Free fatty acids in exercising Arabian horses fed two common diets.

The research studied the effects of two diets, corn and alfalfa, on plasma free fatty acid levels in horses at rest and during exercise, and found that horses fed alfalfa had significantly higher levels of these acids during activity.

Research Methodology and Setup

• The research utilized four Arabian geldings in a randomized, repeated-measure design. The experiment was performed over four different sampling days.
• On each sampling day, two horses were given one of two isoenergetic diets, either entirely corn or entirely alfalfa. The provided diet accounted for 22% of the horse’s estimated daily energy needs.
• Two hours following the meal, each horse performed a standard exercise test. The test consisted of three consecutive 10-minute runs, each with gradually increasing intensity and heart rates of 132, 140, and 147 beats per minute.

Results of the Research

• Comparisons of the two feeding groups before the meal (corn-fed vs alfalfa-fed) did not show any significant differences in free fatty acid concentrations in the horses (0.554 +/- 0.031 vs. 0.629 +/- 0.033 mmol/L respectively).
• Post-meal comparisons between the two groups also revealed no significant differences (0.520 +/- 0.027 vs. 0.609 +/- 0.041 mmol/L respectively).
• Moreover, basal (basic or minimal) free fatty acid concentrations in both groups also showed no significant differences (0.392 +/- 0.036 vs. 0.401 +/- 0.052 mmol/L).
• However, when comparing the two feeding regimens during exercise, the free fatty acid concentrations were observed to be significantly greater in the horses fed with alfalfa (0.608 +/- 0.038 mmol/L) as opposed to corn (0.484 +/- 0.031 mmol/L). Therefore, the type of feed seems to affect the levels of free fatty acids in their plasma during exercise.