How to improve the hygienic quality of forages for horse feeding.

This study is about how different agricultural practices can improve the hygienic quality of horse feed to reduce the likelihood of horses developing pulmonary diseases. It was found that practices such as late hay harvesting, second crop or haylage production, and barn drying help reduce contamination of fungi and breathable dust.

Objective of the Research

• The research aimed to study how different farming practices impact the key aero-allergens present in horse feed—breathable dust, fungi, mycotoxins and pollens. These allergens are believed to contribute to the prevalence of lung diseases among horses.

Research Methods and Observations

• The researchers carried out multiple experiments to evaluate the effects of different methods of hay cultivation and harvest. They were particularly interested in how late harvesting, second cropping, haylage production, barn drying, and propionic acid addition affect the aero-allergen content in hay.
• The results demonstrated that late hay harvest, second crop or haylage production and barn drying lead to a significant decrease in fungi contamination and breathable dust content, hence enhancing the hygiene quality of horse feed.
• Harvesting hay with a lower dry mass content resulted in higher fungi and breathable dust contaminations. However, this negative effect was reversed when propionic acid was added before baling.
• A specific type of mycotoxin, Zearalenone, was found in different hays and even in the breathable dust in one of the cases.

Conclusion and Suggestions

• The research concluded that implementing varying agricultural practices can effectively improve the hygienic quality of horse feed. In turn, this translates to a lowered exposure to factors that cause pulmonary diseases in horses.
• The authors suggest that future studies and agricultural innovations should focus on decreasing the aero-allergen content in horse feed to promote the overall health of the animals.