Page 28 - The Game March 2006

28 The Game, March 2006 Your Thoroughbred Racing Community Newspaper
Special Advertorial Feature
Health & Nutrition 2006
BarleyGrass-MorethanJustaTreat
By Stacie Roberts
I don’t know about your barn, but when John Landry, “the grass guy” shows up in our shed row at Woodbine, the horses nicker and chat because they know that they are about to receive a tasty treat of fresh Barley Grass. However, unbeknown to the horses, Barley Grass is more than just a treat, it is actually very good for their health.
Barley grass is a naturally balanced source of fibre, which, when grown hydro- ponically into grass, is a concentrated, potent source of vitamins, minerals, enzymes, antioxidants, and essential amino acids.
Barley grass acts as the missing link between what the horse eats and how it‘s feed is utilized in the body. The enzymes in the grass allow for better digestion and absorption of the minerals and vitamins in the food that they eat. The natural chlorophyll in barley grass helps to purify the blood that feeds the body and also helps to take away the toxins. The result is that the horse can better utilize the energy in their food which gives them more strength and stamina and allows them to recuperate faster after training and racing.
Trainers at Woodbine who feed their horses barley grass can’t say enough about
it: “I have been using it for years.” says Trainer Mike DePaulo, “The horses enjoy it and it is good for bad bleeders. I give them strips of the grass instead of hay. It is good for the stomach and I believe that it helps in the digestive tract. We like to graze whenever possible but when we can’t the grass is a nice fresh treat that they do enjoy.”
Woodbine’s leading trainer, Sid Attard, is also an enthusiastic user of barley grass. “I have been feeding it for years, since it was first available. The horses love it. They eat every piece of it.” said the energetic trainer who also says it has benefits to bleeders, “It is good for the horses, especially a bleeder horse. I cut the hay three days before and give them two strips of grass a day. One in the morning and one in the evening with their feed. I have had no problems, they eat all of their dinner.
It smells so good I feel like eating it myself.” he laughs.
Well that might not be a bad idea because according to an article published in December 2005, the Food and Drug Administration in the U.S. says that cereals, breads and other products containing whole or milled barley grain with a minimum of 0.75 grams of soluble fibre can reduce the risk of heart disease
and lower choles- terol in humans.
Trainer Scott
Fairlie is also a fan
of barley grass and
has also been
giving it to his
horses since John
started delivering it
to the racetrack,
“The horses love it
and look forward to
it,” says Scott, who
gives each of his
horses one or two
strips a day, “It is
supposed to be very
good for the digestive system and the horses just tear it apart...they love it!”
John Landry, the owner of Grass Roots, Natural Equine Nutrition, has been growing and delivering barley grass to Woodbine since 1992 and says that has business has grown substantially over the years.
“I started delivering 300lbs of grass a day and now it is close to 4000lbs a day when racing is in full swing.” says John.
John, who has owned or worked with horses since he was born on a farm in New Brunswick, says that some of the added benefits to feeding barley grass is that horses tend to sweat less in the summer because it has a calming affect due to a better use of energy. He also confirms that the grass helps the stomach to better utilize the nutrients in their food and helps with digestion.
“I enjoy watching the horse enjoy it.” says John.
It takes eight days for a barley seed to grow into barley grass hydro- ponically and John continually grows and delivers fresh grass to the race- track seven days a week. Delivery to farms is also available with the grass being able to stay fresh for 2 to 3 days as long as there is a cool space for storage. For more info call John at Grass
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