Next on the horizon: Montana horse cookies?

Montana has beautiful horses, high quality hay and oil crops, so why not a high-quality horse products industry that adds value to the hay and oil?

University News of MSU

Duane Johnson, superintendent at the Montana Agricultural Experiment Station’s Northwestern Research Center, and Sandy Gagnon are heading an investigation of a horse-products industry for Montana.

"We’re a natural place for such an industry to thrive," says Johnson. "We’ve done an analysis that indicates the horse industry is strong and growing, and there’s a need. Most horse owners don’t understand horse nutrition, let alone that the nutritional needs of the geriatric horse are different than that of a young horse. We can supply feeds and supplements geared to specific types of horses, and we can do it while increasing the value of our crops."

To illustrate the help some horse owners need in getting an appropriate feed for their horses, Johnson describes phone calls he has had from people trying to find "high-quality hay like that for dairy cows" for their horses.

"I try to tell them that’s not what a horse needs. The questions just show that there is a market for feeds targeted toward different horses, just as there is in the rest of the pet industry," says Johnson. For instance, older horses need more fat in their diet, working horses more calories and growing horses more protein. In Los Angeles, very good hay may be sold for $300 per ton. Montana producers are lucky if they get $80 per ton.

"I can ship it UPS for that much," jokes Johnson.

As the nutrition products become more specialized, it is possible they may have Montana-grown herbs added to them. "We’re looking at echinacea, marshmallow, lavender and some of the other herbs as supplements," he added. Those products could be made into horse snacks perhaps something like cookies.

In addition to specialized diets for horses, Johnson says he expects to see shampoos, hoof shines and arena dust suppressants that use Montana oil crops.

"Both riders and horses are bothered by dust in closed arenas, but the EPA doesn’t allow mineral oils for dust suppression," says Johnson. "Now, the only legal compound to use for dust suppression is water, and that doesn’t last very long. We think plant-oils will work better than the water, maybe up to six months."

A dust suppressant will be tested in the Montana State University – Bozeman Miller Pavilion, perhaps as soon as August. The horse hoof treatment also "looks very good," adds Johnson, and some mint oils are "pretty good fly repellants."

Johnson says the horse industry in the Pacific Northwest is growing at 6.5 percent per year. The Gallatin Valley alone has 17,000 or more horses, and most are pets rather than working horses.

The team working on the horse products project in addition to Gagnon and Johnson are Louise Strang, Northwest Agricultural Research Center, and Nancy Callan and Mal Westcott, both of the Western Agricultural Research Center. Johnson said he also is looking for a veterinarian who could monitor the condition of the horses’ hooves and legs when products are tested. He is also investigating non-horse-related products. In each case, MSU and the Experiment Station would be "trying to put together an entire package of information, including a potential business plan, for producers to use in planning small businesses."

"Horse cookies" may sound as funny as the 1932 Marx Brothers movie "Horse Feathers," which poked fun at higher education. But this time, the benefit may be more tangible than laughter. Johnson’s team is designing hays and supplements specific for these hays to meet the needs of specific classes of horses. "The equine industry is growing rapidly and we want to be on the cutting edge," said Johnson.

Contact: Duane Johnson (406) 755-4303

http://www.montana.edu/commserv/csnews/nwview.php?article=1187