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Animals : an open access journal from MDPI2022; 12(11); 1334; doi: 10.3390/ani12111334

Horses’ Response to a Novel Diet: Different Herbs Added to Dry, Wet or Wet-Sweetened Oats.

Abstract: The commercial horse feed industry uses palatants to mask undesirable tastes of feeds and enhance product acceptance. However, an unknown odour or taste may also hinder feed intake, due to, inter alia, novelty. The objective of the study was to assess the horses' response to novel diet: five different herbs added alternately to dry, wet or wet-sweetened oats. Twenty adult horses were given different diet combinations of a feed presentation and a herb: field mint, common yarrow, common chamomile, common sage and common nettle, consecutively, once daily. The response to novelty was assessed regarding traits showing the willingness to consume: times of olfaction and consumption, times and numbers of intervals in consumption and drinking water, and the mass of leftovers. The results show that properties of the herbs studied did not hinder the consumption and only the odour of the dry common sage delayed the intake. Wetting or wetting and sweetening the diet accelerated the intake. In conclusion, herbs in small amounts do not significantly affect the willingness to consume feed. Although wet and wet-sweetened diet presentations may be novel to horses, they increase the feed palatability and can be suggested for use when preparing horse diets.
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Publication Date: 2022-05-24 PubMed ID: 35681799PubMed Central: PMC9179354DOI: 10.3390/ani12111334Google Scholar: Lookup
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Summary

This research summary has been generated with artificial intelligence and may contain errors and omissions. Refer to the original study to confirm details provided. Submit correction.

The study aimed to analyze how horses respond to a diet with five different herbs added to oats in different forms: dry, wet, or wet-sweetened. The research showed that herbs did not significantly hinder a horse’s willingness to consume feed, and wet or wet-sweetened food tended to be consumed faster.

Objectives and Methods of the Study

  • The primary purpose of this research was to examine how horses react to different feed: dry, wet, or wet-sweetened oats with an addition of different herbs.
  • The study was based on the premise that uniqueness in odour or taste can either enhance or hinder the horse’s feed intake.
  • Twenty adult horses were experimented upon by providing them with diet combinations containing herbs like field mint, common yarrow, common chamomile, common sage, and common nettle.
  • The researchers tracked multiple behavioral signs to assess the horses’ response to the new diet. These indicators included the time spent smelling and eating the feed, intervals in consumption and drinking water, and the amount of leftover food.

Key Findings from the Study

  • The study indicated that the introduction of herbs did not considerably deter the horses’ willingness to consume their feed.
  • Horses delayed their feed intake when presented with the scent of dry common sage, showcasing that particular odours could affect their eating habits.
  • Interestingly, the horses were found to consume their feed faster when the oats were either wet or wet-sweetened, regardless of the novelty.
  • Despite the addition of herbs being a new factor in their diet, the horses did not exhibit drastic changes in their eating patterns or habits.

Conclusions and Implications

  • The study concluded that small quantities of herbs do not significantly affect a horse’s willingness to consume feed.
  • Both wet and wet-sweetened oats were found to increase feed palatability, implying that they could be recommended when preparing horse diets.
  • The findings can be beneficial to the commercial horse feed industry, as they suggest ways to enhance product acceptance by altering the form of feeds and adding different herbs.

Cite This Article

APA
Stachurska A, Tkaczyk E, Różańska-Boczula M, Janicka W, Janczarek I. (2022). Horses’ Response to a Novel Diet: Different Herbs Added to Dry, Wet or Wet-Sweetened Oats. Animals (Basel), 12(11), 1334. https://doi.org/10.3390/ani12111334

Publication

Animals : an open access journal from MDPI
ISSN: 2076-2615
NlmUniqueID: 101635614
Country: Switzerland
Language: English
Volume: 12
Issue: 11
PII: 1334

Researcher Affiliations

Stachurska, Anna
  • Department of Horse Breeding and Use, Faculty of Animal Sciences and Bioeconomy, University of Life Sciences in Lublin, 20-950 Lublin, Poland.
Tkaczyk, Ewelina
  • Department of Horse Breeding and Use, Faculty of Animal Sciences and Bioeconomy, University of Life Sciences in Lublin, 20-950 Lublin, Poland.
Różańska-Boczula, Monika
  • Department of Applied Mathematics and Computer Science, Faculty of Production Engineering, University of Life Sciences in Lublin, 20-950 Lublin, Poland.
Janicka, Wiktoria
  • Department of Horse Breeding and Use, Faculty of Animal Sciences and Bioeconomy, University of Life Sciences in Lublin, 20-950 Lublin, Poland.
Janczarek, Iwona
  • Department of Horse Breeding and Use, Faculty of Animal Sciences and Bioeconomy, University of Life Sciences in Lublin, 20-950 Lublin, Poland.

Conflict of Interest Statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

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Citations

This article has been cited 1 times.
  1. Mańkowska A, Dobraczyńska BM, Szewczak J, Chodup Z, Radzanowski B, Matychyn I, Witkowska D. Preliminary Assessment of Leisure Horses' Preferences for Different Forms of Carrot (Daucus carota subsp. sativus). Animals (Basel) 2025 Nov 24;15(23).
    doi: 10.3390/ani15233385pubmed: 41375444google scholar: lookup
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