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.
Meyer H, Flothow C, Radicke S.Three horses (approximately 190 kg BW) fitted with a permanent fistula at the end of the jejunum were used. To a control diet (1/3 hay, 2/3 mixed feed) one of two fat types (coconut fat or soybean oil) were added at 2 levels resulting in fat intakes of 0.1 g (control diet) to 0.5 or 1 g/kg BW 0.5 d, respectively. Each experimental period consisted of 2 weeks adaptation, 2 days of breath tests (before and hourly after the morning meal) and 5 days sampling of chyme. Crude fat, crude protein, concentrations of organic acids (SCFA, lactic acid), pH, and the minerals calcium, magnesium and phosphor...
Harris P.This review outlines the energy sources available to the horse, from its diet and from its body stores, at rest and while exercising. It looks at the current ways of describing the energy potential of diets fed to horses and discusses the relative advantages and disadvantages of the digestible energy and net energy systems. The more empirical net energy system for calculating the energy available for maintenance and work is compared with a more physiological partitioning system. Finally, the energy requirements for maintenance and exercise are discussed, together with how they may be practical...
Lyons ET, Swerczek TW, Tolliver SC, Drudge JH.At 4 days of age, an orphan horse foal born on a pasture was placed in a parasite-free stall. It was euthanized at 205 days of age and examination revealed numerous. Parascaris equorum specimens, ranging from 3.0 mm to adult size, indicating reinfections in the stall over an extended period of time. Initial infection of the foal was from stages on pasture. The foal had been observed repeatedly eating its own feces and the question is posed as to whether "recycling' of P. equorum eggs several times by coprophagy allowed time for embryonation and reinfection to occur.
Hancke J, Burgos R, Cáceres D, Brunetti F, Durigon A, Wikman G.Sport horses with long lasting high levels of gamma Glutamiltransferase (gGT) and Glutamic Oxalacetic Transaminase (GOT) and Creatinine Phosphokinase (CPK) and poor performance were administered during 14 days 3 g of Caval D'Or®, a standardized dried extract of Schizandra chinensis (fructus) orally. At day "0" the horses were divided into two groups: group 1 received a placebo and group 2 received Caval D'Or®. The results showed that Caval D'Or® is able to reduce significantly the levels of gGT and GOT in the serum at day 7 and 14 after administration. The CPK levels were also reduced by da...
Murray MJ, Eichorn ES.To determine the effect of decreasing gastric acidity in a feed-deprivation protocol on induction of gastric ulcers, and to determine whether stall confinement may be a factor contributing to gastric ulceration in horses. Methods: 8 adult horses, 4 geldings and 4 mares, 3 to 8 years old, and 7 adult horses, 5 geldings and 2 mares, 4 to 11 years old. Methods: Gastric ulceration was induced in horses by alternating 24-hour periods of feed deprivation and ad libitum access to hay, for a total of 96 hours' feed deprivation. This protocol was repeated with the horses receiving the histamine type-2 ...
Greppi GF, Casini L, Gatta D, Orlandi M, Pasquini M.Changes in the plasma biochemistry of 12 stallions were studied over seven 24 h periods. Twelve healthy male horses of 4 different breeds (Thoroughbred [TB], Anglo-Arabo-Sardo [AAS], Avelignese [Av] and Maremmano [M]) were divided into 3 experimental groups and fed with an isoenergetic maintenance ration with different protein levels. The same amount of food was given daily at 0730 and 1930 h. After 20 days of pretrial, a series of 6 blood samples were collected daily from the jugular vein every 4 h for 7 days. The samples were analysed for packed cell volume (PCV), haemoglobin, plasma glucose...
Jensen BB.Studies of methanogenic bacteria present in monogastric animals are still scarce. Methanogens have been isolated from faeces of rat, horse, pig, monkey, baboon, rhinoceros, hippopotamus, giant panda, goose, turkey and chicken. The predominant methanogen in all except the chicken and turkey is species of Methanobrevibacterium. The chicken and turkey harbour species of Methanogenium. In pig the population of methanogenic bacteria is more than 30 times as dense in the distal colon as in the caecum. This finding is in agreement with the finding that the rate of methane production is much higher in...
Martin RG, McMeniman NP, Norton BW, Dowsett KF.The dynamics of N metabolism in mature horses were investigated when they were fed on a low-N diet or the same diet supplemented with sufficient urea or soybean meal to meet their theoretical N requirements. There were no differences in DM, organic matter or neutral-detergent-fibre digestibilities for the three diets. N digestibilities and digestible-N intakes were similar for the urea- and soyabean-supplemented diets and very low for the low-N diet. For all three diets plasma urea was degraded in the digestive tract to NH3 which was utilized by the bacterial population as a N source. NH3 was ...
Van Duijkeren E, Kessels BG, Sloet van Oldruitenborgh-Oosterbaan MM, Breukink HJ, Vulto AG, van Miert AS.Binding of antibiotics to food has received little attention in equine medicine, although such binding could potentially reduce the bioavailability and clinical efficacy. In the present study, binding of trimethoprim (TMP) and sulphachlorpyridazine (SCP) to hay, grass silage and concentrate was investigated in vitro in buffer at pH 6.8 at different concentrations. The binding of TMP and SCP to caecal contents was also studied. In addition, the degradation of TMP and SCP by the caecal microflora was investigated by incubating sterilized and non-sterilized caecal contents for 3 h at 37 degrees C...
Goel S, Schumacher J, Lenz SD, Kemppainen BW.Disruption in sphingolipid (SL) metabolism is a biomarker of exposure to fumonisins. The role of altered SL metabolism in the pathogenesis of fumonisin toxicoses is not understood. A 27-d feeding trial in horses compared the toxic effects of 3 strains of Fusarium moniliforme: RRC 415, cultured from corn in MS; AU 2/3, cultured from feed associated with clinical signs of duodenitis-proximal jejunitis (DPJ) in horses in AL; and MRC 826, cultured from corn in South Africa and shown to cause equine leukoencephalomalacia (ELEM). These were cultured on corn and diluted with clean corn and grain mixe...
Nyman S, Jansson A, Dahlborn K, Lindholm A.To avoid dehydration and a decrease in performance capacity in horses, fluid and electrolyte losses need to be compensated for during long distance rides as well as on other occasions when sweat losses are high during exercise. Thirteen endurance-trained horses, age 5-14 years, were used to compare 3 strategies of voluntary rehydration during prolonged exercise, offering 1) water, 2) water after administering salt paste (3 x 30 g of NaCl) per os and 3) 0.9% saline. The ride covered 62 km and consisted of 3 rounds, of 20, 22 and 20 km, respectively. During the first 20 km, no fluid was offered ...
Kronfeld DS.Does dietary fat supplementation during conditioning improve athletic performance, especially in the heat? Fat adaptation has been used to increase energy density, decrease bowel bulk and faecal output and reduce health risks associated with hydrolysable carbohydrate overload. It may also reduce spontaneous activity and reactivity (excitability), increase fatty acid oxidation, reduce CO2 production and associated acidosis, enhance metabolic regulation of glycolysis, improve both aerobic and anaerobic performance and substantially reduce heat production. A thermochemical analysis of ATP generat...
Clarke CJ, Roeder PL, Dixon PM.A severe, advanced case of nutritional osteodystrophia fibrosa is described in a 10-year-old gelding with primary upper respiratory obstruction and chronic weight loss, which was one of a group of similarly affected horses in Ethiopia. The diagnosis was based on the clinical signs, gross lesions, histopathology and management history. The affected bones had suffered severe mineral depletion.
Sticker LS, Thompson DL, Bunting LD, Fernandez JM.Two diets consisting of bermudagrass hay and a corn-cottonseed hull-based supplement were formulated to provide either 100% (control) or 50% (restricted) of the protein and energy requirements for maintenance for mature mares. Twelve light horse mares were fed the control diet for 7 d, and then at 0800 on d 0, six mares were switched to the restricted diet. All diets were fed as two equally sized meals at 0800 and 1600. At 0800 on d 7, mares receiving the restricted diet were switched back to the control diet. Relative to control mares, mares switched to the restricted diet had reduced plasma ...
Holland JL, Kronfeld DS, Meacham TN.To test the hypothesis that dietary fats may improve tractability of horses, the effects of four total mixed diets on behavior were compared. The control diet (CON) contained chopped hay, corn, oats, beet pulp, molasses and a mineral mix; the three test diets contained an additional 10% (by weight) corn oil (CO), soy lecithin-corn oil (SL-CO), or soy lecithin-soy oil (SL-SO). Eight horses were fed each diet in random order for four 3-wk periods. Behavior was observed during the last week of each feeding period. Spontaneous activity was evaluated using a pedometer and was less in horses fed SL-...
Allen AL, Townsend HG, Doige CE, Fretz PB.A case-control study was conducted to identify risk factors for the congenital hypothyroidism and dysmaturity syndrome of foals. A questionnaire was used during personal interviews of foal owners and farm managers to collect information on animal signalment, farm environment, and mare management. Information on 39 foals with the congenital hypothyroidism and dysmaturity syndrome were compared with 39 control foals. Foals with the syndrome had a significantly (P < 0.0001) longer gestation (357.6 d) than control foals (338.9 d). Pregnant mares that were fed greenfeed, did not receive any supplem...
Cymbaluk NF, Laarveld B.The effects of dam parity, age at weaning, and preweaning diet were examined in the ontogeny of serum insulin-like growth factor-I (IGF-I) concentrations in foals. Foals born to 13 primiparous and 19 multiparous draft-cross mares were weighed and bled near birth. About one-half of the foals in each group were weaned early (about 13 wk old); the remaining foals were weaned late (about 16 wk of age). Pooled values for serum IGF-I concentrations between birth and 17 wk of age were higher (P < 0.065) for foals born to multiparous (386 ng/ml) than to primiparous mares (237.5 ng/ml). Colts (378 n...
Martin KL, Hoffman RM, Kronfeld DS, Ley WB, Warnick LD.Changes in serum concentrations of Ca and parathyroid hormone (PTH) may develop in periparturient mares, may be influenced by dietary Ca, and may be associated with changes in Ca concentration of mammary secretion. Milk and blood samples were taken from eight mares on Farm A and eight on Farm B for 10 d before parturition and from four mares on each farm for 5 d postpartum. Milk Ca was measured by two commercial tests. Serum samples were analyzed for PTH and total Ca in 16 mares and for ionized Ca in six (Farm A). Parturition was induced in eight mares on Farm A and four on Farm B; no signific...
Morvan B, Bonnemoy F, Fonty G, Gouet P.Total number of bacteria, cellulolytic bacteria, and H2-utilizing microbial populations (methanogenic archaea, acetogenic and sulfate-reducing bacteria) were enumerated in fresh rumen samples from sheep, cattle, buffaloes, deer, llamas, and caecal samples from horses. Methanogens and sulfate reducers were found in all samples, whereas acetogenes were not detected in some samples of each animal. Archaea methanogens were the largest H2-utilizing populations in all animals, and a correlation was observed between the numbers of methanogens and those of cellulolytic microorganisms. Higher counts of...
Cohen ND, Peloso JG.To identify risk factors for recurrent colic and chronic, intermittent colic in horses. Methods: Case control study. Methods: The population included 768 horses examined by veterinarians for emergencies other than colic (control group). Methods: Horses with colic that had history of colic (n = 232) were compared with those without such history (n = 536), using logistic regression analysis to identify risk factors for history of previous colic and to determine odds ratios (OR) for these associations. Among the 232 horses in the history of colic group, 58 horses that had chronic, intermittent co...
Pearson RA, Lawrence PR, Smith AJ.Draught animal research carried out by scientists at the Centre for Topical Veterinary Medicine (CTVM) in Edinburgh and overseas is reviewed and the major findings are reported. The remit for the work has been to provide basic information on draught animals which can be applied by researchers and extension workers to their own geographic situations. Instrumentation is described which has been designed and manufactured to assist in the measurement of draught animal performance, particularly work output and energy consumption. Energy requirements of cattle, buffaloes and equids for work and ways...
Hiney KM, Potter GD.Although a lot of research has been directed at attempts to improve performance of the equine athlete, many of the studies reviewed herein did not show statistically significant improvements in race times or increased time to fatigue. However, it must be remembered that success in racing performances is not always measured in time, but by comparative lengths or even by a nose. Therefore, improvement in the ability of an individual equine athlete is not always measurable and success is most frequently determined by one animal being better than the others in a particular competition. Therefore, ...
Baintner K, Csapó J.Mare's colostrum was collected and examined for the presence of trypsin inhibitors. It was found to contain a low level of trypsin inhibitor which could be denatured by 2.5% trichloroacetic acid and, therefore, it clearly differs from the acid-resistant colostral inhibitor of Artiodactyla and Carnivora. This finding is exceptional for a species that concentrates IgG in the colostrum and whose newborn absorbs colostral proteins non-selectively by the gut. It appears that the presence of colostral trypsin inhibitor is not essential for the transmission of maternal immunity via the colostrum and ...
Fowden AL, Silver M.With the use of [U-14C]glucose tracer methodology, the rates of umbilical uptake, utilization, oxidation, and production of glucose were determined in nine chronically catheterized fetal foals in the fed state between 268 and 325 days of gestation (term approximately 335 days). At the same time, the rates of umbilical O2 and lactate uptake were measured in all nine fetuses by Fick principle. The mean fetal rates of umbilical glucose uptake, glucose utilization, and CO2 production from glucose carbon were 36.9 +/- 2.5, 36.4 +/- 1.7, and 117.7 +/- 17.4 mumol.min-1.kg fetal body wt-1, respectivel...
Sticker LS, Thompson DL, Bunting LD, Fernandez JM, DePew CL, Nadal MR.Twelve light horse mares were fed a control diet that provided 100% of their maintenance protein and energy requirements for 7 d and were then either continued on the control diet or totally deprived of feed (with access to water) for 3 d . Plasma samples were drawn twice daily throughout the experiment, at 15-min intervals for 9 h beginning 45 h after feed removal, and at 10-min intervals around an exercise bout beginning 73 h after feed removal. Feed deprivation increased (P < or = .06) whole blood beta-hydroxybutyrate and plasma NEFA, urea N, L-lactate, and glucagon concentrations, decrease...
Bertone AL.With large colon resection and anastomosis, up to 95 per cent of the length of the large colon has been successfully removed. A hand-sewn end-to-end anastomosis is effective for lesions in the left dorsal colon and pelvic flexure. Transection and a side-to-side anastomosis with stapling equipment is most effective for extensive resections (greater than 50 per cent). Horses with extensive colon resection (95 per cent) have permanent deficiencies of water absorption and digestion of cellulose and protein. Fermentative capacity is reduced, owing to decreased particulate matter retention time in t...
Wong DM, Young L, Dembek KA.Sepsis is common in foals and several treatments are used to facilitate recovery. Evidence in people suggests an association between low blood concentrations of thiamine, ascorbic acid, and cortisol and sepsis, with further evidence suggesting that administration of hydrocortisone, thiamine, and ascorbic acid may improve outcome. No information is available with regard to these treatments in foals. Objective: To compare blood concentrations of thiamine, ascorbic acid, and cortisol in healthy and ill foals. Methods: Fifteen healthy and 27 ill (septic and sick-nonseptic [SNS]) foals were evaluat...
Kemmink A, Westermann CM, van der Kolk JH.The quantity of glucose disposal during exercise (walk and trot) compared to rest by use of the hyperglycaemic clamp technique has not been reported previously and has relevance to nutritional requirements. Objective: Exercise (walk and trot) significantly increases glucose disposal compared to rest. Methods: Seven healthy Dutch Warmblood mares, all in dioestrus, mean ± s.d. age 11.6 ± 2.4 years and weighing 569 ± 40 kg were fasted for 12 h prior to a hyperglycaemic clamp at rest (maintaining a steady state of the blood glucose concentration during 30 min), walk (10 min, 1.5 m/s), trot (20 ...
Cehak A, Burmester M, Geburek F, Feige K, Breves G.The aim of this study was to characterize the transport mechanisms of electrolytes and nutrients across the jejunum of nine healthy horses electrophysiologically. The stripped mucosa was mounted in Ussing chambers and tissue conductances (G(t)) and short circuit currents (I(sc)) were continuously monitored. After blocking the sodium and potassium channels with amiloride, tetraethylammonium chloride (TEA) and barium, chloride secretion was stimulated by carbachol and forskolin. Subsequently, chloride channels were inhibited by 4,4'-diisothiocyanato-stilbene-2,2'-disulfonic acid, 5-nitro-2-(3-ph...
Vecchi I, Sabbioni A, Bigliardi E, Morini G, Ferrari L, Di Ciommo F, Superchi P, Parmigiani E.Standardbred maiden mares are generally stressed and in poor physical condition because of their incorrect management at the end of their racing careers. The purpose of this study was to identify an objective assessment that, similar to body condition score (BCS) determination, is easy to measure and able to confirm or improve fattening status assessment, as well as to ascertain whether a relationship with reproduction efficiency exists in subjects destined for a first-time insemination program. The authors assessed 29 Standardbred maiden mares (7 +/- 2 years old) during the breeding season. O...
Deficiency of the necessary complex of micronutrients under abnormal nutrition structure creates a problem for the preservation of health and performance of the population. In this regard, it is very relevant to develop a science-based strategy for the consumption of traditional Yakut national food that have a high nutritional value and are able to satisfy the requirements of the human body in micronutrients. of the research was to investigate the content of selenium and zinc in the local foods which are most commonly consumed by the population of Yakutia. . The objects of study were meat (7-...
Hassel DM, Spier SJ, Aldridge BM, Watnick M, Argenzio RA, Snyder JR.To determine the effects of two diets and water supplies on intestinal pH and mineral concentrations in the colon of horses, and to identify whether differences in these parameters exist in horses with and without enterolithiasis, surgical fistulation of the right dorsal colon was performed in six adult horses, three with and three without enterolithiasis. Each horse underwent four feeding trials: grass hay and untreated water, alfalfa hay and untreated water, grass hay with filtered/softened water, and alfalfa hay with filtered/softened water. Samples of colonic contents were analyzed for pH,...
Al-Khaldi K, Yimer N, Sadiq MB, Firdaus Jesse Bin Abdullah F, Salam Babji A, Al-Bulushi S.Diluents and various biological products have been used in different animal species, with promising outcomes in post-thaw sperm quality. Nevertheless, only a few reports are available for the semen of Arabian horses. Edible bird's nest (EBN) - a product of the salivary secretions of swiftlet species is widely known to have both antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. Presently, there is no data available on the role of EBN supplemented in different extenders and its effect on semen quality in stallion semen. Two in vitro experiments were conducted to examine the effects of edible bird's ...
Fowler AL, Pyles MB, Hayes SH, Crum AD, Harris PA, Krotky A, Lawrence LM.There is little information about how weight change in horses impacts bone turnover and the metabolism of minerals associated with bone. This study evaluated weight change in mature horses as a factor that could alter bone turnover and fecal P output. Fifteen horses (555 ± 8 kg) were assigned to three treatments: weight loss (LO; n = 5), weight maintenance (MA; n = 5), and weight gain (GA; n = 5). Diets contained 75%, 100%, and 145% of maintenance digestible energy requirements for the three treatments, respectively, but contained similar amounts of protein and minerals. At the end of t...
Godwin T, Webb G, Lancaster P.Previous research indicates equine fecal inoculates produce comparable results to cecal fluid when used for in vitro procedures to analyze dry matter digestibility (DMD). Equine hindgut microbial communities represented in fecal samples have been shown to be affected by diet. The study's objective was to determine the effect of the donor diet on in vitro DMD when fecal donors were fed high starch, or high fiber diets. Six Quarter Horses were used in a crossover design to compare the effects of a grain versus forage diet on in vitro digestion of forages ranging from: CP 7.7 to 16.4 %DM, NDF 53 ...
Godovac-Zimmermann J, Shaw D, Conti A, McKenzie H.The presence of two new alpha-lactalbumins has been demonstrated in the colostrum of a single mare (Equus caballus, Persian Arab). They have been designated equine alpha-lactalbumin B and C, and that isolated previously from the milk of Australian horses (English Thoroughbred) as alpha-lactalbumin A. The primary structures of B/C have been determined by automatic Edman degradation of enzymatic cleavage of the oxidized protein. Cyanogen bromide cleavage of S-carbamoyl-methylated protein provided necessary overlapping peptides. Comparison of the sequences of B and C with that of A indicates 3 an...
Stubley D, Campbell C, Dant C, Blackmore DJ, Pierce A.The concentration of copper and zinc in the blood and sera of over 300 Thoroughbreds in training was determined by atomic absorption between February 1979 and July 1981. The mean (+/- sd) concentration of copper in the serum of stabled Thoroughbreds (79 +/- 16 micrograms/dl) was significantly (P less than 0.0001) lower than that of those at grass (101 +/- 26 micrograms/dl), whereas the mean serum zinc concentration of stabled Thoroughbreds (170 +/- 54 micrograms/dl) was higher than that of those at grass (111 +/- 45 micrograms/dl). No such differences were observed in whole blood. There were m...
Zentek J.In this case report on myopathies in 6 saddle-horses, a combined dietary vitamin E and selenium deficiency is presumed. Other disorders, such as exertional myopathy ("Monday morning disease") due to excessive energy intake or ionophore intoxication could be excluded by calculating the energy supply or by a simple colour test. The selenium requirement of horses is estimated to 0.1-0.2 mg/kg dry matter (Meyer 1986). If natural feed compounds are low in selenium, adequate amounts of this trace element can be supplied by means of supplemental feeds, sodium selenite (20 mg/500 kg BW/week) or bruise...
Peters LW, Smiet E, de Sain-van der Velden MG, van der Kolk JH.Acylcarnitines play an important role in fuel metabolism in skeletal muscle. Objective: To assess acylcarnitine ester utilization by the hindlimb of horses at rest and following low intensity exercise and carnitine supplementation. Methods: Acylcarnitine ester uptake by the hindlimb was investigated using the arteriovenous difference technique. Blood from six warmblood mares (mean age 12 ± 3 (SD) years and weighing 538 ± 39 kg) was collected simultaneously from the transverse facial artery and from the caudal vena cava. Food was withheld for 12 hours prior to exercise. Exercise comprised a s...
Jose-Cunilleras E, Hinchcliff KW, Lacombe VA, Sams RA, Kohn CW, Taylor LE, Devor ST.Fatiguing exercise substantially decreases muscle glycogen concentration in horses, impairing athletic performance in subsequent exercise bouts. Our objective was to determine the effect of ingestion of starch-rich meals after exercise on whole body glucose kinetics and muscle glycogen replenishment. In a randomized, cross-over study seven horses with exercise-induced muscle glycogen depletion were either not fed for 8 h, fed half of the daily energy requirements ( approximately 15 Mcal DE) as hay, or fed an isocaloric amount of corn 15 min and 4 h after exercise. Starch-rich meals fed after e...
Ralston SL.Horses suffering from trauma, sepsis, and severe burns need 12% to 16% of protein (dry matter basis) in their diet. Since reduced appetite may be a problem, relatively energy dense (greater than 2 Mcal DE/kg) feeds should be offered. In hepatic failure, maintenance protein requirements (8% on a dry matter basis for adult horses) should be met with feeds that are high in short branched-chain amino acids and arginine but low in aromatic amino acids and tryptophan (for example, milo, corn, soybean, or linseed meal) in addition to grass hay. Vitamins A, C, and E should also be supplemented. In cas...
Gillis JP, Taylor TS, Puckett MJ.A 5-year-old Arabian stallion was treated medically 6 days for proximal enteritis. On the sixth day, exploratory celiotomy verified the diagnosis and ruled out other intraluminal and extraluminal gastrointestinal tract obstructions. A gastrojejunostomy was performed. The horse had trouble maintaining and gaining weight in the first year after surgery, but 8 years after surgery, the owner reported that the horse was doing well.
Hoff RB, Molognoni L, Deolindo CTP, de Oliveira T, Mattos JLS, Oliveira LVA, Daguer H.Sugarcane yeast and brewer's yeast from ethanol production are widely used as ingredients of animal feed formulations in Brazil. To avoid the contamination of the must in ethanol production refineries, the use of antibiotics is one of the main preventive treatments. Thus, there is a risk of antibiotic residues carry over from yeast to animal feed. This unintentional addition of antibiotics can produce non-compliant feed products, due to regulatory aspects and their toxicity for animals. The results of an exploratory program to assess the occurrence of over 60 antibiotics and other pharmaceutic...
Enke N, Brinkmann L, Südekum KH, Tholen E, Gerken M.Horses lose high amounts of Na through excessive sweating. These fluid losses can often not be replaced completely by voluntary water intake, requiring saline solutions as rehydration therapy to regain electrolyte balance. The experiment aimed to evaluate the sensitivity and tolerance of Shetland ponies towards different Na concentrations in their drinking water and contained three phases: (1) control: only fresh water provided; (2) pairwise-preference test: choice between fresh water and saline solution with stepwise increasing sodium chloride (NaCl) concentration (0.25%, 0.5%, 0.75%, 1.0%, 1...
Siwińska N, Żak A, Słowikowska M, Kubiak K, Jaworski Z, Niedzwiedź A.Hair is a more biologically stable material than other tissues and contains a relatively constant level of minerals, drugs or toxins. The content of essential elements in hair depends on dietary and non-dietary factors. The aim of this study was to assess and compare the effect of diet on the elemental composition and morphological properties of the hair of healthy Polish Konik horses. Mane hair was collected from 19 horses living in The National Park in Popielno in Poland. Six of these horses were free-ranged all year with permanent access to pasture, while 13 horses were kept in the stable a...
Williams T, Rude B, Liao S, Mochal-King C, Nicodemus M.The objective of this study was to observe how fat incorporated into an equine forage-based diet through supplementation altered levels of plasma glucose, insulin and fatty acids. Five Shetland/Hackney cross pony mares were fed alfalfa pellet diets top dressed with commercially available vegetable oil (blend of soya bean, canola and corn oils) at 0%, 5%, 10% or 15% of diet. Ponies were randomly assigned one of four diets to start, with a 14-day adjustment period between transitioning to another one of the four diets. Ponies were gradually adapted to the new diet within the 14-day period before...
Kronfeld DS, Custalow SE, Ferrante PL, Taylor LE, Moll HD, Meacham TN, Tiegs W.To determine lactate breakpoint of horses and test for effects of training and dietary supplementation with corn oil on that breakpoint. Methods: 7 healthy Arabian horses. Methods: Horses received a control diet (n = 4) or a diet supplemented with 10% corn oil (4). A training program, which comprised two 5-week conditioning periods with 1 week of rest, was initiated. Submaximal incremental exercise tests (IET) were conducted before the first and after both conditioning periods. Blood samples for determination of blood lactate and plasma glucose concentrations were collected 1 minute before IET...
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 â– â– â– â– â– 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 8.2â...
Rose RJ.Many factors can influence electrolytes in the horse. With the major electrolytes (sodium and potassium), alterations in serum or plasma values do not reflect changes in total body status. However, estimates of electrolyte alterations may be made by combining assessments of body weight changes with plasma sodium values by using the formula of Edelman et al. In planning electrolyte therapy, it has to be remembered that access to green feed or hay is important in correcting any total body potassium depletion and that diets marginal in sodium may interfere with exercise capacity by limiting sweat...
Bampidis V, Azimonti G, Bastos ML, Christensen H, Fašmon Durjava M, Kouba M, López-Alonso M, López Puente S, Marcon F, Mayo B, Pechová A....The tincture derived from L. (great mullein tincture) is intended to be used as a sensory additive in feed for all animal species. The product is a water/ethanol solution, with a dry matter content of ˜ 2.8% and contains on average 0.216% polyphenols including 0.093% flavonoids. According to a previous assessment, the additive was not characterised in full and about 82% of the dry matter fraction remained uncharacterised (representing 2.26% of the tincture). There was also uncertainty on the potential presence of iridoid glycosides in the tincture. Therefore, the Panel on Additives and Prod...
Hatzipanagiotou A, Rieland E, Enbergs H.It was the aim of this project to investigate the changes of the lysozyme activity in the milk of mares during the lactation period. Further on the influence of race, date of conception and foaling, age and number of lactations on the lysozyme activities in milk was analysed. Milk samples were collected from 44 mares (trotters, warmblood, quarter horses) from eight farms between the 1st and 90th day p. p. The activity of the lysozyme was measured by a turbidometric method. Summarizing the following results are obtained: Lysozyme activities in mare milk of the 1st and 3rd day p. p. were higher ...
Busse NI, Uberti B.A 12-year-old, multiparous, parturient show jumper embryo-recipient mare presented at a veterinary hospital, seven days past her due date and with a dilated cervix, for evaluation of mild colic. Gastrointestinal or metabolic abnormalities and fetal maldispositions were excluded as causes of dystocia, and a diagnosis of uterine inertia was made. There was no uterine response to oxytocin treatment. A live filly was delivered via C-section, and severe selenium deficiency was eventually confirmed in the mare, her offspring, and in the herd of origin. The filly was born with severe white muscle dis...
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...
Coenen M.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,...
Kania M, Mikołajewska D, Marycz K, Kobielarz M.The aim of this research was to assess the effect of diet supplementation with zinc and copper, in different chemical forms (organic and inorganic), on the mechanical properties of the hair of healthy English thoroughbred horses. Hairs were taken from 18 horses which had been fed with oats and hay for a period of 110 days. Twelve of the horses had been additionally given a daily dose of 700 g of highquality 44-ingredients Fohlengold St-Hippolyt muesli made by Muhle Ebert Dilheim. Six of them had received the muesli-containing organic zinc and copper (OS), while the other six horses had receive...
