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Animal : an international journal of animal bioscience2016; 11(6); 958-967; doi: 10.1017/S1751731116002469

Review: Feeding conserved forage to horses: recent advances and recommendations.

Abstract: The horse is a non-ruminant herbivore adapted to eating plant-fibre or forage-based diets. Some horses are stabled for most or the majority of the day with limited or no access to fresh pasture and are fed preserved forage typically as hay or haylage and sometimes silage. This raises questions with respect to the quality and suitability of these preserved forages (considering production, nutritional content, digestibility as well as hygiene) and required quantities. Especially for performance horses, forage is often replaced with energy dense feedstuffs which can result in a reduction in the proportion of the diet that is forage based. This may adversely affect the health, welfare, behaviour and even performance of the horse. In the past 20 years a large body of research work has contributed to a better and deeper understanding of equine forage needs and the physiological and behavioural consequences if these are not met. Recent nutrient requirement systems have incorporated some, but not all, of this new knowledge into their recommendations. This review paper amalgamates recommendations based on the latest understanding in forage feeding for horses, defining forage types and preservation methods, hygienic quality, feed intake behaviour, typical nutrient composition, digestion and digestibility as well as health and performance implications. Based on this, consensual applied recommendations for feeding preserved forages are provided.
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Publication Date: 2016-11-24 PubMed ID: 27881201DOI: 10.1017/S1751731116002469Google 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.

This research article provides an in-depth analysis of the feeding of preserved forages to horses, focusing on the effect of these diets on the health, welfare, and performance of horses, especially those with limited access to fresh pastures. The authors offer recommended best practices based on their synthesis of recent studies in the field.

Goals of Research

The research aims to:

  • Clarify the implications of feeding preserved forages (such as hay, haylage, and silage) to horses that have limited or no access to fresh pastures
  • Discuss the validity of replacing forage with energy-dense foodstuffs, often practiced for performance horses
  • Equip horse caretakers with the latest understanding and recommendations on feeding preserved forages to horses

Key Findings and Observations

The study brings out some crucial findings regarding the forage requirements and implications for horses:

  • The quality and suitability of preserved forages should be carefully considered, taking into account production, nutritional value, digestibility, and hygiene
  • Reducing the forage base by replacing it with energy-dense food can negatively affect a horse’s health, welfare, behavior, and performance
  • Significant research over the past two decades has enhanced understanding of equine forage needs and the potential negative impacts of not meeting these needs

Recommendations and Suggestions

Based on their analysis, the authors make several recommendations for feeding horses:

  • Provide a thorough definition of forage types and the best preservation methods suited for equine consumption.
  • Guarantee the hygienic quality to ensure horse’s health is not negatively affected by consuming poor quality forage.
  • Consider feed intake behavior and typical nutrient composition for diets to maintain optimal performance.
  • Understand the digestion and digestibility of preserved forages for horses, to ensure their nutritional needs are being met.
  • Recognize the impact of the forage diet on the health and performance of horses, using updated findings as guides.

The authors suggest that a consensus on the applied recommendations for feeding preserved forages should be reached, incorporating the latest research findings into practice.

Cite This Article

APA
Harris PA, Ellis AD, Fradinho MJ, Jansson A, Julliand V, Luthersson N, Santos AS, Vervuert I. (2016). Review: Feeding conserved forage to horses: recent advances and recommendations. Animal, 11(6), 958-967. https://doi.org/10.1017/S1751731116002469

Publication

Animal : an international journal of animal bioscience
ISSN: 1751-732X
NlmUniqueID: 101303270
Country: England
Language: English
Volume: 11
Issue: 6
Pages: 958-967

Researcher Affiliations

Harris, P A
  • 1Equine Studies Group,WALTHAM Centre for Pet Nutrition,Leics LE14 4RT,UK.
Ellis, A D
  • 2UNEQUI,Research Education Innovation,Southwell,Nottinghamshire,NG25 0DS,UK.
Fradinho, M J
  • 3CIISA,Faculdade de Medicina Veterinária,Universidade de Lisboa,Av. Universidade Técnica,1300-477 Lisboa,Portugal.
Jansson, A
  • 4Department of Anatomy, Physiology and Biochemistry,Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences,750 07 Uppsala,Sweden.
Julliand, V
  • 5AgroSup Dijon,21079 Dijon Cedex,France.
Luthersson, N
  • 6Hestedoktoren I/S,Bukkerupvej 195,4360 Kr. Eskilstrup,Denmark.
Santos, A S
  • 7Department of Veterinary Medicine,Escola Universitária Vasco da Gama,3020-210 Coimbra,Portugal.
Vervuert, I
  • 9Institute of Animal Nutrition, Nutrition Diseases and Dietetics, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine,University of Leipzig,An den Tierkliniken 9,D-04103 Leipzig,Germany.

MeSH Terms

  • Animal Feed
  • Animal Nutritional Physiological Phenomena
  • Animals
  • Diet / veterinary
  • Digestion
  • Eating
  • Female
  • Horses / physiology
  • Silage

Citations

This article has been cited 35 times.
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