The relationship between cheek tooth occlusal morphology, apparent digestibility, and ingesta particle size reduction in horses.

The research explores the possible links between the shape and structure of horse’s molars, how well they digest their feed, and changes in the size of feed particles during digestion. The study found no significant relationships between these factors.

Methodology

• The study involved 17 horses of different ages, breeds, and sexes.
• The horses were fed one of three types of hay-based diets for a two-week period.
• They were then euthanized and evaluated post-mortem.
• This involved disarticulating the head to take detailed pictures of the tooth structures, collecting contents from the horse’s small colon, rectum, and stomach for digestion and particle size analysis.
• Nutrient profiles of each diet were also assessed, along with any oral pathologies observed.
• Each horse was given an overall oral pathology score and the features of their molar structures were recorded.

Results and Conclusions

• The results showed no major differences in the nutritional values among the three tested diets.
• The study found no significant difference in digestibility among the diets, indicating that the type of hay fed did not materially influence how well the horses digested their food.
• Though the feed particle sizes varied significantly among the diets, the size of particles in the stomach contents and feces did not differ, suggesting the digestive system processed the feed similarly, irrespective of the original particle size.
• Additionally, no significant correlations were found between the horses’ molar shape and their ability to digest feed.
• Additionally, fecal particle size did not show any significant relation with the oral pathology score assigned to the horses.

The study, therefore, concluded that there was no evidence to prove that the cheek tooth structure, fecal particle size, and food digestibility are interrelated in horses.