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Topic:Feeding Practices
Feeding practices in horses encompass the methods and strategies involved in providing nutrition to equine animals. These practices are designed to meet the dietary requirements necessary for maintaining health, supporting growth, and optimizing performance. Key components of equine feeding practices include the selection of forage and concentrates, balancing nutrients such as carbohydrates, proteins, fats, vitamins, and minerals, and considering factors such as age, workload, and health status. Feeding practices also address the timing and frequency of meals to align with the horse's digestive physiology. This page compiles peer-reviewed research studies and scholarly articles that explore various aspects of feeding practices, including nutritional requirements, feeding behavior, and the impact of diet on equine health and performance.
Fumonisin B1 levels associated with an epizootic of equine leukoencephalomalacia. During the fall of 1989, an episode of equine leukoencephalomalacia involved 18 of 66 purebred Arabian horses at a breeding/training stable in Arizona. Of the 18 horses affected, the condition was fatal in 14. These horses, as well as 48 unaffected horses, had been fed a diet containing a substantial amount of white corn screenings. Gross pathologic findings included liquefactive necrosis in parts of the cerebral white matter and hemorrhagic foci of various sizes in the brain stem. Histopathologic findings included rarefied white matter with pyknotic nuclei and eosinophilic cytoplasm. Thin-lay...
[Meadow saffron (Colchicum autumnale) in hay and colic in horses]. Following feeding of a new delivery of hay (bought in Southern Germany) 3 horses out of a unit of 17 developed colic within a few days one horse died. Post-mortem there was an intensive accumulation of serous or serous-haemorrhagic fluid in the thorax and abdomen. The hay was heavily contaminated by autumn crocus (colchicum autumnale)--about 1.48% of total mass. Other feedstuffs were of good quality and following removal of the affected hay no further cases of colic occurred. The pathological findings also indicated a colchicine intoxication.
Longitudinal growth analysis of horses following limited and ad libitum feeding. Eighteen colts were assigned to one of two groups: limit or ad libitum feeding. Three periods were evaluated: 1) six to 12 months, 2) 12 to 18 months and 3) 18 to 24 months of age. At 24 months of age, ad libitum fed horses weighed 13 per cent (51 kg) more and were 3.6 per cent (5.2 cm) taller than those fed limited amounts. Total, fore and hind body mass increased quadratically irrespective of dietary treatment. Fore body mass comprised 57 per cent of total body mass for both groups and this did not change with age or dietary treatment. Heart girth was directly related (R2 = 0.96) to total bo...
Effect of meal feeding on plasma volume and urinary electrolyte clearance in ponies. The effect of meal size and frequency on plasma volume, plasma aldosterone concentration and urinary Na and K clearances was determined in ponies. A daily maintenance ration of hay-grain pellets was provided either as a multiple feeding regimen, ie, 12 equal portions fed at 2-hour intervals, or as single large feedings, ie, half the ration fed every 12 hours at 0800 and 2000 hours. Only the effect of the single morning feeding was studied, using the latter regimen. Serial measurements of plasma volume were made by use of an indicator-dilution technique and indocyanine green (0.15 mg/kg of body...
A comparison between chromium-mordanted hay and acid-insoluble ash to determine apparent digestibility of a chaffed, molassed hay/straw mixture. The apparent digestibility of a molassed, chaffed grass hay/straw mixture was determined using four mature horses (mean weight 606 kg). Animals were stalled individually and kept on rubber mats. A preliminary feeding period of 18 days was followed by a 10 day collection period. Chromium-mordanted hay was given before the first feed at 08.00 h and subsequent meals were at 12.00, 16.00 and 20.00 h. On Days 3 and 10 of the collection, all faeces were sampled over a 24 h period. In addition, throughout the 10 day collection, faecal material was sampled at 10.00 and 16.00 h. The mean (+/- se) chrom...
[The content of Hb and the hematocrit value in blood and the total proteins, urea, glucose, free fatty acids, Na, K, Ca, Mg, Pa, Fe, Fe-binding capacity, Cu and Zn in the blood plasma of Warmblood horses during feeding with oat-hay or barley-hay rations over a period of 9 months]. 4 horses (Group A) received an oat-hay ration, through 9 months running, while 3 horses (Group B) were fed a barley-hay ration over the same period of time. Blood samples were collected and examined in 4-week intervals. All values considered, no differences were found to exist between the 2 groups with regard to Hb and haematocrit in blood as well as to protein, glucose, sodium, potassium, magnesium, iron fixation capacity, copper, and zinc in blood plasma. The urea level in plasma of Group A was higher than that in Group B, values being 5.76 +/- 0.64 mmol/l and 5.14 +/- 0.72 mmol/l. The same ...
[The occurrence of feed-induced stomach ulcers in horses]. Ponies were fed hay (n = 21) or mixed feed (n = 27; 128 g crude protein, 175 g crude fibre/kg dry matter) for at least 14 days (treatment against parasites with ivermectin before the experimental period). The feeding level was 18 g dry mater/kg body weight/day. After the feeding period (the experiments were conducted to investigate the water and electrolyte content of the alimentary tract in dependence on feed, feeding time and physical exercise) the ponies were slaughtered and the stomachs were visually controlled for the occurrence of ulcers. In the hay group no gastric ulcers were observed,...
The influence of mineral supplementation on growth and skeletal development of yearling horses. Forty-six Thoroughbred and Quarter Horse yearlings were used in two experiments to evaluate the effect of mineral supplementation on growth and skeletal development. In the first experiment, concentrate and bermuda-grass hay diets providing 2.82 Mcal DE/kg (estimated), 13.0% CP, .62% Ca and .43% P on a DM basis were supplemented with trace minerals (TM) by adding 0, .5 or 1.0% TM premix to the concentrate. The TM content of the three diets (concentrate and hay) in mg/kg DM were: Fe 150, 162 and 176; Mn 56, 60 and 64; Zn 36, 53 and 69; and Cu 7, 8 and 11 for the low, medium and high TM levels, ...
Effects of diet and feeding on postprandial serum gastrin and insulin concentration in adult horses. Gastrin is the only hormone known to stimulate secretion of hydrochloric acid. It also has trophic effects on specific parts of the mucosa of the gastrointestinal tract. Using radioimmunoassay techniques, postprandial serum gastrin and insulin concentrations were measured in six adult horses to establish effects of different diets on gastrin concentrations. Insulin concentrations were measured to provide support to the patterns of gastrin secretion because patterns of insulin secretion were already known. The horses were fed coastal bermuda hay, or twice daily 5 kg of a complete pelleted ratio...
Nutrient utilization by limit- and ad libitum-fed growing horses. Eighteen Quarter Horse and Paint weanling colts were assigned to two treatments, either limit or ad libitum feeding. Nutrient digestibilities of diets were evaluated between 6 and 12 mo, 12 and 18 mo and 18 and 24 mo of age. From 6 to 12 mo, energy digestibility (64 to 68%) was unaffected by feed intake level. Ad libitum-fed horses had energy digestibilities 9 to 10% greater (P less than .05) than limit-fed horses between 12 and 24 mo of age, but adjustment for DM intake removed these differences. Limit-fed, mature ponies used dietary energy similarly to growing horses from 6 to 18 mo of age, ...
The influence of high planes of nutrition on skeletal growth and development of weanling horses. Effects of high dietary levels of energy, protein and Ca and deficient levels of Ca on skeletal growth and development in the equine were studied in two experiments. The weanlings were fed grain-based diets. In Exp. 1, Group 1 (Ctl) received all nutrients at NRC recommended levels for growth; Group 2 (HE) received 150% of their digestible energy (DE) requirement; Group 3 (LC) received 150% of DE and 35% of Ca requirements. In Exp. 2, Group 1 (Ctl) again received all nutrients at NRC recommended levels for growth; Group 2 (HEP) received 150% of DE and 275% of CP requirements; Group 3 (HEPC) rec...
Effects of an abrupt diet change from hay to concentrate on microbial numbers and physical environment in the cecum of the pony. Microbial numbers, pH, fluid volume, and turnover rate in the pony cecum were measured during an abrupt change from an all-forage to an all-concentrate diet, both fed at maintenance energy levels. Concentrate feeding resulted in increased (P less than 0.01) numbers of total viable anaerobic bacteria. The numbers of organisms growing on selective starch medium increased (P less than 0.01) when concentrate was fed, while numbers on xylan and pectin media decreased (P less than 0.025). Seven days after the diet change to concentrate, the number of bacteria growing on lactate medium increased (P l...
Vitamin A, E and D nutrition in mares and foals during the winter season: effect of feeding two different vitamin-mineral concentrates. The effects of feeding two different vitamin-mineral concentrates on serum levels of vitamins A, E and D and some growth indicators were examined in 30 pregnant mares and 30 foals. One concentrate contained vitamins A and E and the other did not. Both contained vitamin D3. No differences (P greater than .05) in serum levels of retinol and alpha-tocopherol were observed between the feeding groups in the mares, whereas in the weanlings serum levels of dietary vitamins A and E increased (P less than .01) during late winter and early spring. However, the values did not increase to levels found in ...
Effect of feeding on renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system of the horse. The effect of feeding frequency and associated meal size on the renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system (RAAS) in seven horses was examined. A daily maintenance ration of hay-grain pellets was provided either as a multiple feeding regimen (MF), in which the ration was divided into six equal portions fed at 4-h intervals, or as a single large feeding (SF) given from 9 A.M. until 11 A.M. Plasma renin activity (PRA), aldosterone (PAC), cortisol (PCC), protein concentration (TP), packed cell volume (PCV), and serum sodium and potassium were measured serially. To prevent significant RAAS stimulation d...
Digestion of hay protein in different segments of the equine digestive tract. Mature ponies fitted with permanent ileal cannulas were used in a 3 X 3 Latin square experiment to quantify prececal, postileal and total tract digestion of hay protein. Coastal Bermuda grass (CB), containing 11.7% crude protein, and two qualities of alfalfa, containing 15.0% (low-protein alfalfa; LA) and 18.1% (high-protein alfalfa; HA) crude protein, were fed in coarsely chopped form at 2% of body weight daily. Total tract apparent digestibility of the N in HA (73.8%) was higher than that in CB (57.0%; P less than .05) and was slightly higher than that in LA (66.1%; P less than .10). Nitroge...
Responses of blood glucose, insulin and cortisol concentrations to common equine diets. Two experiments were conducted to determine the response of blood glucose, insulin and cortisol levels to four common equine diets. Experiment 1 was designed to determine the diurnal variation of glucose and two glucoregulatory hormones, insulin and cortisol, in four fasting geldings. No diurnal variation was observed in either glucose or insulin levels during the 24-h sampling period. However, cortisol levels did exhibit a circadian rhythm, with elevated values observed in the morning and low values in the evening. Experiment 2 investigated the response of glucose, insulin, cortisol and selec...
Effect of meal frequency on fluid balance and behavior of ponies. Twelve ponies were fed their total daily ration either as one large meal or divided into six small meals. Pre- and post-feeding behavior was recorded six times a day. Blood samples were taken for 30 min before and two hr after the meal. Plasma protein increased from 7.0 to a peak of 7.3 g/dl with small meals and from 7.3 to 8.1 g/dl with large meals, and returned to pre-feeding levels by 90 min post-feeding. Hematocrit rose from 33.3 to 34.1% with small meals and from 33.0 to 36.0% with large meals. These rapid and short-lived increases indicate a decrease in plasma volume. Plasma osmolality r...
Pharmacological modulation of postprandial colonic motor activity in the pony. The contractile activity of the equine large intestine exhibited a biphasic response to feeding: enhancement of migrating complexes passing along the colon and an increase of 50% in cyclic variations in smooth muscle at intervals of 20 min on the left ventral colon for a period of 5 to 7 h postfeeding. The cholinergic agonist, bethanechol (50 micrograms/kg subcutaneously), induced both the migrating complexes and the cyclic variations at intervals of 10-15 min. In contrast, the intra-arterial infusion of PGF2 alpha (3 micrograms/kg/min) increased the contractile activity during infusion, but w...
Thoroughbred blood serum inorganic phosphate concentrations in relation to feeding regime and racing performance. Horses receiving a pelleted or cubed dietary supplementation with roughage, have serum inorganic phosphate (SIP) concentrations consistently below an accepted mean of 1,032 mmol l-1 or 3, 1 mg dl-1. Further, it has been reported that the best eight, two-year-old Irish Thoroughbred track performers of 51 horses tested over a 10 month period, had significantly lower SIP concentrations than the worst eight track performers. In an endeavour to assess any nutritive effect on SIP concentrations and also to assess any effect of SIP concentrations on track performance, metabolic blood profiles from 30...
Serum retinol, 25-hydroxyvitamin D and alpha-tocopherol of racing trotters in Finland. Serum levels of retinol, 25-hydroxyvitamin D2, 25-hydroxyvitamin D3 and alpha-tocopherol were determined by high performance liquid chromatography from 142 Standardbred and Finnish Coldblooded Trotters aged three to 15 years. Blood samples were collected during January and July. Serum levels of retinol and alpha-tocopherol were about a third of those in man, with summer values indicating an increase in most horses. The relatively low serum concentrations of 25-hydroxyvitamin D and alpha-tocopherol suggest that during the winter season a deficiency of these vitamins may occur in horses in north...
Presence of salicylic acid in standardbred horse urine and plasma after various feed and drug administrations. Plasma and urinary levels of salicylic acid were examined in Standardbred mares after administration of various feeds, containing different compositions of hay. In addition, horses were administered acetylsalicylic acid orally and methyl salicylate topically. Elevated salicylic acid levels were observed in horse urine and plasma in animals fed lucerne hay. The plasma and urinary elimination of salicylic acid exhibited a diurnal pattern which was related to the type of feed and the feeding schedule. Within 24 h after oral administration of acetylsalicylic acid, plasma and urine salicylic acid l...
Salt consumption and the effect of salt on mineral metabolism in horses. The voluntary salt consumption of mature unexercised horses was measured weekly for up to 45 weeks. Voluntary intake among horses was quite variable ranging from 19 to 143 g of salt per day and was inversely related to total salt intake (salt in feeds plus voluntary intake). Mean daily voluntary salt consumption was 53 g. Season of the year did not influence voluntary intake. In preference tests which evaluated every two choice combination of 0.2% and 4% NaCl in test diets fed daily for four days, ponies generally preferred diets containing the lower amount of salt. In similar preference studi...
Serum immunoreactive gastrin activity in horses: basal and postprandial values. Using commercially available diagnostic reagents, serum immunoreactive gastrin activity was measured in five normal horses that were starved of food and water for 24 hours. Blood samples were taken every 15 minutes for two hours. The horses were then fed a pelleted diet for 15 minutes and samples were taken every 15 minutes for a further two hours. Three further samples were taken at hourly intervals. The total sampling period was seven hours. Basal immunoreactive gastrin activity was lower than that reported in other mammals, ranging from a mean of 7.0 pg/ml to 13.8 pg/ml. At 30, 60 and 75 mi...
Feeding behavior. Problems related to feeding behavior in horses fall into three main categories: underconsumption, overconsumption, and abnormal consumption. Anorexia may be caused by a variety of diseases and overcome by removing the underlying causes (pain, fever), and physical or chemical stimulation of appetite. "Hypophagia" may be caused by poor dentition, disease, or stress. Again, removal of the cause or stimulation by physical or chemical means may improve intakes. Acute and chronic overconsumption of feeds are reflections of the normal controls (or lack thereof) of feeding in the horse. The only relia...
Effect of meal schedules and fasting on selected plasma free amino acids in horses. The effects of meal frequency and fasting on selected plasma free amino acids (PFAA) was studied in horses. Six 22-mo-old Quarter Horses were used in a replicated 3 X 3 Latin-square design in which each horse received one meal per day (1M), two meals per day (2M) or six meals per day (6M) for 2 wk. A complete pelleted ration was fed at a rate of 1.75% of body weight daily. The consumption of a meal by the horses fed 1M and 2M daily was followed by an increase (P less than .05) in plasma methionine. The highest levels were observed at 5 h and 3 h in the 1M and 2M treatments, respectively. The h...
