Exploitation of a natural pasture by wild horses: comparison between nutritive characteristics of the land and the nutrient requirements of the herds over a 2-year period.

The research paper focuses on examining the nutritional characteristics of a natural pasture area in the Molise region of Italy, used for grazing by wild horse populations known as ‘Pentro horses’, over a span of two years. The goal was to understand if the nutrient availability meets the requirements of the herd and to determine the pasture’s quality and capacity for horse breeding.

Study Site and Description

• This study was conducted in a 2200 ha natural pasture in the Molise region (Italy).
• The area is characterized by a broad plane surrounded by wooden hills. This is the grazing area of the ‘Pentro horses,’ a breed of wild horses still found in the region.
• The study aimed to understand the nutrient profile of the pasture in terms of the wild horses’ requirements better and help define a proper stocking rate – the number of animals that the pasture can support without degradation.

Methodology

• Forage samples were collected from five experimental areas within the pasture over two successive years during the grazing period (May to October).
• Samples were analyzed for various parameters including dry matter (DM), organic matter (OM), crude protein (CP), crude fibre (CF), neutral-detergent fibre (NDF), acid-detergent fibre (ADF), acid-detergent lignin (ADL) and gross energy (GE).
• The study also predicted horse feed units (HFU) and horse-digestible crude protein (HDCP).
• Data were analyzed using a one-way ANOVA test with the month and area as factors.

Findings

• The study found that seasonal and yearly climatic variations significantly affect the pasture’s chemical composition and nutritive value.
• The parameters most influenced by these variations were dry matter (DM), crude protein (CP), acid-detergent fibre (ADF), and to a lesser extent, neutral detergent fibre (NDF).
• The organic matter, acid-detergent lignin, and gross energy show smaller differences during the observed period.
• Despite the low production per hectare, the nutrient production seems to meet the nutrient needs of the horses in terms of dry matter and energy because of the low stocking rate (0.3 to 0.6 head per ha).
• Differences among the areas were due to different botanical compositions and the soil’s varying draining capacity.

Implications

• The research is valuable in improving the management of the Pentro horse herds and enhancing the sustainability of grassland usage.
• The study’s collected data could also define beneficial stocking rates and contribute to the conservation and utilization of the pasture resources in this specific geographic region.