Nutrition in horses encompasses the study of dietary requirements and feeding practices that support equine health, growth, and performance. It involves the analysis of nutrients such as carbohydrates, proteins, fats, vitamins, and minerals, and their roles in equine physiology. Proper nutrition is essential for maintaining optimal body condition, supporting metabolic processes, and preventing dietary-related disorders. Research in this field examines the nutritional needs of horses at different life stages and activity levels, as well as the effects of various feed types and supplements. This page compiles peer-reviewed research studies and scholarly articles that explore the composition, digestion, and impact of different dietary components on equine health and performance.
Ermers C, McGilchrist N, Fenner K, Wilson B, McGreevy P.Failure to meet the minimum forage requirement of 1.5% of the horse's bodyweight and the opportunity for foraging for a minimum of 8 h a day (not going without this opportunity longer than four to five consecutive hours) can have both physiological and behavioural consequences. To provide an energy source for horses, rations often include starch rather than fibre. This can result in health issues related to the gastrointestinal tract (GIT) in the horse. In the stomach, the main concern is equine gastric ulcer syndrome (EGUS) and, more specifically, equine squamous gastric disease (ESGD). Ulcer...
Alipour A, Akrami Mohajeri F, Javdan G, Pourramezani F, Fallahzadeh H, Khalili Sadrabad E.In recent years, the mare's milk has been introduced as a rich source of nutrients with hypoallergic characteristics which is widely used for Iranian infants. The present study aimed to investigate the heavy metal concentration of mare's milk and its consumption risk assessment. About 88 mare's milk was collected from Yazd, the centre of Iran, during the summer of 2020. The raw mare's milk was digested and analysed for mineral and heavy metal content (As, Ca, Cd, Co, Cu, Fe, Mg, Mn, Ni, P, Pb and Zn) by ICP-OES. To estimate the health hazard for consumers the Estimated Daily Intake (EDI), Haza...
Bampidis V, Azimonti G, Bastos ML, Christensen H, Durjava M, Kouba M, López-Alonso M, López Puente S, Marcon F, Mayo B, Pechová A, Petkova M....Following a request from the European Commission, EFSA was asked to deliver a scientific opinion on the safety and efficacy of an essential oil obtained from the oleoresin of Aiton (pine white oil, also known as turpentine oil), when used as a sensory additive in feed and water for drinking for all animal species. The Panel on Additives and Products or Substances used in Animal Feed (FEEDAP) concluded that the essential oil under assessment is safe up to the maximum proposed use levels of 35 mg/kg for laying hens, piglets, pigs for fattening, sows, rabbits, salmonids, 50 mg/kg for veal ca...
Bampidis V, Azimonti G, Bastos ML, Christensen H, Durjava M, Kouba M, López-Alonso M, López Puente S, Marcon F, Mayo B, Pechová A, Petkova M....Following a request from the European Commission, EFSA was asked to deliver a scientific opinion on the safety and efficacy of a tincture from the fruit of L. (anise tincture) when used as a sensory additive in feed and water for drinking for all animal species. The product is a ■■■■■ solution, with a dry matter content of approximately 1.6%. The product contained on average 0.0414% polyphenols (of which 0.0144% were flavonoids), 0.0009% anisaldehyde, 0.0003% anethole. Estragole (≤ 1.2 mg/kg) was detected in the additive. The estimated maximum content of furocoumarins was 8.2...
van Bömmel-Wegmann S, Gehlen H, Barton AK, Büttner K, Zentek J, Paßlack N.Little is known about the animal- and diet-related factors that could interfere with the plasma zinc (Zn) concentrations of equines. Additionally, the adequacy of plasma to reflect changes in the Zn intake is unclear. In the first part of this study, the plasma Zn concentrations of hospitalized horses and ponies ( = 538) were measured and evaluated for the impact of the age, sex, horse type, and internal diseases of the animals. In the second part, the effects of increasing dietary Zn chloride hydroxide and Zn methionine supplementations were assessed on the plasma and mane hair Zn concentrati...
Grimwood K, Lancaster B, Handel I.Accurate measurement of equine body weight is important for evaluating medication dosages and feed quantities. Different methods exist for measuring body weight, including weigh tapes (WT), though accuracy varies. Measurements could be affected by external variables, such as time of day, human error, or uneven surfaces, and also horse-based variables, such as height and body condition score (BCS). The aim of this study was to investigate how different horse-based variables affect WT reading. A retrospective analysis was performed using anonymised data from feed company nutrition consultations ...
Arantes JA, Borges AS, Zakia LS, Surette MG, Weese JS, Costa MC, Arroyo LG.Iron is an essential element for all living organisms, including bacteria, as several virulence factors and replication components are influenced by iron concentration. The objective of this study was to determine whether the composition and diversity of the fecal microbiota of adult horses are affected by supplemental dietary iron. Ten clinically healthy horses were randomly divided into a control and an iron-supplemented group ( = 5). The treated group was supplemented with oral ferrous sulphate monohydrate (720 ppm of iron), whereas the control group received 320 ppm of iron daily for 15 d....
Moore-Colyer M, Westacott A, Rousson L, Harris P, Daniels S.Despite our improved understanding of equid digestive health and accurate rations formulations, obesity in the UK horse population remains high. Study aims: (1) to determine how owners are feeding their horses and what influences their choices, (2) to understand owners' knowledge of haylage and (3) to identify key areas that require additional education. Data were collected in 2020 from 1338 UK horse owners via two online surveys. Survey 1 was on general feeding practices, and Survey 2 was specifically on the feeding of haylage. Data were processed using chi square analyses + Bonferroni tests,...
Golding E, Al Ansari ASA, Sutton GA, Walshe N, Duggan V.Equine obesity is a significant health and welfare concern. The proportion of domestic horse populations that are overweight are as high as 45%. As the primary decision-makers for their horses' care, owners are theoretically ideally placed to identify whether their horses are appropriately conditioned, however, research in other countries has shown that many owners are unable to accurately judge their horse's body condition. In this study, through the comparison of body condition scoring (BCS) performed by an expert and the horse owners and interviews with owners, we aimed to identify the prop...
de Medeiros Ferreira JR, Mello Cerbaro AE, Bastos FL, Pereira RA, Duarte MA, Araújo Júnior ÂMC, da Silva AH, de Oliveira Gobesso AA.High amounts of grains in the equine diet led to high starch intake, causing gut alterations. Aimed at reducing harmful effects, extract (MCE) is a phytogenic additive that stands out for its antibiotic and anti-inflammatory effects proven in different species. However, there is no useful information for horses. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effects of different levels of the inclusion of commercial MCE on body weight (BW), body condition score (BCS), total apparent digestibility (AD) of nutrients, faecal pH and fermentative products, on ponies fed a high-starch diet. Eight ...
Istanbullugil FR, Risvanli A, Salikov R, Bayraktar M, Kadiraliyeva N, Zhunushova A, Yilmaz O, Yuksel BF, Turanli M, Uz M, Asinbekovic MI.Immune compatibility between mare and foal is one of the important topics of reproductive immunology. At this point, although there are many studies on antibodies, there are not many publications on the relationship between the cytokine levels of mare, foal and milk and the effects of milk composition on this relationship. Here we investigate the relationship between Th1/Th2 cytokine balance and milk composition in Kyrgyz mares and foals. Samples were taken soon after the foal was born and on days 5, 10 and 20 after birth. Th1 (IFN-γ, IL-2, TNF-α) and Th2 (IL-4, IL-5, IL-10) cytokine levels ...
Kellon EM, Gustafson KM.Sodium-Glucose CoTransporter-2 (SGLT2) inhibitors, the -flozin group of drugs, which block glucose reuptake in the renal proximal tubule, are being increasingly used off-label to treat horses with refractory hyperinsulinemia. After 2 years of use by animals in our group, a horse on canagliflozin was incidentally noted to be hyperlipemic. We have been following a cohort of equines (n = 20) treated with SGLT2 inhibitors due to refractory hyperinsulinemia. The animals are owned by members of the Equine Cushing's and Insulin Resistance Group and treated by their attending veterinarians. The index ...
Semanchik PL, Wesolowski LT, Ryan PJ, White-Springer SH, Fluckey JD.Skeletal muscle is a highly dynamic organ that is essential for locomotion as well as endocrine regulation in all populations of horses. However, despite the importance of adequate muscle development and maintenance, the mechanisms underlying protein anabolism in horses on different diets, exercise programs, and at different life stages remain obscure. Mechanistic target of rapamycin (mTOR) is a key component of the protein synthesis pathway and is regulated by biological factors such as insulin and amino acid availability. Providing a diet ample in vital amino acids, such as leucine and gluta...
Bampidis V, Azimonti G, Bastos ML, Christensen H, Durjava M, Kouba M, López-Alonso M, López Puente S, Marcon F, Mayo B, Pechová A, Petkova M....Following a request from the European Commission, the EFSA Panel on Additives and Products or Substances used in Animal Feed (FEEDAP) was asked to deliver a scientific opinion on the safety and efficacy of an essential oil from the leaves of L. (laurel leaf oil), when used as a sensory additive for all animal species. The additive contains up to 4% methyleugenol. The use of the additive at 2 mg/kg complete feed in dogs and cats was considered of low concern. For other long-living and reproductive animals, the use of the additive at 10 mg/kg was considered of concern. For short-living animal...
Clauss M, Codron D, Hummel J.Like other members of the odd-toed ungulates (the perissodactyls), equids once had a higher species diversity in the fossil record than they have today. This is generally explained in comparison to the enormous diversity of bovid ruminants. Theories on putative competitive disadvantages of equids include the use of a single toe as opposed to two toes per leg, the lack of a specific brain cooling (and hence water-saving) mechanism, longer gestation periods that delay reproductive output, and in particular digestive physiology. To date, there is no empirical support for the theory that equids fa...
McGilloway M, Manley S, Aho A, Heeringa KN, Whitacre L, Lou Y, Squires EJ, Pearson W.Equine leaky gut syndrome is characterized by gastrointestinal hyperpermeability and may be associated with adverse health effects in horses. The purpose was to evaluate the effects of a prebiotic Aspergillus oryzae product (SUPP) on stress-induced gastrointestinal hyperpermeability. Eight horses received a diet containing SUPP (0.02 g/kg BW) or an unsupplemented diet (CO) (n = 4 per group) for 28 days. On Days 0 and 28, horses were intubated with an indigestible marker of gastrointestinal permeability (iohexol). Half the horses from each feeding group underwent 60 min of transport by trailer ...
Petz V, Khiaosa-Ard R, Iben C, Zebeli Q.Chewing is an essential physiological process in horses; yet, the physical form of feeds may affect their chewing and feeding behaviour with consequences for equine digestion and health. The present study evaluated the potential of a commercial forage cubes made from alfalfa and mixed meadow grasses to maintain chewing activity when compared with a traditional long and fibre-rich hay. An additional aim was to measure the dust formation during feeding. The experiment was a crossover design with six horses (11 ± 4 years old, mean ± SD), fed with 5 kg (as-fed basis) of their feed (long hay...
Gharehaghajlou Y, Raidal SL, Freccero F, Padalino B.Transportation may lead to oxidative stress (OS) and gastric ulceration in horses, and optimal feed management before, or during, transportation is unclear. This study aimed to evaluate the effects of transportation after three different feeding strategies on OS and to explore possible associations between OS and equine gastric ulcer syndrome (EGUS). Twenty-six mares were transported by truck for 12 hours without food or water. Horses were randomly divided into 3 groups; (1) fed 1 hour before departure (BD), (2) fed 6 hours BD, (3) fed 12 hours BD. Clinical examinations and blood collections w...
Hatami M, Qasemi-Panahi B, Daghigh Kia H, Moghaddam G, Janmohammadi H.Equine semen cryopreservation is one of the major procedures for the genetic conservation of rare and endangered genotypes. The current study was conducted to evaluate the effect of egg yolk plasma (EYP) enriched with β-carotene as an antioxidant supplement on INRA-96 extender regarding freezing Arabic stallion sperm. For this purpose, β-carotene various concentrations were utilized as a supplementary ingredient in formulating the diets of laying hens. Birds were randomly divided into four groups, fed with 0 (control), 500, 1000 and 2000 mg/kg in a supplemented diet with β-carotene. Subse...
Dai F, Dalla Costa E, Minero M, Briant C.Outdoor group housing is generally reported as being beneficial to the welfare of horses compared to single boxes, being considered to show greater similarities with the living conditions of feral horses, allowing full expression of behaviours such as grazing, social interactions and free movement. However, concerns persist regarding the ability to maintain a good nutritional state and the possibility of acquiring injury. No data reporting a comprehensive assessment of welfare for horses in outdoor group-housing systems are currently available. The present study aimed at applying a scientifica...
Nielsen BD.Much research has been conducted in an attempt to decrease skeletal injuries in athletic horses. The objective of this literature review is to compile the findings of over three decades of research in this area, make practical recommendations, and describe how research can develop over the years. An initial study investigating the role of bioavailable silicon in the diets of horses in race training produced the unexpected finding of decreased bone mineral content of the third metacarpus subsequent to the onset of training. Further studies revealed this decrease to be associated with stall hous...
Weinert-Nelson JR, Biddle AS, Sampath H, Williams CA.Integrating warm-season grasses into cool-season equine grazing systems can increase pasture availability during summer months. The objective of this study was to evaluate effects of this management strategy on the fecal microbiome and relationships between fecal microbiota, forage nutrients, and metabolic responses of grazing horses. Fecal samples were collected from 8 mares after grazing cool-season pasture in spring, warm-season pasture in summer, and cool-season pasture in fall as well as after adaptation to standardized hay diets prior to spring grazing and at the end of the grazing seaso...
Ögren G, Ragnarsson S, Jansson A.Knowledge of endogenous nutrient losses is important when estimating the nutrient requirements of animals. It has been suggested that faecal endogenous phosphorus (P) losses differ between growing and adult horses, but studies on foals are scarce. In addition, studies on foals on forage-only diets with different P contents are lacking. Thus this study: (1) assessed faecal endogenous P losses in foals fed a grass haylage-only diet close to or below estimated P requirements; (2) evaluated use of serum cross-linked carboxyterminal telopeptides of type-I collagen (CTx) as a marker of bone resorpti...
Garhwal R, Bhardwaj A, Sangwan K, Mehra R, Pal Y, Nayan V, Iquebal MA, Jaiswal S, Kumar H.This current research set out to characterize Halari donkey milk by investigating its nutritional constituents, including its proximate analysis, water activity, titratable acidity, energy, and microbiological analysis. A comprehensive profiling of vitamins, minerals, and amino acids was also carried out. It was found that the composition of Halari donkey milk was consistent with previously published donkey milk literature and was comparable to that of human milk. Halari donkey milk has low 0.86 ± 0.04% fat content, 2.03 ± 0.03% protein content, 0.51 ± 0.05% ash content, and high 5.75 ± 0....
van Bömmel-Wegmann S, Zentek J, Gehlen H, Barton AK, Paßlack N.The effects of dietary zinc on the immune function of equines have not been evaluated in detail so far. In the present study, eight healthy adult ponies and two healthy adult horses were fed a diet supplemented with either zinc chloride hydroxide or zinc methionine in six feeding periods of four weeks each (according to maintenance zinc requirement, 120 mg zinc/kg dry matter, and 240 mg zinc/kg dry matter, for both dietary zinc supplements, respectively). All animals received the six diets, with increasing amounts of zinc chloride hydroxide in the feeding periods 1-3, and with increasing a...
Carver C, Bruemmer J, Coleman S, Landolt G, Hess T.Laminitis associated with equine metabolic syndrome causes significant economic losses in the equine industry. Diets high in non-structural carbohydrates (NSC) have been linked to insulin resistance and laminitis in horses. Nutrigenomic studies analyzing the interaction of diets high in NSCs and gene expression regulating endogenous microRNAs (miRNA) are rare. This study's objectives were to determine whether miRNAs from dietary corn can be detected in equine serum and muscle and its impacts on endogenous miRNA. Twelve mares were blocked by age, body condition score, and weight and assigned to...
Cantón GJ, Navarro MA, Asin J, Chu P, Henderson EE, Mete A, Uzal FA.Reproductive failure represents an important cause of economic loss for the equine industry. We reviewed the cases of equine abortion and stillbirth submitted to the California Animal Health and Food Safety Laboratory System, University of California-Davis from 1990 to 2022. A total of 1,774 cases were reviewed. A confirmed cause of abortion was determined in 29.2% of the cases. Abortion or stillbirth was attributed to infectious agents in 18.7% of the cases, with Streptococcus spp., equine herpesvirus 1, and Leptospira spp. being the most prevalent. Noninfectious causes of abortion were estab...
Elghandour MMMY, Maggiolino A, García EIC, Sánchez-Aparicio P, De Palo P, Ponce-Covarrubias JL, Pliego AB, Salem AZM.This review examines the available data regarding the positive effects of microencapsulated essential oils (EOs) on the nutrition, metabolism, and possibly the methane emission of horses. A literature review was conducted on the effect of microencapsulated (EOs) on the health of horses. The information comprises articles published in recent years in indexed journals. The results indicate that mixtures of microencapsulated EOs may be beneficial to equine health due to their antimicrobial and antioxidant activity, as well as their effects on enteric methane production, nutrient absorption, and i...
Schrenk D, Bignami M, Bodin L, Del Mazo JKCJ, Grasl-Kraupp B, Hogstrand C, Leblanc JC, Nielsen E, Ntzani E, Petersen A, Sand S, Schwerdtle T....In 2017, the EFSA Panel on Contaminants in the Food Chain (CONTAM) adopted a Scientific Opinion on the risks for animal health related to the presence of deoxynivalenol (DON) and its acetylated and modified forms in food and feed. No observed adverse effect levels (NOAELs) and lowest observed adverse effect levels (LOAELs) were derived for different animal species. For horses, an NOAEL of 36 mg DON/kg feed was established, the highest concentration tested and not showing adverse effects. For poultry, an NOAEL of 5 mg DON/kg feed for broiler chickens and laying hens, and an NOAEL of 7 mg DO...
White SH, Johnson SE, Bobel JM, Warren LK.Untrained Thoroughbred horses (6 mares and 6 geldings; 11 yr [SE 1] and 565 kg [SE 11]) were used to evaluate antioxidant gene expression and enzyme activity in blood and skeletal muscle in response to prolonged exercise after receiving 2 levels of dietary selenium for 36 d: 0.1 (CON; = 6) or 0.3 mg/kg DM (SEL; = 6). Horses were individually fed 1.6% BW coastal bermudagrass hay, 0.4% BW whole oats, and a mineral/vitamin premix containing no Se. Sodium selenite was added to achieve either 0.1 or 0.3 mg Se/kg DM in the total diet. On d 35, horses underwent 2 h of submaximal exercise in a free-st...
Divers TJ, Cummings JE, de Lahunta A, Hintz HF, Mohammed HO.To determine whether equine motor neuron disease (EMND) could be induced in adult horses fed a diet low in vitamin E and high in copper and iron. Methods: 59 healthy adult horses. Methods: Horses in the experimental group (n = 8) were confined to a dirt lot and fed a concentrate low in vitamin E and high in iron and copper in addition to free-choice grass hay that had been stored for 1 year. Control horses (n = 51) were fed a concentrate containing National Research Council-recommended amounts of copper, iron, and vitamin E. The hay fed to control horses was the same as that fed to experimenta...
Bertin FR, Taylor SD, Bianco AW, Sojka-Kritchevsky JE.Published descriptions of the oral sugar test (OST) and insulin response test (IRT) have been inconsistent when specifying the protocol for fasting horses before testing. The purpose of our study was to examine the effect of fasting duration on blood glucose concentration, blood insulin concentration, glucose/insulin ratio, OST, and IRT results in horses. Methods: Ten healthy adult horses. Methods: Both OST and IRT were performed on horses without fasting and after fasting for 3, 6, and 12 hours. Thus, 8 tests were performed per horse in a randomized order. Blood collected at the initial time ...
Elia JB, Erb HN, Houpt KA.The natural diet of free-ranging horses is grass, which is typically high in fiber and calorically dilute, however diets for high performance domestic horses are often low in fiber and calorically dense. The aim of the study was to determine the motivation of horses for hay when fed a low roughage diet. Their motivation could be used to determine if low roughage diets compromise the welfare of horses. Eight mares were fed two different diets in counterbalanced order: ad libitum orchard grass hay; a complete pelleted feed (pellets). Each trial lasted three weeks, with a one-week transition peri...
Murray MJ, Schusser GF.A glass combined pH-reference electrode was placed in the stomachs of 5 adult horses and pH was recorded every 6 mins for 24 h while (1) feed and all bedding materials were withheld for 24 h (unfed), (2) horses had free access to Timothy grass hay for 24 h (fed), and (3) horses had free access to Timothy grass hay and were treated with ranitidine, 6.6 mg/kg body weight, orally, every 8 h for 48 h (fed + ranitidine). There was a significant (P = 0.007) difference in median 24-h gastric pH amongst the 3 protocols, the value being 3.1 in fed horses and 1.55 in unfed horses (P = 0.05) and 4.6 in f...
Sarwar G, Botting HG, Davis TA, Darling P, Pencharz PB.Preterm and term transitional milks of human subjects and mature milks of human subjects, non-human primates and non-primates were analysed for free amino acids (AA) using precolumn phenylisothiocyanate derivatization and liquid chromatography. Differences in free AA between three types of human milk were small. Milks of pinnipeds (seals and sea lions) contained the highest levels of total free AA (8634-20,862 mumol/l), while the milks of cows and sheep had the lowest levels of total free AA (1061-1357 mumol/l). The milks of human subjects, chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes), gorillas (Gorilla gori...
Johnson PJ, Wiedmeyer CE, LaCarrubba A, Ganjam VK, Messer NT.Analogous to the situation in human medicine, contemporary practices in horse management, which incorporate lengthy periods of physical inactivity coupled with provision of nutritional rations characterized by inappropriately high sugar and starch, have led to obesity being more commonly recognized by practitioners of equine veterinary practice. In many of these cases, obesity is associated with insulin resistance (IR) and glucose intolerance. An equine metabolic syndrome (MS) has been described that is similar to the human MS in that both IR and aspects of obesity represent cornerstones of it...
Furr M, Taylor L, Kronfeld D.Gastroendoscopic surveys have shown that horses in race training have a greater prevalence of gastric ulceration than sedentary horses. To determine if exercise affects gastric endocrine function the following experiment was performed. Four horses were fed total mixed ration of ground corn and chopped hay at 2% of their body weight, divided into 2 equal portions, daily. Horses were fasted overnight, and serum gastrin concentration was determined just before and 2 hours after feeding. The horses were then sprint trained on a high speed treadmill for 6 weeks. The response of serum gastrin to fee...
Ragnarsson S, Jansson A.The aim of the present study was to compare digestibility and metabolic response in Icelandic and Standardbred horses fed two grass haylages harvested at different stages of maturity. Six horses of each breed were used in a 24-day change-over design. A total collection of faeces was made on days 15-17 and 22-24. Blood samples were collected on day 24 of each period and analysed for total plasma protein (TPP), plasma urea, non-esterified fatty acids, cortisol and insulin concentration. There were no differences in digestibility coefficients of crude protein, neutral detergent fibre or energy be...
Mäenpää PH, Koskinen T, Koskinen E.Twenty mares and 15 foals of the Finnhorse breed were used to determine serum levels of vitamins A, E and D during different seasons. Monthly serum samples were analyzed from mares for 22 mo and from foals for 13 mo after birth. The horses were kept on pasture from early June until early October and in stables during the winter months. Seasonal differences (P less than .001) were found in serum retinol, retinol to protein ratio, alpha-tocopherol and alpha-tocopherol to cholesterol ratio. Values were lowest from February through May and highest from June through August. Serum levels of retinol ...
Van Weyenberg S, Hesta M, Buyse J, Janssens GP.In nine initially obese ponies, a weekly weight loss according to 1% of their ideal body weight was evaluated for its impact on insulin sensitivity and metabolic profile. Weight loss was obtained solely through energy restriction, initially at 70% of maintenance energy requirements, but to maintain constant weight loss, feed amount had to be decreased to 50% and 35% of maintenance energy requirement during the course of the trial. An oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT) was performed at weeks 0, 10 and 17. Fasted blood samples were taken on weeks 0, 3, 10, 17 for analysis of triglycerides (TG), ...
White SH, Warren LK.Exercise is associated with increased production of reactive oxygen species (ROS) as metabolism is upregulated to fuel muscle activity. If antioxidant systems become overwhelmed, ROS can negatively affect health and performance. Adaptation to exercise through regular training has been shown to improve defense against oxidative insult. Given selenium's role as an antioxidant, we hypothesized that increased Se intake would further enhance skeletal muscle adaptations to training. Quarter Horse yearlings (18 ± 0.2 mo; 402 ± 10 kg) were randomly assigned to receive either 0.1 or 0.3 mg Se/kg DM a...
Relf VE, Morgan ER, Hodgkinson JE, Matthews JB.Improved education of veterinarians and equine owners/managers is essential in implementing parasite control strategies that are less reliant on chemicals. Methods: This questionnaire study, conducted on 61 UK Thoroughbred (TB) establishments during 2009 and 2010, was designed to obtain an understanding of current helminth control practices on studs. To our knowledge, this is the first occasion that statements obtained from TB studs via questionnaire have been supported by statistical analysis. Results: Despite many respondents indicating high levels of concern regarding anthelmintic resistanc...
Cullen S, OʼLoughlin G, McGoldrick A, Smyth B, May G, Warrington GD.The physiological demands of jockeys during competition remain largely unknown, thereby creating challenges when attempting to prescribe sport-specific nutrition and training guidelines. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the physiological demands and energy requirements of jockeys during flat racing. Oxygen uptake (V[Combining Dot Above]O2) and heart rate (HR) were assessed in 18 male trainee jockeys during a race simulation trial on a mechanical horse racing simulator for the typical time duration to cover a common flat race distance of 1,400 m. In addition, 8 male apprentice jockeys ...
Li N, Xie Q, Chen Q, Evivie SE, Liu D, Dong J, Huo G, Li B.Studies on the possible alternative supplements to breastmilk are gaining research interests. Although milk from cow, goat, and mare is nutritious, its effects on the relationship between the immune system, metabolites, and gut microbiota remain unclear. This study aimed to comprehensively evaluate the effects of cow, goat, and mare milk on the immune system, metabolites, and gut microbiota of mice colonized by healthy infant feces using human milk as a standard. We examined the serum biochemistry parameters, immunity indicators, T cells, gut microbiota abundance, and metabolites. Results show...
Canty MJ, Fogarty U, Sheridan MK, Ensley SM, Schrunk DE, More SJ.Four primary mycotoxicosis have been reported in livestock caused by fungal infections of grasses or cereals by members of the Clavicipitaceae family. Ergotism (generally associated with grasses, rye, triticale and other grains) and fescue toxicosis (associated with tall fescue grass, Festuca arundinacea) are both caused by ergot alkaloids, and referred to as 'ergot alkaloid intoxication'. Ryegrass staggers (associated with perennial ryegrass Lolium perenne) is due to intoxication with an indole-diperpene, Lolitrem B, and metabolites. Fescue-associated oedema, recently described in Australia, ...
Coverdale JA.Intensive management practices in the horse industry present a unique challenge to the microbiome of the large intestine. Common management practices such as high-concentrate diets, low forage quality, meal feeding, and confinement housing have an impact on intestinal function, specifically large intestinal fermentation. The microbiome of the equine large intestine is a complex and diverse ecosystem, and disruption of microbiota and their environment can lead to increased incidence of gastrointestinal disorder. Digestion in the horse can be improved through a variety of approaches such as feed...
Connysson M, Essén-Gustavsson B, Lindberg JE, Jansson A.A higher forage allowance to athletic horses might be an alternative to increase health and the gut fluid reservoir. However, more forage might increase bodyweight (bwt) and could therefore be a limitation during competition. Objective: To investigate the effect of a forage-only diet (FD) compared to a 50:50 (dry matter basis) forage:oats diet (OD) on bwt, plasma protein concentration and some metabolic plasma parameters during 12 h of feed deprivation. Methods: Twelve adult Standardbred horses in training were used. The 2 diets were fed in 2 experimental periods of 3 weeks each in a crossover...
Clauss M, Loehlein W, Kienzle E, Wiesner H.In order to test the suitability of the horse as a nutritional model for elephants, digestibility studies were performed with six captive Asian elephants on six different dietary regimes, using the double marker method with acid detergent lignin as an internal and chromium oxide as an external digestibility marker. Elephants resembled horses in the way dietary supplements and dietary crude fibre content influenced digestibility, in calcium absorption parameters and in faecal volatile fatty acid composition. However, the absolute digestibility coefficients achieved for all nutrients are distinc...
Meyer H, Radicke S, Kienzle E, Wilke S, Kleffken D, Illenseer M.In this study preileal starch digestibility of starchy feeds (oats, corn, barley, potatoes, manioc) was determined in seven jejunofistulated horses. The grains were fed whole (oats, corn), rolled (oats, barley), crushed, ground and expanded (corn); the potatoes were fresh, the manioc rolled. Ground corn was also fed in combination with amylase. The feeds were fed partly isolated or in combination with alfalfa meal or hay (Table 1). At least four horses with a cannula in the terminal jejunum were used for each diet. Two meals per day were offered at 12 h intervals. The starch intake was mostly ...
Lattimer JM, Cooper SR, Freeman DW, Lalman DL.Two experiments were conducted to evaluate the use of a closed system, fermentation apparatus (Daisy II incubator) and determine the effects of a yeast culture (YC) preparation (Saccharomyces cerevisiae) on in vitro microbial populations, diet digestion, and fermentation patterns in horses. In Exp. 1, 4 mature horses were fed a pelleted concentrate and alfalfa cubes in a 50:50 (%, as-fed) ratio. Fecal samples were taken from each horse to form the inoculum and placed in 4 separate incubation vessels. Twenty nylon bags (10 with 0.25 g and 10 with 0.50 g of the total mixed diet) were placed in e...
Zhao K, Chi Y, Shen X.As a consequence of contracted and fenced grassland, the incidence of edema pathema in the Hequ horse is rising. The main pathological symptoms are edema, emaciation, anemia, heterophilia, inappetence, and dyskinesia. To study the cause of edema disease in Hequ horse, the Hequ horse farm with a high incidence was chosen as the experimental pasture, and the Azi husbandry experimental station without edema disorder was the control pasture. The research methods in this paper are included: (1) The mineral contents in soil, forage, blood, and liver were analyzed. (2) Routine parameters and biochemi...
Franz R, Soliva CR, Kreuzer M, Hummel J, Clauss M.It is assumed that small herbivores produce negligible amounts of methane, but it is unclear whether this is a physiological peculiarity or simply a scaling effect. A respiratory chamber experiment was conducted with six rabbits (Oryctolagus cuniculus, 1.57±0.31 kg body mass) and six guinea pigs (Cavia porcellus, 0.79±0.07 kg) offered grass hay ad libitum. Daily dry matter (DM) intake and DM digestibility were 50±6 g kg⁻⁰·⁷⁵ d⁻¹ and 55±6% in rabbits and 59±11 g kg⁻⁰·⁷⁵ d⁻¹ and 61±3% in guinea pigs, respectively. Methane production was similar for both species (0.2...
Pearson RA, Archibald RF, Muirhead RH.Four donkeys and four ponies were fed molassed dehydrated alfalfa or oat straw, either ad libitum or restricted to about 70% ad libitum intake in a Latin-square design for four periods of 21 d. Measurements of apparent digestibility and gastrointestinal transit time were made on the last 7 d of each period. When the forages were provided ad libitum, all animals ate significantly more of the alfalfa than of the oat straw. Ponies consumed significantly more of both diets per unit live weight than donkeys. Higher apparent digestibilities of dietary DM, energy and fibre fractions were seen in donk...
Stratford CH, McGorum BC, Pickles KJ, Matthews JB.Cyathostomins represent a potential cause of equine morbidity and have become the main focus of endoparasite control in managed horses. All grazing horses are at risk of infection with cyathostomins; therefore, the application of appropriate management measures is essential. Anthelmintics currently comprise the main method of control for equine nematodes and the ready availability of these products in some countries has resulted in their use becoming dissociated from veterinary involvement. This is concerning given the levels of anthelmintic resistance that have been recorded in cyathostomin p...
Raspa F, Chessa S, Bergero D, Sacchi P, Ferrocino I, Cocolin L, Corvaglia MR, Moretti R, Cavallini D, Valle E.Diet is one of the main factors influencing the intestinal microbiota in horses, yet a systematic characterization of the microbiota along the length of the digestive tract in clinically healthy horses, homogenous for age and breed and receiving a specific diet is lacking. Unassigned: The study used 16S rRNA amplicon sequencing to characterize the microbiota of the intestinal tracts of 19 healthy Bardigiano horses of 14.3 ± 0.7 months of age fed one of two diets. Nine horses received a high-starch diet (HS), and ten horses received a high-fiber diet (HF). After 129 days, the horse...
Tardiolo G, La Fauci D, Riggio V, Daghio M, Di Salvo E, Zumbo A, Sutera AM.The diversity and composition of the gut microbiota are widely recognized as fundamental factors influencing the well-being and productivity of domestic animals. Advancements in sequencing technologies have revolutionized studies in this research field, allowing for deeper insights into the composition and functionality of microbiota in livestock. Ruminants and monogastric animals exhibit distinct digestive systems and microbiota characteristics: ruminants rely on fermentation, while monogastrics use enzymatic digestion, and monogastric animals have simpler stomach structures, except for horse...
Argenzio RA.Ulceration of the nonglandular, stratified squamous mucosa of the equine and porcine stomach is a common event in both species, although in pigs the fatality rate is significant and it is an economically important disease. Because the barrier function of this mucosa in horses and pigs appears similar, it is probable that similar pathophysiological mechanisms may be responsible for the initiating lesions and reparative events. Recent studies of ulcer pathogenesis in the pig have shown that feed preparation or prolonged fasting can result in disruption of the normal stratification of gastric con...
Richardson SM, Siciliano PD, Engle TE, Larson CK, Ward TL.This study was conducted to determine the effect of Se supplementation and source on the Se status of horses. Eighteen 18-mo-old nonexercised horses were randomly assigned within sex to 1 of 3 treatments: 1) control (CTRL, no supplemental Se, 0.15 mg of Se/kg of total diet DM); 2) inorganic Se (INORG, CTRL + 0.45 mg of Se/kg of total diet DM from NaSeO3); or organic Se [ORG, CTRL + 0.45 mg of Se/kg of total diet DM from zinc-L-selenomethionine (Availa Se, Zinpro, Corp., Eden Prairie, MN)]. Horses were acclimated to the CTRL diet (7.1 kg of DM alfalfa hay and 1.2 kg of DM concentrate per horse ...
Stull CL, Spier SJ, Aldridge BM, Blanchard M, Stott JL.Little information exists on the immunological effects of transport or the use of supplements to minimise transport stress. Objective: To establish baseline ranges and evaluate immunophenotypic and functional changes associated with transport and a nutritional 'adaptogen' supplement. Methods: Horses received either supplement (n = 10) or placebos (n = 9) during the 30 day study. After 28 days in stalls, 12 horses (6 supplement; 6 placebo) were transported for 24 h, then unloaded and recovered. Venous blood samples were collected on Days 1, 14 and 28 to establish baselines, and on Days 28, 29 a...
