Today I recalled words of wisdom I was given by Wendy Dunham who was extremely successful in endurance riding. David and I crewed for her when she competed in the International Welsh Dragon Ride near Builth Wells. I was just about to mix her horse's break time feed when she stopped me. Leave it unmixed she said and then the horse can choose what it needs. I noted that each time we stopped her Arabian mare, Fiesta, chose something else first. It's the same principle behind zoopharmacognosy where the horse is offered oils, macerates and herbs in their purest form.
I ran a taste test today to find out which of his feed types Chancer prefers. As one of them is molassed he may not be choosing on health grounds! He chose his Evenkeel feed balancer first and then the Protexin, probiotic gut balancer (which I am also testing). Next he went for the more obvious Build Up Mix, followed by the soaked Lucie Nuts and then the Hi Fi non-molassed chaff. He was less inclined to kick the barrel since he could get to the food he really wanted straight away.
Now that his sarcoid treatment is over, I am bringing him back in to work again. I also rode Theoden today and he was just lovely. This morning Rye was backed and will be coming next week for more work.
