Forage is a primary component of the equine diet, consisting mainly of grasses, hay, and legumes that provide essential nutrients and fiber. It plays a significant role in maintaining digestive health and supporting the overall well-being of horses. The nutritional composition of forage can vary based on factors such as plant species, maturity at harvest, and environmental conditions. Proper management and selection of forage are important for meeting the dietary needs of horses and preventing issues such as colic or laminitis. This page compiles peer-reviewed research studies and scholarly articles that explore the nutritional value, management practices, and impact of forage on equine health and performance.
The type of diet that a horse consumes is one of the most important factors determining the mineral profile and tensile strength of its hooves, so the quality and nutritional value of the supplied feed are fundamental to achieving satisfactory hoof quality. The objective of this study was to compare the differences in the mineral concentrations of sodium (Na), potassium (K), magnesium (Mg), zinc (Zn), and Iron (Fe) between two diets, namely silage and a commercial concentrate, using atomic absorption spectrometry and to determine which led to higher increases in the hoof tensile strength of ho...
Warm-season grasses (WSG) incorporated into traditional cool-season rotational grazing systems to increase summer yields are typically established in monoculture in separate pasture areas. Few studies have evaluated alternative interseeded establishment of WSG, despite potential benefits for improving biodiversity and land-use efficiency. The objective of this study was to determine the impact of establishment method (monoculture vs. interseeded) on crabgrass pasture forage yield, nutritive value, and preference under equine grazing. Three adult standardbred mares grazed two main plots on two ...
Schank N, Cottone A, Wulf M, Seiter K, Thomas B, Miller LMJ, Anderson SL, Sahyoun A, Abidi AH, Kassan M, Verma A.Equine colic remains a prevalent and potentially life-threatening condition with multifactorial origins, including dietary imbalances, stress, and microbial dysbiosis. Central to equine gut health is the production of short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs), primarily acetate, propionate, and butyrate, generated through microbial fermentation of dietary fibers in the hindgut. These metabolites not only serve as vital energy sources but also play crucial roles in maintaining intestinal barrier integrity, modulating motility, and suppressing inflammation. This review explores the role of SCFAs in equine...
Amaje J, Upton S, Garba UM, Jolayemi KO.Hay nets and slow feeders are designed to mimic natural grazing by prolonging forage intake, thereby supporting digestive health and reducing stress-related behaviours. Their design and use, however, can influence effectiveness and may introduce risks. Objective: This semi-systematic review evaluated the use of hay nets and slow feeders in feeding horses, focusing on their impact on feeding time, behaviour, forage management and health management. Methods: A semi-systematic search across PubMed, ScienceDirect, Google Scholar, and Scopus identified 26 full-text studies published between 2009 an...
Danese T, Asti V, Ablondi M, Raspa F, Cavallini D, Valle E.Colic represents one of the leading causes of morbidity and mortality in equine medicine, with nutritional management recognized as a key modifiable factor influencing postoperative recovery. However, guiding principles for nutritional enteral support in horses after colic remain limited, and current practices are largely empirical. Objective: This scoping review aimed to (1) examine enteral nutritional support protocols reported in literature through a scoping review to map the available evidence on equine clinical nutrition in the context of colic, and (2) propose a physiology-based interpre...
Andrews KE, Sibthorpe PEM, Fitzgerald DM, de Laat MA.Equine insulin dysregulation (ID) is a common condition that predisposes to hyperinsulinaemia-associated laminitis. Improved pathophysiological understanding would enable better management of ID and reduce the risk of laminitis. The incretin peptides, glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) and glucose-dependent insulinotropic polypeptide (GIP), augment the insulin response to dietary glucose and GLP-1 has been implicated in the pathophysiology of ID. However, their temporal variation in response to a low-energy diet has not been reported. This study determined the variation in GLP-1, GIP and insulin ...
Pyles MB, Fowler AL, Crum AD, Hayes SH, Schendel RR, Lawrence LM.Mare milk is the primary source of nutrients for neonatal foals and contains various carbohydrates. Milk oligosaccharides are complex carbohydrates that are resistant to enzymatic digestion and provide support for the immune system and developing microbiome in the neonate. However, factors influencing the synthesis of milk carbohydrates in the mare are not well understood. This study aimed to determine the effects of dietary nonstructural carbohydrate (NSC) on mare milk composition and yield. Thoroughbred mares were paired by age and last breeding date then randomly assigned to one of two diet...
Franzan BC, da Silva Coelho I, Ramos EM, de Souza ARP, de Almeida FQ, Silva VP.This study aimed to investigate the gradual adaptation of the fecal bacterial community and in vitro fermentative capacity of horses fed a complete extruded diet (CED). Twelve geldings weighing 370 kg were removed from a native pasture and fed coastcross hay (Cynodon spp) for 7 days. In the second week, horses were assigned to two groups: one group was fed exclusively with coastcross hay (HAY) for 28 days and the other group fed with weekly increases of CED (30%, 60%, and 100%) to replace HAY. Fecal samples were collected on Days 7, 14, 21, and 28 for microbiota and in vitro fermentati...
Vidal-Cardos R, Fàbrega E, Dalmau A.The sustainability of extensive livestock systems is compromised. It is necessary to enhance our understanding of the activity and grazing behavior of different livestock species (cows, horses, and sheep) sharing the same mountainous areas. Nowadays, the observation and analysis of animal activity is greatly facilitated by remote tracking technology, especially in zones with difficult access. In this article, we proved that commercial geolocation collars can provide meaningful data on animal activity, behavior, and distribution, which can be used to model daily distances, activity patterns, gr...
Wei L, Wei J, Liu X, Chen W, Wang C, Khan MZ, Zhang Z.Donkeys () remain nutritionally understudied despite their critical roles in agriculture across developing regions, with current feeding practices inappropriately extrapolating horse standards without accounting for species-specific digestive physiology. No comprehensive synthesis has integrated how dietary modifications systematically alter gut microbial communities to drive measurable health outcomes in donkeys, preventing development of evidence-based feeding strategies. This review critically synthesizes current evidence on donkey nutritional requirements and gut microbiota dynamics to est...
Ramírez-Juidias E, Díaz de la Serna-Moreno Á, Delgado-Pertíñez M.Rangeland degradation poses a serious challenge for the sustainable management of free-ranging livestock in Mediterranean wetlands. In National Park, Spain, the endangered horse depends exclusively on natural forage, making it essential to monitor vegetation productivity and grazing suitability under increasing climate variability. This study presents a satellite-based assessment of rangeland carrying capacity to support the adaptive management of this iconic breed. A six-year time series (2015-2020) of 1242 images from Landsat 8 OLI/TIRS and Sentinel-2 (L1C/L2A) was processed using ILWIS an...
Janeiro-Otero A, Álvarez X, Dormann CF.Galician forests in northwestern Spain are subject to frequent wildfires with high environmental and economic costs. In addition, due to the consequences of climate change, these fires are becoming more virulent, occurring throughout the year, and taking place in populated areas, in some cases involving the loss of human life. Therefore, forest fire prevention is even more relevant than mitigating its consequences. Given the costs involved in forestry work, alternative measures to reduce fuel load and create vegetation gaps are needed. One involves grazing by an endemic species of feral horses...
Machado M, Queiroz-Machado CRR, Queiroz F, Gardner DR, Riet-Correa F.A Mimosa pudica var. unijuga-associated toxicity affecting horses occurred in Araguari, Triângulo Mineiro, Southeast Brazil. Affected horses had gradual hair loss of the mane and tail and endocrine dermatosis after grazing for three months during the dry season on a paddock invaded by the plant. The main histological lesions include compact ortho-keratotic hyperkeratosis and numerous flame follicles. Toxicological analysis by HPLC-UV demonstrated 0.8 mg/g of mimosine in the leaves.
Stegelmeier BL, Davis TZ.Many toxic plants are unpalatable to horses and are not eaten when alternative forage is available. However, when such plants contaminate prepared or baled feed and forage, herd competition and improved palatability can alter acceptance and thereby cause equine plant poisonings. Dehydropyrrolizidine alkaloid-containing plants; cocklebur; Salvia reflexa; kleingrass, switchgrass, and other saponin-containing grasses; jimson weed, black henbane, and other tropane alkaloid-containing plants; lantana; Cassia spp and other myotoxic plants; castor bean; cyanogenic glycoside-containing plants; thiamin...
Ivanković A, Pećina M, Bittante G, Amalfitano N, Konjačić M, Kelava Ugarković N.Local horse breeds, particularly cold-blood types, are often marginalized in economic and social contexts, primarily due to the neglect of their economic, genetic, and cultural potential, as well as their role in preserving the identity of rural areas, local communities, and ecosystems. The valorization of these breeds is a crucial prerequisite for their economic repositioning. The Croatian Posavina horse is a local breed, well adapted to harsh, extensive production systems. Its sustainability is achieved through pasture-based meat production, primarily targeting foreign European markets. Ensu...
