FEEDING SCHEDULE. Instructor Club/Center Region Year. Lesson Procedure

Transcription

1 FEEDING SCHEDULE Instructor Club/Center Region Year Topic: Feeding Schedule Class Size: 1-8 Arena Size needed: none needed Level/Certificate: D-1-D-2 Time: minutes, depending on how many and if the schedules will be completed in the lesson or sent home to be done. Objective: D-2 Nutrition: explain feeding schedule for own mount. Equipment Needed: blank feeding schedules pencils small Ziploc bags of 2 grains(mixed & oats?) of equal volume scale & flake of hay in plastic bag Safety Concerns: None. This can be completed indoors References: USPC D Manual, 2 nd Edition pp. 200 Horse Management Handbook Health Maintenance Record Book p. 6 Safety Check: none needed Medical Armband or Bracelet Lesson Procedure 1. Introduction of Self/Students Name tags are helpful. Hello, my name is and I am a certified member from Pony Club or Riding Center. Let s go around the room and you can tell me your name, certification, if your horse or pony eats grain, hay or both. Allow the students to do this and give each one a name tag. As an instructor you might want to write down their name as they say it, and what their horse eats. This could be done on a large chart for all to see. 2. Verbalize Objective of Lesson Today we are going to talk about your horses /ponies feeding schedule. 3. Ask Prior Knowledge of Topic I see that of you feed grain and hay, and of you just feed just hay. How do you know when it is time to feed your horse and what to feed? 4. Demonstrate/Discussion: Horses and ponies have a delicate digestive system? Do you know what that means? (explain). They also like their feeding routine to be the same every day. What do you think will happen if we feed him a different kind of grain each week maybe sweet feed one week and oats another week? (Show them a small plastic zip lock bag of each sample oats and sweet feed.) That would be like you eating just candy bars for a week and then the next week eating just vegetables and fruits. What would that be like? How would you feel? Do you think horses would be the same? Horses have a delicate digestive system and you must slowly make any changes slowly or they can get sick, have a stomach ache, which is called colic.

2 Now, let s say I gave half of you your snack at the beginning of the lesson and the other half at the end of the lesson (fudge). How would you each feel? Well horses like to eat all at the same time and no one likes to wait. If they have to wait what do you think would happen? (kick, paw, run around, whinny, bite, get a stomach ache)? How would you feel if today and tomorrow we just decided to skip your breakfast? How do you think horses would feel if they are not fed on time, every day? (kick, paw, run around, whinny, bite, get a stomach ache) Let s say you got sick and had to stay in bed. How would I know what to feed your horse/pony and when? 5. Application of the activity: So you can see why it is important to feed your horse every day at the same time, with everyone else eating at the same time too. It is also important to feed your horse the correct amount and the same feed every day. One way to make sure this happens is to make and post a feeding schedule for your horse/pony. So today we are going to do one for your horse/pony. (Pass out a feeding chart to each student and pencils. Complete as much as possible of the chart with them). 6. Additional Ideas if time allows: Weigh a flake of hay (in plastic bag) and discuss flake vs weight Weigh the two grain samples, which have equal amount of volume discuss Discuss why horses eat different grains and different amounts relate to their pony/horse 7. Conclusion: Ask: What did you learn today? Why should you feed all the horses at the same time? Why should you feed the horses at the same time every day-8 am and 6pm? Why shouldn t you switch your horse s food each week to a different kind? Where should you post your feed schedule? Your homework is to make sure your feeding chart is complete and posted in the feed room and on your horse s stall. Thank you for coming today. Diagrams/dimensions/distances: blank feeding schedule

3 FEED CHART Mount s Name: Stall: Owner s Name Feeding #1 Feeding #2 Feeding #3 Feeding #4 Concentration/Grain Roughages/Hay Supplements Form of Salt (circle): block loose in feed Type of Grain Type of Hay Supplement Name Purpose Dosage/Amount Time Given Supplement Medication Medication Notes:

4 NOTES for your information/resources: Health Maintenance Record Book p. 6 ================================================================================ HM Handbook Hay/Roughage Measured by flakes or weight. If measured in flakes, the weight to flakes conversion must be listed the Feed Chart. Example: 1 flake = 5 lbs Grain The team/member must have a scale to weigh the concentrates or a volume measure with a premeasured weight per volume (For example, 1 quart = 1 lb, one can = 14 oz, 2scoops = 1 kilo, etc.). Each feed type will have a different weight per volume, so each bulk feed must have its own volume measure. - This weight to volume conversion must be listed on the Feed Chart. =================================================================

5 Harris, Susan E. ( ). The United States Pony Club Manual of Horsemanship: Basics for Beginners / D Level (Kindle Locations ). Turner Publishing Company. Kindle Edition. Feeding Schedule A pony should be fed on a regular schedule at the same times every day. Ponies get used to regular feeding times. If they are not fed on time, they get upset, can become ill, or may damage the stall or injure themselves by kicking, banging on the stall, or chewing on wood. Ponies need to eat small meals several times a day; never one big meal all at once. A stabled pony must be fed at least twice a day (three times a day is better). Some pastured ponies are fed only grain or extra hay once a day (depending on how much extra food they need and how they are managed), but they can graze as much as they need to. Write down and post your pony s feeding schedule what times he is fed and how much he gets for each feeding. The United States Pony Clubs, Inc. The Kentucky Horse Park, 4041 Iron Works Parkway, Lexington, KY / (PONY) Fax 859/ uspc@ponyclub.org Copying permitted for internal use by and for members and volunteers of The United States Pony Clubs only.