a horse doesn't finish a large portion
of its feed, listen to the stomach on both sides for gut sounds. If you don't hear any or are not sure, contact Joanie
or an officer.
Uneaten feed should be thrown in the trash or on the burn pile. Do not leave
it for the horse to finish later or give to other horses. Notate any significant amount of uneaten feed in your daily
report and notify Joanie.
Uneaten alfalfa can be distributed among other horses. Do not leave the alfalfa where other horses can't find it
or it will sit and gather fungus, mold, and bacteria. If you find alfalfa leftover from the evening feed, throw it in
the trash or burn pile. Wash out the feed bucket, and return the bucket to the stall. Notate if a horse is not
eating its alfalfa in the daily log.
In the barn, let older, weaker horses clear the barn before releasing younger, more aggressive horses from their stalls.
Kick feed buckets (not hanging ones) out of the stalls of the OLD barn (not the new barn) so that the next feeder will
not have to go into each stall to feed.
Ensure that all the runs are open and that horses can pass freely along the aisles.
PREPARING SOAKED ALFALFA CUBES
Check Whiteboard in feed room to see which horses receive alfalfa with their meal.
Measuring alfalfa: 1/4 scoop=cover 1/2 bottom of white bucket
1/2 scoop=cover bottom of white bucket with 1 layer of cubes
Cover alfalfa cubes with water until they float up abou 1-1 1/2 inches. In winter, use hot water from the tap on
the side of the house. Allow time (20-30 minutes) for the cubes to COMPLETELY fall apart in water. Check cubes
before serving to the horses. You may need to add more water (or drain off water if soupy). Hard cubes can cause
a life-threatening choke in a horse's esophagus!
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| Summer Choking |
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| Summer receiving treatment from Dr Parker. |
DAILY MEDICAL TREATMENT
Read Medical Treatment Log in med cart in new feed room.
Do all meds in book and mark off.
Check all horses for any additional conditions that may not be listed in the log. Write the problem and treatment
in the book. If unsure, see Joanie or an officer. Treat the condition.
Notify Joanie or Lauriane Nicklas if out of any medical supplies.
WATER
Refill water tubs. Strain off any debris. Wipe clean if getting slimy or silty on the bottom,
If dirty, drain and refill. Keeping an adequate water supply to the horses at all times is imperative. Most tubs
need to be checked and filled twice daily. If a tub is leaky...repair it.
Do not leave water hose in the water tub after the pump has been turned off. Water can siphon back from the tub
into the well and cause contamination.
Do not leave pump handle up (on position) for extended periods of time. This allows pressure to build up and
wears out the pump. Also after turning off the pump, open the nozzle on the end of the hose to release pressure off
the pump.
Be sure to connect hose firmly to pump. If leaking around the connection, replace washer in the hose or tap.
Prevent water from puddling in front of white block building door.
If the temperature is below 35 degrees in the day or going to fall below 35 degrees overnight, disconnect ALL
hoses, drain them completely and take off the nozzles. Place the nozzles in view on the workbench where the next feeder
can easily find them.
BUCKETS
Rinse out buckets used for carry feed in the drainage ditch in front of the old barn.
Clean spoons, ladles, knives, etc. used to prepare food and return to their proper places. Each feed room
should have a spoon, a ladle, and a measuring cup.
Do not stack buckets after they are washed. They need to air out completely. If the outside is dirty, the
dirt turns to mud and gets inside the clean bucket. In warm weather, any leftover food particles can mold. Mold
is toxic to horses.
Return white buckets for alfalfa to the yellow wagon. Include enough for the next feed.
Return other buckets to both feed rooms. Make sure each feed room has one of each color. Many feeders find
that color-coding is a useful way to keep track of each horse's feed.
CATS & CHICKENS
The cats are fed 2/3 cups of DRY cat food twice a day. The cat food is located in a 5 gallon bucket in the feed
room in the old barn. Do not feed canned food. There have been recent problems with canned food on the market.
The cats also become spoiled and refuse to eat their more nutritious dry food when fed canned food.
Feed the chickens cracked corn. It is located in a kitty litter container in the old tack room near the refrigerator.
Do not toss the chicken feed into the pasture or paddock area where the horses can eat it. Do not over feed. The
corn will lie on the ground and mold.
Keep a water bowl of fresh water under the tree in the paddock & behind the water tub in the old barn for the chickens
and the cats to drink from. If there are baby chicks around, please fill a low dish or lid for the chicks to drink from.
If a hen is sitting on a nest, please let Joanie know where it is, especially if it is in the hayloft. We will
need to move the nesting hen so the new chicks do not fall out of the loft.
FEED AND SUPPLEMENTS
Notify Joanie when the following feeds get down to these amounts:
- Regular Feed (green nutrition labels)... 7 bags
- Alfalfa Cubes......................2 bags
- Alfalfa Pellets...................1 bag
Check levels of supplements in all containers...refill any that are low and notify Joanie if any are out.
Check and replace empty vitamins...replacements are kept in the cupboard in the new feed room. Tell Joanie if any
are out.
BEFORE YOU LEAVE
For the pm shift, check every horse for any injuries or illness before you leave for the night. This includes any
horse that was not fed. The evening feeder may be the only person to check some horses until the next morning.
Regardless of whom may be on site, it is the feeder's responsibility to check the horses.
Place dirty towels and rags in the laundry bin.
Write a short report in the daily log.
Make sure feed bins and supplements have been refilled (pm) and that lids are secure.
Double check that all horse have been lef out of their stalls. The primary feeder is responsible for checking behind
all helpers.
Check fence and repair any shortages or downed wires.
Check your pockets for medications and other ranch items.
Return flax seed, juice, and Evitex to refrigerator. In winter, they must still be put in the refrigerator to prevent
them from freezing.
Latch feed and tack rooms.
Turn off all lights. (In pm the light in front of the block building is turned on.)
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