5a. Feeding Horses Flashcards
What are unique facts about equine digestion?
hind gut fermentors
Selective grazers - prehensile, sensitive lips
grind food w/ molars - grow continuously
eat thruout day - sm stomach, no gall bladder
monogastric - mammalian digestion in sm intestine, fermentation in cecum and large intestine
What is the optimal characteristics of giving water to horses?
must have access to fresh, clean water
storage tanks, troughs or pails
water lvls kept high enough - reluctant to place head in a trough or pail below eye lvl
Optimal temp 20-26C
average minimal water intake is 5L/100kg BW/day - inc w/ work req and diet, if fed only dry hay, req double, lactation or sweat losses inc needs by 50-200%
What is maximum dry matter intake?
the most food a horse can consume in a day
it increases with need and the digestibility of the feed
1.5-2% of BW, maintenance - 1000lb horse = 20%
3% of BW, peak lactation
growth 3.5% (nursing/weaning) to 2%
What is the difference in energy needs of easy keepers vx hard keepers
nonworking in good BCS easy keeper: 30kcal(0.03 Mcal)/kg BW
Hard keeper
40kcal (0.04 Mcal)/kg BW
How might cold weather, growth, preg/lactation and work affect energy needs?
COLD: lack adequate shelter otside
GROWTH: rapid and slow growth periods
PEG/LACT: maintenance until last 90d of gestation, inc in energy needs by 10-20%, lact may req 2-3x maintenance
WORK: type of work, condition and training of horse, enviro, skill of driver or rider
What are protein requirements?
some microbia synthesis and absorption of AA occurs in cecum and lg intestine
not sufficient to meet the amino acid needs
What might affect the protein requirements?
growth(14-16%total ration), mature horses(8-10), aged (>20yrs)(14-16), pregnancy(10-11%), lactation(12-14)
What are some mineral requirements for horses?
calcium and phosphorus - greater needs during growth, last third of preg, lactation
phosphorus needs of older horses may be higher
maintain ratio >1:1
What are some nutritional problems at growth that could occur?
developmental orthopedic dz
Flexural demformity
What is developmental orthopedic dz?
include deformed limbs (angular limb deformities) and bone malformations that cause problems later in life
Too much grain (energy)
improper amount of minerals like Ca, P, Cu and Zn
Exercise strengthens bone
Inheritance also most likely cause
What is a flexural deformity?
inflam of growth plates (physitis)
2nd to insulin dysregulation from rapid digestion of easily available carbs
Physitis results in pain and lack of weight bearing - unstretched tendors cause flexural deformities
Tx/prevention - restrict energy-heavy feed, no alfalfa, timothy (low energy hay)
What are some qualities of feeding at pasture/
pasture should be permanant, mixture of grasses and legumes (boost protein and energy content)
over mature pasture (stems and flowers) is poor quality grazing for horses
What does it mean that horses are selective grazing
graze the palatable areas to the ground, leave the stemmy areas to overgrown, will not graze ner fecal pats
Why is pasture rotation important?
parasite control (no/few eggs survive prairie winters), diff types for diff seasons
Grass for spring, alfalfa for summer
How should pastures be utilized?
prevention of over or undergrazing
if they’re grazing the pasture close to the ground -move to prevent damage to plants
If overgrazing - mow for hay
overgrazed pastures contribute to inc parasite burdens and favor overgrowth of weeds
Avoid lg pastures to ensure appropriate size and access - 1 acre per horse
Horses avoid feces (latrines)
avoid forages w/ a lot of stem
results in roughs and lawns (good areas)
Cows will eat the rougha nd graze near feces
How could we manage a pasture?
chain harrow to spread manure - hot dry periods, no horses
Clip or mow or spo 2, 4-D (selective weed killer) application to remove unpalatable weeds - once a year
How can you tell if a pasture is adequate?
condition of horses/pasture, analysis of plants
most horses can maintain a BW when fed good-quality forage, water and a mineral block
What is pasture-associated laminitis causing NSC
non-structural carbs (NSC)
sugars, fructans and starch
rapid growth pastures (spring, summer, fall after heavy rain) favor accumulation - ideally digested in sm int, up to half the starch and all the fructans can reach lg intestine where it is rapidly fermented
What happens with excessive NSC in the lg intestine?
overgrowth of bact that can digest starch and fructans
prod lactic acids, lower pH
destruction and inflam of gut wall, absorb of toxins - colic, diarrhea, laminitis -systemic inflam response that contributes to destruction of lamellar epithelium and matrix
What are the risk factors of NCS
genetic predispositions, equine metabolic syndrome (obesity, insulin-resistance, hyperinsulinemia)
How can we reduce the occurance of NCS?
RESTRICT GRAZING - especially spring early summer - rapid growth
Pasture overnight/early morning - fructans inc thruout morning and reach max values in afternoon
Grazing muzzles, hay steamers
Avoid stemmy, mature pastures - contain more fructans
Avoid grazing in low temps - dec grass growth and inc fructans
Supplement w/ hay - mature grasses or legume containing hay
Soak hay - 30-60m
analyze grasses and hay for NSC and feed low NSC hay <10%
avoid obesity
equids w/ prev laminitis episode especially @ risk
What is tall fescue?
Endophytic fungus
poor growth, prolonged gestation and agalactia in mares, inc foal mortality
Why might we feed preserved roughage?
fed to satisfy maintenance requirements
at least 50% of diet - higher conc inc risk of laminitis and obesity, except intense exercise, feed smler, frequent feedings of concentrates, no more than 0.5% BW per feeding
Good quality hay fed at 1.5% BW
Poor quality hay is about 2/3 the energy content - adjust feeding amounts
Always allow up to 30% extra for waste
What are grass hays and its characteristics, what is it best for?
Timothy, brome
lower in cals and protein
Higher in fibre- support hindgut fermentation
best for: easy keepers, stalled horses, to support GI health