Preparing for Summer: Keeping Your Horse Cool and Hydrated

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Preparing for Summer: Keeping Your Horse Cool and Hydrated

I believe we can all agree that summer has arrived, and it’s time to get ready for those scorching hot days.

Fresh, Cool Water

Hydration is essential during the hot months, but poor water quality can significantly reduce your horse’s water intake. Most horses prefer not to drink warm water, so providing fresh, cool water on a daily basis is crucial. Dark-colored troughs or buckets left in direct sunlight will absorb heat and warm the water quickly.

  • Keep horse water troughs and buckets clean and free from algae to encourage drinking
  • Be aware that accumulated algae and debris may be difficult to see at the bottom of dark-colored troughs.
  • An additional tip: overfill water buckets and troughs to maintain moisture for your horse’s hooves, especially in dry climates.

Supplementation

Horse feeds typically lack sufficient salt to fulfill their daily sodium needs. Therefore, it is advisable to provide an extra source of salt. At the very least, a salt block should be readily available. However, since horses are not natural lickers, they may not consume enough on their own. A good way to ensure they get enough salt is to top-dress their feed with 2 oz of plain salt each day.

During the “sweating season,” whether due to temperature, workload, or travel, you should switch to a quality electrolyte. This will provide essential minerals such as potassium and calcium, along with salt, that your horse loses through sweat. The best electrolytes are primarily mineral-based, not sugar-laden.

Shelter

We all know how refreshing it is to relax under a shade tree in the summer compared to being exposed to the full sun, and your horse feels the same way. If your turnout areas lack trees, consider providing a run-in shed or a fabric sunscreen as shelter to help keep your horses cool.

  • Horses primarily cool themselves through evaporative and convective cooling.
  • To assist them, consider giving cool baths or using sprinklers to enhance their comfort and reduce their need to sweat.
  • If there’s no breeze, provide a fan to circulate the air. Some farms even use large golf course fans to keep horses cool in pastures.
  • Additionally, remember that being outside in the sun may be more comfortable than being in a stuffy barn with poor airflow.

Exercise and Heat Stress in Horses

Metabolic heat generated by exercise is a significant source of heat for horses; therefore, it is best to limit strenuous exercise to early morning or late evening when temperatures and humidity are lower. Alternatively, consider easing up on hard training during the hottest months of summer.

Even though summer can be challenging with the heat, these tips can help your horse stay healthy and happy throughout the year. Here are some of our favorite summertime essentials for your horses, whether at home or in travel-friendly sizes:

RepleniMash:

On a hot day, during a long haul, or after a tough ride, reach for Purina® RepleniMash™. With built-in electrolytes and Outlast® Gastric Support, it’s the perfect solution to rehydrate, replenish, and comfort your horse when they need it most.

Purina RepleniMash is conveniently available in a 7lb travel size or a larger 25lb bag!

MQ Systemiq

Ensuring Your Horse’s Probiotic is Effective

How can you be sure the probiotic you’re giving to your horse is truly effective? There’s a chance it might not be. For a probiotic to function optimally, it needs to remain alive throughout both the manufacturing process and the horse’s acidic stomach. It’s time to rethink your approach and gain assurance in your choice with Purina’s new MQ Systemiq probiotic supplement.

Benefits of MQ Systemiq™ Probiotic Supplement

Whether your horse encounters challenges from intense exercise, trailering, competition, or occasional gastrointestinal stress, the Systemiq™ probiotic supplement supports horses at all levels in overcoming these obstacles. Its research demonstrates that it remains live and active despite the demands of manufacturing and the harsh gastric environment, providing a systemic effect for your horse. Don’t just take our word for it; listen to theirs.

 

 

 

 

Purina Outlast Gastric Support Supplement

Many horse owners trust Purina Outlast Gastric Support Supplement for maintaining their horses’ comfort, especially during stressful times like travel, competition season or fluctuating temperatures. This supplement acts swiftly, provides long-lasting relief, and surpasses other gastric support options.

What Makes It Unique?

  • In-Depth Research: Purina’s team of Ph.D. experts has conducted over 33 research projects to explore how the Outlast supplement enhances gastric health.
  • Exclusive Ingredient: The proprietary mineral complex found in Outlast® is sourced from seaweed-based calcium harvested off the coast of Iceland.
  • Unique Calcium Source- In contrast to other calcium sources labeled as “calcite,” the “seaweed-derived calcium” in the Outlast® supplement offers distinct benefits.

Purina’s Outlast Gastric Supplement is conveniently available in a 9lb travel size or a larger 40lb bag!

 

Equitub w/ClariFly

 

Purina’s Equitub w/ClariFly is a premium self-fed supplement that provides gastric support, fly control, and consistent nutrition in an easy-to-feed and convenient form. This innovative horse tub combines 3 supplements into a single product:

  1. ClariFly larvicide is expelled in manure, where it helps control house and stable fly populations by interrupting their life cycle.
  2. Outlast gastric support supplement promotes gastric health and proper pH.
  3. Amplify nugget to support endurance and bloom.

Available in a 55lb tub.

 

#PurinaEquine #FeedGreatness #horsefeed #localfeedstore #gastricdistress #outlastsupplement #performancehorse #pleasurehorse #equinehydration #flycontrol #supplementyourhorse #BFS #FarmStore

Certified Weed Free Orchard Grass & Straw at Burns Feed Store

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Why Weed Free Forage?

Using weed free forage is a proactive method of preventing our natural and working lands from invasion by noxious weeds. Our natural and working lands are especially vulnerable following catastrophic events like wildfire and flooding and using weed free forage can help mitigate the risk of invasion during recovery. Using weed free forage also ensures that you are providing the most nutritious and palatable version of a product to your livestock, free of undesirable and sometimes toxic weeds. For producers, ODA’s Weed Free Forage and Gravel Program provides an opportunity to add value to your products while contributing to overall ecosystem resilience.

Certified weed free hay and straw are in high demand in Oregon and throughout the western states. The Oregon Department of Agriculture (ODA) Weed Free Forage & Gravel Program, as part of an integrated weed management approach, helps limit the spread of noxious weeds and protect Oregon agriculture. The ODA follows the standards set by the North American Invasive Species Management Association (NAISMA; www.naisma.org). Additionally, inspections include Oregon’s listed ‘A’ and ‘B’ listed noxious weeds which can be found at www.oda.direct/NoxiousWeedProfiles

In Oregon, individuals utilizing livestock, horses, or pack animals on U.S. Forest Service land, Bureau of Land Management (BLM) land, and designated Wilderness Areas are required to use certified weed-free forage. This regulation aims to prevent the spread of invasive plant species. Additionally, this requirement extends to contractors engaged in public projects, recreational outfitters, and anyone transporting hay or forage across public lands for any purpose.

 

Planning Your Straw Bale Garden for Next Spring

Gardeners, are you already preparing for next spring’s Straw Bale Garden? Here’s something to consider: it’s crucial to use weed-free straw bales for your garden. Weeds are one of the main issues this gardening method aims to combat. Conventional straw bales can contain unwanted seeds that may germinate once the conditioning process begins.

Benefits of Straw Bale Gardening

By selecting the right bales and conditioning them correctly, you can fully enjoy the benefits of straw bale gardening:

  • Fewer weeds:The most significant advantage is a substantial reduction in weeds, as you’re not working with traditional soil.
  • Less soil trouble: This method is ideal for areas with poor or rocky soil.
  • Reduced pest and disease issues: Planting above ground can help minimize problems associated with soil-borne diseases.
  • Improved accessibility: The elevated height of the bales makes gardening easier on your back.

 

At Burns Feed Store, we currently have in stock Certified Weed Free Orchard Grass as well as a Certified Weed Free Straw.

Gate Maintenance

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Gate and System Maintenance

These guidelines are meant to be general in nature and specific needs will vary based on your environment.

Getting Started:

  • Adjust the gate hinges to make sure the gate swings level, plumb and freely throughout the full opening and closing range of motion. Level is horizontal and plumb vertical. Plumb refers to something being straight up and down. The gate post(s) needs to be plumb and hinges need to be aligned vertically. When a gate/post is not plumb it may surge/hesitate in a particular direction of its travel and possibly not function.
  • Clean your gate with a mild cleaner, a rag, a soft brush, and a water hose to remove dirt and dust.
  • Do any rust removal and touch up painting, that you might deem necessary.

The Gate:

Keeping your gates swinging easily and freely is very important so that your gate opener system continues to work correctly. If your ball-bearing/bearing type gate hinges are binding, out of grease, or have become difficult to move, your gate opener system may treat this as an obstruction. If it seems to be associated in some way with the temperature the problem can likely be resolved by lubricating your gate hinges. If the hinges are worn or damaged replace them.

We suggest removing the pin from the front of the operator and working the grease into the gate hinges as much as possible. Use a grease suited for the temperature range in your location. Lithium-based grease tends to work well in many applications. Don’t forget to put the front clevis pin back into the front of the operator when you have finished greasing the hinges.

 

Lubricate The Operator Arm

Using a silicone spray, you can maintain/clean the silver aluminum push-pull tube (with the operator arm extended and the system turned off) , spray a clean cloth with the silicone and wipe the extended push-pull of the operator arm. Cleaning this part of the arm helps remove any dirt and debris that has accumulated over time and can help reduce premature wear and noise on the internal parts of the operator arm.

Check The System Batteries

As a battery ages its ability to work becomes reduced. A good rule of thumb would be to inspect the battery(s) each fall.

  • Clean any corrosion from the battery terminals and connectors. A wire brush the size of a toothbrush is a handy tool for this job. Brush it lightly until any corrosion is removed. Most automotive part stores also have some type of anti-corrosion product that can be added to your system for additional protection.
  • Check all battery and battery harness connections to ensure none of the connections are loose.
  • The batteries can be loaded tested as well
    • Disconnect the charging source. (solar panel or transformer connections)
    • Measure battery voltage.
      • a. If you have two batteries, check them individually.
      • b. If the voltage(s) is above 12 Vdc, proceed with the load test.
      • c. If the voltage(s) is below 12 Vdc, charge the batteries externally before proceeding. At no greater than 2 amps.
    • The load test will only be conducted on one battery at a time. Measure the voltage prior to operation. Activate the unit while continuing to monitor the voltage. The voltage should drop less than .5 volt during the cycle.
    • Repeat for 4 more half cycles (open or close) pausing for approximately 10 seconds in between activations. The voltage should drop less than .5 volt during these movements.
    • If the voltage drops are greater than .5 a volt the battery/batteries should be replaced.

Solar Installations

  • Use glass cleaner: Clean the glass on your solar panel to remove any algae, mold, mildew, or dirt that may have accumulated throughout the year. Keeping your solar panel glass clean helps to maximize the potential charging ability of the panel which is more important during the winter months as the number of hours of unobstructed sunlight hitting the panel decreases. Move/relocate panel if needed.
  • Using the screwdriver provided with your kit, tighten any of the wiring terminal connections that are loose.

E-Z Haul Carts

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The perfect balance of an E-Z Haul Cart will get the job done with less effort.

These carts are built to last! They are made with the most durable components to handle big loads, regardless of cart size.

The E-Z Haul Cart is available in three sizes with load ratings from 250 to 600 pounds.

Sizes available at Burns Feed Store are:
5 1/2Cu.Ft. Garden Cart
8Cu.Ft. Utility Cart
11 1/2Cu.Ft. Jumbo Cart

Since 1986, the E-Z Haul cart has been manufactured in the United States, to provide cost effective service for new products and replacement parts. We carry a full line of replacement parts if you need to spruce up your old cart!

E-Z Haul Carts are Affordable, Durable and Versatile!