An easy keeper, easy doer or (British English British English, or UK English , is the broad term used to distinguish the forms of the English language used in the United Kingdom from forms used elsewhere. The Oxford English Dictionary applies the term to English "as spoken or written in the British Isles; esp[ecially] the forms of English usual in Great Britain...", reserving ") good doer is a livestock Livestock refers to one or more domesticated animals raised in an agricultural setting to produce commodities such as food or fibre, or labor. The term "livestock" as used in this article does not include poultry or farmed fish; however the inclusion of these, especially poultry, within the meaning of "livestock" is common animal that can live on relatively little food. The opposite of an easy keeper is a hard keeper (poor doer), an animal that is prone to be too thin and has difficulty maintaining adequate weight.
Easy keepers tend to be found most often in breeds originally developed to survive under harsh conditions. Most pony A pony is a small horse with a specific conformation and temperament. There are many different breeds of ponies. Compared to horses, ponies often exhibit thicker manes, tails and overall coat, as well as proportionally shorter legs, wider barrels, heavier bone, thicker necks, and shorter heads with broader foreheads. On occasion, people who are breeds are easy keepers, and smaller, hardy horse breeds such as the Arabian The Arabian or Arab horse is a breed of horse that originated on the Arabian Peninsula. With a distinctive head shape and high tail carriage, the Arabian is one of the most easily recognizable horse breeds in the world. It is one of the oldest horse breeds, with archaeological evidence of horses that resemble modern Arabians dating back 4,500 or Mustang A Mustang is a free-roaming feral horse of the North American west that first descended from horses brought to the Americas by the Spanish. Mustangs are often referred to as wild horses, but the more correct term is feral horses have many representatives with this trait. Many draft horse A draft horse , draught horse (UK) or dray horse (from the Anglo-Saxon dragan meaning to draw or haul), less often called a heavy horse, is a large horse bred for hard, heavy tasks such as ploughing and farm labour. There are a number of different breeds, with varying characteristics but all share common traits of strength, patience and a docile breeds, such as the Percheron The Percheron is a breed of draft horses that originated in the Perche valley in northern France. Percherons are usually gray or black in color. They are well-muscled, and known for their intelligence and willingness to work. Although their exact origins are unknown, the ancestors of the breed were present in the valley by the 1600s. They were are also easy keepers, as are most mules A mule is the offspring of a male donkey and a female horse. Horses and donkeys are different species, with different numbers of chromosomes. Of the two F1 hybrids between these two species, a mule is easier to obtain than a hinny . All male mules and most female mules are infertile and donkeys The donkey or ass, Equus africanus asinus, is a domesticated member of the Equidae or horse family. The wild ancestor of the donkey is the African Wild Ass, E. africanus. In the western United States, a small donkey is sometimes called a burro. If overfed with a too rich modern diet, the easy keeper is prone to obesity Obesity is a medical condition in which excess body fat has accumulated to the extent that it may have an adverse effect on health, leading to reduced life expectancy and/or increased health problems. Body mass index , a measurement which compares weight and height, defines people as overweight (pre-obese) when their BMI is between 25 kg/m2 and 30 and other health problems, including laminitis Laminitis is a disease of the digital laminae of the hoof . It is most well known in horses and cattle and metabolic disorders Inborn errors of metabolism comprise a large class of genetic diseases involving disorders of metabolism. The majority are due to defects of single genes that code for enzymes that facilitate conversion of various substances into others (products). In most of the disorders, problems arise due to accumulation of substances which are toxic or.
Easy keepers may be confused with a mare A mare is an adult female horse or other equine that is pregnant Pregnancy is the carrying of one or more offspring, known as a fetus or embryo, inside the womb of a female. In a pregnancy, there can be multiple gestations, as in the case of twins or triplets. Human pregnancy is the most studied of all mammalian pregnancies. Childbirth usually occurs about 38 weeks after conception; i.e., approximately 40 weeks. However, an easy keeper tends to gain weight all over its body, not just in the belly. Easy keepers are not always easy to distinguish from a normal horse that is too fat from simple overfeeding. However, an easy keeper will gain weight quicker and lose weight slower than an ordinary horse, and when fed a standard diet geared toward an average horse, will gain, rather than maintain, weight.
While it is not a problem to keep enough weight on an easy keeper, modern animal husbandry Animal husbandry, also called animal science, stockbreeding or simple husbandry, is the agricultural practice of breeding and raising livestock. It has been practiced for thousands of years, since the first domestication of animals practices are often a challenge to such animals, as a modern diet can lead to a number of health problems, including obesity Obesity is a medical condition in which excess body fat has accumulated to the extent that it may have an adverse effect on health, leading to reduced life expectancy and/or increased health problems. Body mass index , a measurement which compares weight and height, defines people as overweight (pre-obese) when their BMI is between 25 kg/m2 and 30 and, in some cases, laminitis Laminitis is a disease of the digital laminae of the hoof . It is most well known in horses and cattle. Some easy keepers may be prone to insulin resistance Insulin resistance is a physiological condition where the natural hormone, insulin, becomes less effective at lowering blood sugars. The resulting increase in blood glucose may raise levels outside the normal range and cause adverse health effects. Certain cell types such as fat and muscle cells require insulin to absorb glucose. When these cells, Equine Metabolic Syndrome This is an area of much new research and is increasingly believed to have a major role in conditions such as laminitis. Although many factors (including cortisol metabolism and adipocyte turnover) are involved, the primary cause is insulin resistance. This is similar to type II diabetes in humans, where the action of insulin is impaired, despite (EMS), and possibly are more likely to develop Cushing's disease Pituitary ACTH hypersecretion is a form of hyperpituitarism characterized by an abnormally high level of ACTH produced by the anterior pituitary later in life. Easy keepers with a susceptibility to various metabolic problems are also more prone to develop a "cresty" neck, and to not lose weight in that area, even when placed on a diet.
While easy keepers often thrive in the wild and can survive where other horses might starve, domesticated Domestication or taming is the process whereby a population of animals or plants, through a process of selection, becomes accustomed to human provision and control. A defining characteristic of domestication is artificial selection by humans. Some species such as the Asian Elephant, numerous members of which have for many centuries been used as horses require strict monitoring of their diet. In particular, easy keepers require very limited amounts of fructan A fructan is a polymer of fructose molecules. They occur in foods such as agave, artichokes, asparagus, green beans, leeks, onions , yacon, jícama, and wheat and other non-structural carbohydrates (NSC). NSCs are found in higher concentrations in fresh spring grass, cool-season grasses, whole grains, late fall grass that has been exposed to a light but not killing frost, and drought-stressed pastures. NSCs are lower in healthy summer pastures, warm-season grasses, and in pelleted feeds.
Proper nutrition Equine nutrition is the feeding of horses, ponies, mules, donkeys, and other equines. Correct and balanced nutrition is a critical component of proper horse care for an easy keeper involves restricting the diet to mostly a low-NSC hay Hay is grass, legumes or other herbaceous plants that have been cut, dried, and stored for use as animal fodder, particularly for grazing livestock such as cattle, horses, goats, and sheep. Hay is also fed to pets such as rabbits and guinea pigs. Pigs may be fed hay, but they do not digest it as efficiently as more fully herbivorous animals or very time-limited amounts of grazing on healthy pastures Pasture is land with vegetation cover used for grazing of livestock as part of a farm, or in ranching or other unenclosed pastoral systems or used by wild animals for grazing or browsing. Prior to the advent of factory farming, pasture was the primary source of food for grazing animals such as cattle and horses. It is still used extensively,.
Any grain Cereals, grains, or cereal grains are grasses cultivated for the edible components of their fruit seeds (botanically, a type of fruit called a caryopsis): the endocarp, germ, and bran. Cereal grains are grown in greater quantities and provide more food energy worldwide than any other type of crop; they are therefore staple crops. In their natural or other concentrated feed is only required in very small quantities, if at all, even for a horse that is getting regular work. However, an easy keeper may occasionally require vitamin A vitamin is an organic compound required as a nutrient in tiny amounts by an organism. In other words, an organic chemical compound is called a vitamin when it cannot be synthesized in sufficient quantities by an organism, and must be obtained from the diet. Thus, the term is conditional both on the circumstances and the particular organism. For or mineral A mineral is a naturally occurring solid chemical substance that is formed through geological processes and that has a characteristic chemical composition, a highly ordered atomic structure, and specific physical properties. By comparison, a rock is an aggregate of minerals and/or mineraloids and does not have a specific chemical composition supplements. When this is the case, a separate commercial supplement added to a very small quantity of feed that is not premixed with supplements is preferred to a premixed "complete" feed that has supplements added. A complete feed has to be fed at a certain quantity for the animal to obtain proper amounts of the added supplements, which is often more food than an easy keeper requires.
If a complete feed is needed because the horse is used for intense physical activity with high energy requirements, or as a supplement due to a hay shortage or when there are very high prices for fodder In agriculture, fodder or animal feed is any foodstuff that is used specifically to feed domesticated livestock such as cattle, goats, sheep, horses, chickens and pigs. Most animal feed is from plants but some is of animal origin. "Fodder" refers particularly to food given to the animals , rather than that which they forage for that make a complete feed a cost-effective option, there are specialized complete feeds designed for ponies and easy keepers. These mixes are low in calories and NSC, but with necessary nutrition. In the United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland[note 7] is a sovereign state located off the northwestern coast of continental Europe. It is an island country, spanning an archipelago including Great Britain, the northeastern part of the island of Ireland, and many small islands. Northern Ireland is the only part of the UK with a land, these feeds are sometimes called "pony nuts." In the United States ^ b. English is the de facto language of American government and the sole language spoken at home by 80% of Americans age five and older. Spanish is the second most commonly spoken language, there is no special term, though such feeds are often labeled as "Lite" feeds, or marketed as a pony mix.
Management There are many aspects to horse care. Horses, ponies, mules, donkeys and other domesticated equids require attention from humans for optimal health and long life of an easy keeper requires not only monitoring of diet but also regular exercise, ideally aerobic exercise Aerobic exercise is physical exercise that intends to improve the oxygen system Aerobic means "with oxygen", and refers to the use of oxygen in the body's metabolic or energy-generating process. Many types of exercise are aerobic, and by definition are performed at moderate levels of intensity for extended periods of time obtained by riding Equestrianism refers to the skill of riding or driving horses. This broad description includes both use of horses for practical, working purposes as well as recreational activities and competitive sports or driving Driving, when applied to horses, ponies, mules, or donkeys, is a broad term for hitching equines to a wagon, carriage, cart, sleigh, or other horse-drawn vehicle by means of a harness and working them in this way. It encompasses a wide range of activities from pleasure driving, to harness racing, to farm work, horse shows, and even International the animal on a regular basis.
References
- Safer Grass website
- Adams, Martin. "Feeding the Easy Keeper" EquuSSource, accessed September 29, 2007
- Ralston, Sarah. "Maintenance of the "Easy Keeper" Horse", Publication Number: FS799, Rutgers NJAES Cooperative Extension, 1 December 2001
- Gray, Lynda F. "How to Keep Weight off Your Horse: Managing the Easy Keeper", SmartPakEquine, accessed September 29, 2007
External links
Categories: Horse management
Q. I need a website with free fantasy baseball keeper leagues. If so its an easy 10 points
Asked by dragonforwordd10 - Sat Feb 2 13:32:02 2008 - - 2 Answers - 0 Comments
A. ESPN has them.
Answered by tar_heel_fan_44 - Sat Feb 2 14:20:26 2008
