Effect of diet on mechanical properties of horse’s hair.

This study investigates how supplementing the diets of some English thoroughbred horses with zinc and copper, in both inorganic and organic forms, affects the mechanical properties of their hair. It finds that these supplements can alter properties such as elasticity, strength, and diameter.

Study Design

• The study involved 18 healthy English thoroughbred horses who had been fed on a diet of oats and hay for 110 days.
• From these 18 horses, some had their diet supplemented with high-quality 44-ingredient Fohlengold St-Hippolyt muesli made by Muhle Ebert Dilheim. More specifically, 6 horses had received muesli containing organic zinc and copper (OS), while another 6 had received muesli containing inorganic forms of these metals (IS). The remaining 6 horses were kept on the oats and hay diet without muesli and served as the control group.
• The researchers tested the mechanical properties of the horses’ hairs before and after the supplementation period using a Synergie 100 (MTS) testing machine. This testing involved loading each hair at a constant rate of 20mm/min until it broke. This data was then used to calculate properties such as Young modulus (E), breaking stress (Ru), and the yield point (Rs).

Findings

• The researchers found that the properties of the hairs from the horses in the control group remained unchanged after the trial period.
• For the horses that received inorganic zinc and copper supplementation, their hair increased in elasticity and diameter but decreased in strength.
• In contrast, the hair from horses that received organic forms of zinc and copper increased in elasticity and strength but decreased in diameter.
• As such, the study concludes that supplementing horses’ diets with organic forms of zinc and copper can improve the mechanical properties of their hair, increasing both strength and elasticity.