WINTER FEEDING HOW TO CUT DOWN ON HAY COSTS

The question that most folks ask me is how our ranch feeds over 70 head of horses every year and keep the feed costs to a minimum? 

Up until the winter of 2016, the only way we found was to hand feed daily and document the weight of hay being fed.  This is still an option for most folks.  Now I must be clear that with a herd with our numbers, we do not feed many small square bales.  Although convenient, purchasing small square bales simply costs more than purchasing round bales when determined on a per ton basis.

In 2016 we tested the feasibility of continuing to offer free choice but with hay nets on our big round bales.  Hay nets are available in sizes from 1”-2.5” openings in for small squares and rounds up to 1800lbs in most major brands. We use tried both Econet and Nagbag brands but decided to stay wit the Nag Bag as they are made with slightly heavier netting and have a larger draw string.  Our estimate is that we cut down our hay bill by a whopping 30-35%.  2016 hay cost many of us upwards of $250 per ton in the province of Alberta so saving 30% is a big chunk of change.

Here are some benefits of hay nets that we found regardless whether or not you use them on big rounds, or small squares.

1.       Horses do not overeat.  As we all know horses will often continue to eat even when they are not really hungry.  You know what I am talking about……..when you go out to see your horses after a couple of weeks on free choice hay without a net, you have to take a second look to identify them because they all of a sudden are overweight and looking soggy in the midsection.  The secret to the net is that it requires the horse to pick away at the hay which simulates more of a natural grazing pattern.  When they are full, they usually will stop eating and go to the corner of the pen or pasture and relax.

2.       Hay stays out of major crevices.   We still have the V-rack feeders for small squares.  The health problem with the V-Rack is that hay falls into their eyes and tear ducts in front of their eyes (one crevice you do not want obstructions in).  Is there health issues when using a round bale in a round bale feeder with free choice hay without a net?  Well, the horse often gets their entire head down into the bale.  This leads to the same problem mentioned above as well as any dust will more than likely be inhaled by your horse (another major crevice that you do not want obstructed).  In other words if the hay is a little dusty, which is sometimes the case even after close inspection, it can cause respiratory problems like EDIS (heaves).  Nets do not allow the horse to get their head right into the bale but rather work at it from the outside inwards.

3.       Wind not welcome here.  If you live in Southern Alberta you know what I am speaking of.  It is not out of the ordinary to have a 100-120 km/hr. wind during the winter months.  Two weeks ago, the wind close to Waterton Lakes National Park (Which is right where Rocking Heart Ranch is located) reached 132 km/hr.  Physics dictates that free choice hay in a standard round bale feeder ends up elsewhere other than the horse’s belly.  We used to joke about Medicine Hat getting most of our hay via the wind (our primary strong winds come out of the SW).  The wind simply cannot blow the hay away when you have a net with 1.5” openings on it. 

4.       Waste in general.  Even with some of the best feeders on the market the horses end up standing in hay or wasting it in some way.  We use our bull feeders with round bales and hay nets to combat this.  You never see a horse standing in hay.

5.       Horse health.  So “Does your horse get enough to eat”.  The answer is yes.   The average adult AQHA horse of 1100 lbs does not need much more than 30lbs of hay per day if they are also on mineral which all of our horses are.  Most of our horses are actually healthier as they are not carrying extra unnecessary weight.  This is particularly noticeable when we take our riding horses out for the day after an extended break.  Before using hay nets the back cinch needed to be done up tighter several times during the day and the horses seemed lethargic for the first few hours.  This is now not the case.  Tightening that back cinch once per day usually does the trick and the horses seem ready to go and stay the course all day long.

Like most new ideas there are a few things that you must watch for when using hay nets.  Make sure that if you have shod horses that the netted hay is in some kind of feeder so that the horse cannot get their shoes caught in it.   Always make sure that when you insert a new bale, round or small square, that the end gets tied tight and small with the tightening rope that comes with the net.  We always take the extra tightening rope and insert it inside the net (between the net and the bale) so that horses do not get caught in it.  When introducing horses to the new hay with a net, regardless of age, a days’ worth of free choice hay should be supplied.  This gives them a chance to figure out how to use their lips rather than their teeth to extract the hay through the net.  After a day or so they will figure it out and you are on your way. 

One other thing to consider is when spring comes around to evaluate how fast your horse or horses will eat a round bale that is netted.  Colder days with rain and wet snow followed by warmer days often accompany spring conditions which can cause hay to mold if it is not eaten within a few weeks.  When the ground gets wet your hay can also start to spoil from the ground up, so you may want to consider finding an old tractor tire to put your netted round bale on.  This keeps it off of the ground and dry.

Lastly there is the cost of the nets to consider.  A large 7’ * 7’ net averages around $290-$330 per net before GST.   For us it was a ‘no-brainer’ to spend the money on 10-12 nets given the substantial savings in hay and healthier horses to boot.

Marc Garner

Rocking Heart Ranch Operations

Is it a grade or an American Quarter Horse?

OK, lets start off with this:

So what would you suppose is wrong with this picture (other than it is a little blurry)?

While you check it out, I am going to describe my concerns with posting a horse in a sale this way.

As part of a family ranch that works very hard to promote the  American Quarter Horse in Canada this ad challenges all that we do.

Have you picked out the problems yet?  

OK....Here we have a horse advertised as a grade QH....what exactly is a grade QH?  For starters if this horse had an AQHA registration certificate with the current owner listed it would be able to advertised as an AQHA Sorrel Mare.  Clearly the horse was not registered or the proper paperwork like transfers and DNA testing was not carried out by the seller so how do you even know if it is actually a quarter horse of any kind.  I ride with many people who have different breeds that often look no different than an American Quarter horse to those of an untrained eye.  So lets assume for a minute that it is in fact an unregistered quarter horse which means that the proper paperwork was not submitted to the American Quarter Horse Association or the lineage was unable to be confirmed by AQHA.  How do you actually know for sure that the lineage that is indicated in the ad is truthful or even remotely accurate?   How do you prove that the horse has an accurate birth date?  You could by rights be purchasing a hefty looking paint horse (I have no problem with other breeds as I like all horses) which really means that you are willing to take the word of the person selling the horse.  Now do not get me wrong as there are many truthful and honest people in the horse business but I think everyone knows a few that are not.  It is those that are costing reputable breeders, and more importantly making it very difficult for new buyers to make an informed decision.  Purchasing a horse that suits a family or an individual should be made as easy as possible.....

So here is what I think the ad should have for information:

• The Lot number
• The consignor
• The name and age (looking at the horses teeth will help determine this) of the horse
• A Title that reads "Grade Sorrel Mare"
• A description as to the level of training and other important traits like disposition and confirmation qualities with no reference at all made to any kind of pedigree anywhere in the ad.

I will not address the comments in the ad that indicate the horse is "ready to go in any direction" after only 30 days training as that is a completely different post although I do appreciate the seller indicating that some important basics have been completed like "Easy To Catch" and "Loads Well". 

AQHA requires all stallions and mares to be DNA tested to verify future lineage before any offspring will be allowed to be registered for breeding purposes.  There is no question that a registration certificate proves lineage (believe me when I tell you that they will catch you if you make a mistake which can happen in larger herds when you try to register a mare to be bred that has parents that were inaccurately indicated on the registration certificate) which provides additional value to the registered American Quarter Horse, particularly to those buyers that are looking for a certain quality based on that pedigree.

I think it is time that sellers take responsibility for their equines by selling the horse based on provable genetics through a pedigree by taking the time to properly register that horse so that they and other responsible and reputable breeders are looked upon as producing horses with added value.  For those that do not see that importance I would kindly ask you to desist from trying to sell your grades with an AQHA pedigree beside them.  

Marc Garner

AQHA and CQHA Director for Alberta and Always AQHA Proud.

Alberta AQHA Trail Ride Fun For All

What a great time it was.....On July 15-17 and July 22-24, Host Kathy Kolesar who is a two time Canadian Champion distance trail rider organized and carried out two separate trail ride weekends in beautiful Writing On Stone Provincial Park.  Both Les and Lindsay Ohara who are seasoned professionals conducted each ride and described the landmarks and events that took place so long ago.

As a new director for the American Quarter Horse Association here in Alberta I was honoured to have AQHA sponsor these rides.  Each weekend consisted of a short 2 hour ride on Friday night, an all day ride on Saturday, and a short 2 hour morning ride on Sunday.  The first weekend consisted of 45 riders with about 24 riders on the second weekend.

Saturday nights included a "Burn Your Own Steak" supper with side dishes provided by Jackie Cook, the hosts sister with help from my wife Susanne who cooked baked beans, baked potato, and coleslaw.  Jackie also provided a morning concession on Saturday and Sunday morning for breakfast.  Her breakfast sandwiches are so good!!  It was so exciting to be able to award prizes supplied by AQHA like embroidered pullovers and a hat along with other various AQHA prizes to those that put in for the draw.

The trails challenged riders to belly deep river crossings every day, inclines with a sandstone base, and boggy creek crossings out and back.  What is unique about this particular ride is that a guide is required with restricted access in order to preserve the petroglyphs from vandalism.  Riders were treated to seeing the NWMP barracks erected in 1875 which is about the same time Chief Sitting Bull came across the 49th parallel in escape of the US Cavalry.  Whisky Tree, Police coulee, and several areas where protected petroglyphs (indian writings) were described and viewed as only can be from a guided tour via horseback.  Nights also allowed horses and riders to swim with their horses in the Milk River.  What a cool experience it is to ride your horse out bareback into the river, swim beside them, and get on once they are able to get a footing on the bottom as they exit.

Of course these rides require good horseman to act as drag riders to aid anyone who may need help.   I enlisted the help of my two sons Colton and Graydon for this of which I was grateful for.

I have never met so many people that truly are "old time" tough and durable both physically and emotionally as neither the questionable weather (at times), horse mishaps, or other obstacles stopped them from enjoying themselves.  Meeting people from B.C., Alberta, and Saskatchewan who took part and getting to know a little bit about them was one of the highlights of this ride.

Regardless of what type of horse my fellow trail riders own and enjoy, my hope is that those that attended had a great time, learned a little about their horse and themselves, and perhaps a little bit about the most versatile and dependable breed of horse in the world...The American Quarter Horse.

Always AQHA Proud


Marc Garner
AQHA and CQHA Director For Alberta

Keeping active with your horse during the winter.

Do you find that you and your horse(s) lose touch with each other during the winter?  Perhaps you do not have access to an indoor arena or the means to get them to one.   Maybe you do not have many pens to work in.  If the weather outside is not what is stopping you then you have options.

I myself am not a 'fair weather' horseman therefore I always find ways of engaging my horse(s) during the winter months.  Here are some ideas:

I spend time working on pressure points.  Very little tack is needed for this; only a halter and some time.  I will leave the house for about one hour and go to an open area in the pen or pasture and ask the horse to move away from from my hand.  This includes areas that in the future that (when you are in the saddle) move the horses head, neck, shoulders, and hips.  Ask for a little bit more every day.

Try different tack. This may mean getting them used to a different kind of bit or headstall. You may want to work them in a hackmore for something different.  In the past I have been known to tack up a horse with a different headstall in their pen and leave them for a couple of hours while I go about completing chores or other tasks.  Should you decide to try this make sure that the pen or stall is clear of anything that may get caught on the headstall or bit, and that the horse is alone.  Take the reins off as well.  Tying them up or around the neck is just asking for a problem.  Make sure to check on your horse from time to time.  Of course the bits must be comfortable for the horse.  Their teeth and believe it or not the size of their tongue will determine whether or not a bit will work for them.  

How well can you handle your horses feet?  Make it easy for your ferrier, work on picking up all 4 of your horses feet with ease.  This includes moving those feet while elevated to the front and back of their shoulder and hips.

If all else fails you can always improve how well that horse leads.  There is nothing worse than trying to lead a horse that 'leans' on the halter, you know....... you pull slightly and the horse follows but chooses to stay at the speed of their choice no matter how much you tug on them.  Getting your horse supple in the halter at all speeds is an essential basic training element.  I spend many hours training and retraining many of our good saddle horses to give to the halter with ease regardless where the trainer stands or what speed the trainer wishes to go.  Proper halter manners will lead into your horse making a connection to other training particularly in the bridle.

Winter is a great time to work on some of the more basic training that each horse aught to be exposed to.  Much of this training can be accomplished with very little tack and in many cases no saddle is required.

Train Safe

Marc.

Doing it again in 2014

In 2013 our family was thrilled with the turnout and response that we received from people that attended our Colt Starting Challenge and Sale.  For that reason we have decided to make it an annual event.

This year’s goals for the challenge are similar to last year and include:

1.    Get the attention of our youth by getting them excited about agriculture and horses in Canada.  We call it getting our youth “Back in the Saddle”.

2.    Showcase and promote the elite horse training talent in our country by allowing “up and coming” trainers a venue to showcase their skills and promote themselves.

3.    Educate people from all walks of life on the importance of ingraining training fundamentals on young horses.

Although I have been saying it for years, that Canada has the world’s best horse trainers; my opinion was endorsed when wild card participant Jim Anderson from the great province of Alberta won “The Road to the Horse”.  This event is the most internationally recognized horse trainer’s challenge in the world.  Trainers have three days to prepare their horse from being untouched to navigating several obstacles in the final round.  Jim received a standing ovation from a capacity crowd as he completed his victory lap followed by the Canada flag.  It was a very proud moment for all Canadians.

Our event is focused on the untapped talent of ‘back-yard’, non-promoted, but elite class of horse trainers in Canada.  Rather than focusing on results over 3 days, which is clearly possible and exciting to watch but not necessarily, desirable, our trainers are given a random two year old colt for 80 days allowing approximately 60 training sessions.  It is this approach that allows the 10 trainers to take training to a much higher level as seen by the large crowd that attended the event in 2013.  Although it is and always will have a focus on fundamentals, this year the showmanship portion will be factored in on the overall results towards determining a winner.  In 2013 trainers were laying their horses down, cracking a bull whip off of the back of their horse while standing on a bridge several feet off of the ground, bowing their horse for the crowd and more.  What is best about this approach is that not unlike people this training is retained for a much longer time.

The event in 2014 will feature 10 more of Canada’s unknown talented trainers, 50 4-H youth who will mock judge the event, free admission to the public, a draw for a 2014 weanling colt for 4-H participants, a Western style trade show, and a sale of all of the event horses to follow.  If last year’s success is any indicator of the value of this event, this year should be even better.

Mark Your Calendars for August 16^th 9:00 AM Taber Agri-plex, Taber, Alberta Canada.

Marc Garner

Rocking Heart Ranch Ltd.

Running Breeding Stallions Together Post Season

Can it or more importantly should it be done?

The answer is yes and maybe.  Running mature stallions together can be dangerous and in some cases have  fatal consequences. There are a few things that must happen before running them together and this does not guarantee positive results.

1.  Barbed wire...NO WAY!  If you do not have proper facilities, do not attempt this at any time.

2.  Females of any age withing hearing distance when they are first put together is a big no,no....   Herd stallions that have just been pulled from their herd are instinctively territorial.  If any females are around it is only natural that each stallion will want to make a claim on a potential new mate.  This can cause them to become excessively aggressive towards each other as they battle over who will reserve the right to make that claim.

3.  They must be socially compatible.  This means that they both must demonstrate a disposition that will allow them to get along without virtually killing each other first.  If you own two or more stallions that are used to getting their own way (this should not happen anyway in my opinion) they will not be good partners together.

4.  Nose to Nose.  It is important to make sure that again, with no ladies around, each horse gets used to one another.  The best way to do this is to keep them separated by a large distance for one week or so.  This usually means separate pastures or pens that have at least 20 meters between them.  Over the next week put them a little closer; perhaps 5-10 meters.  When the next week comes around you can put them nose to nose across from each other.  Now, some common sense must prevail here.  Do not put them nose to nose with only a barb wire fence between them.  What separates them must be sturdy, high, and will not cause them to sustain injury due to sharp edges or places where they can get their feet caught.  Stallions that go nose to nose will automatically sniff each other out and paw at each other in a fairly aggressive way with much snorting, screaming and so on, so be prepared by having a smooth solid partition between them.

5.  Never turn out more than one stallion at a time.  If you have followed the above process, their should never be more than two stallions in a large solid pen at one time until they are calm and used to each other.

If you have followed the above guidelines you MAY be ready to turn them in together.  Before you do ask yourself this question.  "Is their behavior to a point where they seem comfortable enough to be together"?  If your gut tells you that this is going to have fatal consequences then do not do it.  If the stallions nose to nose seem like they have overall become pals, then you are ready to turn them into together.  Remember common sense will prevail and no other person knows your horses better than you do.

6.  Lastly, you can turn them in together but it must be in a large pen without obstacles where one horse can get away from the other without injuring them self.  If they go at it, stay away as this is where people can get seriously hurt.  They will work it out.

The biggest factors in this equation is; a) how well you know your own horses and b) using some common sense through the process.  Turning in mature stallions together is always risky but running them together in the off season has its advantages including freeing up stalls or pens that each would have otherwise taken up.  You may also experience less chores and feeding along with the fact that they will eventually be great company for each other.  Horses penned up all by themselves for any length of time cause them to become lonely and possibly irritable.  Less areas to clean up.  Stallions will produce a large amount of manure in piles.  They do this to try to cover up the scent of each other.  Instead of cleaning a pen where manure is everywhere, usually there are only three to four places where large piles of manure will be present.

Essential Basic Training May Be the Key to a Successful Colt Starting Challenge.

Our 2013 Rocking Heart Ranch Ltd Colt Starting Challenge and Sale had three key goals; help in getting our youth excited about the horse industry, educate people on the importance of properly and thoroughly starting young horses, and promote trainers, people and operations including our own that care about the kind of product that is sold on the market with a guarantee that allow people to purchase with confidence. This led our family during one of our monthly transition meetings, where we usually discuss succession planning as the folks get older, to talk about how we can achieve our three main goals. We all agreed that it was important that we step out of our comfort zone and come up with something creative and exciting. A friend of mine had suggested a horse trainer’s challenge to which I almost immediately dismissed knowing that those horses normally have a saddle on them within three hours. Later that night it hit me that if I usually take about 60 sessions to thoroughly start a horse, why could we not incorporate that format into a trainers challenge? Over the next few months and meetings we had our model for Western Canada’s first solely owned and randomly drawn colt starting challenge. Starting in mid-March through to May 31st we took trainer applications from all over Western Canada. We phoned references and chose what we thought would be 10 trainers that were skilled but not necessarily well promoted. On June 15-24 they drove into the ranch yard, reached into a cowboy hat and pulled out the name of the horse that would be loaded into their trailer for them to take home and work on for the next 60 days. They left with a horse and a judges sheet showing what was expected of them come event day. On August 24th 2013, 10 of Western Canada’s most promising trainers went through their routines in front of 300 plus people, 30 young 4H members who were mock judging, and three industry leading judges. All of the essentials were part of the deal including things like picking up the horse’s feet, loading in a trailer, standing to mount and dismount, being sacked out with a grain sack, and so on. As each trainer completed their routine I explained to the crowd what was happening because I knew that there were many people in attendance that were not seasoned horse professionals. At the end of the 10 trainers compulsory routines they each were given 5 minutes to demonstrate any additional training that was put on their horse. Was this ever impressive; Trainers were laying their horses down, making them bow for the crowd, opening gates off of the horses back, and cracking a bull whip while standing on the back of their horse on a bridge two feet off the ground. These are only two year old horses! We normally do not see that level of training on most four year olds. At the end of the day three winners were announced by head judge Heather-Lynn Smith and I can tell you that determining the top three was a job that I would not want to have. Jaquelene See of Edson, AB came out as the grand champion riding RHR Ms Blue Pally and took home a prize of $5000, followed by Maria Michelle of Revelstoke, BC riding BB Sonoita Hancock who claimed second place and a new wade tree team roper saddle, with third place being taken by Terrel Oler from Canyon, BC riding RHR Miss Bar Frost winning a trophy buckle by Montana Silversmiths. Several 4H members that completed the judging forms in a mock judging scenario walked away with prizes including a pleasure saddle and a long yearling quarter horse gelding from Rocking Heart Ranch. Although we were unsure what to expect, as this sort of thing has never been done before (our family was thinking that we may see 100 people or so), we were astounded to see the bleachers of the Taber Agriplex full with standing room only at one point. The sale that followed was also an unknown for us as were unsure of what value this kind of training would bring to buyers looking for a future family type horse. Bob Perlich from Perlich Auction along with four ring men took bids on 15 horses including the 10 two year old event horses, two yearlings, two three year olds, and a broodmare all from Rocking Heart Ranch. The sale averaged $3200 on the 15 head with the high seller BB Sonoita Hancock bringing a bid of $7000. The trainers that competed were: Barry Arnestad Claresholm, AB Jaquelene See Edson, AB Jon Blackmore Magrath, AB Terrel Oler Canyon, BC Calvin Bevans Lethbridge, AB Renee Gareau Camrose, AB Maria Michelle Revelstoke, BC Sid Matsalla Yorkton, SK Clem Lowry Perryvale, AB Rod Olsen Cardston, AB Judges included Dr. Heather Lynn Smith from Taber, AB, Rose Perozak from Fort Macleod, AB, and Ryan Smith from Champion, AB. Although our family feels that we missed some of the little things, we have received feedback from many folks who found the event educational and exciting. Several have already been asking about next year. Our hope is that we do what is necessary to continue to achieve what people expect from us. We continue to be proud to promote “made and trained in Canada”. Marc Garner