Straw is a common bedding material used in horse management, primarily composed of the stalks of cereal grains such as wheat, barley, or oats. It provides a dry and comfortable resting surface for horses and aids in maintaining stable hygiene by absorbing moisture and waste. The type of straw used can vary based on factors such as availability, cost, and the specific needs of the horse, including potential allergies or respiratory issues. This page compiles peer-reviewed research studies and scholarly articles that explore the properties, benefits, and considerations of using straw as bedding material in equine environments, as well as its impact on horse health and stable management practices.
Kara K, Altınsoy A.Forages are widely used in horse diets. Different in vitro techniques are being tried to determine the fermentation levels of forages in the horse digestive tract. Objective: This study aimed to evaluate the digestion levels of four dry forages commonly used in horse nutrition: alfalfa herbage, meadow hay, wheat straw, and Italian ryegrass. In vitro total digestion (TDT), in vitro Sunvold-large intestine digestion (SDT) and in vitro Menke-large intestine digestion (MDT) techniques were compared. Methods: The study determined in vitro true dry matter digestion (T-DMD), in vitro true organic mat...
Diez de Castro E, Fernandez-Molina JM.Environmental practices related to the inhalation of airborne dust have been identified as the main cause of equine asthma (EA) and reasonably, they are truly relevant in its treatment and control, especially for horses with its severe form. Vast research regarding environmental recommendations has been conducted in recent years. However, no recent exhaustive reviews exist that gather all this new evidence. The aim of this review is to report and compare the most pertinent information concerning the environmental management of EA. The main findings highlight the importance of the type of forag...
Egyptien S, Deleuze S, Ledeck J, Ponthier J.Stallion sperm analysis is indicated for infertility diagnosis, pre-sale expertise, production of fresh or frozen doses, and frozen straw quality control. Various collection methods are described, and numerous assays can be performed on semen. Determining an approach for each of these cases is challenging. This review aims to discuss how to obtain relevant clinical results, answering stallion owners' concerns. Semen can be collected with an artificial vagina on a phantom or a mare, by electro-ejaculation under anesthesia, or after pharmacological induction. The collection method influences the...
Zhang Z, Gao X, Dong W, Huang B, Wang Y, Zhu M, Wang C.Equines and ruminants have evolved as grazing herbivores with specialized gastrointestinal tracts capable of utilizing a wide range of fibrous feeds. In China, agricultural by-products, including corn straw, wheat straw, peanut vine, wheat husk, rice husk, and grass hay, have been extensively included in both equine and ruminant diets. These plant materials, which are composed predominantly of cellulose, hemicellulose, noncellulosic polysaccharides, and lignin, are largely undegradable by equines and ruminants themselves. Their breakdown is accomplished by communities of resident microorganism...
Intemann S, Reckels B, Schubert D, Wolf P, Kamphues J, Visscher C.The hygienic quality of forage for horses is discussed as a potential health hazard, especially regarding respiratory diseases, colic, and hepatopathies. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to investigate the possible relations between microbiological counts, as well as endotoxin levels and disease symptoms. Data from microbiological examination reports were analyzed retrospectively, including the results of sensory examination, microbiological counts, and lipopolysaccharide contents. Sensory analysis gave an indication of deficiencies in microbiological analysis, but both methods did not...
Jansson A, Harris P, Davey SL, Luthersson N, Ragnarsson S, Ringmark S.Straw's low energy content means it is a roughage option for horses with low energy requirements. Previously, in a field study, straw was associated with an increased risk for gastric ulcers. This study evaluated the effect on gastric ulcers, metabolic profile and behaviour of replacing, in a forage-only ration, 50% of the daily allowance with wheat straw. Six equines were studied in a 2 × 21-day cross-over design. The control diet (CON: 100% grass forage) and the straw diet (S: 50% grass forage and 50% straw [DM basis]) were iso-energetic. Gastroscopy was performed prior to the study and on ...
Catalán J, Yánez-Ortiz I, Gacem S, Papas M, Bonet S, Rodríguez-Gil JE, Yeste M, Miró J.Previous research has determined that irradiation of mammalian sperm with red light increases motility, mitochondrial activity, and fertilization capacity. In spite of this, no study has considered the potential influence of the color of the straw and the extender used. Therefore, this study tests the hypothesis that the response of mammalian sperm to red light is influenced by the color of the straw and the turbidity/composition of the extender. Using the horse as a model, 13 ejaculates from 13 stallions were split into two equal fractions, diluted with Kenney or Equiplus extender, and stored...
Pliszczak-Król A, Gemra M, Kozdrowski R, Zalewski D, Iwaszko A.Recurrent Airway Obstruction (RAO), also called severe asthma or heaves, is a chronic disease in adult horses caused by aeroallergens from straw or hay. Disturbances in hemostasis (intensified coagulation and depressed fibrinolysis) are considered one of the prominent reasons of inflammatory process, injury and dysfunction of the lungs. The aim of the study was to evaluate chosen parameters of hemostasis in horses with active form of RAO. Ten RAO-horses (group R) and ten healthy horses (group C) were exposed to straw and hay allergen challenge. The prothrombin time (PT), activated partial thro...
Kuchler M, Zeyner A, Susenbeth A, Kienzle E.Renal energy losses of horses are high in comparison with other species. In the present study, more data were obtained on this parameter to improve predictive equations for renal energy losses. Four adult ponies (247-344 kg body weight [BW]) were fed with eight different diets based on first cut hay, second cut hay, early first cut fresh grass, late cut herbs-grass mix, early cut clover-grass mix, sugar beet pulp, rice bran and straw. Feed intake was measured, and urine and faeces were quantitatively collected for 3 × 12 hr at daytime and afterwards 3 × 12 hr at nighttime. Feed was an...
Dosi MCM, Kirton R, Hallsworth S, Keen JA, Morgan RA.Obesity is a growing problem in UK equine population. Achieving weight loss in obese horses and ponies at risk of laminitis is an important but often challenging objective. Methods: We hypothesised that supplementing poor winter pasture with a mix of barley straw and hay (50:50) rather than hay alone (group B) would lead to weight loss in grazing equids over winter. For this purpose, a group of 40 horses were fed either the straw mix (group A) or hay alone (group B) over winter. Results: Over the study period, all animals in group A (n=25) lost weight with a mean weight change of -27±17 kg,...
Ruet A, Lemarchand J, Parias C, Mach N, Moisan MP, Foury A, Briant C, Lansade L.Horses are mainly housed in individual boxes. This housing system is reported to be highly detrimental with regard to welfare and could trigger the expression of four behavioural indicators of a compromised welfare state: stereotypies, aggressiveness toward humans, unresponsiveness to the environment, and stress-related behaviours. The aim of this study was to identify housing and management factors that could alleviate the detrimental effects of individual boxes on welfare. A total of 187 horses were observed over 50 days by scan sampling. The impact of 12 factors was investigated on the expr...
Dauvillier J, Ter Woort F, van Erck-Westergren E.Fungi contribute to the inflammatory response of lungs in horses with recurrent airway obstruction and in some forms of asthma in humans. The role of fungi in inflammatory airway disease (IAD) has not been assessed. Objective: Evaluate the prevalence of fungi in the respiratory samples of horses diagnosed with IAD, describe clinical signs associated with the presence of fungi in respiratory samples, and assess the risk factors associated with IAD and with the presence of fungi in the airways. Methods: Seven-hundred thirty-one active horses referred to a specialized ambulatory practice for sign...
Kwiatkowska-Stenzel A, Witkowska D, Sowińska J, Stopyra A.The choice of bedding material affects the quality of air in a stable and, consequently, the respiratory health of horses and humans. The risk of respiratory problems can be mitigated by improving the quality of air in the stable. The choice of bedding material is particularly important in cold climate conditions where horses are kept indoors throughout the year. This study examined the impact of three bedding materials: straw (S), peat with shavings (PS), and crushed wood pellets (CWP). The investigated factors were air contamination, including dust contamination and microbial (bacterial and ...
Hipp B, Südekum KH, Zeyner A, Goren G, Kienzle E.The prediction of renal energy excretion is crucial in a metabolizable energy system for horses. Phenolic acids from forage cell walls may affect renal energy losses by increasing hippuric acid excretion. Therefore, the relationships were investigated between renal energy, nitrogen (N) and hippuric acid excretion of four adult ponies (230-384 kg body weight (BW)) consuming diets based on fresh grass, grass silage, grass cobs (heat-dried, finely chopped, pressed grass), alfalfa hay, straw, extruded straw and soybean meal. Feed intake was measured; urine and faeces were quantitatively collected...
Love S, Burden FA, McGirr EC, Gordon L, Denwood MJ.Domesticated grazing animals including horses and donkeys are frequently housed using deep litter bedding systems, where it is commonly presumed that there is no risk of infection from the nematodes that are associated with grazing at pasture. We use two different approaches to test whether equids could become infected with cyathostomines from the ingestion of deep litter straw bedding. Two herbage plot studies were performed in horticultural incubators set up to simulate three straw bedding scenarios and one grass turf positive control. Faeces were placed on 16 plots, and larval recoveries pe...
Hadin S, Eriksson O.Horse keeping is of great economic, social and environmental benefit for society, but causes environmental impacts throughout the whole chain from feed production to manure treatment. According to national statistics, the number of horses in Sweden is continually increasing and is currently approximately 360,000. This in turn leads to increasing amounts of horse manure that have to be managed and treated. Current practices could cause local and global environmental impacts due to poor performance or lack of proper management. Horse manure with its content of nutrients and organic material can ...
Böske J, Wirth B, Garlipp F, Mumme J, Van den Weghe H.Energetic use of complex lignocellulosic wastes has gained global interest. Thermophilic digestion of horse manure based on straw was investigated using the upflow anaerobic solid-state (UASS) process. Increasing the organic loading rate from 2.5 to 5.5gvsL(-)(1)d(-)(1) enhanced the average methane production rate from 0.387 to 0.687LCH4L(-)(1)d(-)(1), whereas the yield decreased from 154.8 to 124.8LCH4kgvs(-)(1). A single-stage and two-stage process design showed almost the same performance. Compared to prior experiments at mesophilic conditions, thermophilic conditions showed a significantly...
Böske J, Wirth B, Garlipp F, Mumme J, Van den Weghe H.Aim of this study was to investigate the use of upflow anaerobic solid-state (UASS) digestion for treating horse manure. Biochemical methane potential (BMP) tests conducted for varying mixtures of dung (hay and silage feed) and bedding material (wheat straw, flax, hemp, wood chips) showed that straw mixed with hay horse dung has the highest potential of [Formula: see text] . Continuous mesophilic digestion was conducted for 238 days using a single-stage UASS reactor (27 L) and a two-stage UASS system with an anaerobic filter (AF, 21 L). Increasing the organic loading rate (OLR) from 2.5 to 4.5...
Goren G, Fritz J, Dillitzer N, Hipp B, Kienzle E.Hay stabilises urine pH in horses. It is unknown whether this is an effect of structure or of chemical composition. In this study, four ponies (230-384 kg body weight [BW]) were fed six different diets with either a structure or a composition similar to hay with and without acidifiers in a cross-over experimental design in amounts to maintain body weight with the following main compounds: Fresh grass (GRASS), alfalfa hay (ALF), grass cobs (COBS), grass silage (SIL), straw (STR) or extruded straw (STRe) for 2 to 10 days. Urine pH was measured in all trials, blood pH, blood base excess and bicar...
Farnet AM, Qasemian L, Peter-Valence F, Ruaudel F, Savoie JM, Ferré E.The potential of Agaricus subrufescens strains to colonize and transform horse manure and wheat-straw-based mushroom compost under the physico-chemical conditions typically used for Agaricus bisporus was assessed. Lignocellulolytic activities, H2O2 production and substrate transformation (assessed via CP/MAS NMR of (13)C) for certain A. subrufescens strains were similar or even greater than those obtained for an A. bisporus strain used as control. Moreover, the functional diversity of the microbial communities of the substrate was not altered by the growth of A. subrufescens after 2weeks. Thes...
Vervuert I, Brüssow N, Bochnia M, Cí·¯ord D, Coenen M.The aims of this study were to monitor electromyographic (EMG) activity of masseter muscle in healthy horses fed (i) different types of roughage and (ii) maize after different hay allocations. Four horses were offered the following three diets ad libitum: hay, haylage or straw/alfalfa chaff (SAC). In a second trial, four horses were fed cracked maize (CM) and hay in three different orders: (i) CM after a 12-h overnight fast; (ii) CM immediately after restricted hay intake (0.6 kg hay/100 kg BW); or 3) CM after hay intake ad libitum. The activity of the masseter muscle was determined by EMG...
Cui Z, Shi J, Li Y.The spent wheat straw from horse stall bedding has lower cellulose and hemicellulose contents, but higher volatile fatty acid content than raw wheat straw. Biogas production from solid-state anaerobic digestion (SS-AD) of spent wheat straw and raw wheat straw was compared in this study. The SS-AD tests were conducted at 22% total solids (TS) content using inoculum from a liquid AD system at three feedstock-to-inoculum (F/I) ratios of 2.0, 4.0, and 6.0. Daily methane yields of spent wheat straw peaked 8 and 3 days earlier than those of raw wheat straw at F/I ratios of 2.0 and 4.0, respectively....
Luthersson N, Nielsen KH, Harris P, Parkin TD.The prevalence (up to 93% in Thoroughbred racehorses) and severity of equine gastric ulceration syndrome (EGUS) has been associated with type of training and differing management practices. However, there have been few studies to confirm these findings in nonracehorses in Europe. Objective: To investigate the prevalence of EGUS in a population of Danish horses, during winter when the horses had been housed and fed for at least 8 weeks and to analyse the influence of feed, work level and environment on the risk of EGUS of > or = grade 2 in severity. Methods: A total of 201 horses, not in active...
Wichert B, Nater S, Wittenbrink MM, Wolf P, Meyer K, Wanner M.In 46 horse farms all over Switzerland, the hygienic quality of the roughage (including silages) was investigated. Therefore, a macroscopic examination as well as the microbial counts (bacteria, yeasts and moulds) was carried out. Further, the contents of lipopolysaccharides (LPS) and the contamination with deoxynivalenol (DON) were determined. In all roughages, the dry matter (DM) content was measured and in silages additionally the pH was measured. Predominantly, the straw showed a lower hygienic quality than hay and silages. The LPS contents were significantly higher in straw than those in ...
Kusch S, Oechsner H, Jungbluth T.Experiments on methanogenesis from horse dung were conducted in laboratory-scale batch reactors in order to determine the substrate performance in a solid-phase digestion process, more specifically in terms of potential energy recovery and suitable process technology. Dung from a horse stable with straw bedding was used. The temperature was kept in the mesophilic range. In the percolation process (with process water sprinkled over the stacked biomass) a proportion of 10-20% of solid inoculum (pre-digested horse dung) was found to be suitable. Comparative experiments with both percolation and f...
Deaton CM, Marlin DJ, Deaton L, Smith NC, Harris PA, Schroter RC, Kelly FJ.Following a period of airway inflammation the clearance of inflammatory cells along the mucociliary escalator may impose a considerable oxidant load on the trachea. Objective: To determine the degree of oxidative stress in tracheal epithelial lining fluid (ELF) in comparison to that present in peripheral airways after an acute exposure to organic dust. Methods: Tracheal wash fluid and bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) were collected for cytology and antioxidant analyses from 6 recurrent airway obstruction (RAO)-affected horses and 6 healthy control horses before and after stabling on straw b...
Pearson RA, Archibald RF, Muirhead RH.Four cattle, sheep, ponies and donkeys were fed dehydrated lucerne, early-cut hay, later-cut hay or barley straw in a Latin square-based design for four periods of 35 d. In the first sub-period animals were fed the diets ad libitum (1-21 d) and in the second sub-period they were fed the same diet restricted to 0.75 of ad libitum intake (days 22-35). Measurements of forage intake, apparent digestibilities and gastrointestinal mean retention times (MRT) were made in the last 7 d of each sub-period. Differences between species in voluntary DM intake (VDMI; g/kg live weight (LW)(0.75) and g/LW) we...
McGreevy PD, Cripps PJ, French NP, Green LE, Nicol CJ.A greater knowledge of the effect of management factors is required to investigate the ontogeny of abnormal behaviour in the stabled horse. A postal survey of racehorse (flat) trainers yielded information about 22 yard and management factors. The relationship of the factors to the prevalence of abnormal behaviour was analysed by logistic regression. Management factors related to the time spent in the stable showed the strongest associations with stereotypic behaviour. The risk of horses performing abnormal behaviour increased: 1) as the amount of forage fell below 6.8 kg/day, 2) when bedding t...
Burrell MH, Wood JL, Whitwell KE, Chanter N, Mackintosh ME, Mumford JA.A longitudinal study of respiratory disease in racehorses was carried out to assess its relative associations with different infectious agents and to examine any role that the environmental conditions might play. The relationships between coughing, nasal discharge, pyrexia and lower respiratory tract disease were also examined to provide information for improving clinical diagnosis, particularly of disease of the lower respiratory tract. Lower airway disease was closely associated with infection with Streptococcus zooepidemicus. It was also found that equine herpesvirus seroconversions and S p...
Dauvillier J, Ter Woort F, van Erck-Westergren E.Fungi contribute to the inflammatory response of lungs in horses with recurrent airway obstruction and in some forms of asthma in humans. The role of fungi in inflammatory airway disease (IAD) has not been assessed. Objective: Evaluate the prevalence of fungi in the respiratory samples of horses diagnosed with IAD, describe clinical signs associated with the presence of fungi in respiratory samples, and assess the risk factors associated with IAD and with the presence of fungi in the airways. Methods: Seven-hundred thirty-one active horses referred to a specialized ambulatory practice for sign...
Mellor DJ, Love S, Walker R, Gettinby G, Reid SW.Details of the management, feeding, level of activity and routine health care of horses in Scotland and the five northernmost counties in England were recorded through a stratified random sample of horse owners who had responded to a previous survey. Sixty-eight per cent of the horses were kept where their owners resided, and 32 per cent were kept away from the owner's home. More than 99 per cent were turned out to grazing for at least part of the year and 81 per cent were stabled for at least part of the time, most commonly bedded on straw (50 per cent) or shavings (34 per cent). Hay was fed ...
Pirie RS, Dixon PM, Collie DD, McGorum BC.To investigate whether inhaled endotoxin contributes to airway inflammation and dysfunction in stabled horses, control (n = 6) and asymptomatic heaves (previously termed chronic obstructive pulmonary disease)-susceptible (n = 7) horses were given inhalation challenges with 20, 200 and 2,000 microg of soluble Salmonella typhimurium Ra60 lipopolysaccharide (LPS). LPS inhalation induced a dose-dependent neutrophilic airway inflammatory response in both groups. Inhalation with 2,000 microg of LPS also induced detectable lung dysfunction in the heaves group. LPS inhalation did not alter clinical sc...
Vandenput S, Istasse L, Nicks B, Lekeux P.Standardized methods were used to make quantitative and qualitative assessments of respirable dust and aeroallergens in feed and bedding for horses. Concentrations of airborne dust were measured by using a Rion particle counter, and levels of major aeroallergens implicated in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease were measured by using an Andersen sampler. Laboratory conditions allowed comparison of the different sources of forage, supplements, and bedding without external influences such as ventilation, external temperature and horse activity affecting the result. Grass silages of approximate...
Ruet A, Lemarchand J, Parias C, Mach N, Moisan MP, Foury A, Briant C, Lansade L.Horses are mainly housed in individual boxes. This housing system is reported to be highly detrimental with regard to welfare and could trigger the expression of four behavioural indicators of a compromised welfare state: stereotypies, aggressiveness toward humans, unresponsiveness to the environment, and stress-related behaviours. The aim of this study was to identify housing and management factors that could alleviate the detrimental effects of individual boxes on welfare. A total of 187 horses were observed over 50 days by scan sampling. The impact of 12 factors was investigated on the expr...
Woods PS, Robinson NE, Swanson MC, Reed CE, Broadstone RV, Derksen FJ.Airborne dust concentration (ADC) was measured in 2 different horse management systems using an Andersen cascade impactor in the box-stall, and a personal Marple cascade impactor attached to the halter to measure ADC in the breathing zone. The levels of aeroallergens implicated in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease were measured by radioallergosorbent-inhibition immunoassay. A conventional management system (System C) utilising hay feed and straw bedding, and a recommended environment (System R) utilising wood shaving bedding and a complete pelleted diet were studied. In the stall, total an...
Kleiber C, McGorum BC, Horohov DW, Pirie RS, Zurbriggen A, Straub R.Equine recurrent airway obstruction (RAO) is thought to result from an aberrant immune response to inhaled antigens, modulated by T lymphocytes via the secretion of pro-inflammatory cytokines. However data relating to the phenotypes of the T lymphocytes present in peripheral blood and bronchoalveolar lavage fluid of RAO horses and their cytokine profiles are contradictory. The aim of this study was to further investigate the cytokine (IL-4, IL-5, IL-13 and INF-gamma) mRNA expression profile in peripheral blood lymphocytes and bronchoalveolar lavage lymphocytes from RAO and control horses, befo...
Pearson RA, Merritt JB.Four donkeys and four ponies maintained in climate rooms, were provided with meadow hay or barley straw supplemented with minerals and vitamins ad libitum. Both diets were given to all animals for periods of 21 days. Measurements were made during the last seven days following single doses of two non-absorbable markers (Cr-fibre and Co-EDTA). After six weeks the donkeys repeated the trial, walking 14 km and ascending 260 m five days per week. At rest ponies ate more than donkeys, however the donkeys showed a higher digestibility of dry matter (DM), organic matter (OM) and acid detergent fibre (...
Goodwin D, Davidson HP, Harris P.The restricted access to pasture experienced by many competition horses has been linked to the exhibition of stereotypic and redirected behaviour patterns. It has been suggested that racehorses provided with more than one source of forage are less likely to perform these patterns; however, the reasons for this are currently unclear. To investigate this in 4 replicated trials, up to 12 horses were introduced into each of 2 identical stables containing a single forage, or 6 forages for 5 min. To detect novelty effects, in the first and third trials the single forage was hay. In the second and fo...
Pearson RA, Archibald RF, Muirhead RH.Four cattle, sheep, ponies and donkeys were fed dehydrated lucerne, early-cut hay, later-cut hay or barley straw in a Latin square-based design for four periods of 35 d. In the first sub-period animals were fed the diets ad libitum (1-21 d) and in the second sub-period they were fed the same diet restricted to 0.75 of ad libitum intake (days 22-35). Measurements of forage intake, apparent digestibilities and gastrointestinal mean retention times (MRT) were made in the last 7 d of each sub-period. Differences between species in voluntary DM intake (VDMI; g/kg live weight (LW)(0.75) and g/LW) we...
Nevalainen M, Raulo SM, Brazil TJ, Pirie RS, Sorsa T, McGorum BC, Maisi P.We report the effects of mouldy hay/straw exposure, inhaled hay dust suspension (HDS) and inhaled lipopolysaccharide (LPS) on bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) gelatinolytic matrix metalloproteinase (MMP) levels and degree of activation in healthy (n = 6) and heaves- (previously termed chronic obstructive pulmonary disease) affected (n = 6 or 7) horses. Gelatinolytic MMPs in BALF were quantified by zymography, and gelatinases were shown by Western immunoblotting to be MMP-2 and MMP-9. Hay/straw and HDS challenges increased BALF total gelatinolytic activity only in heaves horses, with the maj...
McGorum BC, Dixon PM, Halliwell RE.A commercial radioimmunoassay kit was used to quantify histamine concentrations of plasma, bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) and pulmonary epithelial lining fluid (PELF) of normal horses and horses with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), before and after 'natural (hay and straw) challenge' (NC). There were no significant changes in the concentrations of histamine in plasma or BALF at 0.5 or 5 h after NC, but the PELF histamine concentration of COPD affected horses was significantly increased at 5 h, but not at 0.5 h, following NC. As the histamine concentrations of whole BALF lysa...
McGorum BC, Dixon PM, Halliwell RE.Phenotypic analysis of lymphocytes in peripheral blood (PB) and bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) of control and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) affected horses, both before and after 'natural (hay and straw) challenge', were performed using immunofluorescent labelling with monoclonal antibodies and flow cytometry. BALF lymphocytes were shown to be predominantly EqCD5+ cells, approximately half of which were also EqCD8+, with a smaller proportion of B cells. In comparison with PB, BALF contained higher proportions of EqCD5+ cells and EqCD8+ cells and a lower proportion of B cell...
Zhang Z, Gao X, Dong W, Huang B, Wang Y, Zhu M, Wang C.Equines and ruminants have evolved as grazing herbivores with specialized gastrointestinal tracts capable of utilizing a wide range of fibrous feeds. In China, agricultural by-products, including corn straw, wheat straw, peanut vine, wheat husk, rice husk, and grass hay, have been extensively included in both equine and ruminant diets. These plant materials, which are composed predominantly of cellulose, hemicellulose, noncellulosic polysaccharides, and lignin, are largely undegradable by equines and ruminants themselves. Their breakdown is accomplished by communities of resident microorganism...
Intemann S, Reckels B, Schubert D, Wolf P, Kamphues J, Visscher C.The hygienic quality of forage for horses is discussed as a potential health hazard, especially regarding respiratory diseases, colic, and hepatopathies. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to investigate the possible relations between microbiological counts, as well as endotoxin levels and disease symptoms. Data from microbiological examination reports were analyzed retrospectively, including the results of sensory examination, microbiological counts, and lipopolysaccharide contents. Sensory analysis gave an indication of deficiencies in microbiological analysis, but both methods did not...
Clarke AF, Madelin T.This paper describes and compares three techniques of categorisation of hay, straw and other feeds and beddings collected from stables. A hand-held sampler was used to categorise samples according to the presence of plant material, fungal spores and dust mites. An Andersen sampler was used to categorise samples according to the thermotolerances of fungi and actinomycetes. An aerodynamic particle sizer was used to categorise samples according to respirable particle release rates. The highest burden of respirable particles was associated with the presence of thermophilic and thermotolerant actin...
Kwiatkowska-Stenzel A, Witkowska D, Sowińska J, Stopyra A.The choice of bedding material affects the quality of air in a stable and, consequently, the respiratory health of horses and humans. The risk of respiratory problems can be mitigated by improving the quality of air in the stable. The choice of bedding material is particularly important in cold climate conditions where horses are kept indoors throughout the year. This study examined the impact of three bedding materials: straw (S), peat with shavings (PS), and crushed wood pellets (CWP). The investigated factors were air contamination, including dust contamination and microbial (bacterial and ...
Thomson JR, McPherson EA.The therapy of equine chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) essentially entails minimising the horse's exposure to the aetiological antigens which are predominantly thermophilic actinomycetes and moulds occurring in hay and straw. This can be achieved, for example, by keeping affected horses permanently out of doors, or when stabled, using shredded paper, wood shavings or peat moss as bedding and feeding a complete cubed diet. There should be no supplementary hay feeding apart from dust-free vacuum-packed hay. Applying such measures generally allows horses to become asymptomatic in seve...
Harrach B, Bata A, Sándor G, Ványi A.Satratoxins H and G, verrucarin J, and roridin E were isolated from the bedding straw of 200 sport horses exhibiting typical symptoms of stachybotryo-toxicosis. At the same time, the oat feed consumed by the horses contained non-macrocyclicFusarium trichothecenes: T-2 toxin and diacetoxyscirpenol.
Vandenput S, Duvivier DH, Votion D, Art T, Lekeux P.The objective of this study was to test the hypothesis that stabled COPD horses can be maintained in clinical remission by replacing hay by grass silage and bedding made of wood shavings (Period B) and of wheat straw (Period C) during 6 weeks, respectively. At the end of these different periods, the pulmonary function of the horses was assessed by mechanics of breathing and arterial blood analyses. These results were compared to those measured in clinical remission obtained after 2 months in pasture (Period A). No significant difference was observed between these 3 periods neither to values ob...
Izraely H, Choshniak I, Stevens CE, Demment MW, Shkolnik A.Factors determining the digestive efficiency of donkeys were studied in animals fed either a low quality roughage (wheat straw: 77.1% neutral detergent fibre, 2.8% crude protein) or a high quality forage (alfalfa hay: 47.5% neutral detergent fibre, 22.7% crude protein). The neutral detergent fibre (NDF) intake when fed wheat straw was 1693 +/- 268 g animal-1 day-1, 10% higher than when fed alfalfa hay. Digestive coefficient of NDF and acid detergent fibre (ADF) when fed wheat straw amounted to 50.9 +/- 4.9 and 42.0 +/- 4.1% respectively. NDF and ADF apparent digestibilities and mean retention ...
Dosi MCM, Kirton R, Hallsworth S, Keen JA, Morgan RA.Obesity is a growing problem in UK equine population. Achieving weight loss in obese horses and ponies at risk of laminitis is an important but often challenging objective. Methods: We hypothesised that supplementing poor winter pasture with a mix of barley straw and hay (50:50) rather than hay alone (group B) would lead to weight loss in grazing equids over winter. For this purpose, a group of 40 horses were fed either the straw mix (group A) or hay alone (group B) over winter. Results: Over the study period, all animals in group A (n=25) lost weight with a mean weight change of -27±17 kg,...
Love S, Burden FA, McGirr EC, Gordon L, Denwood MJ.Domesticated grazing animals including horses and donkeys are frequently housed using deep litter bedding systems, where it is commonly presumed that there is no risk of infection from the nematodes that are associated with grazing at pasture. We use two different approaches to test whether equids could become infected with cyathostomines from the ingestion of deep litter straw bedding. Two herbage plot studies were performed in horticultural incubators set up to simulate three straw bedding scenarios and one grass turf positive control. Faeces were placed on 16 plots, and larval recoveries pe...
Wichert B, Nater S, Wittenbrink MM, Wolf P, Meyer K, Wanner M.In 46 horse farms all over Switzerland, the hygienic quality of the roughage (including silages) was investigated. Therefore, a macroscopic examination as well as the microbial counts (bacteria, yeasts and moulds) was carried out. Further, the contents of lipopolysaccharides (LPS) and the contamination with deoxynivalenol (DON) were determined. In all roughages, the dry matter (DM) content was measured and in silages additionally the pH was measured. Predominantly, the straw showed a lower hygienic quality than hay and silages. The LPS contents were significantly higher in straw than those in ...
Catalán J, Yánez-Ortiz I, Gacem S, Papas M, Bonet S, Rodríguez-Gil JE, Yeste M, Miró J.Previous research has determined that irradiation of mammalian sperm with red light increases motility, mitochondrial activity, and fertilization capacity. In spite of this, no study has considered the potential influence of the color of the straw and the extender used. Therefore, this study tests the hypothesis that the response of mammalian sperm to red light is influenced by the color of the straw and the turbidity/composition of the extender. Using the horse as a model, 13 ejaculates from 13 stallions were split into two equal fractions, diluted with Kenney or Equiplus extender, and stored...
Deaton CM, Marlin DJ, Deaton L, Smith NC, Harris PA, Schroter RC, Kelly FJ.Following a period of airway inflammation the clearance of inflammatory cells along the mucociliary escalator may impose a considerable oxidant load on the trachea. Objective: To determine the degree of oxidative stress in tracheal epithelial lining fluid (ELF) in comparison to that present in peripheral airways after an acute exposure to organic dust. Methods: Tracheal wash fluid and bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) were collected for cytology and antioxidant analyses from 6 recurrent airway obstruction (RAO)-affected horses and 6 healthy control horses before and after stabling on straw b...
Hipp B, Südekum KH, Zeyner A, Goren G, Kienzle E.The prediction of renal energy excretion is crucial in a metabolizable energy system for horses. Phenolic acids from forage cell walls may affect renal energy losses by increasing hippuric acid excretion. Therefore, the relationships were investigated between renal energy, nitrogen (N) and hippuric acid excretion of four adult ponies (230-384 kg body weight (BW)) consuming diets based on fresh grass, grass silage, grass cobs (heat-dried, finely chopped, pressed grass), alfalfa hay, straw, extruded straw and soybean meal. Feed intake was measured; urine and faeces were quantitatively collected...
